All students deserve high-quality educational opportunities

STATE EQUITY PLANS
Tools and information

“Nothing in this document requires or encourages the ‘forced transfer’ of teachers or principals. Such a policy does not address root causes, and is therefore unlikely to address inequities in access to excellent educators. It also may result in a less supportive working environment for educators, thereby exacerbating existing equity gaps.”

—U.S. Dept. of Education, November 2014, “State Plans to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators”

State equity plans

The U.S. Department of Education is requiring states to submit state educator equity plans by June 1, 2015. AFT state federations and locals are using the legal mandate for stakeholder participation to push out the Reclaiming the Promise local and state policy agenda and, at the same time, are asking members to come forward with what they think needs to be done to retain and support great teachers, especially in hard-to-staff schools. This could include:

• Fair and adequate funding for the most at-risk schools;
• Resources for schools and teachers with the greatest need;
• Ensuring schools have the tools and conditions they need;
• High-quality teaching materials;
• An engaging curriculum that includes music, art, sports and science;  
• Lower class sizes;
• Up-to-date technology and facilities;
• Professional development opportunities;
• Safe and secure learning environments;
• Wraparound community services in the schools; and
• Nutrition and health services with a primary care healthcare provider in each school.

Tools and information

With, on average, 50 percent of our students from poverty households, our teachers need additional supports for their students in the classroom. These equity plans must encompass a broader definition of what is needed for "equity."

As Education Secretary Arne Duncan told state chiefs, the best equity plans should include, "recruiting, developing, and retaining great educators with the skills to teach all students, but will also build strong school leaders, create supportive working conditions, and address inequities in resources and supports for teachers." 

Below are tools and resources on state equity plans.

For more information, please contact equity@aft.org or call the AFT Equity Hotline at 202/879-4501.

Background information

• AFT's Weingarten on the 'Excellent Educators for All' Initiative (AFT press release, 11/10/14)
• Current State Equity Plans
• Current State Profiles
• Letter to state school officers on the State Plans to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators  (U.S. Dept. of Education, 11/10/14)
• "State Plans to Ensure Equitable Access to Excellent Educators: Frequently Asked Questions"
• Key policy letters from Department of Education secretary and deputy secretary (U.S. Dept. of Education, 07/07/14)
• National Association of State Boards of Education’s Policy Update on Equity Plans (May 2015)

AFT resources

• Growth in Child Poverty Mapped by County in the 50 States
• Reclaiming the Promise: Early Childhood Education
• “Want to Close the Achievement Gap? Close the Teaching Gap,” by Linda Darling-Hammond, American Educator, Winter 2014-2015
• Principles That Unite Us
• Wraparound Services: Community Schools

Additional tools & resources

• "For Each and Every Child: A Strategy for Education Excellence and Equity" (The Equity and Excellence Commission, 2013)
• “To Close the Achievement Gap, We Need to Close the Teaching Gap,” by Linda Darling-Hammond (Huffington Post, 06/30/14)
• “Class Divide: Poverty, Segregation, and Teacher Quality” (Teaching Matters, 10/14)
• "Excellent Teachers for Each and Every Child: A Guide for State Policy" (National Opportunity to Learn Campaign, 12/13)
• Lessons from PISA for the United States (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)
• An Overview of the Local Control Funding Formula (California State Legislative Analyst's Office, 12/13)
• PISA In Focus No. 44: How is equity in resource allocation related to student performance?