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We say 鈥渁ll means all鈥� in education a lot. It鈥檚 on banners, mission statements, websites. We say it like a pledge, to ourselves, to our communities, to our students.

But let鈥檚 be honest: if your system isn鈥檛 specifically built to support the students who are furthest from opportunity, then 鈥渁ll鈥� doesn鈥檛 mean all, it means average. And in Ferndale, average wasn鈥檛 good enough for the students who needed us most.

That鈥檚 why we decided to name it. Unapologetically.

The Data Made It Clear

When we developed our new Dynamic Plan, we committed to building it with community voice at the center and data at the table.

And the data didn鈥檛 whisper. It screamed.

It told us that our African American students were consistently underrepresented in advanced coursework, overrepresented in discipline referrals, and not making the same academic progress as their peers. Not because of their ability but because of our systems.

That wasn鈥檛 a surprise. It was a confirmation.

And it pushed us to stop saying 鈥渁ll鈥� and start saying who.

We Didn鈥檛 Just Acknowledge the Gap. We Made It a Goal.

It wasn鈥檛 enough to name the disparity in a slide deck or a staff meeting. We had to build structures of accountability around it. So we wrote it into our goals.

In Ferndale, our Dynamic Plan includes public-facing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that explicitly track outcomes for African American students. From access to enrichment and AP courses, to academic achievement, to discipline rates - we鈥檙e tracking it, and acting on it.

This isn鈥檛 about singling out students, it鈥檚 about refusing to let them be overlooked. It鈥檚 about saying, 鈥淲e see what鈥檚 happening, and we鈥檙e going to do something about it, consistently, publicly, and boldly.鈥�

Is It Uncomfortable? Sometimes. But That鈥檚 Not a Reason to Stop.

I鈥檝e heard the questions. Why call out one group? What about everyone else? Isn鈥檛 that divisive?

No. What鈥檚 divisive is letting predictable disparities continue unchecked while claiming we鈥檙e working for all kids. What鈥檚 divisive is pretending equity is neutral work. It鈥檚 not.

This isn鈥檛 about placing blame. It鈥檚 about taking responsibility.

Because if we don鈥檛 lead with that kind of clarity, we end up relying on hope, and hope is not a strategy.

Equity Without Action Is Just Performance

We鈥檝e all been in rooms where people say the right words 鈥渂elonging,鈥� 鈥渁ccess,鈥� 鈥渄iversity鈥�  but nothing changes.

The same gaps stay in place, year after year.

In Ferndale, we鈥檙e trying to move beyond the performance of equity and into the practice of it.

That means:

• Setting clear, measurable goals

• Naming the students who need the most urgent support

• Following up with professional development, and resource shifts

• Staying consistent even when the data gets hard to look at
  

We鈥檙e still building the muscle 鈥� but the mindset is already in place.

What I Know For Sure

I know we鈥檙e not going to close opportunity gaps by accident.

I know that avoiding race doesn鈥檛 protect relationships, it just protects inequity. And I know that every time we say 鈥渁ll鈥� and don鈥檛 mean it, students notice. Families notice. Staff notice. And they lose trust. But when we鈥檙e bold enough to say exactly who needs what 鈥� and then back it up with resources, policy, and follow-through 鈥� that鈥檚 when belief starts to build.

That鈥檚 what we鈥檙e doing in Ferndale. We鈥檙e not there yet. But we鈥檙e not pretending either.

Because equity without honesty is empty. And 鈥渁ll means all鈥� isn鈥檛 a slogan, it鈥檚 a commitment