Race and ethnicity task force and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. January...

Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

January 4, 2017

RESD Task Force Agenda Renton Technical College Annex

Room 113 3407 NE 2nd St

Renton, WA 98506 9:00–9:30 Introductions, Agenda Overview, and Approval of December Meeting Minutes 9:30–10:00 Feedback: sub-ethnic categories survey Kathleen Callahan, Research Analyst II, Title II, Part A, and Special Programs 10:00–10:30 Reviewing: 1541 Directive and Background Information 10:30–11:30 Finalizing: sub-ethnic categories 11:30–11:45 Public Comment 11:45–12:00 Break 12:00–1:00 Working Lunch: focus group questions for Commission members 1:00–2:00 Work Session: overview of draft guidance outline and observer identification section 2:00–3:00 Work Session: draft progress report 3:00–3:30 Future Meeting Planning 3:30–3:45 Public Comment 3:45–4:00 Final Announcements and Conclusion

KATHLEEN CALLAHAN R E S E A R C H A N A LY S T, T I T L E I I , PA R T A , A N D S P E C I A L P R O G R A M S

Review + Research

Agenda

Review Fourth Substitute House Bill 1541

Washington Demographics

Informative Demographic Research Black/African American

Middle Eastern and North African

Hispanic/Latino

Eastern European

Fourth Substitute House Bill 1541 Beginning with the 2017-18 school year, OSPI must collect and school districts must submit all student-level data using the US Department of Education 2007 Race and Ethnicity Reporting Guidelines, including the subracial and subethnic categories within those guidelines, with the following modifications: Further disaggregation of…. The Black category to differentiate students of African origin and students native to the United States with African

ancestors;

Countries of origin for Asian students;

The White category to include subethnic categories for Eastern European nationalities that have significant populations in Washington

For Students who report as multiracial, collection of their racial and ethnic combination of categories

(Section 501 of Fourth Substitute House Bill 1541)

Washington Demographics - 2015Federally Mandated Categories 2015 Estimates for Washington Percentage of Washington’s Population

White 5,698,518 80.7%

American Indian or Alaskan Native 130,780 18.5%

Asian 562,903 8.0%

Two or more race 340,151 4.8%

Two or more race 340,151 4.8%

Black or African American 278,360 3.9%

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 50,698 0.7%

Hispanic or Latino 879,410 12.5%

Total Population 7,061,410 Note: Percentages do not = 100% b/c a person can

select Hispanic/Latino and a race/ethnicity.

Source: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/asr/default.asp

http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/asr/default.asp

Foreign Born Residence in Washington Region Number Percentage of Total Foreign Born Residence

in Washington

Africa 51,754 5.5%

Asia 395,144 41.8%

Europe 154,723 16.4%

Latin America (South America,

Central America, Mexico, &

Caribbean)

282,923 29.9%

Northern America (Canada,

Bermuda, Greenland, & St Pierre

and Miquelon)

44,954 4.8%

Oceania 15,248 4.8%

Source: http://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/asr/default.asp



Black/African American

Black/African American Immigrants in Washington 2014 Immigrants from Africa in Washington

Region Number of

Foreign Born

Residence

Percentage of

Total Foreign

Born Residence

Eastern Africa 33,787 3.6%

Western Africa 6,899 0.7%

Northern Africa 4,796 0.5%

Middle and Southern

Africa

3,728 0.4%

Other Africa

(no country specified)

2,544 0.3%

Total: Africa 51,754 5.5%

East Africa

Review of African American CategoriesLabel Definition Strengths Weaknesses Recommendations

Black People of black of dark skinned race.

Used in USA and UK census. Used to describe heterogeneous populations. Unrelated to ethnicity.

In practice it refers to persons with sub-SaharanAfrican ancestral origins with brown or black complexion.

African origin Applies to natives of Africa Signifies geographical origin Continental based. Used to describe heterogeneous populations.

Using on its own should be avoided.Use as prefix (e.g. African American, African Caribbean).

African Caribbean African ancestral origin but migrated via the Caribbean Islands.

Used in censuses. Signifies geographical origin. Attempts to describe a cultural group.

Used to describe a heterogeneous population.

Useful and preferred if other ethnic groups are not included.

African American African ancestral origin (many are descendants of persons brought as slaves)

Used in USA census. Signifies geographical origin. Attempts to describe a cultural group.

Used to describe heterogeneous populations.

Useful and preferred if other ethnic groups are not included.

Source: http://jech.bmj.com/content/59/12/1014.full.pdf+html

Black/African American by RegionEthnicity By Region Countries Included in Region

African Caribbean Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Netherlands Antilles, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelmy, SaintKitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos Islands, Virgin Islands

African Central American

Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama

African South American

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.

African American United States and Canada

Sub-Sahara African

(South, East, & West Africa)

Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo (Brazzaville), Congo (Democratic Republic), Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, South SudanSwaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Sources: http://lanic.utexas.edu/subject/countries/ ; https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/countries-of-south-america.html ;

http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/caribbean-central-america-area.htm ; http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/afr-countrylist.html

http://lanic.utexas.edu/subject/countries/

https://www.countries-ofthe-world.com/countries-of-south-america.html

http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/caribbean-central-america-area.htm

http://www.loc.gov/rr/amed/guide/afr-countrylist.html

SUB-SAHARA AFRICANORTH AFRICA

African Regions


MENA Region

MENA acronym often used in academia, military planning, disaster relief, and business writing.

No standardized MENA definition

Different organizations define the region differently

Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA)

MENA Region

According to UNICEF, 418 million people live in this region 157 million (38%) people are under the age of 18

Highest rate of population growth in the world in the past century

Abundance of natural resources Large share of world petroleum production and exports

Region marked by turmoil and conflict Syria, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen are in civil war

Biggest refugee crisis since World War II 15 million have fled their homes

2015 Census Pilot

Added Middle Eastern or North African Category Checkboxes provided:

Lebanese, Syrian, Iranian, Moroccan, Egyptian, Algerian

Write-In Section:

“Print, for example, Israeli, Iraqi, Tunisian, etc.”

Libyan Moroccan Omani Palestinian Qatari Saudi Arabian Syrian Tunisian Yemeni

U.S. Census Working Definition of MENA

Algerian Bahraini Egyptian Emirati Iranian Iraqi Israeli Jordanian Kuwaiti Lebanese

Ethnicities / pan-ethnic terms Amazigh or Berber Arab or Arabic Assyrian Bedouin Chaldean Copt Druze Kurdish Middle Eastern North African Syriac

Nationalities

MENA Definitions compared to U.S. Census Working Definition

UNICEF Includes Djibouti and Sudan

World Bank Includes Djibouti and West Bank and Gaza

International Organization of Migration Includes Sudan

Does not include Iran, Israel, or Palestine

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Includes Djibouti, Mauritania

Does not include Iran, Israel, or Syria

U.S. Refugee Arrivals in 2015

Top Ten Origin Countries of Refugee Arrivals

Country Number of

Refugees

Percent of Total

Refugees

Burma 18,386 26.3%

Iraq 12,676 18.1%

Somalia 8,858 12.7%

Democratic Republic of Congo 7,876 11.3%

Bhutan 5,775 8.3%

Iran 3,109 4.4%

Syria 1,682 2.4%

Eritrea 1,596 2.3%

Cuba 1,527 2.2%

All other countries (including unknown) 6,870 9.8%

Total: Refugees 69,933 100%

Syrian Refugees in the U.S.

2015

• Obama administration raises annual ceiling on U.S. refugee admission from 70,000 to 85,000.

• Obama administration commits to resettle at least 10,000 Syrian refugees

2016

• U.S. resettles 12,391 Syrian refugees between 2015 – 2016 fiscal year

KATHLEEN CALLAHAN R E S E A R C H A N A LY S T, T I T L E I I , PA R T A , A N D S P E C I A L P R O G R A M

Hispanic and Latino

DefinitionsLATINO HISPANIC SPANISH

“A person of Latin American origin or descent”

“Of or relating to Spain or to Spanish-speaking countries”

“Of or relating to Spain, its people, or its language” –

Commonly used to describe people in the U.S. with Hispanic backgrounds

U.S. Government began to use the term in the 70’s to describe people who have an association with the Spanish culture or language

Refers to the people of Spain, as well as the language.

Latino refers to a geographic location

Hispanic refers to the Spanish language ratherthan geographic location

Spanish can refer to a geographic location and/or the Spanish language

U.S. Census: Ethnicity Question

The following countries were included in the 2010 census definition of Hispanic/Latino/Spanish

Note: Other government

agencies include Brazilians and

other Portuguese-speaking

groups.

Argentina Cuba Colombia

Puerto Rico Mexico Dominican Republic

Costa Rica Argentina Nicaragua

Panama El Salvador Bolivia

Chile Guatemala Ecuador

Paraguay Peru Uruguay

Venezuela Honduras Spain

Hispanic or Latino ”refers to a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.

KATHLEEN CALLAHAN R E S E A R C H A N A LY S T, T I T L E I I , PA R T A , A N D S P E C I A L P R O G R A M

Eastern European

“Further disaggregation of the White category to include subethnic categories for Eastern European nationalities that have significant populations in Washington”

SOURCE: (4SHB 1541, SECTION 501 (C))

European Migration to the U.S.

European Immigrants in Washington

Washington Immigrant Populations - 2014

Region Number of

Immigrants

Percentage of total

Immigrants in

Washington

Western Europe 31,001 3.3%

Eastern Europe 92,024 9.7%

Southern Europe 3,670 0.4%

Northern Europe 27, 912 3.0%

Other Europe (not specified) 116 0.0%

Total: Europe 154,723 16.4%

Appendix- Eastern European Immigrants in Washington

Eastern European Immigrants in Washington - 2014

Country Number of

Immigrants

Percentage of total

Immigrants in Washington

Poland 4,815 0.5%

Russia 19,321 2.0%

Other Eastern Europe

(not specified)

67,888 7.2%

Total: Eastern European 92,024 9.7%

Eastern European Definition• Area represents geopolitical, geographical, cultural, and socioeconomic connotations

• No single definition that defines precise area

• “There are almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region.” • Source: http://www.cotf.edu/earthinfo/balkans/BKdef.html

http://www.cotf.edu/earthinfo/balkans/BKdef.html

U.S. Census Bureau Definitions

Region Countries Included

Western

Europe

Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,

Monaco, the Netherlands, and Switzerland

Southern

Europe

Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain

Eastern Europe Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech

Republic, Czechoslovakia, Estonia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia,

Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania,

Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Yugoslavia

Northern

Europe

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and the United

Kingdom

Source: http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/european-immigrants-united-states/

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/european-immigrants-united-states/

Appendix: Demographic Data for Washington

Immigrant Demographics for Washington State (2014)

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/state-profiles/state/demographics/WA

Washington Population Growth by Race/Ethnicity (2010-2014)

http://www.usa.com/washington-state-population-and-races.htm

Estimates of Race/Ethnicity Demographics in Washington (2010-2015)


http://www.migrationpolicy.org/data/state-profiles/state/demographics/WA

http://www.usa.com/washington-state-population-and-races.htm


Appendix: Federal Race/Ethnicity CategoriesFederally Mandated Categories 2010 Census Disaggregated 2015 Pilot Disaggregated

Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin of any race - -

White - German, Italian, Irish, Polish, German

American Indian or Alaskan Native

Asian Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese,

Korean, Vietnamese, Other Asian

Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese,

Korean, Vietnamese, Other Asian

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander Guamanian or Chamorro & Samoan Native Hawaiian, Tongan, Samoan, Fijian,

Chamorro, Marshallese

Black or African American - African American, Nigerian, Jamaican,

Ethiopian, Haitian, Somali

Two or more race

Referenceshttp://www.ofm.wa.gov/pop/asr/default.asp

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3326411/#S11title

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/regions/central-america-caribbean

http://jech.bmj.com/content/59/12/1014.full.pdf+html

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/Refugee-Facts-Oct-2015-FINAL.pdf

Http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/middle-eastern-and-north-african-immigrants-united-states/

http://lanic.utexas.edu/subject/countries/ ;


;http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/caribbean-central-america-area.htm ;


http://jech.bmj.com/content/59/12/1014.full.pdf+html


http://www.migrationpolicy.org/regions/central-america-caribbean

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/Refugee-Facts-Oct-2015-FINAL.pdf

http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/middle-eastern-and-north-african-immigrants-united-states/

http://lanic.utexas.edu/subject/countries/


http://geography.about.com/od/lists/a/caribbean-central-america-area.htm


RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA

GUIDANCE FOR WASHINGTON’S PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM

DRAFT - 2017

PRESENTED BY: RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA TASK FORCE

Race and Ethnicity Student Data

DRAFT - 2017 Race and Ethnicity Student Data 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2

Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force ............................................................................................. 2

Guiding Principles ..................................................................................................................................... 2

PUrpose of Guidance ................................................................................................................................ 2

Background Information ............................................................................................................................... 3

Federally Mandated Race and Ethnicity Regulations ................................................................................ 3

U.S. Department of Education 2007 Race and Ethnicity Guidance ........................................................... 3

Census and American Community Survey ................................................................................................ 4

Race and Ethnicity Data Collection Process in Washington ...................................................................... 4

Feedback from Community ....................................................................................................................... 4

Race and Ethnicity Student Data Gudiance .................................................................................................. 5

The Why Behind Race and Ethnicity Data ................................................................................................. 5

Data collection .......................................................................................................................................... 5

Data reporting ........................................................................................................................................... 5

Observer Identification ............................................................................................................................. 6

Observer Identification Background ..................................................................................................... 6

Observer Identification Gudiance ....................................................................................................... 10



INTRODUCTION

RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA TASK FORCE

A. Section 502, House Bill 1541: “Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, the OSPI shall convene a task force to review the United States department of education 2007 race and ethnicity guidelines and develop race and ethnicity guidance for the state. The task force must include representatives from the educational opportunity gap oversight and accountability, the ethnic commissions, the governor’s office of Indian affairs, and a diverse group of parents. The guidance must clarify for students and families why information about race and ethnicity is collected and how students and families can help school administrators properly identify them. The guidance must also describe the best practices for school administrators to use when identifying the race and ethnicity of students and families. The task force must use the United States census and the American community survey in the development of the guidance.”

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

RESD Task Force Guiding Principles

1. Racial Equity- The Task Force is working toward the creation of an equity-driven statewide system that uses disaggregated data in ways that will help school communities better serve and support their students and families.

2. Systemic Change- The Task Force addresses unjust structures and resolves racial disparities within our educational structure by proposing an effective accountability system for how we collect and report race and ethnicity data.

3. Advocacy- The Task Force is committed to creating a school system that utilizes data on race and ethnicity to advocate for underserved populations

4. Serve Communities- The Task Force strives to create a system where data on race and ethnicity is transparent, culturally competent, and utilized to serve all students, parents, and communities.

PURPOSE OF GUIDANCE



BACKGROUND INFORMATION

FEDERALLY MANDATED RACE AND ETHNICITY REGULATIONS

Ethnicity Definition

Hispanic/Latino A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.

Race Definition

American Indian or Alaska Native A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Black or African American A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

White A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 2007 RACE AND ETHNICITY GUIDANCE

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2007-10-19/pdf/E7-20613.pdf


http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/guid/raceethnicity/index.html

Purpose of the U.S. Department of Education 2007 Guidance

1. How educational institutions and other recipients collect and maintain racial and ethnic data from students and staff



http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/guid/raceethnicity/index.html



Purpose of the U.S. Department of Education 2007 Guidance

2 How educational institutions and other recipients will aggregate racial and ethnic data when reporting those data to the department

3 How data on multiple races will be reported and aggregated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEAA), as reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).

CENSUS AND AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY

RACE AND ETHNICITY DATA COLLECTION PROCESS IN WASHINGTON

A. Current OSPI guidance B. School, school district, and OSPI responsibilities

FEEDBACK FROM COMMUNITY

A. Survey takeaways B. Focus Group takeaways C. Conclusions

Schools/school districts collect

student race and ethnicity data.

School districts report student race and ethnicity data

for all student within the school district to

the OSPI.

The OSPI reports to the U.S. Department of Education racial and ethnic data for

students in Washington using

the 7 federally mandated categories.



RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA GUDIANCE

THE WHY BEHIND RACE AND ETHNICITY DATA

A. Purpose of Guide: target audience, how to use it, etc. B. Objectives

Objectives of RESD Task Force Guidance

1. Race and Ethnicity Guidance for schools and school districts in Washington.

2. Describe best practices for school administrators to use when identifying the race and ethnicity of students and families.

3. Clarify for students and families why information about race and ethnicity is collected.

4. How students and families can help school administrators properly identify them.

5.

DATA COLLECTION

A. Benefits of disaggregated data B. Draft list of race and ethnicity categories C. Family and Community Engagement

o How to clarify to students and families why information about race and ethnicity is collected

o Importance of bringing data back to families D. Observer identification

DATA REPORTING

- School reports - District reports - OSPI reports



OBSERVER IDENTIFICATION

OBSERVER IDENTIFICATION BACKGROUND

Federal Policies on Observer Identification

When school districts report student race and ethnicity data to OSPI and when OSPI reports this data to the U.S. Department of Education, all students must be assigned a race and ethnicity. Unkown or missing are unacceptable answers, hence schools must collect the race and ethnicity of every student. If a student (or parent on behalf of the student) does not complete the two-part question on race and ethnicity, school personell must use ‘observer identification’ to select the race and ethnicity of the student.

In the 2007 Race and Ethnicity Guidance, the U.S. Deparment of Education explicitly states observer identification should only be used as a last resort. All students and their respective guardians must first be given the option to self-identify. Even so, by law, students and parents are not required to fill out the race and ethnicity questions.1 As stated in the 2007 Race and Ethnicity Guidance, “if adequate opportunity has been provided for respondents to self-identify and respondents still do not answer the questions, observer identification should be used.”2

In 2008, the federal Race/Ethnicity Data Implementation Task Force published a report entitled, ‘Managing an Identity Crisis: Forum Guide to Implementing New Federal Race and Ethnicity Categories’. A section of this report clarifies when observer identification is to be used, and best practices when conducting observer identification are given (see Figure 1).

FIGURE 1. FEDERAL OBSERVER IDENTIFICATION PRINCIPLES

Principle 1: Self Identification is Preferable

1.1 Self-identification is the preferred choice of selecting and indiivudal’s race and ethnicity thougha person is not required by law to make these selections.

1.2 Self-identification of race and ethnicity is found to be the most conisstent, accurate, and socially acceptable mode of racial and ethnic data collection.

1.3 Self-identification includes the selection of race and ethnicity categories by a student’s parents or guardians. If there is a conflict between the choices of a student and his or her parent, the parent’s choice should be used for the record.

1 https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008802.pdf 2 Page 3, https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2007-10-19/pdf/E7-20613.pdf

“For elementary and secondary students, if an individual (or the parent on behalf of the individual) does not complete the two-part question, then the educational institution should take steps to collect and document information that enables the school to include the individual in one of the seven Federal reporting categories. The Department's existing policy of using observer identification in these cases remains unchanged from previous guidance provided by the Department.” – U.S. Department of Education

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008802.pdf


http://www2.ed.gov/policy/rschstat/guid/raceethnicity/questions.html



1.4 If a parent refuses to identify the race or ethnicity of a student, but the student later volunteers to self-identify, this data should be used (unless there is a reason to question the accuracy of the infomraiton).

Principle 2: Observer-identification is required as a last resort

2.1 Observer identification is considered preferable to having no data at all. Students and parents who are reulctant to self-identify should be informed that observer identification will be used.

2.2 School district policy should indicate the steps to be taken befor an observer makes a selction. All observers should be trained on the procedures for racial and ethnic identificaiton.

2.3 Although not a requirement, it is good practice is to designate one aministrator responsible for conducting observer identification (e.g. principle).

2.4 The state should provide clear guidance to school districts in establishing district policies.

2.6 Parents who have limited literacy skills in their native language may be less likely to fill the race and ethnicity questions on a school form. In this scenario, one-on-one interviews in the parent’s native language is a more accurate way to collect this information (although more costly).

2.7 Observers should never tell a student, a parent, or a staff member how he or she should sel-identify.

2.8 When conducting observer identification, observers should stay within their comfort zone. Supporting information (e.g. talking with teachers of the student) can be helpful when making such determinations.

2.9 A best practice would be to flag a student’s record in the information management system if his or her race and ethnicity categories are selected by an observer. Currently, there is not a federal requirement to do so.

2.10 Observer identification may not be feasible in cases such as distance education. The state should provide guidelines about methods school districts should employ to collect racial or ethnic inromation in these circumstances.

Although observer identification is a federally mandated last resort policy, practices about how to conduct observer identification are determined locally, by school districts. Additionally, as stated under Principle 2.4 of Figure 1, states are responsible for providing clear guidance to school districts on observer identification practices. State guidance on observer identification should help school districts establish the following policies:3

1. Who would identify a student’s race and ethnicity if the student and his or her parent did not self identify.

3 https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008802.pdf

https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2008/2008802.pdf



2. How a parent should be alerted that an observer will identify if no such infomration is provided, no only to encourage response from the parent, but also to protect the school and district if the parent later objects to the selection

3. Whether data selected through observer identification are flagged in the data set.

Washington State Policies on Observer Identification

In Washington, state level guidance to school districts on observer identification is limited. The only state resource available to school districts is a power point that was created in 2010 entitled, ‘Guidelines for Observer-Identification of Ethnicity and Race’.

The power point includes the following information: (1) observer identification principles identified in the ‘Managing an Identity Crisis’ report (see Figure 1); (2) tips on conducting observer identification; (3) examples to help identify the race and ethnicity of a student; (4) questions that parents may have and appropriate responses (see Appendix A); (5) questions that staff may have and appropriate responses (see Appendix B).

When conducting observer identification, the OSPI recommends the following:

A good practice is to designate one key person as the observer to select ethnicity and race on students’ behalf, who can respond to questions about process. This will also improve the quality of data collection.

Observers should never tell parents or students how to classify themselves. Observers should try to stay within their own comfort zones, attempting visual identification if

they are comfortable doing so. Supporting information, such as personal information from a teacher or knowledge about the community may be helpful. Rely first on dexisting infomraiton before you actually “observer” the ethnicity or race of the student, but check your sources of information for reliability.

Observers should try to be consistent and objective, to the best of their ability.

Additionally, the following table is provided as a resource to help observers identify the race and ethnicity of a student.

FIGURE 2. GUIDANCE FROM THE OSPI ON HOW TO CONDUCT OBSERVER IDENTIFICATION

Students whose families are from: May consider themselves, or be considered:

Croatia, France, Italy, Greece, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Ukraine, or other European countries

White

Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Yemen, or other Middle Eastern countries

White

Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, or other North African countries

White

http://www-test.ospi.k12.wa.us/CEDARS/Training.aspx



Haiti, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, or other West Indian or African countries

Black

Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Punjab, Sri Lanka, or other Asian countries

Other Asian

The indigenous peoples of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea or other Pacific Islands

Other Pacific Islander

The indigenous peoples of North, Central, South, or Latin America (those not choosing one of the federally-recognized state tribes)

Other American Indian

Examples of Other State POlicies

STATE LEVEL POLICIES

State Observer Identification Policy

California If schools confirm self-identification was not possible, the California Department of Education will select ‘two or more races’ for the student.

Wyoming Principals are the only staff members authorized to perform observer identification.

Colorado Colorado Department of Education provides resources to maximize parent/guardian participation in identifying their child’s race and ethnicity. School districts use these resources to determine best practices.

Federal Recommendations when Conducting Observer Identification

Rely first on existing information before you actually “observe” the race or ethnicity of the student, but check your information source to the best of your ability. For example:

Check the student’s prior record to determine whether a racial category was selected in the

past. This can narrow down the possibilities, but you may still need to determine whether the student is multiracial or has selected one of the “old” categories that has been separated (e.g., Asian and Pacific Islander, or Hispanic with no race identified).

Check whether a student’s sibling in the school has re-identified a race and ethnicity during the re-identification. There is, however, a possibility of different race and ethnicity among siblings as a result of adoption and blended families.



If sufficient existing information is lacking, you may look for clues from other sources such as:

First-hand knowledge about the student or his/ her family (check with a teacher or counselor). The student’s and parent’s country of birth or country of origin. The student’s home language or parent’s language of preference.

Knowledge about the community to which the school belongs.

Print pages 28 to 34 of Managing a Crisis Report.

OBSERVER IDENTIFICATION GUDIANCE

�� • Nothing prohibits states and school districts from offering additional racial and ethnic categories for their own

purposes. To reflect the diversity of its population, a state may collect a more detailed breakdown of a racial

category (such as Korean, Japanese, or Chinese as separate categories for Asians). The only requirement is that

these additional categories must be collapsed into the five federal races and one ethnicity category. States could

decide to collect data from districts as aggregate or individual reports. However, the original information, which

is maintained on an individual’s education or employment records, must be collected using the two-part question

format. And, the district or state must be able to report racial and ethnic data to ED in the seven aggregate

categories described in the Final Guidance and in chapter 1 of this guide.

4.3 Issue #3—Self-identification or Observer-identification

Principle 1: Self-identification is preferable.

1.1 Individuals must always be encouraged to identify their own race and ethnicity. Staff members may be asked to

re-identify themselves in their records. Self-identification of racial and ethnic categories is strongly recommended

in the Final Guidance as the choice for collecting the data, although respondents are not required to do so.

If a parent, student, or staff member declines to select the

student’s or staff’s race and ethnicity, identification by

observers should be used. Observer identification is a

last resort to identify the race and ethnicity of a student

and this practice is allowable.

Self-identification is the preferred choice of selecting an individual’s race and ethnicity, though a person is not required by law to make these selections.

1.2 Aside from the instructions in the Final Guidance, self-identification of race and ethnicity is found to be the most

consistent and accurate mode of racial and ethnic data collection. It is also the approach that is most socially

acceptable, most cognizant of individual privacy, and promoted by the 1997 OMB Standards as respectful of

“individual dignity.” While observer identification (as a last resort) provides information about how individuals

are perceived in their communities, self-identification allows each individual to assert his or her own racial and

ethnic identity.

1.3 In the case of elementary and secondary students, self-identification includes the selection of race and ethnicity

categories by a student’s parents or guardians. The Final Guidance indicates that the identification of a student’s

racial and ethnic categories is to be made primarily by parents or guardians (i.e., the parent’s choice should be

used; this is not considered “observer” identification.) If there is a conflict between the choices of a student and

his or her parent, the parents’ choice should be used for the record.

1.4 If a parent refuses to identify the race or ethnicity of a student, but the student later volunteers to self-identify

him- or herself, the data should be used, unless there is a reason to question the accuracy of the information.

The designated observer should verify the response according to school district procedures.

Principle 2: Observer-identification is required as a last resort.

2.1 The Final Guidance recognizes the burden placed on school and district personnel in observer identification,

and that the practice may not yield data as accurate as those from self-identification. However, absent self-

identification or existing records, observer identification is considered preferable to having no data at all.

Students and parents who are reluctant to self-identify should be informed that observer identification will be

used. This may discourage them from refusing to self-identify.

2.2 School district policy should indicate the steps to be taken before an observer makes a selection. These steps ��

may include reviewing the enrollment form with the parent at registration, or sending a second letter or making a

phone call to follow up with the parent when the information is not volunteered. In any case, the observers should

be prepared to explain, if asked, that the school district and state are required to provide such information as an

aggregate to the federal government; that the school district is required to select race and ethnicity categories

for students on their behalf if parents or students decline to answer the questions; and that the school district

will maintain the confidentiality of individual race and ethnicity records. Also be ready to explain federal law

and state policy regarding the confidentiality of racial and ethnic data and the benefits of the new categories

in allowing a person to choose his or her race and ethnicity. All observers should be trained on the procedures

for racial and ethnic identification. These include the steps taken to ensure that respondents have refused to

self-identify after being given the choice rather than simply having overlooked the question, and the statements

to be made when asked about the process. (See exhibit 4.1 Suggestions for Conducting Observation for further

information.)

2.3 It is generally a good practice to designate one administrator to be the observer to select on students’ behalf.

However, states and districts vary in how they assign this responsibility. In Wyoming, the principal is the only

staff member authorized to perform observer identification. Elsewhere, the responsibility falls on others such

as school clerks or may be shared among many staff members. School districts may choose to allow multiple

staff members to perform observer identification; for example, they may designate an individual who speaks

the parent’s native language. There are advantages to placing the responsibility with the school principal/

superintendent, rather than sharing it among clerks and other staff. This policy offers two main benefits: (1) it

improves the consistency of the data collection process, and (2) in the event that students, staff members, or

parents become dissatisfied with the observer identification process, this policy seats responsibility with one

authoritative source, thus avoiding the confusion that might result if the burden were spread among numerous

staff members.

2.4 The state should provide clear guidance to school districts in establishing district policies:

Who would identify a student’s race and ethnicity if the student and his or her parent did not

self-identify;

How a parent should be alerted that an observer will identify if no such information is provided, not only

to encourage response from the parent, but also to protect the school and district if the parent later

objects to the selection; and

Whether data selected through observer identification are flagged in the data set.

2.5 For staff data, note that an agency may obtain the racial and ethnic information from existing employment

records or observer-identification if an employee declines to self-identify.7

2.6 It was the experience of Everett School District, Massachusetts, that more changes (and self-identification) in

racial and ethnic categories were obtained through interviews than through surveys. This was especially true

when interviews were in the parent’s language (other than English). The school district found that some parents

had limited literacy skills in their native languages. Because of this, the district carried out one-on-one interviews

in addition to sending a letter. In these interviews, parents were more likely to change their children’s race and

ethnicity than were parents who filled out printed surveys. While interviewing seems to be a more accurate way

to collect the information, school districts will have to balance this advantage with the additional cost.

7 See “Questions and Answers—Implementation of Revised Race and Ethnic Categories” by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at http://www.eeoc.gov/quanda-implementation.html

2.7 Observers should not tell a student, a parent, or a staff

member how he or she should classify himself or herself.

When asked, simply restate the question, explaining the

definition within a race or ethnicity category. If a parent

just states that a student is Hispanic, observers should

encourage the parent to also select one or more race

categories because people of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

�0 The federal government requires the use ofobserver identification of elementary andsecondary school students’ race and ethnicity, as a last resort, if such information is not provided by the students and their parents.

2.8 Observers should be encouraged to stay within their own comfort zone. Visual identification of multiple race

background is a difficult task. Observers should attempt this if they are comfortable doing so. Supporting

information, such as personal information from a teacher or knowledge about common race combinations within

the community, can be helpful in making such determinations.

2.9 There is no federal requirement to “flag” a student’s record in the information management system if his or her

race and ethnicity categories are selected by an observer. However, while this is an additional expense, it would

be a helpful piece of information kept at the school or district level. It need not be transmitted to the state.

2.10 Observer identification may not be feasible in cases such as distance education. Following up with parents via

telephone or electronic mail are probably the only feasible options. In some extreme cases of geography, for

instance, it can be almost impossible to observe a student. For example, in Yukon-Koyukuk School District in

Alaska a district that spans nearly 65,000 square miles and is roughly the size of Wisconsin a distance

education program administrator cannot stroll over to the child’s classroom or call his or her parents in for a

meeting. Data collectors from the school or district can speak to the student or parents and try to allay any

reservations about providing race and ethnicity information. However, parents are free to refuse to give this

information no matter how hard one tries to convince them to do so. In distance education or other virtual

programs, the state should provide guidelines about methods school districts should employ to collect racial or

ethnic information and to handle refusals.

Exhibit �.� Suggestions for Conducting Observer Identification ��

The OMB Guidance requires the use of observer identification at the elementary and secondary school level as a last resort, if

racial and ethnic data are not self-identified—by the student or more typically the student’s parents or guardians. If you are the

individual assigned by your school or district as an observer, these are some suggestions to help you perform this duty. First of

all, remember that:

• Observer identification is used as “a last resort,” after other efforts to increase the chance of having

a parent identify the student or a student to identify himself or herself have failed. Check your district’s

policies for such procedures. Typically, they will include following up with parents, through e-mail or phone communication,

to determine whether the parent or student is refusing to self-identify rather than simply overlooking the question.

• Self-identification is based on how people define themselves and their children. Assigning a race and ethnicity

to an individual is a somewhat arbitrary exercise because these are not scientific or anthropological categories. While

assigning race and ethnicity to another person is a difficult task, given the emotionally charged feelings and deep beliefs that

many people have concerning the issue, your job as an observer for federal reporting purposes is simply to assign race and

ethnicity categories to the best of your ability. It is important that you are consistent in your observation, and make your

judgments objectively.

In addition to visual observation there are ways to

help you determine an individual’s race and ethnicity.

Rely first on existing information before you actually

“observe” the race or ethnicity of the student, but

check your information source to the best of your

ability. For example:

• Check the student’s prior record to determine

whether a racial category was selected in the

past. This can narrow down the possibilities, but

you may still need to determine whether the

student is multiracial or has selected one of the

“old” categories that has been separated (e.g.,

Asian and Pacific Islander, or Hispanic with no

race identified).

• Check whether a student’s sibling in the school

has re-identified a race and ethnicity during the

re-identification. There is, however, a possibility

of different race and ethnicity among siblings

as a result of adoption and blended families.

If sufficient existing information is lacking, you

may look for clues from other sources such as: • first-hand knowledge about the student or his/

her family (check with a teacher or counselor);

• the student’s and parent’s country of birth or

country of origin;

• the student’s home language or parent’s

language of preference; and

• knowledge about the community to which the

school belongs

Definition of Race and Ethnic Categories

Used for Federal Reporting

Ethnicity:

Hispanic/Latino A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central

American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race.

Race Categories: American Indian or Alaska Native A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and

South America (including Central America), and who maintains

tribal affiliation or community attachment.

Asian A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far

East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for

example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan,

the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Black or African American A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa.

Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii,

Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands.

White A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe,

the Middle East, or North Africa.

�� Selecting an Ethnicity

If, in prior records, an individual has indicated that he or she was Hispanic, then the ethnicity question is answered. Your job is to

observe and select a racial category. Many Hispanic individuals consider “Hispanic” as their race (partly due to past experience

of using this as if it were a racial category). They may look for “Hispanic” or “some other race” in the race question. When they

do not find it, they leave it blank. Following up might be all that is needed to collect the information directly from the student or

parent.

A student may volunteer his or her ancestry rather than answering “yes” to the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity question. The following

is a list of Hispanic ancestry groups to which Hispanic individuals may refer themselves:

Spaniard Balearic Islander Mexican American Mexican State Panamanian Bolivian Peruvian Latin American Spanish

Andalusian Gallego Mexicano Costa Rican Salvadoran Chilean Uruguayan Latino Californio

Asturian Valencian Chicano Guatemalan Central American Colombian Venezuelan Puerto Rican Tejano

Castillian Canary Islander La Raza Honduran Canal Zone Ecuadorian Criollo Dominican Nuevo Mexicano

CatalonianMexicanMexican American IndianNicaraguanArgentineanParaguayanSouth AmericanHispanicSpanish American

Selecting a Race

In general, the new federal requirements conflate race and geographic/national origin. For example, “White” is defined to include

people who originate from Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. Though not an exhaustive list, the following chart may help

in connecting geographic/national origin with a race, as defined in the Guidance:

If an individual considers …or comes from one of the following …and assuming single race, the him or herself to be: countries or regions: individual may be identified as:

European American Northern Europe such as: Britain (Scotland, Ireland, Wales) Denmark, White Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden Western Europe such as: Belgium, France, Holland, Luxembourg Central Europe such as: Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland Eastern Europe such as: Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia, Ukraine Southern Europe such as: Bosnia, Catalonia, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece,

Italy, Macedonia, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain

Other such as: Caucasus, Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan

Middle Eastern American Afghanistan, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi White Arabia, Syria. Turkey, Yemen

North African American Algeria, Egypt, Morocco White

Black, African American, Bahamas, Barbados, Botswana, Ethiopia, Haiti, Jamaica, Liberia, Black Afro-American Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Nigriti, South Africa,

Sudan, Tobago, Trinidad, West Indies, Zaire

Asian American Asian Indian, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Taiwan, Asian Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia,

Nepal, Okinawa, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lankan, Thailand, Vietnam; or ancestry groups such as Hmongs, Mongolians, Iwo Jiman,

Maldivian

Pacific Islander Caroline Islands, Fiji, Guam, Hawaiian Islands, Marshall Islands, Pacific Islander Papua New Guinea, Polynesia, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tahiti, Tarawa Islands, Tonga

Australian or New Zealander— Australia, New Zealand White not an indigenous person

Aborigine, Indigenous Australian, Australia, New Zealand, Torres Straits Islands Pacific Islander Torres Straits Islander, Melanesian

Though not exhaustive, the following is a list of American Indian and Alaskan Native tribes or self-descriptions that �� may help in your observation:

American Indian Tribes Abenaki Algonquian Apache Arapahoe Arikara

Assiniboine Assiniboine Sioux Bannock Blackfeet Brotherton

Burt Lake Band Caddo Cahuilla California Tribes Canadian and Latin

American

Catawba Cayuse Chehalis Chemakuan Chemehuevi

Cherokee Cherokee Shawnee Cheyenne Cheyenne-Arapaho Chickahominy

Chickasaw Chinook Chippewa Chippewa Cree Chitimacha

Choctaw Choctaw-Apache Chumash Clear Lake Coeur D’Alene

Coharie Colorado River Indian Colville Comanche Coos, Lower Umpqua,

and Siuslaw

Coos Coquille Costanoan Coushatta Cowlitz

Cree Creek Croatan Crow Cumberland

Cupeno Delaware Diegueno Eastern Tribes Esselen

Fort Belknap Three Affiliated Tribes Fort McDowell Fort Hall Gabrieleno

of North Dakota

Grand Ronde Guilford Gros Ventres Haliwa-Saponi Hidatsa

Hoopa Hoopa Extension Indians of Person County Iroquois Juaneno (Acjachemem)

Kalispel Karuk Kaw Kickapoo apoo Kiowa

S’Klallam Klamath Konkow Kootenai Lassik

Long Island Luiseno Lumbee Lummi Maidu

Makah Maliseet Mandan Mattaponi Menominee

Metrolina Miami Miccosukee Micmac Mission Indians

Miwok Me-Wuk Modoc Mohegan Monacan

Mono Nanticoke Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Narragansett Navajo

Nez Perce Nipmuc Nomlaki Northwest Tribes Omaha

Oneida Tribe Oregon Athabaskan Otoe-Missouria Ottawa Paiute

Pamunkey Passamaquoddy Pawnee Penobscot Peoria

Pequot Pima Piscataway Pit River Pomo and Pit

River Indians

Pomo Ponca Potawatomi Powhatan Pueblo

Puget Sound Salish Quapaw Quinault Rappahannock Reno-Sparks

Round Valley Sac and Fox Salinan Salish Salish and Kootenai

Schaghticoke Seminole Serrano Shasta Shawnee

Shinnecock Shoalwater Bay Shoshone Te-Moak Tribes of Shoshone Indians

Western of Nevada

Paiute-Shoshone Siletz Siuslaw Spokane Stockbridge-Munsee

Tohono O’Odham Tolowa Tonkawa Trinidad Tygh

Umatilla Umpqua Wailaki Walla-Walla Wampanoag

Warm Springs Wascopum Washoe Wichita Wind River

Winnebago Wintun Wintun-Wailaki Wiyot Yakama

Yakama Cowlitz Yaqui Yavapai Apache Yokuts Yuchi

Yuman Yurok

Alaskan Native Tribes Alaska Native Alaska Indian Tribes Alaska Indian Alaska Native Alaskan Athabascans

Tlingit-Haida Tsimshian Sealaska Southeast Alaska Eskimo Tribes

Greenland Eskimo Inuit Inupiat Eskimo Siberian Eskimo Cupiks Eskimo

Yup’ik Aleut Tribes Aleut Alutiiq Aleut Bristol Bay Aleut

Chugach Aleut Eyak Koniag Aleut Sugpiaq Suqpigaq

Unangan Aleut

Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force 2017

FOCUS GROUP PROTOCOL CONTENTS

Focus Group Protocol.............................................................................................................................. 2

Materials ............................................................................................................................................. 2

Activities ............................................................................................................................................. 2

Step 1. Introductions ....................................................................................................................... 2

Step 2. Individually Review Discussion Prompts .............................................................................. 2

Step 3. Guided Group Discussion ..................................................................................................... 2

Step 4. Reflection & Next Steps ....................................................................................................... 2

Step 5. Facilitator Write-Up ............................................................................................................. 2

Facilitator ScriptS ................................................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 3

Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 3

Closing ................................................................................................................................................ 3

Background Information Handout .......................................................................................................... 5

The Race and Ethnicity Student Data TAsk Force ............................................................................... 5

Guidian Principles ............................................................................................................................ 5

Background Information ..................................................................................................................... 6

Federally Mandated Race and Ethnicity Regulations ....................................................................... 6

Race and Ethnicity Student Data Collection and Reporting in Education......................................... 6

Utilizing Race and Ethnicity Student Data in Education .................................................................. 6

Draft Race and Ethnicity Categories ....................................................................................................... 8

Conversation PromPts ............................................................................................................................ 8

Parents/Community Members ............................................................................................................ 8

School/District Staff ............................................................................................................................ 8

Participant Worksheet ............................................................................................................................ 9

Participant Notes ................................................................................................................................ 9

Facilitator Write-Up .............................................................................................................................. 10

Focus Group REsults Worksheet ....................................................................................................... 10

2

FOCUS GROUP PROTOCOL

MATERIALS

Poster Paper

Markers

Pens/Pencils

Printed Handouts: (a) Conversation Prompts; (B) Background Information; (c) Participant

Worksheet

Copy of Focus Group Results Worksheet (printed or on computer)

ACTIVITIES

STEP 1. INTRODUCTIONS

A. Introduce the RESD Task Force.

B. Provide background information

a. Federally mandated race & ethnicity categories

b. Observer identification

C. Participants introduce themselves

STEP 2. INDIVIDUALLY REVIEW DISCUSSION PROMPTS

A. Participants spend 3-5 minutes reading conversation prompts

B. Participants use their worksheet to write down any comments, ideas, questions and/or

concerns

C. While participants work individually, facilitator fills out ‘Background Information’ section of the

‘Focus Group Results’ worksheet

STEP 3. GUIDED GROUP DISCUSSION

A. Select a participant to be the note taker. The note taker writes down main conversation topics,

questions, and concerns on chart paper.

B. The RESD Task Force member facilitates conversations using the conversation prompts. Spend

10 minutes discussing each conversation prompt.

STEP 4. REFLECTION & NEXT STEPS

A. Facilitator uses the chart paper to summarize key takeaways from the discussion

B. Facilitator provides ways participants can stay involved

a. Task Force website link

b. Dates & times of future RESD Task Force Meetings

STEP 5. FACILITATOR WRITE-UP

3

A. After participants leave, facilitator uses chart paper notes to fill out the rest of the “Focus Group

Findings” worksheet.

B. Send document to [email protected]

FACILITATOR SCRIPTS

INTRODUCTION

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to participate in a focus group for the Race and Ethnicity

Student Data Task Force.

I am going to hand-out 4 different items:

1. A handout that includes key background information on the RESD Task Force and race and ethnicity student data collection.

2. A list of draft race and ethnicity categories created by the RESD Task Force 3. A list of conversation prompts 4. A worksheet to write down any thoughts, questions, or notes

Before we start the focus group discussion, I will provide a brief overview of the Race and Ethnicity

Student Data Task Force, review key background information, and answer any questions you may have.

Next, I’ll ask you to spend 3 to 5 minutes thinking through the conversation prompts on your own.

During this time, you can use your participant worksheet to write down any questions, comments,

concerns, and/or questions. At the end of our discussion, I will collect your worksheets to ensure we

have captured your voices.

Once you have reviewed questions individually, I will facilitate a discussion using the conversation

prompts. We will spend about 10 minutes discussing each prompt. During the discussion, feel free to

write your thoughts down on the participant worksheet. I will collect these worksheets at the end to

ensure we have captured everyone’s voice. Additionally, I will need someone to volunteer as a note-

taker. The note-taker will write down key ideas, concerns, and questions on the chart paper. Would

anyone like to volunteer? Great, thank you.

Lastly, we will conclude by reviewing key takeaways from the discussion. I will also provide you with

additional ways you can stay up to date and involved with the Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task

Force. Any questions?

DISCUSSION

Add Conversation prompts

CLOSING

mailto:[email protected]

4

Thank you very much for taking the time to participate in this focus group. Your feedback will help

shape the work and recommendations of the RESD Task Force. To stay engaged and up-to-date with

our work, please visit our website at http://www.k12.wa.us/Workgroups/RET.aspx .

Additionally, public attendees are always welcome to attend any of our meetings. We meet once per

month from 9:00 am to 4:00pm in Olympia, Seattle, or Renton. At every meeting, there are two

designated public comment times where you can share comments and feedback with the RESD Task

Force members.

http://www.k12.wa.us/Workgroups/RET.aspx

5

BACKGROUND INFORMATION HANDOUT

THE RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA TASK FORCE

The Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force (RESD), authorized by Washington State Legislature,

provides statewide guidance on how to improve race and ethnicity data collection and reporting at the

school, school district, and state level.

As stated in Fourth Substitute House Bill 1541 (authorizing legislation), “the guidance must clarify for

students and families why information about race and ethnicity is collected and how students and

families can help school administrators properly identify them. The guidance must also describe the

best practices for school administrators to use when identifying the race and ethnicity of students and

families.”1

The RESD Task Force has met monthly since August of 2016, and will publish race and ethnicity

guidance for Washington in June of 2017. Thus far, the workgroup has conducted research on the

following: (1) Federal race and ethnicity standards set by the Office of Management and Budget; (2)

U.S. Department of Education guidance on race and ethnicity; (3) the Office of Superintendent of

Public Instruction guidance on race and ethnicity; (4) other state race and ethnicity guidance examples;

(5) Observer identification policies in Washington and in other states; and (6) survey examples including

the U.S. Census and the American Community Survey. Additionally, the RESD Task Force conducted a

statewide survey, which was sent to all public schools and school districts in Washington.

From this research, the Task Force has created a draft list of race and ethnicity categories and is

currently working on guidance for schools, school districts, and the state on how to collect race and

ethnicity data in a culturally competent manner.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

The RESD Task Force is committed to creating guidance that: (1) promotes racial equity; (2) creates

systemic change; (3) advocates for racial and ethnic underserved populations; and (4) better serves all

communities in Washington.

EQUITY

The Task Force is working toward the creation of an equity-driven statewide system that uses

disaggregated data in ways that will help school communities better serve and support their students

and families.

SYSTEMIC CHANGE

The Task Force addresses unjust structures and resolves racial disparities within our educational

structure by proposing an effective accountability system for how we collect and report race and

ethnicity data.

1 4SHB 1541 Section 502

6

ADVOCACY

The Task Force is committed to creating a school system that utilizes data on race and ethnicity to

advocate for underserved populations.

SERVE COMMUNITIES

The Task Force strives to create a system where data on race and ethnicity is transparent, culturally

competent, and utilized to serve all students, parents, and communities.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

FEDERALLY MANDATED RACE AND ETHNICITY REGULATIONS

All government agencies must adhere to the following rules:

A. Use a two question format. The first asks about ethnicity whereas the second asks about race.

B. Ethnicity categories include: (1) Hispanic or Latino or Spanish Origin; and (2) Not Hispanic or

Latino or Spanish Origin.

C. Race categories include: (1) American Indian or Alaska Native; (2) Asian; (3) Native Hawaiian or

Other Pacific Islander; (4) Black or African American; (5) White.

Note: These represent the minimum number of categories. Government agencies can disaggregate any

or all of the categories further.

RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING IN EDUCATION

The U.S. Department of Education requires all states to follow the federally mandated regulations

when collecting student race and ethnicity data. In Washington, school districts are responsible for

collecting this information from schools and reporting it to the Office of Superintendent of Public

Instruction (OSPI). From there, OSPI reports to the U.S. Department of Education.

Schools in collaboration with school district must collect the race and ethnicity of each and every

student. When reporting to OSPI, unknown or missing is an unacceptable answer. Thus, if a student (or

parent on behalf of the student) does not complete the two-part section, school personnel must use

‘observer identification’ to identify the race and ethnicity of the individual.

UTILIZING RACE AND ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA IN EDUCATION

All student level data is collected for the purpose of enhancing public education in America. Student

information, such as race and ethnicity, will never be used against students, schools, or school districts.

The OSPI as well as the U.S. Department of Education use this data to identify which students, schools,

and school districts are in need of better resources. Data is also used to identify and address

opportunity and achievement gaps and disproportionalities in education between groups of students

(e.g. race/ethnicity, low-income, English language learners, etc.). Accurate student data collection

leads to targeted supports and resources to those that need it most, and more equitable education

policies at the schools, school district, state, and federal level.

8

DRAFT RACE AND ETHNICITY CATEGORIES

Fill in Once Finalized

CONVERSATION PROMPTS

Brainstorm Conversation Prompts

PARENTS/COMMUNITY MEMBERS

SCHOOL/DISTRICT STAFF

9

PARTICIPANT WORKSHEET

PARTICIPANT NOTES

Do we want to ask background info on participant?

- Role (parent, teacher, school admin, community member, etc.)

- Race/Ethnicity

(Complete when prompts are finalized)

Prompt Comments Questions Concerns

10

FACILITATOR WRITE-UP

FOCUS GROUP RESULTS WORKSHEET

Keep open ended or add more specific questions once conversation prompts are finalized?

Directions: Fill out form directly after focus group and e-mail to [email protected]

1. Focus Group Details

Name

Date of Focus Group

Location of Focus Group

Number of Participants

Stakeholder Type(s) (e.g. parents, district staff, school staff, community member)

2. Top three topics discussed

1. ________________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________________

3. Chart Paper Notes:

1. Key Takeaways:

2. Concerns:

3. Questions:

4. Disagreements:

4. As the facilitator, provide any additional comments you have:

mailto:[email protected]

Progress Report

RACE & ETHNICITY STUDENT DATA TASK FORCE

January, 2017

Authorizing legislation: RCW 28A.300.042

(http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=28A.300.042)

NAME OF COMMITTEE

Committee Members Representing

Alex Ybarra Commission on Hispanic Affairs

Bill Craig Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs

Brianne Ramos Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

Carlina Brown-Banks Commission on African American Affairs

Dolly Nguyen Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

Erica Ferrelli Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

Erin Okuno Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

Idolina Reta Washington State Human Right Commission

Jim Schmidt Education Research and Data Center

JMarie Johnson-Kola Parent Teacher Association

Lina Thompson Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs

Maia Espinoza Commission on Hispanic Affairs

Sharon Ortiz Human Rights Commission

Toni Williams Commission on African American Affairs

Yasin Abshir Educational Opportunity Gap Oversight and Accountability Committee

Prepared by:

Maria Flores, Director, Title II Part A and Special Programs

[email protected] | 360-725-X6359

Kathleen Callahan, Research Analyst, Title II Part A and Special Programs

[email protected] | 360-725-6504

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Table of Contents Introduction ......................................................................................................................................3

Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force ........................................................................................3

Background ............................................................................................................................................... 3

Guiding Principles ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Community Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement ............................................................................... 4

Research ............................................................................................................................................4

Federally Mandated Race and Ethnicity Questions .................................................................................. 5

Student Race and Ethnicity in Education .................................................................................................. 5

Purpose ................................................................................................................................................. 5

Process .................................................................................................................................................. 5

Observer Identification ......................................................................................................................... 5

Conclusion and Next Steps .................................................................................................................6

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Introduction The Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force began in August of 2016 and will end in

July of 2017 when they publish their final race and ethnicity guidance to the Legislature.

This progress report contains background information about the Task Force, as well as a

summary of the Task Force’s work so far, and an overview of their next steps.

The objective of this progress report is to inform the Legislature, the Governor, the Office of

Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), and community members about who the RESD

Task Force is, and what they have been working on.

Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force

Background

The Race and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force (RESD), authorized by the Washington

State Legislature, provides statewide guidance on how to improve race and ethnicity data

collection and reporting at the school, school district, and state level.

As stated in Fourth Substitute House Bill 1541 (authorizing legislation), “the guidance must

clarify for students and families why information about race and ethnicity is collected and

how students and families can help school administrators properly identify them. The

guidance must also describe the best practices for school administrators to use when

identifying the race and ethnicity of students and families.”1 In addition to this guidance,

the Task Force will submit a list of race and ethnicity categories to be used by Washington’s

public education system when collecting the race and ethnicity of students.

The RESD Task Force advocates for the use of disaggregated race and ethnicity data in

public education. Therefore, the list of race and ethnicity categories that the Task Force

proposes to the Legislature will be more extensive compared to what is currently expected

of schools and school districts (see Federally Mandated Race and Ethnicity Questions). To

help implement the proposed list of race and ethnicity categories, the Task Force’s

guidance will address why disaggregated data is important and how to accurately collect

and report this type of data.

Guiding Principles

1 4SHB 1541 Section 502

http://www.k12.wa.us/Workgroups/RET.aspx

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The RESD Task Force is committed to creating guidance that: (1) promotes racial equity;

(2) creates systemic change; (3) advocates for racial and ethnic underserved populations;

and (4) better serves all communities in Washington.

Racial Equity: The Task Force is working toward the creation of an equity-driven

statewide system that uses disaggregated data in ways that will help school communities

better serve and support their students and families.

Systemic Change: The Task Force addresses unjust structures and resolves racial

disparities within our educational structure by proposing an effective accountability

system for how we collect and report race and ethnicity data.

Advocacy: The Task Force is committed to creating a school system that utilizes data on

race and ethnicity to advocate for underserved populations

Serve Communities: The Task Force strives to create a system where data on race and

ethnicity is transparent, culturally competent, and utilized to serve all students, parents,

and communities.

Community Outreach and Stakeholder Engagement

The RESD Task Force sent out a survey to every public school and school district in

Washington. Total, 224 people responded to this survey:57.7% of respondents were from

school districts, while 42.3% of respondents were from schools.

Respondents that selected ‘school district staff’ were given different questions compared to

those who identified as ‘school staff’. The school district survey asked questions about how

race and ethnicity data is collected from schools whereas the school survey asked how this

data was collected from students and families.

The RESD Task Force is currently working on analyzing the results from this survey. From

this analysis, the Task Force hopes to identify strengths and weaknesses of the current race

and ethnicity collection process, which in turn will inform what is included in the final

guidance.

In addition to the survey, the RESD Task Force plans on hosting multiple focus groups with

students, parents, community members, and school/school district staff in order to receive

feedback on their work.

Research Since inception, the RESD Task Force has conducted research in the following areas:

Federal race and ethnicity standards set by the Office of Management and Budget

U.S. Department of Education 2007 guidance on race and ethnicity

Race and Ethnicity data collection and reporting guidelines by the OSPI.

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Other state examples of how race and ethnicity data is collected

Observer identification policies in Washington and in other states

Survey examples including the U.S. Census and the American Community Survey.

Federally Mandated Race and Ethnicity Questions

The Office of Management and Budget sets race and ethnicity data collection rules at the

federal level. Thus, when collecting information about race and ethnicity, all government

agencies must adhere to the following rules:

A. Use a two question format. The first question must ask about ethnicity whereas the second

question must ask about race.

B. Ethnicity categories must include: (1) Hispanic or Latino or Spanish Origin; and (2) Not Hispanic

or Latino or Spanish Origin.

C. Race categories must include: (1) American Indian or Alaska Native; (2) Asian; (3) Native

Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; (4) Black or African American; (5) White.

Note: These represent the minimum number of categories. Government agencies can

disaggregate any or all of the categories further.

Student Race and Ethnicity in Education

Purpose The OSPI as well as the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) use student information, such

as race and ethnicity data, to identify which students, schools, and school districts need

better resources, policies, and programs. This data is also used to identify and address

opportunity gaps and disproportionalities in education between groups of students (e.g.

race/ethnicity, income level, special education).

Accurate student information leads to more equitable educational policies and better

resource allocations.

Process As a government agencies, the USDE must adhere to regulations set by the Office of

Management and Budget (see Federally Mandated Race and Ethnicity Questions). Thus,

schools, school districts, and state-level education agencies must also adhere to these

regulations when collecting and reporting student race and ethnicity data.

In Washington, schools collect student race and ethnicity data and report it to school

districts. From there, school districts report to the OSPI. Lastly, the OSPI reports all student

race and ethnicity data for Washington to the USDE.

Observer Identification When school districts report student race and ethnicity data to the OSPI and when the OSPI

reports this data to the USDE, all students must be assigned a race and ethnicity. Unkown

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or missing are unacceptable answers. This means schools must collect the race and

ethnicity of every student. If a student (or parent on behalf of the student) does not

complete the two-part question on race and ethnicity, school personell must use ‘observer

identification’ to select the race and ethnicity of the student.

School districts are responsible for creating local policies on observer identification, while

states are responsible for publishing guidance to school districts to inform these policies. In

Washington, state level guidance to school districts on observer identification is limited.

The only state resource available to school districts is a power point created in 2010

entitled, ‘Guidelines for Observer-Identification of Ethnicity and Race’.

The RESD Task Force is concerned with the limited amount of guidance surrounding

observer identification in Washington, thus a section of the final guidance will be devoted

to observer identification policies and best practices.

Conclusion and Next Steps The RESD Task Force will publish their work in July of 2017. The following meetings will

be used to revise the draft list of race and ethnicity categories and finalize the statewide

race and ethnicity guidance. Additionally, in order to get feedback from the community on

their work, the Task Force will host numerous focus groups with community members.

This information will be used to revise their work before it is submitted to the legislature.

http://www-test.ospi.k12.wa.us/CEDARS/Training.aspx

AUG

#1

SEP

#2

OCT

#3

NOV

#4

DEC

#5

JAN

#6

FEB

#7

MAR

#8

APR

#9

MAY

#10

JUN

#11

SEPTEMBER 7 OCTOBER 5

OTHER states- analysis

District examples- currently doing (scan- to inform survey about practices)

OSPI-CEDARS- existing guidance and training

CENSUS and American Community Survey HOMEWORK: = links to reports SEND MAILING LIST-

Education Research and Data Center (data sets)

Ethnic /org report out

Trends- demographic, student outcome, disproportionality

(backwards and forward- gaps by how the race/ethnicity data is collected)

School districts/schools- 1st draft of the survey – data collection

Why? Faclitated discussion- the gaps, the uses, the needs, benefit to communities

ESSA report- report card, family, accountability workgroups-

Work session letter to ESSA consolidated plan team

NOVEMBER 2 DECEMBER 7

2nd draft-School district data survey draft (staff develop- review)

1st draft- of the subethnic

1st draft- stakeholder engagement plan (families, broader racial and ethnic community)

Panel of researchers to respond

Progress report- summary

JANUARY 4 FEBRUARY 1

Finalize the draft categories

Guidance- for the school districts

Draft progress report- status

Focus group questions

Staff send survey 12/14

Taskfroce return survey 1/2

Panel- from communities of color, programs at state, school districts, families

Commissions- report out

MARCH 1 APRIL 5

MAY 3 JUNE 7

Race and ethnicity task force and Ethnicity Student Data Task Force 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. January...

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