Minority Student Achievement committee urges standardized SEL curriculum, more leadership access and staff‑retention analysis

The Minority Student Achievement Oversight Committee (MSAOC) told the school board at the advisory summit that disparities in social‑emotional learning indicators and uneven access to student leadership are contributing to lower belonging and participation among Black and multilingual students. The committee recommended a standardized K–6 SEL curriculum, expanded secondary leadership programs with a common curriculum and a new, systemwide data tool to measure leadership access and equity.

MSAOC co‑chair George Becerra said the committee reviewed SEL screener data showing gaps in “sense of belonging, self‑management and relationship skills” for multilingual learners and Black students and recommended the chief academic office implement a consistent K–6 SEL framework. The committee also recommended the chief of schools work with the chief academic officer to expand secondary leadership opportunities and to develop measures that capture who has access to leadership roles across schools.

Why it matters: MSAOC framed the changes as a way to build student voice and long‑term academic and career readiness. The committee said inconsistent leadership opportunities, uneven access to interpretation and scheduling barriers reduce participation for marginalized students and reinforced the case for standardized curriculum and a baseline data collection tool.

Key recommendations

- Implement a standardized K–6 SEL curriculum to address elementary gaps indicated in SEL screener data.

- Expand secondary leadership opportunities and create a consistent curriculum and pathways (the committee cited Lewis Leadership Program as a model to replicate where possible).

- Develop a systemwide data collection tool to establish a baseline on leadership access and equity across all schools, disaggregated by subgroup.

- Ask Human Resources to disaggregate separation/turnover data by job category (teacher, counselor, assistant principal, custodian, etc.) and by subgroup to identify retention concerns among Black and Hispanic staff; MSAOC recommended HR collect and report separations by role and subgroup.

Board and staff interaction

Committee members described focus‑group work and student surveys (including the 2024 Fairfax Youth Survey) as evidence that declining leadership access reduces interest in school engagement for marginalized students. MSAOC members and several board members emphasized that leadership development should be visible and intentional, and that middle school is a key moment to introduce leadership skills. Board members pushed for practical next steps—an inventory of what leadership opportunities exist at each school and immediate changes the district can take ahead of the next school year (for example, clearer communication to counselors and teachers about leadership openings and removal of procedural barriers such as requiring SGA class enrollment as a prerequisite to run for SGA).

Staff follow‑up and process

MSAOC requested that the Chief Academic Office, Chief of Schools and Human Resources collaborate on the SEL and leadership recommendations and that HR produce disaggregated separation reports that show the role and subgroup for departed employees. The school board indicated support for data disaggregation and requested staff feasibility feedback on implementation timelines.

Ending: MSAOC members said the changes are necessary to make leadership opportunities accessible to students who currently do not see themselves represented in positions of school leadership; the committee asked for staff timelines and the Board’s support for the recommended data collection and curriculum work.