Key findings presented in this section emerged from our analysis of individual and focus group interviews. Findings are presented thematically in two sections we label as highlights and challenges. The highlights section will present findings demonstrating satisfaction with the EFA initiative. The challenges section will present findings demonstrating dissatisfaction with EFA implementation and BPS structures impacting EFA.

Highlights of EFA

There were at least five highlights: (1) EFA provides opportunities to level the playing field, (2) EFA is designed to challenge ideas about who is “smart” and who is not, (3) EFA can integrate well into school culture, (4) students enjoy EFA, and (5) EFA is designed to provide coaching and support.

EFA Provides Opportunities to Level the Playing Field

EFA was designed to support the academic, social, and emotional development of historically marginalized BPS students. Through this initiative, BPS strived to remove some of the barriers that hinder their academic success. In doing so, EFA provides opportunities to level the playing field. When surveyed, more than 50% of EFA teachers believed that the initiative was accomplishing its original purpose. Specifically, when speaking of the impact of EFA for historically marginalized students, one principal confirmed, for example, “I believe that equity is critical. I believe it is important for all of our students to have the same educational opportunity.”

Prior to EFA, there was “opportunity for some,” in which Black, Latinx, emergent bilinguals, and SWDs were often excluded. School leaders, teachers, coaches, and families all asserted EFA was an initiative to re-distribute resources. One coach described this as:

"I think the purpose was to address this very obvious issue of white kids getting the best of everything...even while they were in communities where they were clearly the minority. Nobody else was getting anything."

Not only was this coach speaking to the antiquated AWC model that existed in many BPS middle schools, tracking students for years based on their performance on a test in the 3rd grade, she was also highlighting the vast enrichment opportunities, programs, resources, and accommodations often provided to families who “can navigate the system.” EFA, however, was an attempt to remove these barriers.

As reported by an EFA principal, EFA schools had less stigma surrounding who deserves to be in “advanced” level class compared to schools offering AWC. The quality of resources the school received improved where, as one principal described, “every school [has] those same types of opportunities... high-quality instruction that’s geared to college prep and getting our kids ready in terms of being 21st Century learners.” No longer was there a belief that one class or group of students was getting all the resources and support. Another principal shared a similar perspective.

"EFA gave the resources of an advanced work program to kids here in our school. But all kids here in our school, not just our highest performing kids, and it doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to me to spend more money on your highest performing kids than on kids who might be struggling or even an average student. So we immediately thought, this is a good program that will match our values as well."

Most principals interviewed could see the difference that EFA was making both in their schools as well as for their students. As such, they described EFA as, “raising standards for the entire class. It is differentiated learning. It is equity-focused.” As supported by study participants, this program reduced opportunity gaps and expanded opportunities for more children. Some school leaders have even reported observing since becoming an EFA school, “a boost in our scores...we had more students of color accepted into exam schools this year.”

School leaders have reported that EFA resources have had major impacts on student achievement. In addition to increased access to exam schools, principals also reported improvement in student performance on MCAS testing. EFA schools with SFL writing support have also reported substantial improvements in student writing and critical thinking.

Secondary data analysis supports the assertion that MCAS scores in ELA improved from 2017-2019 in EFA schools. Table 1 shows ELA achievement categories. ELA scores range from 440 – 560. Overall, ELA scores among Black and Latinx 4th and 5th grade students in EFA schools increased from 2017-2019, from 480.9 to 488.2, although average scores remained in the “partially meeting expectations” category. ELA scores improved for Black and Latinx 4th and 5th grade students in all schools, with the exception of one school with already relatively the greatest average improvement was among 5th grade Latinx students (+9.3), followed by 4th grade Latinx students (+8.9), followed by 4th grade Black students (+7.7), and finally 5th grade Black students (+4.7). Notably, there was improvement among each of these groups.

Teaching staff also supported claims of student improvements through EFA implementation. For example, teacher survey respondents reported slight or substantial improvement in student writing (56%), higher-order thinking skills/ ability to think (59%), students’ ability to work in groups/ collaborate (65%), student’s ability to conduct extensive research (64%), and student’s ability to persevere through multi-step complex assignments, such as capstone and performance assessments (64%).

Additionally, the increase in academic rigor has reportedly improved student retention. One EFA school reported their success in retaining almost every single student. Parents, who might have removed their children due to a lack of academic opportunities, have chosen to keep their children in EFA schools because they are attracted to the enrichment offerings. In addition, some parents are happy to keep their children within a school community where they are comfortable. By leveling the playing field, the identity of EFA schools have reportedly changed. [1] [2]

Some families remarked that EFA schools were a positive place to learn and they were confident that their children were being challenged. Specifically, one school’s atmosphere was reported as “bright and welcoming, with student work, the school’s core values, and notices of events proudly displayed on the walls.” Both parents and teachers have begun to take pride in the EFA community. EFA not only has given students new opportunities, but has provided quality opportunities.

EFA Challenges Ideas About Who is “Smart” and Who is not

For many Black, Latinx, emergent bilinguals, and SWDs, EFA has been an opportunity to be challenged academically, socially, and emotionally in ways they never were before. When surveyed, over two-thirds of teachers reported that EFA had a positive impact (slightly, moderately, substantially, or extremely) on their understanding of rigor; 63% reported a positive impact on their willingness to push all students; 63% reported a positive impact on their ability to push all students; and 68% reported a positive impact in their perception of
students’ academic abilities.

In schools with clear racial divides, students of color were often left to feel subordinate to other students. Principals, teachers, and coaches all described the process in which students were formally tracked, leaving many students to question why their schooling experience was different than their peers. School leaders and teachers described the process of “taking a simple test” that determined students’ educational future. One principal of a school formerly offering ACW classes described:

"I had advanced work class here, so some of the issues that would come up would be in third grade we took a test on one day and it decided your fate and tracked you. The vast majority of students who were accepted into the program were white and middle class, so when you would walk through my fourth grade, and fifth grade, and sixth grade classrooms you would see a mostly white homeroom and then you’d go into every other homeroom and it was students of color. Just the impact that sends to people, it sends messages that we’re saying that white people are smarter and white people should have access to this information."

This process created differential access to materials, resources, and opportunities for students to be challenged and pushed academically. Another principal confirmed:

"When you looked at the content and curriculum that was being presented in the rooms, it was totally different. The advanced work classes had books, like novels they were reading, and the general education classes had more of these anthologies where you were reading a portion of the book. So, we were basically then further setting students up for failure ‘cause we weren’t even exposing them to the same topics and ideas."

EFA, however, has removed these barriers to learning. One coach described how EFA has shifted mindsets:

"It’s changing people. Like, I talk[ed] to the principal yesterday...Her school has changed as a school in three years. We meet students who have changed when they take coding or more foreign language. We’ve met teachers who have changed when they’ve read a text or taken a PD or...We’ve seen change in writing. We see change in reading, we see change in speaking...actually change."

Other school leaders confirmed these shifts in student thinking. They asserted, “there is no separation, whether it’s by race or ability.” Some coaches believed this, “makes a huge difference. That to me is a huge, huge benefit.”

Formally, in schools where AWC was offered, some students would generate negative feelings about themselves. This model “caused a lot of divides, mostly around racial lines,” where students and their families felt some “entitlements” around getting into advanced coursework. One case study school reportedly lost one third of their student population a year to schools offering AWC, leaving the remaining students with the dangerous misconception that they were less intelligent than their peers. The effect on students and on school culture was – in the words of school leaders, teachers, and families – “damaging.”

Other schools reported similar occurrences. One principal shared:

"Lots of families would be upset and would leave the school. So, if their child was not accepted into advanced work class, if they had the means to do so they would leave the school. They were choosing not to stay and be a part of the community because they were upset that their children weren’t being segregated. And it’s interesting, because up through third grade they’re all mixed together, and everyone’s happy and everyone loves it... then this test would happen and we’d see a lot of self-esteem issues for kids who thought that they weren’t smart. We actually saw a lot of racial tensions arise between students."

Now, with EFA, school leaders affirmed “kids [don’t] tell me they think they’re dumb anymore because they didn’t get into advanced work class.” Students have been thinking more positively about themselves, their academic abilities, and their future academic successes.

EFA Integrates Well into School Culture

Many principals of EFA schools advocated to bring the initiative to their building. These schools not only wanted a shift in the district culture but to also see all students in their schools achieve success. Many of these principals affirmed, “EFA seamlessly aligned to our instructional focus,” because they were already attempting to do this work.

One principal described, “we were all in on the EFA from the start. As soon as we heard about it, we wanted to do it. Our staff was on board.” Within their schools, principals asserted they were attempting to push policies and practices that encourage learning for historically marginalized student groups. However, through the support of the EFA program, they were able to bring these policies and practices to fruition. School leaders described, through becoming an EFA school:

"We learned more about some of the best practices we were trying to take on that were connected to advanced work classes...some of those things we were already doing like curriculum wise. We already felt like we were using the best curriculum for our students that was meeting their needs. What we really got from EFA on top of like some of the academic things, the addition of foreign language, additional science support, [and] STEM support with a coding and robotics teacher."

Other school leaders agreed that becoming an EFA school allowed them to push their curriculum further, therefore increasing student learning and engagement.

"In full transparency, I don’t think that we would have been able to do the level of work that we’re doing without the resources that EFA has provided for us. They have paid for a whole platform for us to engage in this literacy work where we’re able to use [for the] entire building, not just our sixth grade... we’re using Star reading, another assessment, to do some of the progress monitoring. They’re providing us with professional development where teachers are able to do some research-based investigation to really understand adolescent literacy. So, those are clear opportunities that the entire building is benefiting from."

As a result of these supports, this principal detailed because of their increased instructional focus they are, “making sure that all students are gaining at least a grade and a half by the end of the school year, just because [sic] 93% of our students are not on grade level of proficiency in literacy and reading.” Other principals agreed that EFA was responsible for providing resources to push student learning. One principal noted that EFA enabled the teachers to move quickly through curriculum by not wasting time as they were able to “improve instruction at a rate that would be different without it.”

Teachers surveyed on their instructional practice through the EFA initiative supported these claims. The majority of these teachers believed EFA provided them with the opportunity to more efficiently address grade-level standards (slight improvement 27%; substantial improvement 27%), use student cultural background/ experiences or knowledge to teach content (slight improvement 34%; substantial improvement 26%), address instructional needs of students (slight improvement 31%; substantial improvement 24%), and teach emergent bilingual students (slight improvement 27%; substantial improvement 24%).

Many principals were not only limiting these opportunities to the 4-6th grade classrooms, but rather integrating them throughout the entire school. One principal admitted:

"I don’t just consider our school Excellence for All in those grades that it is Excellence for All. I think our K-5 is Excellence for All, it’s just the way that we teach and it’s the way that our teachers believe in our kids and the work that we put in front of them and the outreach we do and just everything."

There are nuances around EFA integration and implementation. Each of the EFA schools is guided by their own policies, practices, and cultures. Many of the schools range in size and offerings, as well as teacher supports and opportunities for engaging in materials outside of classroom instruction time. Some principals believed, therefore, that school size played a role in how well EFA aligned with their school culture. At one of the smaller case study schools, the principal believed their intimate setting made it easier to tweak activities and regroup from program shortcomings. Parents also believed that the size enabled closer relationships between students and teachers, which supported differentiation, including the ability to have multiple adults in the classroom. In this school, organizational structures, such as the productive use of common planning time, collaboration, and a culture of continuous improvement were in place; in other words, the infrastructure to support the implementation of a major reform. As the principal shared, “When you can breathe a little bit, you can be more thoughtful.” Beyond the school walls, the trust that developed between BPS and the principal also made the principal feel that she could ask for help when she was struggling. In reference to stark opportunity gaps, the principal remarked:

"It’s disgusting. It’s awful. You can’t get paralyzed by it, but you also need to talk about it, with people that you feel like, believe that you want to do the work, and also don’t know what you don’t know. I’ve totally gotten things wrong and then somebody told me and I was like, “Oh, thanks for that.”"

EFA is not just a program to promote equity; it is “a way to run your school.” EFA connects to the core values of many schools by encouraging school leaders, teachers, and families to engage in difficult but necessary conversations about race, power, and privilege.

Students Enjoy EFA

EFA has provided students with quality opportunities to learn. Principals, teachers, and parents reported positive student attitudes and morale
toward the EFA program. School leaders highlighted through participation in the EFA program, “students’ confidence, beliefs, and perseverance has changed.”

No Tracking, No Separating

Prior to EFA, some students could be in the same school and class with their friends since kindergarten and suddenly that would be changed due to the tracking model. One school leader confirmed:

Previously when kids were separated, we saw a lot of friendships end across races. Kids who’d been friends since kindergarten, they work now for the next three years, not in the same room, and it was a mostly white middle-class homeroom, and then homerooms of students with color. We saw like divides and we also, every year in sixth grade needed to have the Office of Equity come in and address the advance homeroom for derogatory statements being used.

With EFA, highlighted across schools and stakeholder groups is that students enjoyed not being separated from their friends. Principals affirmed student feelings, and asserted, “they love the friendship piece... social [and] emotionally, that was good for kids.” Parents confirmed their support of this approach and believed EFA was beneficial for their child’s social and emotional health as well.

Students were also able to support each other academically. Teachers surveys demonstrate that 39% of teachers saw slight improvements in students’ ability to work in groups/ collaborate and 26% saw substantial improvements. Teachers further described that the classroom structure was at times overwhelming, however, students were able to learn from each other. One teacher said:

"I think EFA has for me last year really opened up discussions that happened in my classroom. It wasn’t just the blind leading the blind. You could have six groups of four and there could be at least one or two leaders in each group, and the students would really model behavior."

Teachers were strategic in their instructional style having a large classroom with students on different levels. Allowing students to break into smaller pods where they assisted each other in their learning was a way to ensure that students were supported.

Higher Student Engagement

Teachers, school leaders, and families reported higher student engagement through the EFA program. One teacher said:

"Students really like writing assignments, especially narratives and the research projects; they get really into essays. They see the word essay and they still get scared, but I think the idea of having writing products that are thematically connected to our units but also have a little more student choice to them. I’m seeing a lot more engagement in that this year...writing a bunch of different genres, so I think that has increased the amount of writing students are actually doing in the class."

Across all the case study schools, school leaders and teachers reported students seemed happy with the support structure of EFA. Student satisfaction was particularly high in schools offering SFL writing. Teachers and administrators believed the students improved their writing and became more engaged in their classes and coursework.

In schools offering math support through EDvestors, students have gained more math skills and become more flexible in their thinking and quick problem-solving. Teachers described that formally, students were sometimes discouraged academically and felt overwhelmed. However, through academic, social, and emotional supports provided through EFA, students could now recognize their strengths. Students could debate and engage in appropriate conversations. Students were becoming critical thinkers, learning empathy, and learning how to support one another.

Additionally, the capstone project presented students with an opportunity to engage in project- based learning. Principals, teachers, and parents reported engagement in the capstone project improved student confidence and perseverance in reaching a goal that they have worked towards for an entire year. One principal believed students enjoyed that “it’s very collaborative...they love the autonomy and choice that they have in it.” Teachers also appreciated that it gave them a different way to assess their students’ academic progress beyond testing.

One case study school in particular had large success for the students in the capstone project.The principal described students completed their capstone project on the devastating impact on Puerto Rico of Hurricane Maria. The project afforded students public speaking opportunities, cross-curricular opportunities to connect their learning to the real world, opportunities for Spanish-speaking families to speak to students about their experiences, and for Spanish-speaking students to shine.

Academic Enrichments

The academic enrichment opportunities afforded through EFA encouraged student development. STEM offerings, especially for low-income students and students of color, presented the opportunity for students to be exposed to a field in which they were typically under-represented. Additionally, language components presented opportunities for emergent bilinguals and Spanish speaking families to feel included.

Parents, teachers, and principals all reported students’ excitement about robotics, engineering, and coding classes. One teacher stated, “I mean, the kids are really excited about [robotics]. They get to build something that they’ve never built before.” Teachers reported students would tell peers in younger grades that they could look forward to those activities when they were older - an indicator of students’ enthusiasm for these enrichments. When asked to choose one aspect of EFA that led to positive impact, the top selection was “STEM,” with 33% of teachers attributing STEM to the positive impact of EFA.

Students and their families also appreciated the world language enrichment opportunity. Teachers asserted students, “like the Spanish. I think it validates our Spanish speaking students in a way that makes them feel like they’re the leaders with some language, when that’s sometimes not what they always feel.” Reportedly, these students felt viable and included. They were able to see themselves, their culture, and their identity in the curriculum. In one school, teachers reported Spanish-speaking parents also appreciated that students were running school assemblies in Spanish.

These enrichments, however, were not offered in all EFA schools. As is addressed in the key findings on EFA challenges, not all EFA schools implemented STEM or world language classes due to budgeting, issues with instructors, or optionally selecting other EFA offerings. In order for EFA to be truly equitable, all students engaged in the program should have access to the same quality enrichments.

EFA Provides High-Quality Coaching and Support

The district employed professionals tasked with providing support for EFA schools, including reading, writing, and math curriculum. Through these resources, principals, teachers, and parents, asserted that EFA has improved academics in multiple ways. As formally highlighted, there were reported improvements in student writing, critical thinking, and deep-learning skills.

Interviewees reported positive interactions in schools that were open to working with district coaches and coordinating PD for teachers. In fact, when asked to choose one aspect of EFA that had an impact with EFA satisfaction, 22% of EFA teachers surveyed reported on the positive attribute of ELA/ social studies coaching and 24% reported on the positive attribute of capstone support or coaching. After STEM, these were the second and third top choices, demonstrating nearly 50% of teachers surveyed supported EFA coaching. Although 46% of teacher survey respondents reported that they did not receive any coaching, of the 54% who did receive coaching, 11% reported slight improvement in their classroom instruction, 17% reported moderate improvement, 10% reported substantial improvement, and 5% reported extreme improvement.

One principal outlined how coaching aided in supporting the implementation of EFA in her school:

"No one in EFA ever pressured me to do anything. It was always presented ‘what do you need? What can we do for you? What are some things that are already in place and how can we push the envelope for you? How can we provide more resources and opportunities for your students and staff to engage deeply in this work?’ Early on I found out that there was nothing that EFA wanted from us. Their sole purpose was to support our school community."

Principals and teachers affirmed that coaches operated with a bottom-up approach to strategize with school leaders and teachers on the ways in which they could work together in their schools. Principals would even ask the coaches for help with miscellaneous issues, such as how to find a qualified sub that fit in with their school culture. This coaching, described by participating schools, was “top notch.”

Teachers working with EFA coaches responded positively to the support, especially around PD offerings and instructional support. Teachers affirmed, “I feel like [the coaches] have a better understanding of who we are and our strengths and so we’re better able to work together.” EFA schools enjoyed having coaches who were not judgmental and would work with educators to teach them how to complete tasks, rather than just giving them resources.

One principal described how EFA coaches aided in promoting literacy development:

"A couple of my teachers early on were really interested in working with EFA around literacy interventions. That was something that we were embarking upon and doing a lot of learning as a school community. So, two of the EFA [coaches] immediately took to our literacy project and that work and really began to think about how we leverage their resources to move forward in our work. What supports could they provide as it relates to professional development, our instructional focus, how you’re assessing, how we’re creating a goal and assessing our progress towards that goal and then how this one year planning will impact in the next couple of years."

Other principals described how useful the SFL writing support was, and that “teachers loved it” and “felt it was a useful time.”Through open hours and direct contact, teachers developed “phenomenal, consistent, and individualized” support from EFA coaches.

Many of the EFA schools’ readiness to embrace the coaches and the program aided in these positive feelings. Study participants believed that the coaches were skilled and experienced, but most importantly, that they listened, took time to build relationships, customized supports to the unique needs of each school, and took an asset-based approach. This disposition is critical given a perceived long history of top-down and “one-size-fits-all” reform from Central Office unto schools.

Challenges

Challenges to the implementation of EFA are divided into two sections,

1. challenges specific to the EFA initiative and,
2. challenges to EFA initiative within the BPS system.  

This decision was made to specifically highlight program nuances that are a direct result of EFA operating within a larger system that poses limitations. While EFA is a district initiative, it does not have autonomy to operate independently of BPS. This lack of autonomy poses specific challenges to the implementation of EFA, as the program models enrichments, supports, and recommendations to best prepare historically marginalized students for academic and socioemotional success, but does not have the authority to enforce implementation of these recommendations.

For example, each EFA school has their own academic superintendent who controls the curriculum. These superintendents are assigned from BPS Central Office and are completely separate from EFA. While EFA offers curriculum recommendations and enrichment opportunities, they cannot force schools to make changes to their course offerings. As illustrated in the previous Highlights section, some school leaders do choose to implement recommendations from EFA coaches and staff on ways to improve their course offerings to ensure they’re culturally responsive and supportive of students’ needs, also known as high implementation schools. However, these individual decisions are made by school leaders. The following two sections are broken down as follows:

Challenges Specific to the EFA Initiative

• Communication and collaboration from central office, and
• Limited family engagement.

Challenges to EFA Initiative within the BPS System

• EFA implementation was inconsistent,
• Historically marginalized students continue to be underserved
• Support for Classroom Teachers

Challenges Specific to the EFA Initiative

While EFA has led to many positive impacts, certain challenges impeded implementation across sites.

Communication and Collaboration from Central Office

School leaders’ perspectives varied regarding capacity building and communication between their school and BPS Central Office. Some principals developed stronger relationships with EFA program directors and staff, which they believed contributed to more effective communication around school needs and understanding of Central Office expectations.

Several principals affirmed that they could be honest with the EFA Director and coaches, and that they were flexible enough to listen to the schools’ needs and customize the initiative to their unique school settings.

Other principals resounded in their support for the EFA Director, and the Central Office EFA team, but also acknowledged that there were some challenges. Principals reported that often times it felt they are “working in a silo” when Central Office and school principals should be working together. Specifically, school leaders emphasized that they had specific skill sets that could aid in making critical decisions regarding key aspects of EFA. One principal described:

"I think if there was more collaboration on the offerings and the way that they offer resources so that people on the ground ... As school leaders, there is an expertise that we have, and we most times know what we need, and we know what our colleagues could possibly need based on things that we’ve been really successful at or things where we’ve failed. I think there needs to be more synchronicity around how EFA is planning and what they are offering and how they are presenting."

These mishaps in communication contributed to some school leaders feeling “disorganized,” “frustrated,” and “underserved.” Another principal detailed these feelings:

"And I think, in my experience, it’s when there’s been an unclear expectation, or like, we signed on because we liked the philosophy of [EFA] and it aligns with what we’re doing and we want more resources and then later came ‘this test’ or ‘you need to do...’ some kind of requirements that we didn’t actually sign on to in the beginning and it’s just, some of that, we’re not going to be able to do to the latter. And I’ve expressed it like, ‘if that wasn’t something I signed up for in the beginning, then you can’t hold me accountable for it.’"

EFA school leaders believed in the mission of EFA as a means to de-track and dismantle inequity for students. However, school leaders described an evolving model and expectation for EFA schools to which some principals never agreed. In addition, school leaders also described that sometimes there was conflicting information, which again, left them frazzled by the disorganization:

"What certain structural leaders are asking us to do in different offices, often sometimes conflicts, and there’s no communication between offices. Like, what’s the priority? What are we doing? How are we supporting those schools? But I also think it could be a lot of learning happening between the EFA schools... there’s zero transparency in what the expectation is."

The success of EFA is dependent on school leaders’ effective implementation in their schools. Working together to maintain open channels of communication, so principals are able to express their individual school needs, concerns, and capabilities should be a district priority.

Limited Family Engagement

Families play a key role in the academic, social, and emotional success of their children. However, when asked to describe what EFA was, many families were unable to answer. In fact, many families were unaware that EFA was a targeted district initiative. This was particularly true for families of color and schools serving large populations of students of color.

Clarity Around EFA Offerings

Although there has been a lot of district talk about the EFA initiative, such board and community meetings, many families were still unclear about exactly what EFA was, program offerings, and how their children would benefit. School leaders, coaches, and teachers all believed more work needed to take place around engaging families. One principal said, “I think that part of [engaging families around EFA] is something that we haven’t done at all or well. I don’t think that our families even know that EFA is something different from the work that we’re already doing.”

Several families spoke about their uneasiness with EFA, specifically around their uncertainty of the academic rigor, course offerings, and student supports EFA offers. One parent confirmed, “There’s nothing around the school or anything in the literature that says, ‘We’re an EFA school and here’s what we’re doing.’” Families affirmed that this information could support student success because parents would be more informed on how to support their child’s learning. Specifically, families wished for more information about what students were learning and more ideas about how to engage their children in EFA-like activities, such as critical thinking, at home.

Some parent committees formed to support schools in advocating for a more equity-based schooling model following various reports indicating differential access and achievement gaps among historically marginalized groups. However, this was not the experience of the majority of district families. When asked to speak about this engagement, one parent reported:

"It was a small group of parents that were involved, some of them are here that were involved. I did support but there are parents that are here that were involved in that task force basically but a lot of other parents, the majority, had no idea. Some schools have parent committees that were engaged in the initial district efforts too."

Parents were not only seeking this information to better support their children. Families were also concerned with how EFA was preparing their children for future academic success. Specifically, some white middle-class families with children in EFA schools were concerned whether EFA participation would create a path to exam schools.

Through dismantling AWC in EFA schools, school leaders, teachers, and coaches reported some white families’ belief that they lost a resource to prepare their children for entrance into exam schools. Many of these families openly expressed this sense of loss, reported one
principal:

"If you get the same people, the same White parents who are preaching and mourning about AWC, and exam schools this and [that], on board and you actually invite our parents of color to understand this is an opportunity that was crafted for us but it’s an opportunity that should be for all of us. I think that would gain some momentum and really solidify EFA’s place."

These families reported changes, such as shifts in curriculum offerings (e.g. readings and classroom materials), and amounts of students’ homework when schools transitioned from AWC to EFA. Teachers highlighted that these families have more of a sense of what is lost with EFA rather than what is gained. They affirmed: “Parents don’t really understand what EFA is. I don’t think that people see it as always EFA. I think people see it as we don’t have AWC. They see it more as an absence, than as a presence. It’s about the absence of AWC, rather than the presence of EFA.”

Pushing this initiative forward will require the support of key stakeholders, including the advocacy of parents and community members. All families should be able to engage in these efforts. However, this will require commitment from the district to develop specific strategies for family engagement.