A 200-page Anti-Racist System Audit report of the Montgomery County Public Schools shows the need for a district-wide effort to enable all students, regardless of their background, to be able to succeed in school and be prepared for the future.
According to a two-year study that was released Tuesday, most of MCPS’s policies and programs contain best practices related to racial equity. However, these policies and programs are not followed at every school.
Due to the system’s fragmentation, students of color are less likely to take advanced classes and do not always feel welcome and safe. There is a lot of segregation in elementary schools, according to the report.
Professional learning, building relational trust and including minority members of the staff in hiring new teachers are ways to achieve equity, according to the report.
“This is not one person’s problem This is not just one racial group’s issue. It should be something we all own collectively,” Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight said.
“I am pleased to have the affirmation of what we have known for years and what student performance data tells us—that students of color have a different experience in our school system,” McKnight said. “If we are truly going to ensure that all students can succeed, then we must eliminate racism and bias in teaching and learning. As a result of this work, when we ask ourselves what will be different, the answer must be—we will be different.”
The difference between this audit and so many other reports on equity is that it “looks at how it impacts us as a whole community, not just individually,” she said.
MCPS has a goal of enabling every student to graduate prepared to attend college, have a career and be a productive member of a community, regardless of their background and ethnicity.
The audit began when 126,000 MCPS students and parents filled out a survey on racism and inequity to see how welcoming and inclusive MCPS is to people of color. It included questions on racial disparities in ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and language proficiency.
Many who filled out the survey gave MCPS good marks, but in diverse schools, the results were far from positive. Some parents of color said they felt left out and their children had fewer opportunities than others.
Therefore, McKnight said MCPS will meet with all principals to determine which students are performing proficiently and which are not “and what can we do about it.”
McKnight pointed to one teacher who during the last school year had 61% of her students meet or exceed standards in math and 78% in literature. That teacher was successful, because she reviewed data and evaluated her students individually “to plan effectively for them.”
Stephanie Sheron, chief at MCPS Office Strategic Initiatives, said the work on the audit began in July 2020 and examined the whole district. It included information from the survey, 32 focus group meetings and involved such areas as school culture, workforce diversity, community relations, curriculum and work conditions.
All those topics interconnect and cannot be viewed in isolation, Sheron said.
As a first step, MCPS will conduct professional learning sessions, beginning in January 2023. McKnight explained the problems will not be resolved quickly, noting that some issues have existed since MCPS first opened.
The survey was created by Midatlantic Equity Consortium in Bethesda in collaboration with the MCPS Office of Strategic Initiatives.
McKnight explained the problems will not be resolved quickly, noting that some issues have existed for some time.
