Robbinsdale Area Schools

1. Robbinsdale Area Schools ISAIAH Moratorium on Suspension Faith Dialogs with Robbinsdale and Osseo

2. Unified District Vision Robbinsdale Area Schools is committed to ensuring every student graduates career and college ready. We believe each student has limitless possibilities and we strive to ignite the potential in every student. We expect high intellectual performance from all our students. We are committed to ensuring an equitable and respectful educational experience for every student, family and staff member, focusing on strengths related to: Race Gender Culture Sexual Orientation Ethnicity Age Home or First Language Ability National Origin Religion Socioeconomic Status Physical Appearance

3. Goals of the Unified District Vision • Implement Policies and Practices that Open Pathways to Academic Excellence for All Students • Utilize Culturally Relevant Teaching and Personalized Learning for All Students • Engage Family and Community Members as Partners • Engage and Empower Students by Amplifying Student Voice

4. Purpose Our purpose is to collaboratively work together to find positive alternatives to suspension to eliminate the disproportionality of suspensions in Robbinsdale Area Schools. Our goal is to continue to reduce the disproportionality of suspensions and improve academic achievement.

5. Statement • Robbinsdale Area Schools is committed to doing what is best for all students. • We are committed to decreasing the number of suspensions and eliminating racial disparities. • We believe wide use of suspensions is counterproductive to student learning and is a factor that supports the school to prison pipeline.

6. Definitions 2013-14 Student Behavior Handbook, pgs. 29-31

7. Baseline Data There have not been any expulsions/exclusions for many years. After the 2010-2011 school year, we overhauled the student handbook by reducing the severity of consequences to reduce suspensions.

8. Graduation Rates, State/District Comparison

9. Graduation Rates

10. Transformative Changes Based on Data • New student handbook aligned with PBIS • Alternatives to Suspension Committee • District Equity Leadership Team • MSU Mankato Principals Institute • National Urban Alliance (NUA) • Beyond Diversity training for all staff • New principal evaluation • New teacher evaluation • Equity Specialists/Equity Teams • Data driven progress monitoring • Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) • Civil Rights Research Tour and guest speakers • Student Equity Teams

11. Courageous Conversations 6 Conditions • Focus on PERSONAL local and immediate • ISOLATE race • Normalize SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION & multiple perspectives • Monitor agreements, conditions and ESTABLISH PARAMETERS • Use a “WORKING DEFINITION” for race • Examine the presence and role of “WHITENESS”

12. Secondary Principals’ 5 Agreements • We guarantee an equitable education by radically changing an institutionally racist school system. • We have the responsibility to guarantee all students, families and staff are valued and belong. • We have the responsibility to guarantee a learning environment where all students and staff are held to high expectations and achieve at high levels. • We must persevere with a clear vision and purpose to be a racially conscious courageous agent of change. • We play a critical role in educating all students, thus every moment and interaction with a child impacts learning.

13. Support Needed from ISAIAH • Engaging ISAIAH, family and community members as partners • Successful alternatives to suspension programs • Access to mental health resources • Forums to better engage communities • Navigating community racial equity dialogues • Funding to support the alternative to suspension program • Parent outreach • Additional staff to better support students • Professional learning for certified and non-certified staff • Student “soft skills”/social-emotional development

14. Questions?