What We Do
The New England Equity Assistance Center (NEEAC) provides technical assistance and professional development services that focus on educational issues related to race, gender, and national origin. Our work with public schools and school districts, including charter schools and magnet schools, aims to help all students meet high standards, to close persistent achievement gaps, and to support the implementation of equitable, culturally responsive practice.
Key areas of our work include:
Teacher Effectiveness
In keeping with President Obama’s goal to prepare outstanding educators, we work with teachers to build knowledge and skills so that they can deliver equitable, culturally responsive instruction that enables all students, including English language learners (ELLs), to reach high standards. We train teachers to implement research-based instructional practices to raise the achievement of ELLs, as well as other learners. We work with schools to ensure that all students are held to high standards and have access to challenging academic programs that prepare them for college and the workplace. We help schools plan activities to engage parents in partnerships to promote student academic success.
Examples of our work:
- Cultural Competence Awareness Training
- Differentiating Instruction for English Language Learners
- ELL Parents’ Voice: Affirming Equity in Education
- Massachusetts Category Trainings: Building Knowledge and Skills for Content Area Teachers of English Language Learners
- Minority Male Achievement
- Using Data to Look at Equity Issues
Disproportionate Representation
We provide districts and schools with technical assistance to identify and address over- and under-representation of subgroups in gifted programs, special education programs, high- and low-level courses, extracurricular activities, disciplinary actions, and dropout statistics. We build teacher knowledge of ways to distinguish between language development and learning ability. We help school staff learn how to develop culturally responsive relationships with parents, as well as how to use data to identify, place, instruct, and support students effectively.
Examples of our work:
School Climate
When students experience a safe, supportive school climate, they are more able to achieve academically and to grow into responsible, caring citizens. We assist districts in adopting and implementing comprehensive safe school policies and protocols that support respectful behavior not only among students, but also among all members of the school community. Specifically, we provide technical assistance and professional development to all adults, including parents, in the school community to help them reduce bullying and harassment in their schools. We also assist educators to communicate more effectively with parents, especially with culturally and linguistically diverse parents
Examples of our work:
- Becoming a Culturally Competent Educator
- Bullying and Harassment
- Placing English Language Learners
- Title IX
