# data[].attributes.body
Explore the OCSD AT website. There are both free tools and tools that can be accessed through the IEP process. https://sites.google.com/orecity.k12.or.us/ocsdassistivetechnology/home

# data[].attributes.headline
Quizlet, Kahoot, Flipgrid, voice  typing

# data[].attributes.subject
Quizlet, Kahoot, Flipgrid, voice  typing

# data[].attributes.body
Education.com
Seesaw

# data[].attributes.body
Making sure that I can get

# data[].attributes.body
Seesaw was able to eliminate many barriers for my students. They were easy to create and modify as needed. You were also able to embed links for other programs such as boom cards, flocabulary and social emotional learning through super flex, social skills curriculum and task cards.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Mr. Vacca's Distance Learning Tutorial Toolkit 2020

# data[].attributes.body
Google read and write

# data[].attributes.body
A great way to check in with students.

# data[].attributes.body
Sending materials

# data[].attributes.body
Has a bunch of online games that you can use with your students. You can even choose to enable remote access to let them choose their answers.

# data[].attributes.body
online dictionary

# data[].attributes.headline
Choice boards, Boom cards, google forms, reviewing work with students ahead of time. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Choice boards, Boom cards, google forms, reviewing work with students ahead of time. 

# data[].attributes.body
Just make a QR code for your form and let teachers, EA's, and/or parents/guardians input data which can be exported into a spreadsheet!

# data[].attributes.headline
Technology support for parents (live people available to help with parent support).

# data[].attributes.subject
Technology support for parents (live people available to help with parent support).

# data[].attributes.headline
Choice boards with links direct to check in, math, reading, etc.   They were individualized per each student & worked very well!

# data[].attributes.subject
Choice boards with links direct to check in, math, reading, etc.   They were individualized per each student & worked very well!

# data[].attributes.body
Calculators

# data[].attributes.body
Useful for making learning games, visual tools, homework, etc

# data[].attributes.headline
Seesaw was very user-friendly for my students and their parents.

# data[].attributes.subject
Seesaw was very user-friendly for my students and their parents.

# data[].attributes.body
Kami allows you to edit, high light and write on PDF doc like a worksheet that would normally be done with a pencil and paper in the classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Has been researched to help students with LD

# data[].attributes.body
Using recordings of yourself doing the SDI in the general education classroom- Use Prezi or Pear Deck

# data[].attributes.body
Seesaw helped my student access without needing a parent to log them in.

# data[].attributes.headline
Working towards equity means actually closing the achievement gap.  Devoting adequate time, resources and quality teaching time to all learners - and creating a culture where teaching a child to read is seen as an act of social justice in itself.  

# data[].attributes.subject
Working towards equity means actually closing the achievement gap.  Devoting adequate time, resources and quality teaching time to all learners - and creating a culture where teaching a child to read is seen as an act of social justice in itself.  

# data[].attributes.body
Sharing my screen with powerpoint can be a fun way to tell stories with pictures. You can also record little "lessons" with practice built into subsequent slides that can be used by parents/guardians.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means providing a mindful and meaningful opportunity for families and students.  As an educator I need to be Brave, Vulnerable, and Mindful when developing inclusive practices.  I've learned over my years that listening to other's experiences.

# data[].attributes.body
Helping all students to be successful and treated fairly It is recognizing everyone’s unique situations and how that impacts their lives and what they need to be successful.

# data[].attributes.body
Working towards equity means advocating for my students in a clear, compassionate, warm, professional, yet demanding voice. Working towards equity means exploring my own biases--seeking them out, getting to their root, justifying them or shedding them. Working towards equity means teaching my students their value to me, their class, their school, and their community.

# data[].attributes.body
Helping lift marginalised individuals in order to level the playing field.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means fairness and inclusivity for all in our community.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity in education means that all have access to resources and education to help them be successful and reach their goals. Equity in community is where there is no difference in the treatment and opportunities of people based on race, religion, economic condition, or any other differences.

# data[].attributes.body
Listening to others without judgement

# data[].attributes.body
Equity is having a core understanding that your collective experience and truth could/may/is different than mine, and I cannot assume and make any decisions about that truth, because of those differences. I must stop and listen to you.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means providing each student access acceptance to reduce all barriers

# data[].attributes.body
Everyone getting what they need

# data[].attributes.body
Providing what each student needs to be successful

# data[].attributes.body
Means equal opportunities. All students should receive the same opportunity as any other student

# data[].attributes.body
In my work, equity means considering a student's strengths and needs within the context of their life, their family's life, and in how society has treated and viewed them throughout history. Providing them with what they need to combat the systemic injustices, and work tirelessly to dismantle the system in order to create a more just system

# data[].attributes.body
All students receive whatever is needed for them to learn and grow. This means looking to individual needs, not just the whole.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means removing obstacles in the road...we should not change the road but instead create a road that everyone can use.

# data[].attributes.body
When I think of equity, I think of people's ability to access their learning environment, ability to be heard and feel safe. Equity is not a one size fits all.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means providing access to what our students need in order to reach their full potential.

# data[].attributes.body
Intentional

# data[].attributes.headline
Equity means keeping standards high and individualized. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Equity means keeping standards high and individualized. 

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means everyone gets what they need to be successful.

# data[].attributes.body
Justice. Relationships. Advocating. Self-reflection. Never being comfortable with the status quo.

# data[].attributes.headline
Equity must exhibit kindness, patience and an open mind with the possibilities that all of us have value and worth. Open doors to what each individual can bring to our world and making them successful.

# data[].attributes.subject
Equity must exhibit kindness, patience and an open mind with the possibilities that all of us have value and worth. Open doors to what each individual can bring to our world and making them successful.

# data[].attributes.headline
When I think of equity, I think of what is fair and what is just. still thinking-sorry.:)

# data[].attributes.subject
When I think of equity, I think of what is fair and what is just. still thinking-sorry.:)

# data[].attributes.headline
Equity in education means everybody feels accepted, included, and able to access what they need in order to be a successful learner. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Equity in education means everybody feels accepted, included, and able to access what they need in order to be a successful learner. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Identifying and removing barriers for maximum student access 

# data[].attributes.subject
Identifying and removing barriers for maximum student access 

# data[].attributes.body
I don’t know about tech tools but I use books,videos and posters with Everyone working together/playing together/ solving problems together.

# data[].attributes.body
representation

# data[].attributes.body
Equity is acknowledging that every individual has the right to have opportunities to meet their full potential. It is also recognizing that those opportunities are specific and unique to each person- that no two people come to their fullness by experiencing the same things.

# data[].attributes.headline
Spreading wealth and resources appropriately 

# data[].attributes.subject
Spreading wealth and resources appropriately 

# data[].attributes.headline
Equity means student receive what they need to be successful. Instruction needs to provide choice, respect the cultural background of the student, and recognize every student have different strengths.  Students need equal access to quality instruction. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Equity means student receive what they need to be successful. Instruction needs to provide choice, respect the cultural background of the student, and recognize every student have different strengths.  Students need equal access to quality instruction. 

# data[].attributes.headline
Equity means  giving and receiving respect. Having the availability for growth in education that meets you where you are and encourages each and everyone.

# data[].attributes.subject
Equity means  giving and receiving respect. Having the availability for growth in education that meets you where you are and encourages each and everyone.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means everyone gets what THEY need. In our work to me equity means taking cultural bias and experiences in to account when serving and interacting with students, families and colleagues.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means holding and equal

# data[].attributes.body
Allowing students to succeed to their fullest in their own culture, as well the culture around them. Tearing down and interrupting barriers that might stand in their way. Celebrating who they are and teaching how to advocate.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means equality in all aspects

# data[].attributes.body
highlighting inequities, discussing the roots of inequities, shifting our world views, and continuously reimagining new structures that build true equity.

# data[].attributes.headline
When I think of the word "equity", I often think of myself taking a step back and looking at things with a "big picture" lens. I then ask questions regarding the specific situation I am examining. What about this person or scenario is influencing how this person or scenario is being handled? Is it their skin color? Gender? Abilities? Am I or is someone else assuming things based off of our biases? If so, something needs to change in order for the situation to be dealt with in an equitable way. 

# data[].attributes.subject
When I think of the word "equity", I often think of myself taking a step back and looking at things with a "big picture" lens. I then ask questions regarding the specific situation I am examining. What about this person or scenario is influencing how this person or scenario is being handled? Is it their skin color? Gender? Abilities? Am I or is someone else assuming things based off of our biases? If so, something needs to change in order for the situation to be dealt with in an equitable way. 

# data[].attributes.body
In my work, this means being mindful and intentional in everything I do. Every student and coworker is deserving of the opportunity to be dealt with in an equitable way in each interaction

# data[].attributes.body
Having what you need to be successful no matter the barriers

# data[].attributes.body
Equity for me means providing multiple ways for a student to demonstrate their skill and to give them ownership of the skill they are learning. It also means taking their family culture into account when creating goals, assigning home practice, or finding targets.

# data[].attributes.headline
I strive to constantly see my students for the unique and wonderful people they are. Each one matters and it is my calling to help them grow and blossom and utilize their potential, deepening their own beliefs in the peer of what they can do. I need to love, support and guide, and never let biases get in the way. 

# data[].attributes.subject
I strive to constantly see my students for the unique and wonderful people they are. Each one matters and it is my calling to help them grow and blossom and utilize their potential, deepening their own beliefs in the peer of what they can do. I need to love, support and guide, and never let biases get in the way. 

# data[].attributes.body
When I use the word equity in terms of education I mean That all students are entitled to an education they can access.

# data[].attributes.headline
Making all students feel comfortable, accepted and important. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Making all students feel comfortable, accepted and important. 

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means to me, sharing the good and bad as a team when delt with a challenge.

# data[].attributes.body
Giving everyone access and providing or teaching the tools needed to participate.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means meeting students where they are now and helping them reach their full potential

# data[].attributes.body
To me, equity means giving someone the tools they need to level the playing field. That sometimes means requiring people in power to self-reflect on their own participation in an unjust system and listen to those with less power to open doors and acquire tools to level the playing field.

# data[].attributes.body
To me, equity means that every person can access, understand, and participate in learning without barriers or with supports to overcome those barriers.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity means giving each student what they need in order to be successful learners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
by Hugh Vasquez, Senior Associate, National Equity Project

Photo by Gary Knight

Let's start with the end in mind. Fast forward to a time in the near future, say 12 months from now when we have made it through this world health crisis. Imagine that you have been invited to be on a panel at a conference because you decided to do something unusual amidst the crisis. You decided you were going to refuse to return to schooling in the same way you left it when COVID-19 erupted. You decided you would not return to doing business as usual in how we educate children. On this panel you share why you made this decision and your remarks focus on a desire to change the system because you realized it was designed to produce inequities. You share what it took to stop doing business as usual and how you became a catalyst for others to join in this effort too. You talk about the innovations you and a team of educators, parents, and students created and what you are learning from taking those actions. Then you share the impact those changes had on students, families, and staff. You close by describing how you used the opportunity of the system shutdown to create a better way of educating children and how you are going to make sure the old system doesn't return.

Let's be clear. When the COVID-19 crisis is over, we do not have to go back to business as usual in our educational system, or any other system for that matter. We just don't. The question confronting us at the moment is not can we prepare to come back differently but will we?

Working in the field of social justice education, we know there are many education leaders from superintendents to policy makers to site leaders to teachers who have come to the realization that our education system is designed to produce what it produces - inequity in who succeeds. We also know that many do not want to continue educating the way education was designed. Many more have realized that what they do day-to-day in schools actually perpetuates the current inequitable system, the very one they would like to interrupt and change. So although we want change, we find ourselves maintaining the status quo. Why?

Nothing changes without disturbance. Since it is people who change things, that means change can't happen until people are disturbed. Margaret Wheatley in her article "Willing to be Disturbed" says,

" As we work together to restore hope for the future, we need to include a new and strange ally - our willingness to be disturbed."

Wheatley is talking about change within individuals where we have to be willing to be disturbed by actively engaging with those who challenge our way of doing things. It is in this place of discomfort where we expand our beliefs and innovations are born. When we are disturbed, we change. What is true for the individual is also true for systems. If we want to change systems, we have to be disturbed by what we see and engage with others to disturb, catalyze and influence what we do.

The biggest changes in our society have only come about when there was a strong enough disturbance - an interruption to "business as usual" - and when people were willing to come together even though the path forward was cloudy. This United States was created out of disturbance. We have Social Security because of disturbance. To the extent that we have civil rights for people of color, women, people with disabilities, gay/lesbian/bi-sexual/transgender people (to name a few) - it is because of disturbance. People interrupted the status quo way of doing things and created an opening to change something, to build something new.

COVID-19 has produced what may be one of the largest worldwide and systemic disturbances of all time. While schools closed overnight and our daily routines have changed, the inequities produced by our systems are even more stark in terms of which students have access to technology, internet, food, and housing and which families have the privilege of sheltering in place to stay safe.

Since we know that disturbance is required for change and there is no doubt that disturbance is happening as we speak, the question is, are we willing to use this opportunity to create the kind of educational system we want? We have learned that if we are going to change a system, we as individuals first have to SEE what the system is producing, then we have to ENGAGE with others to design something different, and finally we have to ACT. Cornel West puts it this way:

It takes courage to look in the mirror and see past your reflection to who you really are when you take off the mask, when you're not performing the same old routines and social roles. It takes courage to ask - How did I become so well-adjusted to injustice?

Seeing the system doesn't guarantee we will engage and act differently. The system is designed to keep us busy perpetuating it so that we don't have time to redesign it. The system is a well-oiled machine that has tremendous momentum to keep things going as they are; just look at Education Codes in any state. The result is that even those who see the system and have a desire to interrupt it do not usually have the mindset, time, resources or support to do so. The demands of "doing school" prohibit us from engaging and acting differently. But now, that machine has ground to a halt.

What would acting differently (both during and after) this crisis look like for education? Below are a few ideas on what we could do differently. With each idea ask yourself "what if..." as you read it, and notice what thoughts come to mind. If you find yourself saying "oh, we can't do that," read it again and ask "but what if we did..."

What if we... gather our teams now (virtually) to get ready to return to another way. Schedule virtual meetings with educators and school staff in whatever configuration works best for you to engage them in discussions under the theme "we WILL do school differently when we return." Present your "what if we..." approach and talk about WHY you want to return doing school differently. The goal of these meetings is to enroll and recruit people to this approach and set a new direction, to engage their agency and their imagination. Allow people to talk about their excitement and concerns with this idea and engage them in responding to both the idea of coming back differently and to some of your "what if we..." ideas. Ask them to brainstorm other "what if we..." ideas and come to agreement on what you will collectively create, build and test.

What if we... use this time to re-purpose our leadership structures to build our leadership muscle to be strategic equity leaders instead of reactive leaders. Strategic equity leaders identify education challenges through an equity lens and engage others in collaborative inquiry to figure out what to do to address the challenges. Strategic equity leaders build the competencies of others to interrupt status quo ways of doing things that perpetuate inequities. Strategic equity leaders keep a birds eye view of what's going on in the system, the school site, and the classroom and facilitate others to see what is happening and co-create strategies to adjust to needs. What if we took time now to develop our strategic equity leadership muscles and re-purpose (or create) existing leadership structures such as leadership team meetings, staff meetings, grade level meetings, professional learning communities, etc. to focus on learning from our actions. What if teams committed to meeting every week for a while to assess how things are going, review the actions being taken, discuss what we are learning from what we are doing, and adjust actions accordingly. What if we implement minimum day/early release Fridays and use the afternoon for collaboration time to be in a strategic equity leadership mode looking at what to do more of because it is producing a climate for learning and what to stop or do less of because it is not.

What if we... focus each hour on student learning instead of seat time? Tony Smith, former Illinois State Superintendent says in his article " The Invisible Blizzard and the Importance of E-Learning" that we have prioritized seat time over student learning and that our schools waste our children's time and creativity every day. Our current way of doing school is organized around a dominant culture view of time: time to sit, time to learn, time to move on, time to test, etc. Smith says that we can, if we wish, create a new system where teachers can use their creativity to connect with students about ideas, projects, activities and learning "in ways not dictated by hands on a clock." We can use the moment we are in to ask teachers how they would work or what they would do differently if their days were designed around student learning as opposed to seat time. What if we do what Smith suggests - engage teachers now to design a system that focuses on learning and competency development.

Hugh Vasquez in conversation with Tony Smith, April 2020

What if we... gathered data from students about their experience of our classrooms and schools regularly? We know that how students feel about being in school impacts their learning. What if we implement a system to learn in real time how the learning environment is working or not working for students? Ideally these assessments are conducted every week by every teacher in every school so that teachers and other leaders see how well students are engaged in their learning, the extent to which they feel like they are getting enough support to learn, and how relevant the material is to their life. Tools like PERTS' Co-Pilot/Elevate allow teachers to gather and discuss real time feedback from students and work together to design and lead changes in their classrooms.

What if we... implement a focal student approach where we structure the classroom to meet the needs of students farthest from learning?Return to school with teachers prepared to name the students who are struggling the most to learn and teach the teachers how to use a focal student approach that discovers what these students need and how to best reach them. This approach does not assume a teacher knows what is in the way of a student learning, but instead has the teacher engaging with the student to figure out what the barriers are to learning and finding innovative ways to meet their needs.

What if we... organize the curriculum with project based learning (PBL) as a key component and create opportunities for every student to participate. Think about it, a plumber doesn't become a good plumber without being an apprentice and learning by doing. They do not become an expert by sitting at a desk listening to a lecture about how to unclog a pipe. Nor do medical doctors, electricians, teachers, mechanics, writers, chefs, or nurses. All career and professional learning involves learning by doing. Apprenticeships, medical residencies, and being mentored by someone skilled in their craft is project based learning, and project based learning is a good practice that we know works. We can revise the curriculum so that every school and every classroom implements project based learning and every child has the opportunity to engage in learning through projects. We can make our first teaching moves facilitating learning by projects before we lecture on a subject and hand out worksheets. What we can do now is build the conditions to put PBL into play when we return?

What if we... co-design and plan a "Return to a Different School Back to School" event. This pandemic will end and we will return to our buildings and school communities. Invite students and parents back in a new way. Assemble the school community and engage in new ways together. Talk about the excitement you have as educators to do school in a different way and the challenges you will face to make the new way work. Acknowledge the way we were doing things before the virus was not working for everyone and explain how you want to work in partnership with them to design new ways. Break into classroom size groups for sense making, allowing students to meet with students and parents with parents to build relationship and contribute to a new vision focused on student learning.

The first step in designing a new way is to decide now that you won't return to normal - a normal that was never neutral and wasn't working well for most students, teachers or families. Engage with your teammates and community now to articulate a bold, audacious, wild vision of what your education system can look like. Focus on a couple small but powerful pieces to change. Gather your people to engage in equity by design and engage in collaborative inquiry to continuously design, test, and adjust your practices based on what you learn. And, commit to sticking with the process- for at least a year, to stay the course. This is how we can collectively take the opportunity to design for change in how we do school.

For my fellow rebel leaders - those who have learned about equity, who are "woke" to how inequities are produced and perpetuated, who have built leadership skills to engage others in working toward equity, who have been trying to take action to change things...we have been preparing for this moment of interruption, the moment when a great disturbance would bring the system to a halt. We are strong in what we know, strong in what we see, strong in what we want. We have to act courageously NOW so we can come back together differently. What if we...

When the world becomes a fantasy / And you're more than you could ever be / 'Cause you're dreaming with your eyes wide open / And you know you can't go back again / To the world that you were living in / 'Cause you're dreaming with your eyes wide open / So, come alive! - The Greatest Showman

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What if We... Don't Return to School as Usual

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Let's start with the end in mind. Fast forward to a time in the near future, say 12 months from now when we have made it through this world health crisis. Imagine that you have been invited to be on...

# data[].attributes.body
A great place to start your UDL Journey!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Novak Education - UDL, MTSS, and Inclusive Practices PD for Educators

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
High-quality, evidence-based professional development on MTSS, UDL, and Inclusive Practices. Professional Learning for teachers and leaders.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Access Google Sites with a personal Google account or Google Workspace account (for business use).