Resources

Overview

The Utah State Board of Education's (USBEs) first imperative regarding educational excellence for each student is to:

• Set the general statewide conditions in which each student can excel, including equity of educational opportunities and culturally responsive practices to promote each student's academic success and wellbeing.
• Provide technical assistance, develop policies and administrative rules, and establish promising practices that promote high expectations and successful outcomes for each student.

Utah Laws Recognizing Constitutional Freedoms in the Schools

Educational Equity in Schools

Respect is acknowledging differences by looking for the good in everyone, including oneself, and showing due regard for feelings, rights, cultures and traditions (Utah’s Portrait of a Graduate, USBE, 2018). Educators and staff in P-12 classrooms must create safe places where students from all backgrounds can come together, learn, and be successful. In classrooms where there is student discourse, differing opinions are inevitable and help students gain a deeper understanding of the ideas and perspectives of others. Active student discourse prepares students to participate in a democratic society.

In August 2021, USBE Administration Rules approved R277-328: Educational Equity in Schools. This rule is intended to support school districts and charters with standards for educators and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) regarding professional learning, guidelines and requirements for curriculum, and classroom instruction on educational equity. To support LEAs and educators in successful implementation of this rule, the Teaching and Learning team are developing supportive resources for educators to help advance educational equity in every Utah classroom.

• Educational Equity Definitions
• Creating Collaborative Norms in the Classroom: The intended purpose of this resource is to support educators and students in feeling supported through constructing a classroom culture with explicit norms and expectations for engagement and respectful participation
• Orchestrating Productive Classroom Discussions: When orchestrating productive, respectful, and safe classroom discussions, it is essential to have ground rules, language frames, and discussion protocols to support students. This document shares some sample ground rules along with discussion language frames and protocols to assist teachers in facilitating discussions.
• Leadership for Respectful Classrooms and Productive Classroom Discussions: Recommendations for District, Charter, and School Leaders: This resource includes seven recommendations for district, charter, and school leaders to promote and support respectful classrooms and productive classroom discussions.