Equity Audits.
At Penguin Society we believe that school systems are meant to serve all students, all the time. Unfortunately, not all systems serve students in an equitable manner. One could make the argument that most public and private school systems do a poor job of meeting the needs of the several stakeholders the schools are tasked with serving.
This is why we start with Equity Audits.
Equity for Whom?
The short answer is everyone. Schools are not simply a place of learning, but a government system tasked with responding to social and community desires in an effort to educate, lead, and employ a given community. This reality means that schools and school systems should be designed to be people-centric.
What is people-centric?
People-centric schools are purposefully built systems that enhance public trust through transparency of access, increased accountability to stakeholders, and response to student and community needs. In short, equity is meant to provide the best possible experience for students, parents, teachers, and outside stakeholders of all kinds.
How does an equity audit work? What purpose does an equity audit serve?
An equity audit is the first step in a three-step process for schools to address and heal system inefficiencies. An equity audit is completed via stakeholder interviews, surveys, and data reviews. The purpose of such an audit is to identify student, teacher, and parent populations that feel disenchanted, unmotivated, or ignored by the current system. An equity audit will serve as a starting point for systems thinking and design thinking conversations built to address discovered inequities.
-The Penguins