Rooted in Equity
Opportunity in Montgomery County should not depend on
what you look like or where you grow up.
Focusing efforts on areas of greatest disparity benefits the entire region; targeted investments and interventions will have positive effects, including a strengthened economy and greater community cohesion, to help reach the goals of the wider region.
Learn to Earn Dayton convenes educators, students, and community members to identify and eliminate practices that perpetuate inequities, particularly for students of color and students experiencing poverty.
Supporting BIPOC Educators (Black, Indigenous & People of Color)
Multiple studies have demonstrated the positive influence for all learners when they experience teacher diversity, but it is especially meaningful for BIPOC students. The impact of at least one BIPOC elementary school teacher on BIPOC students positively impacts high school graduation rates and college enrollment.
Learn to Earn Dayton is a partner in I Educate Montgomery County—a diverse cross-section of educational collaborators, representing the full cradle-to-career continuum, addressing this issue from many angles. The overall goal is diversifying the educator workforce, with a focus on Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and LGBTQ+ professionals. Partners collaborate on a variety of strategies:
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increasing youth interest at the middle school grades to develop the pipeline into the field,
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offering dual college credit programs for high school students interested in studying education,
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facilitating a smooth transition to the “right fit” in college,
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keeping students engaged while in college through advisory councils, mentorship, and scholarships,
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providing pathways for non-licensed professionals to consider and achieve licensure, and
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emphasizing external recruitment to encourage diverse educators across the country to choose Montgomery County.
The Face
of Education
1 in 3 public schools had a 100% all white teaching staff
Black teachers make up only 4.3% of the State’s educators
source: Ohio Department of Education
The Diversity Recruitment Educators Association for Miami Valley (DREAM) helps to foster culturally competent classrooms and empowers teachers to leverage tools that keep students engaged.
Learn to Earn Dayton has led or supported projects with a focus on community equity and outcome disparities, including:
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Undesign the Redline
Learn to Earn Dayton, with dozens of community partners, launched Undesign the Redline to visualize data and facilitate critical conversations about systemic racism. Thousands of participants explored historical maps and considered the impact that yesterday’s policies have on today’s realities. This exhibit helped to kick-off a place-based approach to educational solutions; in order to know where we’re going, we have to understand where we’ve been.
After extensive research and design work throughout 2020-2021, the interactive exhibit began traveling in August 2021 to area school districts, out-of-school partners, and local universities – helping to provide a common language and a deeper understanding of the challenges we face throughout the region.
Equity Fellows
In partnership with the Montgomery County Educational Service Center, Learn to Earn has created an Equity Fellows Program for school administrators and teachers who are committed to embedding culturally responsive practices in their schools. This effort has involved dozens of individuals who are taking the lead in their buildings to promote culturally responsive teaching and policies.
