Equity Initiative

Colorful tree with rainbow circle leaves and black trunk with visible roots

Our Commitment to Equity

The School District of Springfield Township is committed to making sure every student has access to a high-quality education. We value the diversity of our community and work to provide fair opportunities for all students, no matter their background.
We focus on fairness in how we use resources, remove barriers to success, and support every student in reaching their full potential. We also regularly review our progress to keep improving.

About the Plan

The Equity Action Plan guides how we create inclusive and supportive schools where all students feel safe, welcomed, and valued.
The first plan (2022–2024) was developed by a district-wide team and supported by experts from the University of Pennsylvania. It included input from students, families, staff, and community members.

After completing that plan, the district conducted an Equity Audit in 2024. This included:

Reviewing student data (achievement, attendance, discipline, and graduation rates)
Surveys and focus groups with over 200 students, families, and community members
School and district reviews using equity tools

Current Plan (2025–2028)

The current Equity Action Plan focuses on four main areas

School climate and culture
Professional learning for staff
Student achievement
Accessibility and inclusion

Each area includes specific goals and strategies to better support all students.

Partnerships

Equitable School Criteria

Six Goals of Educational Equity

The School District of Springfield Township uses six key goals to guide its work in equity. These goals help ensure all students have fair access to learning, support, and success.

Our Commitment

These six goals guide our district’s work to create schools where all students can learn, grow, and succeed. They also help us measure our progress and continue improving over time.

High Achievement for All Students

All students should reach high levels of success in school.
We work to reduce gaps in achievement so that all student groups perform at similar high levels.

Equal Access and Inclusion

All students should be able to fully take part in school programs and activities.
This means removing barriers so every student can participate and feel included.

Fair and Respectful Treatment

All students should feel safe, respected, and valued.
Schools should create environments where students are supported and encouraged to do their best.

Equal Opportunity to Learn

Every student should have access to strong instruction and challenging learning.
Students should also receive the support they need—academic, social, and emotional—to succeed.

Fair Use of Resources

Resources such as time, funding, staff, and materials should be used based on student needs.
This helps ensure all students have what they need to meet high expectations.

Shared Responsibility

Everyone—staff, students, families, and the community—shares responsibility for student success.
We hold ourselves accountable to make sure all students have access to quality education and support.

Curriculum & Instruction

Lightbulb made of education icons like books, math symbols, and tools in blue and green

Equity in Curriculum and Instruction

The School District of Springfield Township is committed to making sure all students see themselves in what they learn. We review our curriculum and teaching practices to ensure they are high-quality, inclusive, and meaningful for every student.

Inclusive Curriculum

We carefully review all textbooks and learning materials to make sure they:

Meet academic standards
Represent a wide range of cultures, identities, and perspectives

In Language Arts (K–12), students read books that include diverse authors, characters, and themes.
In Social Studies, we are updating the curriculum using Social Justice Standards. These focus on:

Identity
Diversity
Justice
Action

These ideas help students better understand the world and their role in it.
Our Health curriculum has also been updated to include important and relevant topics, such as gender identity.

Improving Instruction

We use student data to improve how we teach and support learning. This includes reviewing data for different student groups to better understand their needs.
Our current focus includes:

Reducing course failure rates in high school
Expanding access to Honors and Advanced Placement courses
Reducing discipline issues, including suspensions
Improving student performance in math and reading at the elementary level

Goals

Equity Action Plan Goals (2025–2028)

The School District of Springfield Township is committed to equity and excellence for all students. Our goal is to make sure every student feels welcome, supported, and able to succeed.

School Climate and Culture

We want more students to take part in school programs and activities so all students feel a stronger sense of belonging. Special attention will be paid to those who have reported the lowest belonging according to recent survey results.

Focus areas:

Look at course enrollment and activity participation to remove barriers to access.
Review belonging survey results to better support students and families.
Plan field trips for all grade levels so students can learn about different cultures, communities, and histories.

How we will support this work:

Meet regularly with students and families to hear feedback.
Give belonging surveys every year, along with family surveys.
Use data to guide school and district decisions.

Professional Development

Staff will use teaching strategies that help improve both student learning and student belonging, based on PDE’s Common Ground Framework.

Focus areas:

Train all staff on PDE’s Common Ground Framework.
Build strong partnerships with families and community members.
Use trauma-informed practices to support student resilience.

How we will support this work:

Use data to make informed decisions.
Recruit and keep highly qualified staff who can meet the needs of a diverse school community.

Student Achievement

We will use support periods and other strategies to help students improve on state assessments.

Focus areas:

Improve attendance and achievement for students with greater economic needs.
Strengthen MTSS, or multi-tiered systems of support.
Keep high expectations for every learner.

How we will support this work:

Include equitable practices in staff training and induction.
Keep building a skilled and diverse workforce.
Reaffirm the district’s Equity Vision Statement.

Accessibility and Inclusivity

We want all students to have strong pathways to postsecondary programs and future opportunities. We will use PDE’s Career Readiness Standards and SDST’s Profile of a Graduate to help guide this work.

Focus areas:

Increase visibility and inclusion of students with disabilities.
Expand career exploration opportunities for all students.
Align Career Readiness Standards with the skills in our Profile of a Graduate.

How we will support this work:

Use the Career Readiness Benchmark and Profile of a Graduate to guide decisions.
Share information about clubs, activities, and athletics in more than one way.
Keep hiring and supporting staff who can meet the needs of all learners.

Progress on the 2022–2024 Plan

The district says it met or exceeded all goals in the 2022–2024 Equity Action Plan. This included adopting an equity policy, training staff, creating accessible course guides, gathering feedback from stakeholders, and improving support for new students.
The district is now continuing this work through a new Equity Action Plan for 2025–2028.

Resources

The School District of Springfield Township provides a variety of resources to support equity, inclusion, and student success. These tools help students, families, and staff better understand diversity and create welcoming school environments.

SDST Equity Action Plan 2025-2028
SDST Equity Action Plan 2022-2024
SDST Board Policy 832
Parent Resource for Equity and Inclusion
PA School Boards Association Equity Statement
Tips for Facilitating Political Conversations
Diversebooks.org
Equity and Excellence Presentation
Equitable Practices Presentation