Norwalk committee hears equity update as absenteeism and suspensions fall, graduation rates rise for Black and Hispanic students

Norwalk Public Schools staff presented a progress update on equity work to the Board of Education Ad Hoc Inclusion and Educational Justice Committee on Feb. 4, outlining declines in chronic absenteeism and discipline alongside rising graduation rates for historically underserved students.

Deputy Superintendent Sandra Fayowitz told committee members the district had reduced chronic absenteeism about 33% from its pandemic peak and continues to see disproportionate representation of Black and Hispanic students among chronically absent students. "If you are absent more than 10% of the total days…then you're chronically absent," Fayowitz said, describing the metric the district tracks.

Fayowitz said the district also has made large reductions in suspensions. She said the district was flagged by the state for over-suspending Black boys in 2016–17, and the rate of out-of-school suspensions has fallen substantially since then; "we have come down since then 57%," she said. Staff attributed the decline to both technical and adaptive changes, including a new central-office requirement that schools request approval for out-of-school suspensions and stronger incident-reporting and parent-notification procedures.

Executive Director of Leadership Development Mary Ann Shepherd presented trends in graduation rates and student supports. She said the district's four-year graduation rate for Black students rose 5% from 2023 to 2024 and 18% from a low point in 2020; Hispanic students rose 1% from 2023 to 2024 and 9% since 2020. Multilingual learner graduation rates showed a strong recovery, with a 12% gain from 2023 to 2024 and an overall 28% increase since 2020.

Shepherd framed the work around a theory of action emphasizing belonging: set explicit equity goals in school improvement plans, provide targeted professional learning (culturally responsive teaching, implicit-bias training, relationship-centered and restorative practices), and shape school environments with inclusive curricula and student voice. "Belonging is not just something that's nice…it's absolutely a prerequisite for learning," she said.

Staff described how the district uses Panorama social-emotional-learning (SEL) survey data and local focus groups to disaggregate outcomes by grade band and student group, and to combine quantitative trends with qualitative feedback from students. Shepherd said elementary students typically report higher favorable SEL responses than secondary students and noted drops in some emotional-regulation items in grades 6–12.

Every school in the district now has an equity lead responsible for an equity goal in that school's improvement plan, staff said. The district holds quarterly equity-lead meetings, provides coaching and progress monitoring, and has partnered with external providers for professional development. Shepherd highlighted ongoing partnerships with Paul Forbes (Leading with Hearts and Minds) and with Dr. Eddie Fergus, who conducted a foundational equity audit and is reengaging to evaluate progress.

Staff also described targeted programs aimed at increasing belonging and mentorship. The My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper affinity and mentoring programs enroll roughly 100–110 students each across grades 6–12 and are supported by about 20 mentors; staff said the programs aim to translate affinity-group gains into broader school engagement. The district is also piloting "Grading for Equity" cohorts after professional development by author Joel Feldman.

In question-and-answer exchanges, a participant asked what concrete changes led to the discipline declines. Fayowitz and Shepherd cited a combination of steps: centralized approval and documentation for out-of-school suspensions, improved incident reporting in PowerSchool, analyzing adults-versus-student causes of incidents, SEL and de-escalation training for staff, and reframing disciplinary measures as behavior interventions.

The committee did not take formal policy actions during the meeting; it approved the May 7 minutes at the start of the session, and the meeting was adjourned by a motion from Garrett Oliver and a second by Mr. White at 7:11 p.m.

The presentation materials linked in the committee packet include the district equity statement, the 2020 equity audit referenced by staff and a Panorama survey link; staff said a midyear Panorama administration is scheduled for March and that Rutgers will share audit data later in the year.