Black Student Achievement Plan

The Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) was approved by the LAUSD Board of Education in February of the 2020-21 school year. Funding allocations have been earmarked to address the longstanding disparities in educational outcomes between Black students and their non-Black peers. Dating back to the landmark case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in which the U.S. Supreme Court declared that segregated schools were unconstitutional, favorable outcomes for Black students and their communities continue to fall below district and national averages of their non-Black counterparts.

The perennial trend of Black student underperformance paired with the current landscape of local and national advocacy for racial equity have served as the inspiration to act now. The BSAP administrative team will work collaboratively with Local District leadership, school communities, the staff
working group comprised of division points, and the steering committee comprised of community organizations, labor partners, parents and students to implement and monitor the plan.

The BSAP addresses the need for culturally responsive curriculum and instruction as the classroom norm, fosters partnerships with community based organizations with proven track records of success within the Black community and provides increased staffing support to address the academic and social-emotional needs of Black students.

The creation and implementation of this plan is a joint effort shared across LAUSD and our community partners. We will hold each other accountable for the realization of the Black Student Achievement Plan. The plan will serve as a dynamic document, adjustments made based on its responsiveness to Black students, parents and their communities. The support will remain until parity and beyond is achieved.

Definition:

Successful Black student achievement is defined by high academic performance, strong social-emotional awareness and management, and a positive cultural identity.  Futhermore, strategies and methods utilized to cultivate these things shall be directly responsive to the unique needs of Black students due in large to the historic and ongoing social and economic conditions experienced by Black people.

When We:

1. learn from the Black community and bring the lived experiences of our Black students and families into our instructional planning, 
2. engage Black students and their families in shared ownership to improve conditions for Black students including personal value attached to education,
3. support our teachers, school administrators, and staff to deliver academically challenging learning environments, establish data informed multi-tiered support structures provide culturally and linguistically responsive pedagogy and equity,
4. align all district efforts at every level to drive improvement in teaching and learning for Black students,
5. increase internal and external accountability for the improvment of Black student performance.

Then we will demonstrate multi-year increases in Black student achievement.