About this Guide
How was the Site Level Conditions guide designed?
Because every site operates differently with unique contexts and will have many paths to achieving a condition, the conditions were designed to set goalposts for conditions that are present in effective personalized learning settings (goal posts that in many cases require continual maintenance and upkeep). The content intentionally avoids descriptions of how to universally achieve these conditions given that the paths will and should vary.
Equity at the Forefront
Equity is an especially adaptive and complex issue, often involving deep community work and focus. The conditions intentionally call attention to areas in which mindset shifts, including shifts in key equity mindsets, might be in play. For the purposes of clarity and alignment, this document uses the definitions of equity, inclusion, and diversity (below) articulated by the Racial Equity Tools Glossary. To continuously keep equity at the forefront, a diverse leadership team and an inclusive process inviting all stakeholder voices is essential. Implementers should continually ask themselves, “Who’s leading? Who’s at the table making decisions with and for our community? Is the decision-making body representative of our entire learner population? How might we purposefully bring in voices from the community that are less frequently heard?”
District/CMO Site Relationships
Due to the wide range in district/CMO oversight and support for a site transitioning to personalized learning, this resource is intentionally focused on the school site as the unit of change. However, the authors recognize that personalized learning often requires sites to have sufficient flexibility, especially in systems with a small percentage of sites transitioning to personalized learning. The domain Vision-Aligned Policies Impacting the School Site outlines policies that are particularly important for a school to work through with their district/CMO. The authors encourage districts/CMOs and sites to use the condition statements to co-determine where and how the district/CMO might support or give additional flexibility for personalized learning to flourish.
The Role of Leaders
Finally, while paths to achieve the site level conditions vary, leaders and leadership teams play a critical role in modeling mindsets, removing barriers, supporting learning facilitators, contributing to keeping the vision strong and clear, and much more. While the focus of this resource is on clarifying conditions in ideal learning environments, it is clear that a substantial next step is to find common leadership actions and capacities that might support leaders in moving toward these goal posts (See more here for how Summit Learning has used the conditions in their system.)
Equity is the fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all people, while at the same time striving to identify and eliminate barriers that have prevented the full participation of some groups. Improving equity involves increasing justice and fairness within the procedures and processes of institutions or systems, as well as in their distribution of resources. Tackling equity issues requires an understanding of the root causes of outcome disparities within our society.
Inclusion is the act of creating environments in which any individual or group can be and feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued to fully participate. An inclusive and welcoming climate embraces differences and offers respect in words and actions for all people. It’s important to note that while an inclusive group is by definition diverse, a diverse group isn’t always inclusive. Increasingly, recognition of unconscious or ‘implicit bias’ helps organizations to be deliberate about addressing issues of inclusivity.
Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, encompassing the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. While diversity is often used in reference to race, ethnicity, and gender, we embrace a broader definition of diversity that also includes age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, education, marital status, language, and physical appearance. Our definition also includes diversity of thought: ideas, perspectives, and values. We also recognize that individuals affiliate with multiple identities.
This microsite was created by:
Lindsay Unified School District (LUSD) in central California is on a mission to ensure every student, or Lindsay learner, has a performance-based learning experience that allows them to succeed academically and personally. To achieve this vision, every learner must have the very best educator to support them on their journey.
The Learning Accelerator is a national nonprofit that envisions a world in which each student receives the effective, equitable, and engaging education they need to reach their full and unique potential. We connect teachers and leaders with the knowledge, tools, and networks they need to transform K-12 education.
The Site Level Conditions was produced through a previous partnership between Lindsay Unified School District, Summit Public Schools, and Transcend Inc. Learn more about the partnership here.