Glendale Elementary School District — Policy Analysis 2026
Grand Total
42 / 106
39.6%
Base Score
35 / 96
Extra Credit
7 / 10
Score by Section
| Section | Score | Max | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culturally Responsive Training | 1 | 8 | Notes |
| Clear & Consistent Policies | 4 | 8 | Notes |
| Restorative Justice Practices | 1 | 8 | Notes |
| Bias Awareness & Mitigation | 2 | 8 | Notes |
| Culturally Relevant Curriculum | 2 | 8 | Notes |
| Community Engagement & Collaboration | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion | 1 | 8 | Notes |
| Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Practices | 7 | 8 | Notes |
| Data Collection & Analysis | 3 | 8 | Notes |
| Student Voice & Leadership | 0 | 8 | Notes |
| Equitable Access to Support Services | 7 | 8 | Notes |
| Continuous Evaluation & Improvement | 2 | 8 | Notes |
| Extra Credit | 7 | 10 | Notes |
Suggestions to Improve the Score
Every item below its maximum, worst gap first, with the reviewer's own notes as the rationale.
Show suggestions (40)
- 1.1 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Mandatory cultural competency training for all staff — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation found of a mandatory, district-wide cultural competency training program for all staff. The Employee Handbook and strategic plan reference general 'job-embedded and differentiated professional development' but do not specifically describe mandatory cultural competency training (https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1758212768/gesd40org/x4fofizbwl8qw73p…
- 1.3 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Culturally relevant PD resources in staff learning — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of professional-development resources specifically framed around cultural relevance for staff; general PD commitments exist but are not culturally specific.
- 1.4 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Regular feedback/measurement on training effectiveness — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation found of a feedback or measurement process evaluating training effectiveness for cultural competency or equity-related PD.
- 2.3 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Staff training on consistent application — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found describing staff training specifically aimed at ensuring consistent application of the conduct code across campuses.
- 3.1 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Restorative circles/conferences to repair harm — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of GESD-specific restorative circles or conferencing programs; only generic restorative-justice background information was located in searches, none tied to this district.
- 3.2 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Staff training in restorative practices — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation found of staff training in restorative practices at GESD.
- 3.4 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Peer mediation program — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of a peer mediation program at GESD.
- 4.1 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Implicit bias training for staff — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation found of implicit bias training specifically for GESD staff.
- 4.3 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Cultural competence checks in hiring — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of cultural-competence checks incorporated into GESD hiring practices.
- 5.2 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Teacher PD on integrating diverse perspectives — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of professional development specifically training teachers to integrate diverse cultural perspectives into curriculum.
- 5.3 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Community collaboration for supplemental resources — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of community organizations specifically supplying supplemental culturally relevant curriculum resources; community partnerships found are focused on family/social services rather than curriculum content.
- 6.3 [Community Engagement & Collaboration]: Advisory committees with community representation — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of a formal advisory committee structure with dedicated community representation (distinct from the elected Governing Board).
- 7.1 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Ongoing anti-bias/equity training — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of an ongoing, structured anti-bias/equity training series for staff.
- 7.2 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Workshops on culturally responsive teaching — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of workshops specifically on culturally responsive teaching.
- 7.4 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Participation in equity-focused conferences — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of staff participation in equity-focused external conferences.
- 9.2 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Regular audits of discipline practices — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of a formal, recurring internal audit process of discipline practices beyond state-mandated annual data reporting.
- 10.1 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student advisory councils/leadership groups — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of student advisory councils or formal student leadership groups at the district level.
- 10.2 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student feedback informs policy/procedures — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found that student feedback formally informs district policy or procedures.
- 10.3 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Students facilitate restorative processes — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of students facilitating restorative processes.
- 10.4 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student-led peer education — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of student-led peer education programs.
- 12.1 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: Standing committee/task force for discipline equity — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of a standing committee or task force specifically dedicated to discipline equity.
- 12.2 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: Surveys/focus groups (students, families, staff) — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of GESD-administered surveys or focus groups covering students, families, and staff on school climate or discipline equity.
- 12.3 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: Benchmarking vs. state/national comparators — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence found of the district benchmarking its discipline or equity outcomes against state or national comparators.
- EC5 [Extra Credit]: Describe additional policy… — Currently: Not rated (0/2 pts). No rationale recorded.
- 1.2 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Mentorship programs for culturally diverse staff — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). GESD has a district-wide, structured mentorship system for new teachers—"On-Site Support Through Site Achievement Advisors, District Achievement Advisors, and Site Induction Coaches" (https://www.gesd40.org/careers/recruiting/new-teacher-induction)—but there is no evidence this mentorship is specifically designed for culturally diverse staff.
- 2.2 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Regular policy reviews/updates — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Handbooks are reissued annually (e.g., Employee Handbook revised 09/17/25) and the Governing Board maintains an online Policy Manual (https://portals.gesd40.org/domain/102), suggesting periodic review, though no explicit discipline-policy review cycle/schedule was documented.
- 2.4 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Centralized documentation of incidents/outcomes — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Arizona state law <cite index="150-1">this story about racial bias in school discipline was produced by The Hechinger Report</cite> and requires districts including GESD to annually report discipline referral data to ADE, implying a centralized documentation system is maintained, though no district-specific incident-tracking platform was independently confirmed.
- 3.3 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Curriculum integrates conflict-resolution skills — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district's Strategic Plan commits to <cite index="19-14,19-15">enhancing awareness of and utilizing trauma-informed practices, including research-based social and emotional learning competencies, and maintaining and highlighting positive behavior intervention and support with fidelity, including bullying prevention and conflict resolution</cite>, indicating conflict-resolution skills ar…
- 4.2 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Processes to review discipline data for disparities — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). State law requires annual discipline-data reporting to ADE, and districts are subject to federal Civil Rights Data Collection which historically has flagged discipline disparities for this district (older ProPublica Miseducation analysis showed <cite index="156-13">Black students are 1.7 times as likely to be suspended as White students</cite> in this district), suggesting data exists to s…
- 4.4 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Diverse perspectives & materials in curriculum — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The Educational Services department states curriculum work is done <cite index="199-1">in collaboration with diverse stakeholders</cite>, and the district's Dual Language Immersion Program is designed around <cite index="132-1,132-2">biliteracy, bilingualism, and biculturalism... honoring diverse heritages and cultures</cite>, but this is not confirmed as comprehensive, district-wide curriculum…
- 5.1 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Curriculum materials reflect student backgrounds — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The <cite index="132-1,132-2">GESD Dual Language Immersion Program (DLIP) focuses on biliteracy, bilingualism, and biculturalism... honoring diverse heritages and cultures</cite>, but this program operates at only two of the district's schools, not district-wide.
- 5.4 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Culturally specific courses/electives — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The Spanish Dual Language Immersion offering at two schools functions as a culturally-oriented program option, though it is language-focused rather than a broader slate of culturally-specific electives, and is not available district-wide (https://portals.gesd40.org/Domain/1180).
- 6.1 [Community Engagement & Collaboration]: Regular meetings with parents & community leaders — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Governing Board meetings are open, regularly scheduled, and publicly posted <cite index="64-2">The Governing Board shall hold a regular meeting at least once each month during the regular school year</cite>, and Title I schools are federally required to hold annual family meetings, but no evidence of structured, recurring meetings specifically with community leaders was found.
- 7.3 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Equity topics in staff meetings/PD — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The Employee Handbook references a staff role covering <cite index="93-5">safety, discipline, social and emotional learning, and diversity and inclusion</cite>, and the Strategic Plan lists equity and diversity as core values, suggesting these topics surface in district conversations, though a specific recurring PD/staff-meeting agenda item was not confirmed.
- 8.2 [Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Practices]: Safe, supportive spaces (mindfulness/sensory) — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The System of Care Center is described as <cite index="188-2,188-3">your neighborhood hub for whole-family support—where students, families, staff, and community members are welcomed into a space that feels safe, supportive, and empowering</cite>, and daily SEL instruction is implemented, but no specific evidence of sensory rooms or dedicated mindfulness spaces at individual school…
- 9.1 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Disaggregated discipline data system — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). State law mandates that districts <cite index="150-1">GLENDALE, […]</cite> report disaggregated discipline referral data annually to ADE, implying GESD maintains such a system to comply, though a district-specific dashboard or tool was not independently verified.
- 9.3 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Data-informed interventions/adjustments — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district describes a <cite index="201-2">Data-Informed Support Systems... We utilize ongoing assessments and data analysis to identify strengths, pinpoint gaps, and deploy timely interventions that support academic progress</cite> approach, and the Strategic Plan calls to <cite index="19-9">use a balanced assessment plan to monitor and adjust systems of support</cite>, though this is primarily fram…
- 9.4 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Transparent reporting to stakeholders — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). State law requires public annual reporting of discipline data to ADE, and Governing Board meeting agendas/minutes are posted publicly, but a district-produced, stakeholder-facing discipline report was not independently found.
- 11.2 [Equitable Access to Support Services]: Targeted academic support (e.g., tutoring) — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district employs a <cite index="32-3">Coach for Multi-tiered System of Support and School Culture</cite>, indicating a tiered academic-support framework exists, but no specific structured tutoring program open to all students was documented.
- EC4 [Extra Credit]: Dual Language Immersion Program (Spanish) at two schools promoting biliteracy, bilingualism, and biculturalism as an asset-based approach to language diversity. — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Program explicitly designed around <cite index="132-1,132-2">biliteracy, bilingualism, and biculturalism... honoring diverse heritages and cultures</cite>, though limited to two campuses.
Source Documents Used
Show source documents (6)
| Document | Date | Local Copy | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona SB1459 (56th Legislature) – Summary: Requires school districts to annually report student discipline referral data to ADE | 2024-03-08 | Open file | https://www.azleg.gov/legtext/56leg/2R/summary/H.SB1459_030624_ED.DOCX.htm |
| Arizona Department of Education – Discipline Incident Data Reporting for IDEA Compliance: Reporting Guidance | 2026 | Open source | https://www.azed.gov/sites/default/files/2025/06/Discipline%20Data%20Guidance.pdf |
| Arizona Department of Education – SPED Data Update: Update on Discipline Data Reporting for Students with Disabilities | 2026 | Open source | https://www.azed.gov/specialeducation/sped-data-update-update-discipline-data-reporting-students-disabilities |
| Arizona Revised Statutes § 15-843 – Pupil disciplinary proceedings (grounds, due process, and required district discipline procedures) | 2026-09-09 | Open file | https://www.azleg.gov/ars/15/00843.htm |
| GESD40 Behavioral Health & School Safety Department (partnerships, SEL specialists, counseling, System of Care Center) | 2026 | Open file | https://www.gesd40.org/departments/behavioral-health-school-safety |
| Glendale Elementary School District Scoring Sheet | 2026 | Open file | file:///C:/_CSSD/CSSDWebsite/cssdisc.org_htdocs/DistrictPolicies/Glendale_Elementary_School_District/2026/Glendale_Elementary_School_District_Scoring_Sheet.xlsx |