What to know about the Black Excellence Resolution & DSST Public Schools

What is the Black Excellence Resolution (BER)? 

On Thursday, February 21, 2019, after months of work with the community, the DPS Board of Education passed the Black Excellence Resolution (BER). The purpose of the BER is to embrace the excellence of Black and African-American students while prioritizing and targeting their academic achievement. In response to this directive, Superintendent Susana Cordova created a plan that “utilizes the tools, systems, resources and talent that exist within our district and community — and increase the investment of students and their families in their own successes — by focusing on three main areas of work over the next three years.”

The BER includes a three-pronged approach at the school level, network level, and district level:

At the school level, the success of Black students will be prioritized and supported by requiring that all schools participate in a set of equity-building initiatives: 

• review student performance and referral data (discipline and special education) to understand how Black students are doing on an individual level.
• develop a plan of action to increase the success of Black students.
• set goals for supporting Black students, including prioritizing Black students' access to grade-level or more rigorous coursework.
• clearly articulate how progress will be monitored in order to increase Black student achievement.

At the DSST Network Level, DSST will be a network that is community-driven and expertly supported

• Prioritize valuing communities and families as true partners in our work by training all members on implicit bias and culturally-responsive education on an ongoing basis, with a special emphasis on staff working directly in front of students.
• Assess how we are doing and include families and external community members in holding us accountable.

At Central Office (Home Office) Level, DSST is equitable by design 

• Develop a common language for what equity looks like for Black or African-American students
• Define the results of the additional focus on Black Excellence at the adult level (relationships/teaching), student level (identity development, student outcomes) and systems-level (changes to how we operate and function)

Lastly, the BER emphasizes the use of equity audits to understand what we are already doing successfully to advance equity, and where we have gaps and opportunities for improvement. This includes reviewing our structures, priorities, plans, definitions and goals to figure out how we, as an institution, can better prioritize the success of our Black students.

Note: Aurora Science and Technology (AST) is an Aurora Public Schools member. AST also provided a BER plan in alignment with the DSST network of schools. Individual school BER plans will be found on their individual school websites under “About Us” once school website updates are completed.  

Black Excellence Resolution Owners

• For questions regarding Network and Home Office BER work, contact Aaron J. Griffen, VP of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at aaron.griffen@scienceandtech.org.
• For questions regarding your individual School or Campus work, reach out to your DEI Liaisons and School DEI Leaders - Found Here: DEI Campus Contacts

Black Excellence Resolution and Targeted Universalism

The BER is an example of Targeted Universalism (TU) - an equity framework used to design policy and practice across public sectors such as healthcare and education. Fundamental to the framework is the acknowledgment that Black, Indigenous, LatinX, Asian and Middle Eastern people experience personal, structural and systemic racism within society and its public sectors. The intention is to set universal goals and standards for all members of a community while targeting the community’s most vulnerable populations that are the furthest away from achieving the goal. A TU approach typically includes these steps: 

1. Establish a universal goal.
2. Assess where people are relative to the universal goal.
3. Identify groups and places that are performing differently with respect to the goal, groups should be disaggregated.
4. Assess and understand the structures that support or impede each group or community from achieving the universal goal.
5. Develop and implement targeted strategies, focused on structural change and removing barriers for each targeted group (National Equity Project, 2020).

The goal of the Black Excellence Resolution is to view our DSST goals at a more granular level for the purpose of ensuring Black success to meet those goals. In addition, as we determine strategies, practices and interventions to help Black students and teachers succeed, similar and same strategies can be used across groups to promote success as well. This is akin to adding a wheelchair ramp, elevator or lift to support the entry of individuals with disabilities and how that ultimately supports everyone's entry. 

DSST DEI Commitments for Becoming an AntiRacist Organization

The Black Excellence Resolution aligns with the DSST DEI commitments for becoming an antiracist organization that was solidified in June 2020. These commitments are a series of acts, behaviors and focuses that DSST has embarked on since the 2013-14 school year in partnership with the National Equity Project. These focuses include our 8 Equity Paradigm shifts (EPS): 

1) Shared Definitions 

2) Equity is Core 

3) Equity Mindset 

4) Space and Voice 

5) Intentionally Inclusive Systems 

6)  Identity  

7)  Flexibility and Risk 

8) Redefine Success 

As an organization that opposes racism and promotes racial tolerance, DSST is committed to the following: 

• A collaborative partnership with minority and/or Black-owned businesses to cater and support network and school events. EPS - Equity is Core
• Providing opportunities for a safe space for students, families and staff as we work toward becoming an anti-racist organization. EPS - Space and Voice
• Relationship building through partnerships with the entire community to support the social, emotional and wellness needs of staff, students and families. EPS - Identity
• The active recruitment and retention of staff of color in the teaching and leadership pipelines. EPS - Equity is Core
• Examining curriculum, instruction and assessments for potential bias, oppressive frameworks, and reductionist reasoning. EPS - Equity Mindset
• Identify and address any racial inequities and disparities across all data points.  EPS - Equity is Core
• Providing network and school-specific Diversity, Equity and Inclusion development and resources that include culturally responsive and relevant, anti-racism and trauma-informed care. EPS - Intentionally Inclusive Systems

The DSST Network determined that these commitments would be core to the work we do as an institution and wider community to overcome structural and systems of oppression and suppression. Through our full participation and shared power with diverse racial, cultural and economic groups, DSST is determined to align our mission, structure, Core Values, Core Elements and network priorities to eliminate all forms of oppression that may be reflected in our curriculum, disproportionalities, practices, policies and programming.