MANSFIELD — Superintendent Teresa Murphy is pleased to provide an update on the district-wide Equity Audit that is currently in progress within the Mansfield Public Schools.
The audit, facilitated by the nonprofit Mass Insight Education & Research, will help the Mansfield Public Schools take a proactive approach at determining actions that can be taken to better meet the diverse needs of students, staff and families.
According to Mass Insight, the process helps districts and schools focus on policies and practices that expand equitable access to quality educational opportunities.
Late last year, representatives from Mass Insight worked with members of the MPS leadership team (including Superintendent Murphy, assistant superintendents, special education directors, building principals and other key administrators) to start the process. They discussed the purpose and process of an audit and worked on developing diversity, equity and inclusion definitions.
The Mansfield Public Schools will conduct surveys and focus groups with members of the community and key stakeholders as part of the audit, and the district expects to report its findings in the spring.
Through the audit, the district hopes to gain a clearer understanding of its current strengths and areas for potential growth regarding equitable opportunities for members of the school community. It will also produce specific examples of what can be done to improve equitable practices across all schools and districtwide, both in the near future and long term.
The district will pay particular attention to high-needs groups within the district, but will take into account many different levels of the school population including non-native English speaker, students with disability and students in different socio-economic classes. It will seek to support and reinforce the district’s non-discrimination policy, which protects all people regardless of race, color, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion or religious belief, national origin, ethnicity, ancestry, retaliation, marital status, genetic information, veteran or military status, limited English proficiency, homelessness, or any other class of individuals protected from discrimination under state or federal law in education.
“Since Superintendent Murphy has taken over this district we have made great strides in becoming a more welcoming and inclusive district, and this audit will be a continuation of that,” said Assistant Superintendent of Teaching & Learning Michael Connolly. “It will allow us to study quantifiable data and identify more precisely how we can grow in terms of providing a more inclusive learning environment.”
The audit will be part of a larger effort by the district that will ultimately lead to the development of a Strategic Plan by the end of the school year that will seek to address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion in a more sustainable, long-term way.
“We are very excited about what this Equity Audit will mean for the entire Mansfield Public Schools community,” Superintendent Murphy said. “To be clear, this audit is a proactive measure that comes on the heels of years of exploration and discussion on how we as a district can improve in certain areas, and how we can best meet the needs of our schools. We welcome and encourage parents and the greater Mansfield community to get involved in the process so the end result best reflects all parties involved.”
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