Lansing School District — Policy Analysis 2026
Grand Total
70 / 106
66.0%
Base Score
63 / 96
Extra Credit
7 / 10
Score by Section
| Section | Score | Max | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culturally Responsive Training | 2 | 8 | Notes |
| Clear & Consistent Policies | 6 | 8 | Notes |
| Restorative Justice Practices | 4 | 8 | Notes |
| Bias Awareness & Mitigation | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Culturally Relevant Curriculum | 4 | 8 | Notes |
| Community Engagement & Collaboration | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion | 3 | 8 | Notes |
| Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Practices | 7 | 8 | Notes |
| Data Collection & Analysis | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Student Voice & Leadership | 1 | 8 | Notes |
| Equitable Access to Support Services | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Continuous Evaluation & Improvement | 7 | 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 (29)
- 1.2 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Mentorship programs for culturally diverse staff — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of a formal mentorship program specifically for culturally/racially diverse staff; existing mentorship (e.g., MSU-partnered induction) is general, not diversity-targeted.
- 1.4 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Regular feedback/measurement on training effectiveness — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence was found of a formal system for measuring or collecting feedback on the effectiveness of cultural-competency trainings.
- 3.4 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Peer mediation program — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of a formal student-run peer mediation program within Lansing School District specifically.
- 7.4 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Participation in equity-focused conferences — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence was found of district-sponsored staff participation in external equity-focused conferences.
- 10.1 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student advisory councils/leadership groups — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence was found of a standing LSD-specific student advisory council or leadership group (only a state-level MDE Student Advisory Council and other districts' councils were found).
- 10.3 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Students facilitate restorative processes — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence was found of students formally facilitating restorative justice circles/conferences in LSD.
- 10.4 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student-led peer education — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public evidence was found of a student-led peer education program in Lansing School District.
- 1.1 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Mandatory cultural competency training for all staff — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district's 2020 board resolution committed to <cite index="69-2">continued investment in a diverse workforce and professional development focused on Culturally Responsive Leadership and Instruction</cite>, and the WestEd equity team <cite index="20-5">participated in thirty five hours of professional development</cite> as part of the equity audit, but there is no evidence this trai…
- 1.3 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Culturally relevant PD resources in staff learning — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district has invested in <cite index="69-2">professional development focused on Culturally Responsive Leadership and Instruction</cite> and partnered with <cite index="97-8">Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest... to develop and implement an action plan for building a diverse teacher workforce</cite>, but a systematic PD resource library was not confirmed.
- 2.3 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Staff training on consistent application — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). A trustee publicly asked <cite index="9-6">"What training protocols exist to ensure that teachers and administrators uniformly interpret this book and apply it to behavioral expectations?"</cite>, and a board candidate noted <cite index="14-5">it does not seem that administrators and staff have fully implemented the training with consistency across the district</cite>, suggesting training exists but…
- 2.4 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Centralized documentation of incidents/outcomes — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Board members requested <cite index="9-5">clarity about how attendance codes and discipline are displayed in ParentVUE/ParentSquare</cite>, indicating a centralized tracking system exists, though public-facing transparency/completeness is unclear.
- 3.2 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Staff training in restorative practices — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district lists <cite index="199-5">Professional Development/Training (Trauma Informed/Restorative Practices, Mental Health Summer Summits)</cite> as a current practice, but a board candidate stated <cite index="14-5">the Lansing School District has trained some staff on restorative justice concepts, but it does not seem that administrators and staff have fully implemented the training with consi…
- 3.3 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Curriculum integrates conflict-resolution skills — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Social-emotional learning, which includes conflict-resolution skills, <cite index="56-6">is being taught in health classes</cite>, and the district's CRPBIS framework incorporates behavioral/relational skill-building, but a dedicated district-wide conflict-resolution curriculum was not confirmed.
- 4.1 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Implicit bias training for staff — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The equity audit found <cite index="211-9">Black male students are treated differently because of implicit bias</cite>, and a board candidate called for the district to ensure <cite index="169-9">all teachers are receiving training and support to recognize and address implicit biases</cite>, indicating awareness but no confirmed mandatory training program.
- 4.3 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Cultural competence checks in hiring — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district operates a <cite index="212-5">districtwide Equity Initiative... to increase educator workforce diversity</cite> and partnered with REL Midwest on hiring/recruitment analysis, and job postings include an EEO/diversity statement, but no specific "cultural competence check" step in hiring was confirmed.
- 4.4 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Diverse perspectives & materials in curriculum — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The 2020 resolution created <cite index="69-2">a steering committee with a focus on Black History curriculum</cite>, and the DEI director stated she wants to <cite index="208-8">make the curriculum more reflective of the city</cite>, though full curriculum diversification was not confirmed as complete.
- 5.1 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Curriculum materials reflect student backgrounds — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Same evidence as 4.4 — a curriculum steering committee and DEI leadership goal exist to make materials <cite index="208-8">more reflective of the city</cite>, but district-wide implementation is not fully confirmed.
- 5.2 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Teacher PD on integrating diverse perspectives — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The board resolution commits to <cite index="69-2">professional development focused on Culturally Responsive Leadership and Instruction</cite>, supporting teacher PD on diverse perspectives, though scope/mandatoriness is unclear.
- 5.3 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Community collaboration for supplemental resources — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Community members and MSU faculty served on equity/curriculum committees (e.g., <cite index="124-1">a team of teachers, administrators, parents, and community members that conducted a Systemic Equity Review</cite>), and the district maintains broader community partnerships, but a specific process for community-sourced supplemental curriculum resources was not confirmed.
- 5.4 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Culturally specific courses/electives — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The board resolution created <cite index="69-2">a steering committee with a focus on Black History curriculum</cite>, suggesting movement toward culturally specific coursework, but no confirmed implemented elective course was found.
- 7.1 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Ongoing anti-bias/equity training — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The equity team <cite index="20-5">participated in thirty five hours of professional development</cite> during the audit process, and the board resolution commits to ongoing culturally responsive PD, but a confirmed ongoing anti-bias training cycle for all staff was not found.
- 7.2 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Workshops on culturally responsive teaching — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Job postings seek candidates with <cite index="202-4">Training in CRPBIS and other related instructional methodologies</cite>, and the board resolution supports Culturally Responsive Leadership and Instruction PD, suggesting workshops exist but scope/frequency is unconfirmed.
- 7.3 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Equity topics in staff meetings/PD — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Equity findings and definitions were presented and discussed at open board/staff meetings (e.g., <cite index="26-5,26-6">the board included a new definition of equity... 'Equity is the removal of systemic barriers...'</cite>), indicating equity is addressed in official meetings, though regular staff-meeting integration isn't fully confirmed.
- 8.2 [Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Practices]: Safe, supportive spaces (mindfulness/sensory) — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). At least one LSD school has implemented a sensory/calming space: <cite index="181-6,181-7">our new calming corner has become a favorite space for students who need to reset and regulate their emotions... safe, supportive ways for students to meet their sensory needs</cite>, but this is not confirmed as a district-wide standard.
- 10.2 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student feedback informs policy/procedures — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Handbook revisions involved <cite index="9-3">stakeholder meetings with staff, parents and student panels</cite>, showing some student input into policy, though not a standing structured mechanism.
- 12.3 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: Benchmarking vs. state/national comparators — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district entered a state accountability partnership where <cite index="180-2">reports use statewide student assessments and other quality metrics to measure school performance for all Michigan public schools</cite>, but this benchmarking is academic-performance focused rather than specifically discipline-equity focused.
- EC3 [Extra Credit]: Research-based collaboration with Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest to build a data-driven action plan for closing the gap between a largely white teaching staff and a majority-student-of-color population. — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). <cite index="97-7">students of color made up 76 percent of the district's student body, whereas teachers of color made up only 19 percent of the district's teaching staff</cite>, prompting a formal REL Midwest partnership to address this thr…
- EC4 [Extra Credit]: Dedicated Office of School Culture bundling restorative practices, PBIS, mental health, Title IX, social-emotional learning, and public safety under one coordinated administrative structure focused on discipline equity. — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). <cite index="55-3,55-4">Tier III Discipline, Housing Insecurity/Foster Care, Health and Sex Ed, School Nurses, District Support Specialists, Mental Health, Title IX, Public Safety, Social Emotional Learning</cite> are integrated under a si…
- EC5 [Extra Credit]: Free, no-barrier extended-day Student Development Program combining academic tutoring, athletics, nutrition, and mentoring explicitly designed to remove access inequities for under-resourced students. — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The program supervisor stated the goal is <cite index="158-10">to remove as many barriers as possible to good instruction</cite>, combining tutoring, sports training, and meals for grades 4-12 at no cost.