Equity Teams

  • Equity graphic by artist Tony Ruth

    The Upper Darby School District equity initiative teams are highly collaborative and interdependent for optimal equitable practices and outcomes to the benefit of students in our District.  Each team is designed to enhance the work of the other teams and to offer a layer of support in the implementation of the District equity initiative.  The equity teams for Upper Darby School District work in tandem to ensure that each student experiences the promise of Unity our amazingly diverse community offers and has access to Excellence through Equity.

     

    The Comprehensive Equity Team, which is composed of District leaders, teachers, parents, and community members, is responsible for developing, monitoring, and adjusting the Comprehensive Equity Plan for effective strategic planning.  These team members ensure that the plan remains a dynamic, working document that evolves and adapts to address student needs over time.  Members of the Comprehensive Equity team meet regularly to assess the phases of equity and brainstorm ideas that continue to support our district equity initiative.

     

     

    The Districtwide Equity Leadership Team is composed of an equity leader(s) that represent each school throughout the District.  Our equity leaders act as a liaison between each building equity team and the Supervisor of Equity.  These team members meet regularly to share ideas, collaborate, offer support, and discuss school-level progress in the implementation of the District equity initiative.


    Building Equity Leadership Teams
     
    meet regularly to maintain tone and trust with members of the school-level teams and to plan for future training within each school building.  These teams are a strong resource for their respective buildings.

     

    The Youth Equity Stewardship is comprised of Upper Darby High School students in grades 9-12 and our middle school students from Beverly Hills Middle School and Drexel Hill Middle School.  As student leaders, they are ambassadors of equity amongst their peers and lead in courageous conversations about equity initiatives in our District.  They meet regularly to share ideas, offer support, and collaborate with other equity teams to help facilitate and promote equity initiatives amongst our diverse student population.

     

    The Parent Equity Leadership Team is comprised of parents of current Upper Darby School District students who are interested in working for implementation of the District's equity plan.  They are also ambassadors of equity within the three (3) boroughs and several communities in which our students live.  They participate in forums in which they receive updates about the implementation of the equity initiative plan.  Parents, in general, are also encouraged to discuss any ideas or community concerns around equity they may have at each forum.

Equity Teams

  • The Upper Darby School District Equity initiative involves several teams consisting of individuals committed to supporting the mission and goals of the District's Comprehensive Equity Plan, engaging in productive dialogue around equity, and developing and supporting robust, effective, and sustainable goals, strategies, and action steps.  Learn more about each team below.

     

    • Comprehensive Equity Team
    • Districtwide Equity Leadership Team
    • Building Equity Leadership Team
    • Youth Stewardship Program
    • Parent Equity Leadership Team

The Comprehensive Equity Team

  • The Comprehensive Equity Team, which includes parents, teachers, administrators, and representation from the School Board of Directors, came together with a shared commitment and spirit of collaboration in creating a more excellent and equitable outcome for students.  To that end, the Comprehensive Equity Team met regularly to engage in self-reflection, examine current practices and policies through an equity lens, and provide recommendations for eliminating gaps in opportunity and access due to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geography and gender.  The team serves as the guiding coalition for the Upper Darby School District Comprehensive Equity Plan.

     

    The Team conducted a cultural audit which included staff surveys, student focus groups, as well as a review of the comprehensive plan and District policies to gauge the baseline state of cultural competency in the Upper Darby School District.  As a result of that work, the Team identified the following action areas:

     

    1. Constructing and enacting an equity vision
    2. Engaging in self-reflection and growth
    3. Collaborating with families and communities
    4. Hiring and placing personnel

     

    Through strategic action planning around these action areas, the team intends to identify areas for growth, set SMART goals, collect and analyze data, identify strategies and action steps for improvement, and monitor and adjust the plan as appropriate.