Anti-racism, Reconciliation and Equity

OUR COMMITMENT  

Edmonton Public Schools is committed to working intentionally toward anti-racism, reconciliation and equity through continuous action, learning and improvement. This commitment and work is guided by our Anti-racism and Equity policy and First Nations, Métis and Inuit Education policy.

We know that racism still exists in our school division and broader community. We believe that listening to, and learning from, students, staff, families and community is critical to understanding what is important.

These voices have helped to inform actions outlined in our Anti-racism and Equity Action Plan. This work will lead to authentic and meaningful long-term systemic change.

ANTI-RACISM, RECONCILIATION AND EQUITY COMMITTEES 

The Division has organized to have resources in place to support the work of the Anti-racism and Equity Action Plan. We have committees made up of community members, Division leaders and staff to keep us on track in key areas of this work. 

• Equity Advisory Committee: Membership reflects the diversity of our city and the voice of families and members of the community.
  
  
• Anti-racism, Reconciliation and Equity Staff Advisory Committee: This committee provides perspectives from a wide range of staff, representing the Division’s staffing groups, roles, work locations, and personal identities and experiences.
  
  
• Anti-racism, Reconciliation and Equity Steering Committee: This internal group reflects leadership, experience, diversity and expertise across the Division.
  
  
• Anti-racism, Reconciliation and Equity Principal Committee: This group of principals works directly with the steering committee to help implement the action plan.

Taking Action: Year One Update

The Anti-racism and Equity Action Plan Year One Update outlines the actions the Division has taken in the 2021–22 school year to support anti-racism, reconciliation and equity in schools and the community.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM YEAR ONE

Our work is focused on three key areas identified in the Anti-racism and Equity Action Plan: support for schools, human resource practices and student demographic data.

SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS 

Supporting and enhancing school capacity in the areas of anti-racism, reconciliation and equity involves multiple layers of listening, learning, unlearning and relearning.

Providing ongoing professional learning that supports personal growth and professional practice is necessary as we strive to learn more about the students we serve.

Highlights from Year One

• Introduced the Anti-racism Critical Support team.
• Developed the Anti-racism and Equity Toolkit.
• Introduced the multi-faith calendar.
• Supported work to inform a more inclusive Division school year calendar.
• Provided professional learning opportunities for staff.

Learn more about our work to support schools.

HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTICES

It’s critical that staff, students and families see themselves reflected in our workforce.

To help us achieve representation, we will examine our human resources practices and policies to ensure they support hiring, developing and retaining a workforce that represents the diversity of the students and families in schools.

Highlights from Year One

• Held collaborative conversations with staff who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour to learn about their lived experiences.
• Integrated anti-racism, reconciliation and equity content into our Leadership Development Framework and related programs.
• Revised the Aspiring Principal Development Program application and evaluation tool.
• Developed a Diversity and Inclusivity Statement.
• Developed professional learning opportunities for managers involved in hiring.

Learn more about our work in the area of Human Resource Practices.

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

Student success and well-being is at the heart of the Division’s work—striving to have all students feel safe, experience a sense of belonging at school and to grow and succeed as learners.

One action to help the Division further enhance student success in school is to better understand how students identify themselves and then examine which students are thriving in school and which students need additional support. 

In September 2020, the Board of Trustees requested that Edmonton Public Schools administration develop a model for the collection of data to better understand the self-described identities of students in the Division.

• Read the Board's request for a data collection model.

The planning and development process to inform this model resulted in the implementation of a survey to collect student demographic data.

Highlights from Year One

• Developed a working group to support the initiative.
• Engaged with staff, students and members of the community.
• Developed a set of questions to support additional information about the identity of students across the Division.
• Developed a variety of resources that supported survey implementation.

Learn more about our work around student demographic data.

Fall 2022 update

Edmonton Public Schools took a key step towards better understanding the diversity of the students we serve by inviting students in Grades 4 to 12 to participate in the Division’s first Student Demographic Survey.

Learn about the results in the Student Demographic Survey Report.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

The Anti-racism and Equity Action Plan is a multi-year approach reflecting the Division’s commitment to reconciliation and becoming an anti-racist organization. We will continue to update staff, students and families on what we’ve accomplished and the critical next steps.

This work is a collaborative effort that is built on listening, learning and evidence-based decision making. We will continue to engage in meaningful ways with students, staff, families and community members so that diverse lived experiences and perspectives inform our work. 

For more detailed information on the Division’s next steps in each of the three key areas, read the full Anti-racism and Equity Action Plan Year One Update.