Ongoing Work:

The McMillan Pazdan Smith Architectural Firm has created space for vibrant discussions around K-12 Education and beyond in its IDEA XCHANGE podcast. This segment features SAM’s Executive Director, Dr. Russell Booker discussing Equity.

Dr. Kathleen Brady Racial Equity Presentation and Council vote to join Government Aliance on Race and Equity from City of Spartanburg on Vimeo.

The Racial Equity Index report, released 8/1/2018 is informing SAM’s work as equity is a factor across all learning stages.

SAM is deeply engaged …

Equity is an issue deeply embedded in SAM’s effort to improve outcomes for children. SAM is just one of many community partners working to address equity issues as highlighted in the video above. We believe in success for all children, regardless of race, income, or home zip code. The presentation above provides background for the ongoing work to reduce disparity gaps across multiple sectors in our community.

The Early Development Instrument report provided by SAM after a 2+ year long effort to see where the community must engage to help see that children are equally prepared for school before they walk through classroom doors. This tool is being used to address our core equity issues in a way that impacts the long-term positive outcomes for our students across the Cradle to Career (C2C) continuum. Equity will continue to factor into SAM’s analysis and action efforts across C2C learning stages.

The Spartanburg is the first city in SC to join the Government Alliance on Race and Equity.

“I think Spartanburg is working deeper … the work of SAM and the work on the Northside and other things we are doing locally are the top of the list for the state and it’s not at all out of step that we would be first on this.”
- Chris Story, Spartanburg City Manager

Another tool SAM has for sharing equity perspectives and Spartanburg County Achievement data is the Cradle to Career Experience, an interactive presentation shared by SAM staff to community groups of 15 or more and are free in Spartanburg County.

To date, SAM has shared the Cradle to Career Experience with high school and college student groups, at a City Council training retreat, for school district employees, faith community groups, and civic organizations.

Community members can request a group presentation or participate in a session open to individual participants.

Note: Cradle to Career Experiences have been temporarily suspended due to Covid-19. We will resume offering these in-person engagement opportunities as soon as it is deemed safe for groups of 15 or more to gather and work in close proximity. In the meantime, please feel free to note your interest by filling out an undated form: request a group presentation or participate in a session open to individual participants.

Additional resources for advancing equity training and action can be found through the Racial Equity Here organization.