West Nova News

Loudoun County Public Schools has entered into a new agreement that pays more than $50,000 to a California business that trains staff members to address bias and oppression while fostering an atmosphere of social justice.

The district has announced it is committed to eradicating what it describes as “systemic racism” and is investing time and money in combatting the problem despite mixed responses from district residents.

“In addition to ensuring a racially conscious, identity-affirming, and culturally responsive learning space for every student and employee, Loudoun County Public Schools is committed to decreasing disparities, increasing opportunities and participation outcomes for rigorous learning, dismantling barriers and interrupting the status quo for the development of stronger equitable practices,” the district states in an equity impact statement. “A diverse, inclusive, equitable and socially just teaching and learning community is a priority in LCPS.”

LCPS Superintendent Eric Williams and consultant Jamie Almanzán | File

The district had previously paid The Equity Collaborative $422,500 to train staff on racial matters, including “critical race theory.” The vast majority, $314,000, was spent in 2019 to coach staff members on such matters.

District public information officer Wayde Byard said the new contract will be used for training central office leaders that will run from November through the end of the school year in June 2021.

“LCPS has entered a new contract with The Equity Collaborative for a total of $52,000 for coaching and consulting services,” Byard told West Nova News.

The Equity Collaborative is led by Jamie Almanzán, who describes himself as “a facilitator, teacher, curriculum developer and leadership coach.”

Almanzán previously had been senior coach at the National Equity Project, and also served as director of learning and teaching at Pacific Educational Group, founded in 1992 by Glenn Singleton. Its mission statement notes it focuses on what it terms racial inequity.

“Race matters — in our nation and around the world,” it states. “It is critical that we address racial issues in order to uncover personal and institutional biases that prevent all people, and especially people of color, from reaching their fullest potential.”

The Equity Collaborative describes its training as helping educators and students grasp the impact of racial divisions, and how to overcome them to create a shared experience.

“The core tenets of our work are oppression analysis, learning theory, and coaching for change,” it states on its website. “Creating equity requires an understanding of the creation of systemic oppression, as well as the way well-intentioned individuals perpetuate inequities through cultural schema and implicit bias. In order to interrupt biases and inequities, you must understand how human brains learn and grow over time. In this work the brains of both children and adults must be understood and supported. To provide that support, we believe in using a coaching approach as our primary intervention for provoking change and sustaining new practices over time.”

However, critics point to Singleton’s advocacy of teaching the theory that “white privilege” must be recognized and eliminated.

“White people have a conscious or unconscious sense of superiority,” he said in a November 2017 interview with YES! Media. “So their place of operation is from this place of privilege and advantage, which they are seeing often as a neutral start, which allows for many white people who are unconscious about white supremacy and racism to believe themselves as people of greater proficiency, people of greater competency. That is a very dangerous mindset.”

Byard said instruction is based on the level of students.

“Critical race theory is not taught to elementary school students," he said. "Teachers follow the LCPS curricula to educate students to understand various perspectives so that they can think critically and develop individual viewpoints. LCPS wants to affirm diverse perspectives by engaging teachers and students in deeper learning around cultural literacy and authentic, challenging problems, including issues of justice and equity.”

Byard said the district is trying to help all students grow, thrive and succeed.

“Ultimately the goal is to create and maintain a positive, safe learning community that empowers all individuals to think critically, develop emotionally, grow socially and serve as contributing members of society,” he said.