History
The Office of Excellence and Equity was formed in the late 1980's, under the name Student Success and Multicultural Services as a result of shared interest by the district and community. The department was charged with assisting the Cherry Creek School District in promoting the democratic principles of the United States by providing all students, regardless of race, cultural background, gender, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, or religion, with equitable and challenging learning experiences. This office served as a resource to administrators, teachers and schools to further the Cherry Creek mission "to inspire every student to think, to learn, to achieve, and to care." In 1994, the school board approved a resolution supporting Multicultural Education
(Policy Number IFC) in the district.
Current Focus
Today, the Office of Excellence and Equity carries on the legacy of its founders and continues to focus on supporting academic achievement initiatives as a primary function. The following list details some of the general leadership and facilitation responsibilities of the staff:
- Supporting academic programs (pre-K to 12)
- Coordinating and facilitating professional development in areas of equity and English Language Acquisition (ELA)
- Providing training to ensure equity compliance with state and federal law
- Supporting some translation needs in the schools
- Creating and facilitating parent and community partnerships to support increased student achievement
- Investigating and seeking resolution to community concerns and/or formal complaints related to equity
- Providing leadership to the district Multicultural Advisory Council (MAC)
- Supporting specific groups of "new hires" to the district
- Networking with the Colorado Department of Education's Closing the Achievement Gap Coalition and ELA department, as well as other relevant local and national organizations
- Writing and managing state and federal grants to support teacher growth and student achievement objectives
The Excellence and Equity department assists district staff in maintaining learning environments where students with a wide range of capabilities, learning styles, and interests can master the
state content standards and achieve at levels of proficient and advance in the areas of reading, writing, math and science on the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP).
Finally, this office serves as a critical liaison between the district and its diverse community populations, working to promote racial, ethnic, linguistic, religious, and cultural understanding and productive partnerships.