The Equity Alliance at ASU: The Region IX Equity Assistance Center

We propose the creation of the Equity Alliance at ASU, the Region IX Equity Assistance Center to provide technical assistance (TA) and training, at the request of school boards and other responsible governmental agencies for the preparation, adoption, and implementation of plans for the desegregation of public schools in Arizona, California, and Nevada. As defined by program guidelines, desegregation refers to equity - including desegregation based on race, sex, and national origin and the development of effective methods of coping with special educational problems occasioned by desegregation. The mission of the Equity Alliance at ASU is to improve equity, access, and participation in high quality, scientifically-based education by expanding the capacity of States and local school systems to provide high-quality, effective opportunities to learn for all students, regardless of race, gender, or national origin, and to reduce disparities among and between groups in academic achievement. We will assist state-wide, regional, and local systems in Arizona, California and Nevada to provide effective learning environment for ALL students and specifically to those students for whom disparities in achievement persist. The Equity Alliance at ASU is designed to provide TA in all three of the desegregation assistance areas - race, sex, and national origin desegregation.