In spite of decades of educational reform and federal mandates, inequities among students not only persist but are growing.

To eliminate these inequities, leaders must understand how their current piecemeal approaches are not only ineffective, but are exacerbating these inequities. Further, most equity work addresses only one aspect of inequities, such as culturally relevant pedagogy or developing culturally competent staff. Instead, leaders must learn how to transform the entire education system via Integrated Comprehensive Systems for (ICS). ICS is the only equity-focused work that takes a systems approach to eliminate inequities.

Key Features of ICS Include:

• Research based.
• Rather than piecemeal equity approaches, ICS provides a Framework and Process to shift from a deficit to proactive education system for all students.
• ICS advances the learning of literally all students in the district. Students currently succeeding not only will continue to succeed, but will make additional achievement and social gains. ICS also addresses racial inequities and the entire range of inequities across race, ethnicity, social class, ability, gender, sexual/gender identity and their intersections.
• ICS includes a built in accountability system via the Equity Audit that measures equity progress and serves as a continual improvement feedback loop to the ICS work.
• ICS embraces a local, bottom-up/team approach to equity implementation.
• ICS reallocates existing resources. No new resources are needed and all current staff are essential to advance the work.