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Grantees Consider Equity at 2019 Convening

The W. Clement & Jessie V. Stone Foundation hosted its annual Grantee Convening in September 2019. Grantees from of the Foundation’s portfolios, Education, Early Childhood Development, and Youth Development, gathered to discuss equity in their work. They recognized that regardless of where they work and what age group they work with, they all face histories of oppression and systems that were designed to sift and sort, rather than achieve excellent outcomes for all. To get to a place where outcomes are not determined by race, the organizations must adapt to and overcome environments shaped by personal biases and structural racism. As context, attendees heard from Chicago’s newly appointed Chief Equity Officer, Candace Moore.

Stone’s grantee partners approach the issues in different ways – through research, practice or policy, and work with a diverse group of stakeholders- our youngest learners, K-12 students, teens, families, educators, policymakers, etc. And regardless of their difference, all the organization grapple with some common questions: How do we build organizations that are staffed and funded to authentically engage the communities we serve? How do we raise and sustain funding that allows us to be nimble and address the shifting landscape that presents obstacles to equity? How do we create a message that can be heard by all in an environment that is polarized and where deficit language predominates? How do we nurture leadership internally and externally that is prepared to advance equity? Together grantees explored these questions. And having heard clearly that this is a priority for its grantees, Stone will continue to explore how we can support efforts that insure every child has access to opportunities for success.

To learn more about the convening, a brief report is provided here.

The Student Opportunity Act was signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker last Tuesday. The legislation, which requires the state to invest an additional $1.5 billion in public education over the next seven years, is being hailed as a significant victory by organizations working to address the state’s educational equity issues, including Foundation partners Education Trust, Strategies for Children, and Teach Plus– all of whom, through their involvement with the Massachusetts Education Equity Partnership, play a role in moving the state towards a more equitable education system.

Through the Act, new funding will be made available to districts throughout the state. These new funds are intended to support efforts to close the opportunity gaps that for years have led to disparate educational outcomes across the state. Initial funding will target districts with large numbers of poor students and English language learners. Among other things, the new legislation lets districts obtain reimbursements for transporting students to out-of-district special education placements, create a grant fund for innovative educational approaches, fully fund charter school reimbursements, and raise a cap on state funding for school building projects. Additionally, the Student Opportunity Act requires that school district leaders work with families and stakeholders to develop concrete plans for how they will use newly allocated funds to improve student outcomes. This provision creates a critical opportunity to open up decision-making tables and ensure that education reform is done with historically underserved communities, not to them.

Grantee Internationals Network for Public Schools was recently featured in a new report and case study by Learning Policy Institute highlighting what makes its schools successful for recent immigrant and refugee English learners across the US. The Learning Policy Institute report highlights Internationals Network as an example of a school network that has successfully scaled student-centered, deeper learning school models across the country. The report explores the systems and structures these networks used to spread practices in ways that advance deeper learning and equity and result in greater success for traditionally marginalized students.