All Means All Action Plan

Lincoln Board of Education Goals for Equitable Outcomes

Lincoln Board of Education Equity Statement

The Lincoln Board of Education is committed to equity for students, staff, and stakeholders of the Lincoln Public Schools. Equity in education intentionally provides what each student needs to reach their individual potential. Students have access to opportunities through the same academic and behavior standards. Students are taught by expert teachers who hold students to the highest learning expectations, while fostering an environment for students to discover and explore their passions, while making meaningful connections, as they pursue their post-secondary dreams and aspirations. Lincoln Public Schools provides the appropriate levels of resources and support that result in equitable and measurable outcomes for all students regardless of their socio-economic status, race, national origin, ethnic background, culture, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, sexual orientation, gender, transgender, age, disability, mental, physical or linguistic ability or other protected status.

Table of Contents

Celebrations and Next Steps

It has been five years since the adoption of the 2017–2022 LPS Strategic Plan, during which LPS has had many successes of which to be proud. Last school year, in both ELA and Math, LPS scored above the state average in each grade assessed (grades 3–8) on the NSCAS state assessment. No LPS schools were classified as “Needs Improvement” by the state, as all LPS schools were classified as either good, great, or excellent. In addition to academic success, over the last five years, LPS has increased the number of focus programs from five to eight, created equity modules to be delivered to all staff, and has created an annual state-wide Positive Behavior Conference. LPS has reduced the suspension rate to less than 4% of students who have received a suspension, and has worked with staff on strategies to position all students as capable, which requires participation by 100% of students. LPS will continue to work in PLCs to discuss student progress, and looks forward to the pilot of a new K-6 reading program in the fall of 2022.

However, the data also indicates there is much work left to do. LPS acknowledges the disproportionality in our academic data and measures of student success. The goal is to ensure that every child experiences success and feels accepted for their authentic self, and this action plan represents the work of LPS staff, students, and community members who are passionate in their pursuit of equitable outcomes for all students.

Plan and Presentation of April 12, 2022

Action Plan

Board Equity Goals Presentation

Presentation to the Board of Education

Process Overview

Each summer, the Lincoln Public Schools Board of Education holds a retreat to discuss the mission, progress, and goals of the district. During the 2021 summer retreat, LPS Board members engaged in a visioning activity designed to facilitate dialogue centering on long-term goals for equitable outcomes for all student groups. As board members discussed their vision for the district, themes such as academic success, school culture, honors course enrollment, and hiring staff from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds surfaced as top priorities. Based on these priorities, the LPS Board asked staff to present current data and draft potential language in the form of goal statements. Four measurable goals were presented to the LPS Board in the fall of 2021, with the understanding that teams of LPS stakeholders would work together during the 2021-2022 school year to create a formal action plan to address these goals.

Board of Education Equity Areas of Focus

Download the list of strategies or view in the tabs below

Action Plan: Graduation Rate

Raise the “All Students” graduation rate to 87.0%, and reduce existing differentials from “All Students” by 50%.

  1. Ensure purposeful planning and uniform systems of transition.
    1. Strategy: Design, and ensure implementation of, systematic and consistent transition processes across the district for transition to PreK, PreK to K, 5th to 6th, and 8th to 9th, including orientations, transition communication to families, and staff processes.
    2. Strategy: Require the use of school mobility plans in all schools for students transferring between LPS schools and students transferring to LPS from outside of the district.
    3. Strategy: Develop and implement a “get involved” initiative to contact and encourage all students to get involved in an academic or extracurricular activity, such as clubs, athletics, CLCs, and the arts.
    4. * Strategy: Explore and identify additional LPS summer school opportunities, with a focus on middle school courses that award credit toward high school graduation.
  2. Review and evaluate how students earn credit, to create new pathways toward earning or recovering credit.
    1. * Strategy: Expand the Graduation Pathways program to increase outreach, and offerings, and serve more students on their path toward graduation.
    2. *Strategy: Explore opportunities to increase the number of smaller learning communities within existing comprehensive high schools (such as the Foundry at Lincoln High and Launchpad at Northeast).
    3. Strategy: Implement consistent grading practices to ensure equitable outcomes and opportunities for credit completion.
  3. Give intentional and systemic focus to Tier 1 instruction, through professional learning and collaboration.
    1. *Strategy: Investigate opportunities for teachers who are new to the profession to receive additional coaching, collaboration, and reflection about equitable practices.
    2. Strategy: Additional professional learning focused on instructional strategies, 100% participation strategies, student relationships, and positioning students as capable, to increase rigorous instruction for all students.
    3. Strategy: Investigate the feasibility of creative scheduling options, including advisory, or flex periods.

*Additional budget required. Strategy implementation will be based on available funding.

Action Steps: Positive Behavior

Reduce total suspensions for “All Students” by 20%, and reduce disproportionality ratios to 1.2 or less for all student groups.

  1. Staff will be trained in restorative and trauma-informed practices, implement those practices, and continue to foster their own growth mindset to enhance positive relationships with students.
    1. Strategy: Provide training on trauma-informed practices to the following groups:
      • All staff: Required through equity modules, embedded during professional learning sessions, and optional ESSER sessions. Additional training for specific staff groups, such as clinicians (school psychologists, school social workers, counselors, etc.).
      • Administrators: During monthly administrator meetings.
      • New teachers: Required as a part of new teacher meetings and tenure courses.
    2. Strategy: Provide training on restorative practices, including mindset and strategies to the same employee groups listed in 4.1
  2. Systems of academic and behavioral support that are equitable, restorative, and multi-tiered, will be implemented with fidelity in all LPS schools and programs.
    1. Strategy: Leverage Synergy functionality and district reporting tools to measure the fidelity of implementation of restorative and equitable systems at Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.
    2. Strategy: Create a district monitoring system to ensure fidelity of implementation of restorative and equitable MTSS-B systems at Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.
    3. Strategy: Convene a committee to revise the LPS code of conduct language to reflect restorative language, including outcomes that highlight alternatives to suspension and restorative practices.

*Additional budget required. Strategy implementation will be based on available funding.

Action Steps: Honors Course Enrollment

Reduce disproportionality by 75% between “All Students” who have completed at least 1 honors course, and each student group.

  1. Improve communication about honors courses to every student of color.
    1. Strategy: Create a district-wide communication plan for staff to provide support for students of color in honors courses, in addition to a communication plan for students and families of color that informs, recruits, and supports student success in honors courses.
  2. Improve communication about the gifted program to students and families of color.
    1. Strategy: Review and clarify board policy/regulations to ensure that the gifted program is accessible to students and families of color.
    2. Strategy: Create a district-wide communication plan for staff to identify and provide support for students of color in the gifted program, in addition to a communication plan for students and families of color regarding gifted identification.
  3. Provide continuous professional learning for all teachers to support students of color.
    1. Strategy: Training for equitable teaching practices and mindset about students of color so that they can be successful in honors courses.
  4. Establish consistent practices across all buildings, and between levels, to identify and enroll students of color in honors courses.
    1. * Strategy: Create a systematic process to ensure an adequate number of honors course sections exist to allow for enrollment of students of color regardless of gifted identification.
    2. * Strategy: Increase the number of teachers eligible to teach AP/IB or dual credit courses to increase opportunities and access to honors courses by students of color.
    3. Strategy: Create a systematic process to ensure appropriate differentiated curriculum and instruction is available at all grade levels and schools and update as necessary.
    4. Strategy: Develop clear criteria for entry into honors courses to reduce subjectivity. Automatically place any student in honors courses if criteria are met. (Example: honors course placement requires opt-out instead of opt-in).
    5. Strategy: Develop monitoring systems for MTSS-A.
  5. Establish consistent practices across all buildings, and between levels, to identify and enroll students of color in the gifted program.
    1. Strategy: Identify students for participation in the gifted program using multiple data points (e.g., testing, universal screeners, classroom performance, and informal data collection).
  6. Provide and enhance comprehensive support for students and families of color to ensure success in honors courses.
    1. * Strategy: Expand AVID and the Honors Cadre programs to additional schools to support students of color in honors courses before, during, and after school.
    2. * Strategy: LPS will pay for all AP exam fees for AP Human Geography during 22–23 & 23–24. Beyond 23–24, LPS will explore funding to add one exam per school year (in addition to the previous year(s) commitment) until all AP exam fees are covered by the district.

*Additional budget required. Strategy implementation will be based on available funding.

Action Steps: Hiring Staff from Diverse Racial & Ethnic Backgrounds

Increase the percentage of certified staff from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds by 25%, to a target of 8.1%.

  1. Intentionally expand recruiting efforts, with specific outreach to LPS students and candidates from diverse backgrounds.
    1. * Strategy: Create an inventory of current efforts to foster student leadership and exploration of a career in education. Use that inventory to align and expand programs that aim to encourage LPS students to consider a career in education, with an emphasis on recruiting students from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
    2. Strategy: Increase the number of paraeducators who access the Para to Teacher Tuition Reimbursement Program to grow the pool of qualified teaching candidates from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
  2. Ensure culturally responsive interviewing practices, including awareness of implicit biases within the interview process.
    1. * Strategy: Develop and deliver professional learning for leaders (principals, associate principals, coordinators, and district office staff) to focus on equitable hiring practices, the impact of implicit biases in the hiring process, and a systemic evaluation of current LPS hiring practices.
  3. Increase teacher support, and enhance current support programs, to retain teachers from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.
    1. * Strategy: Create an optional dual mentoring program to match teachers from diverse backgrounds with a mentor from a diverse background.
    2. Strategy: Increase the number of certified staff of color in Future Leaders Cadre and Leadership LPS.
    3. Strategy: Enhance monthly meetings with staff of color groups (classified staff, certified staff, administrators) including developing leaders within groups to facilitate meetings, networking, and preparing staff of color for advancement and promotion.
    4. * Strategy: Provide an annual Level Up (Linking, Empowering, & Validating Educators for Leadership) Symposium to inspire and build leadership capacity in LPS staff of color.

*Additional budget required. Strategy implementation will be based on available funding.

Action Step and Strategies for Implementation

  1. Increase communication and align district implementation of goals.
    1. Strategy: Instructional conferences (held each fall with principals) will include questions and discussions concerning school progress toward each of these goals.
    2. Strategy: LPS Directors will review the LPS perception survey (given annually to students, parents, and staff) to highlight which questions apply to each goal, for use by SIP, MTSS-A, MTSS-B, and other school teams.
    3. Strategy: The focus of the 2022-23 Summer SIP workshop, school goals, and SIP co-chair meetings will be on the implementation of the four goals for equity.
    4. Strategy: Professional learning sessions during the 22-23 school year should start with an acknowledgment of the four goals and a brief explanation of how the session supports these goals.
    5. Strategy: All staff will receive professional learning concerning the four goals and strategies when they return to school for the 2022-2023 school year.
    6. Strategy: Create an LPS webpage to communicate action steps publicly.
    7. Strategy: Monthly Administrator Council meetings for principals, assistant principals, and coordinators will provide additional information about how schools can implement and monitor their work in these four areas.

*Additional budget required. Strategy implementation will be based on available funding.