Dallas ISD and national nonprofit Education Resource Strategies are proud to unveil a digital document that outlines the district’s path to racial equity. This informational guide reveals six phases of work that set the foundation to establish an effective Racial Equity Office (REO). Dallas ISD’s REO has become a leading example for districts across the nation, a solid framework for other districts ready to begin critical racial equity work.
In December 2017, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees took a bold step to address educational disparities by establishing the Racial Equity Office. This department was created to showcase our vision and mission for a more equitable world to ensure students, families, and community members felt the district’s support toward equity.
“From Finance to Technology to Teaching and Learning, the anchor of each department’s work is racial equity,” said Dr. Pamela Lear, Chief of Staff and Racial Equity.
The policy charges the REO to create high-quality learning experiences for all students by focusing explicitly on Black and Emergent Bilingual students, the two student groups that Dallas ISD’s data indicated were historically underserved. It became our mission to ensure equity and excellence for all students by bringing these conversations to the forefront and addressing this systemic issue with strategic commitments.
The REO spearheaded work to analyze Dallas ISD’s educational landscape–including dollars, instructional time, high-quality teaching and rigorous coursework–in order to understand and identify the key resource shifts needed to address existing inequities.
The work accomplished in Dallas ISD is an inspiring example for district leaders pursuing education resource equity in their own systems. Discover Dallas ISD’s approach to implementing a successful Racial Equity Office in “Forward: The Path to Racial Equity.”
