Equity and Cultural Responsiveness

Overview

Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is committed to serving every student by name and by need. The chief equity office partners in the One Fairfax Policy. The office promotes equitable opportunities for all students by:

• Examining policies and practices,
• Advocating for those who are marginalized, and
• Providing learning opportunities for staff.

The office works to improve how everyone at FCPS works with students, families, and colleagues in ways that are empowering and responsive to all. 

Office of Chief Equity Officer

The Office of Chief Equity Officer supports and leads efforts by FCPS to work together to support the shared value of equity. They do so by:

• Helping individuals see things from other peoples' perspectives,
• Creating space for courageous conversations,
• Leveraging and building upon strengths,
• Helping all staff understand the difference between symptoms and root causes of inequities,
• Challenging the status quo,
• Clarifying and focusing attention on the core purpose, and
• Ensuring that FCPS does all that it can to unlock the potential of each student.

Student Engagement

Student Equity Ambassador Leaders (SEALS) is a leadership program for high school students. It provides a platform for student voices and a better understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students in the program take part in leadership development, projects, and relevant experiences. They foster a school culture that sees and supports racial, linguistic, and cultural identities. As they share stories of marginalized students, they can build a more fair and culturally responsive learning environment.  

Curriculum

FCPS is working to deepen our commitment to creating a climate and curriculum where all students see themselves, recognize their identity is affirmed, and receive the resources they need to reach their fullest potential.  

Following are some programs that work towards this goal. 

• Pre-K serves income-eligible three and four-year-old children, including those with disabilities, by providing a high-quality learning experience. 
• Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) created the Young Scholars Model to increase the representation of diverse students in K-12 Advanced Academic Programs.  
• A group of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) teachers have been collaborating with colleagues from five other Virginia school districts to create a social studies curriculum that presents diverse perspectives and challenges students to critically examine materials, events, and institutions for bias, identity, and multiple perspectives. The new curriculum will be available to students in grades 3, 4, 6, 7, and 11 as soon as this fall. 
• Special education services range from support in general education settings to specialized instruction in self-contained special education classes. 
• Early Identification Program (EIP) is a multiyear college preparatory program for first-generation, college-bound middle and high school students who will be the first in their families to attend college.  
• The Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)  program works with secondary students to close the achievement gap by preparing them for college and success in a global society. 

Since 2018, FCPS has followed the Design Principles of Cultural Responsiveness (PDF) for lesson plans and teaching. These principals make sure that learning:

• is challenging and meaningful,
• respects differing identities,
• helps students think critically, and
• supports good relationships.

Staff Recruitment Initiatives

Recruitment Services is dedicated to supporting the success of our schools and offices by recruiting the best candidates to fill instructional and support positions. We value diversity and are an equal-opportunity employer.

Equity Profile

The Equity Profile is a part of the work outlined in the One Fairfax Policy which states, "Fairfax County Public Schools will incorporate data and publish performance measures that can be analyzed, quantified, and disaggregated to evaluate the extent to which our systems are achieving goals."

Data is published on an annual basis and can be disaggregated and analyzed to view trends in division and school performance. The Student Demographics Data provides information about all students, various demographic groups, and specific student populations. 

EdEquityVA - Virginia's Roadmap to Equity 

EdEquityVA outlines the Commonwealth’s shared education equity priorities and advances tools and resources that support local school divisions. With a focus on centering equity through cultural competency and the elimination of opportunity gaps, the framework affirms the Virginia Department of Education’s commitment to dismantle any and all forms of inequity in Virginia’s public education system.

One Fairfax Policy

The Fairfax County government's One Fairfax Policy commits the county and schools to intentionally consider equity when making policies or delivering programs and services.

The policy calls on FCPS to provide an "education that promotes a responsive, caring, and inclusive culture where all feel valued, supported, and hopeful, and that every child is reached, challenged, and prepared for success in school and life.”

The One Fairfax Policy specifically identifies “Racial Equity as the development of policies, practices and strategic investments to reverse racial disparity trends, eliminate institutional racism, and ensure that outcomes and opportunities for all people are no longer predictable by race.”

One Fairfax uses “Social Equity to consider the intersection and compounding effects of key societal issues such as poverty, English as a second language, disability, etc. with race and ethnicity…”