Equity Priorities in the Northwest and Pacific - December 10, 2013 - A Regional Dialogue

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake

Equity Priorities in the Northwest and Pacific outlines the case for high-quality public education that is not determined by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status, and documents how persistent opportunity and achievement gaps shape access, discipline, course-taking, special education identification, and teacher and resource availability. Education Northwest convenes regional stakeholders for dialogue to identify shared equity needs, set a collaborative agenda, and share evidence-informed practices through applied research, evaluation, and technical assistance.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages40

Reading Time1 h 41 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Emerging Themes

Culturally Responsive Practices

Policy

School Improvement

Family and Community Involvement/Engagement

School Environment

Special Education

The Essence of Being a Teacher

Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners (ELLs)

Distribution of Resources

Summing Up and Next Steps

References

Appendices

Participants

Participating Staff

Equity Priorities in the Northwest and Pacific A Regional Dialogue December 10, 2013 Portland, OR About Education Northwest Education Northwest works to transform teaching and learning in the Northwest states, the Pacific region, and across the nation. Our services to states, districts, schools, community-based organizations, and foundations include rigorous research and evaluation of new and existing programs; research-based technical assistance in areas such as equity, school improvement, and distance learning; widely acclaimed professional development in the fields of literacy and mathematics education; and strategic communications that maximize impact. For nearly 50 years, our experts have worked side-by-side with schools and communities to identify and address their most critical educational needs. Education Northwest is a nonpartisan, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Portland, Oregon. For more information about our work, please contact: Danette Parsley [Danette.Parsley@educationnorthwest.org](Danette.Parsley@educationnorthwest.org)[ ](Danette.Parsley@educationnorthwest.org)503.275.9633 [educationnorthwest.org](educationnorthwest.org) A Commitment to Equity The promise of a public education is that all students will have access to high-quality learning opportunities, regardless of race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. In reality, however, injustice and inequality continue to permeate our public education system. Persistent access and achievement gaps among students remain highly predictable by race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and location. National, state, and local data exposing these gaps are clear and compelling. They reveal consistent disparities in student achievement scores and postsecondary success for minority students and students living in poverty compared to their peers. Opportunity gaps abound for these students, often prohibiting them from accessing the educational resources they need to be successful. These gaps include more frequent and severe disciplinary actions (including higher rates of expulsion and suspension), less rigorous course-taking patterns, increased likelihood of being identified for special education, and lack of access to high-quality teachers and resources. Education Northwest has long been committed to improving equity in the Pacific and Northwest regions, as evidenced by our long-standing work on projects like the Region X Equity Assistance Center and the Oregon Leadership Network. Our mission is to improve learning by building capacity in schools, families, and communities through applied research and development. Equity is essential to carrying out this mission and ensuring that all youth and adults thrive in vibrant learning environments. For us, equity means each learner and community has the opportunity to succeed. We believe culture and diversity are assets for our communities that are to be respected for their multiple perspectives on learning, definitions of success, and pathways for self-determination. Accomplishing this equity priority, however, requires collective and coherent action to increase system effectiveness and produce results that are not predictable by race, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status. We believe equity is achieved by intentionally distributing resources, creating opportunities, ensuring access, and strengthening levels of support in order to maximize fairness, justice, and success for every learner. We work collaboratively with educational and nonprofit organizations to build capacity through our technical assistance and evaluation work to choose and implement equitable policies, programs, and strategies for maximizing opportunity and success for all learners. We work also to remove system barriers and conditions that produce inequity. Our efforts highlight gaps in learner, family, and community access, opportunities, and outcomes and inform policies to address these gaps in our region through evidence and

FAQs

What equity challenges are described for students in the Northwest and Pacific region?

The document describes persistent access and achievement gaps tied to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and location, including disciplinary disparities, less rigorous course-taking patterns, higher likelihood of special education identification, and limited access to high-quality teachers and resources.

How does Education Northwest define equity in its work?

Equity is achieved by intentionally distributing resources, creating opportunities, ensuring access, and strengthening levels of support so fairness, justice, and success are maximized for every learner.

What was the purpose of the December 10, 2013 regional forum?

Stakeholders gathered to prioritize equity needs, identify common equity-related issues, establish a regional agenda to address the most critical concerns, build regional relationships, and sustain ongoing dialogue among education leaders.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Jake