TA Partners in Action!

TA Partners in Action! is a series that highlights successful partnerships at the local and state level. This series examines the nature and breadth of the technical assistance the MAP Center provided to these partners. The purpose of the series is to provide an example of how potential partners can work with the MAP Center to define and pursue the equity goals for their organization.

Ferndale Public Schools: MAP Center 2019 Equity Innovator

The city of Ferndale is a predominantly white inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Ferndale Public Schools (FPS) has a history of challenging desegregation efforts and was under a desegregation order until 1995. FPS received technical assistance (TA) at the Center’s top tier (Tier III) of services for 2 years. The overall focus of the technical assistance provided to LCS was to build the capacity of school board members to develop and support an equity-centered strategic plan. Given that the partnership activities have resulted in the development of a district equity vision and core definitions that informed the development of the district’s strategic plan, MAP Center technical assistance had the potential to affect every student (approximately 3,000) and staff (approximately 243) in the district. This partnership illustrates the importance of an intentional focus on building the capacity of school board members alongside district-level administrators in order to enact transformational change toward equity.

Lebanon City Schools: Fighting Discrimination & Harassment

Lebanon City Schools is situated 30 miles north of Cincinnati and 30 miles south of Dayton in a county that is experiencing significant population growth and changes in economic, racial, and ethnic demographics. Lebanon City Schools (LCS) entered into a Resolution Agreement with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) in August 2017 resulting from an investigation of racial harassment prompted by a complaint filed by parents of a Black student. LCS requested technical assistance from the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP Center) to promote “racial sensitivity” and to address race-based harassment. LCS received technical assistance at the MAP Center’s top tier (Tier III) of services for 3 years. As a result of partnership, Lebanon City Schools defined four district equity goals and 21 strategic actions that will affect school and district level policies, redressing discriminatory structures and practices, as well as the development of a 3-year comprehensive district-wide professional development and monitoring plan. The technical assistance provided to the district has the potential to impact each of the district’s five schools, with an estimated 500 adults and 5,483 students.

Full Partnership Summary (161.64 KB)