A Brief History of Equity and Race Relations Work in Seattle Public Schools

In the late 1960s, during a time of cultural revolution in Seattle as well as across the nation, the Seattle School District employees engaged in their first “racial sensitivity training”. For a number of reasons, these efforts failed. The white teachers claimed it was too confrontational and focused on making them feel guilty, while the teachers of color felt the white people in power were not willing to listen to them.

At this time there was also a concerted effort to recruit African American teachers. District employees went to historically black colleges and encouraged African American students in the field of education to work in Seattle. Unfortunately, in 1974, the school levy failed and several of these teachers were RIFed.

In 1990, the District hired three Multicultural Curriculum Specialists, Robert Lee, Renko Demster, and Marie Floyd. Every school in the district was given money to invest in multicultural materials. Many enhanced their libraries, while some bought computers to eliminate the technology gap for those without computer access at home.

Identifying the four components of schools as 1) Curriculum 2) Teacher and Staff Development 3) Environment and; 4) Community, the Multicultural Curriculum Specialists created a list of 3-5 things schools should have in place to improve their cultural competence. They provided staff development where teachers and administrators were asked to pick one or two of these things to focus on. Due to budget cuts, this department was first reduced to one person and then cut completely in 1995.In 1996, several educators attended trainings in The Efficacy Seminar. The focus of this was on using available resources to engage students in “focused, committed effort toward learning.”

Disproportionality Task Forces:
In 1986, Eliminating the Achievement Gap Action Group, a volunteer group of district employees and concerned community members met to address disproportionality in Seattle Schools. They made 27 recommendations. Ten years later, a second task force was convened in 1996 to review progress and make additional recommendations to the School Board, the Superintendent, the Principals’ Association of Seattle Schools (PASS), Seattle Education Association (SEA), and parents and community. Beginning in June of 2001, the Eliminating the Achievement Gap Action committee formed to again review progress. This group consisted of several community members and district staff serving on multiple subcommittees to address different forms of disproportionality. The Superintendent and School Board approved their recommendations on June 5th, 2002. This led to the "Courageous Conversations" throughout the district.

Courageous Conversations:
In 2002, the Seattle School District hired Glenn Singleton to begin the process of engaging staff in “Courageous Conversations” about racism. Find out more...

Department of Equity and Race Relations:
In September, 2004, responding to the recommendations of the Disproportionality Task Force, the Seattle School District created a position titled the “Director of Equity and Race Relations” (DOERR). Dr. Caprice Hollins was hired as the first DOERR and charged with the responsibility of addressing issues related to racism and equity in the Seattle Public School District.

History of Civil Rights in Seattle:
Seattle has a unique civil rights history that challenges the way we think about race, civil rights, and the Pacific Northwest. Find out more....

Gathering information on the history of equity work in Seattle Public Schools in an ongoing process. Please contact Ilsa Govan if you have additional information to share.