Today we focus our efforts on creating ongoing learning opportunities for our Eanes community.  We remain an all-volunteer, tax exempt non-profit 501(c)(3) with over 60 volunteers throughout the district working to help our children thrive here and beyond.  Together, we can build a better, safer and more inclusive environment for all children, families, and faculty in Eanes ISD. 

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These are the Core Values that guide our work in the community: 

 

Respect - We listen with open hearts and practice non-violence.

Continuous Learning - We bring opportunities to our community, so we learn and grow together.

Positive Change - We celebrate differences and bring joy to this work.

Co-Create - We center students' voices and prioritize inclusion and community building.

Integrity - We act honestly and with empathy and humility.

 

Eanes for Equity's Story: 

 

Eanes for Equity was co-founded in 2020 by a group of 24 parents with students across each of Eanes ISD’s campuses. While many of us had individually advocated for a broad range of changes within Eanes, our voices were strengthened and amplified by our partnership. We shared our stories and together envisioned the type of community we wanted for our children. 
 

We recognized that with the benefit of equity-focused, engaged parents who are committed to excellence and facing hard conversations instead of shying away from them, our children are primed to become leaders in whatever field they choose. It is our duty to help prepare them with an understanding of our shared history, the language of learning, and the tools to interrupt racism and prejudice. 

 

Our efforts were two–fold: implore EISD to integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion best practices into their everyday efforts and hold our own selves accountable by creating opportunities for learning and growing alongside each other. 

 

As of 2022, we are proud to share that together with you

- parents, alumni, students, teachers, staff, and community members - 

we have achieved key goals within each of our founding pillars: 

 

District Goal – Retain Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Consultant to conduct an equity needs assessment and devise a comprehensive, long-term, implementation plan to move toward Equity. District-wide Equity Audit with vocal board support. 
 

Achievement – Following advocacy efforts shared by students, alumni, teachers, and parents, EISD retained a nationally renowned educational expert to conduct a needs assessment in 2020. The Board of Trustees affirmed its commitment by establishing a DEI Advisory Committee (made up of teachers, staff, students, and community members)  and by making DEI a Board Strategic Priority in 2021. Campus Equity teams have now been established at each Eanes school so that they can continue to meet the unique needs of each campus. 

 

Teachers/Staff Goal – Establish mandatory, evolving anti-bias training, K-12. Ongoing resources and support materials.
 

Achievement – In August 2020, for the first time in Eanes’s 148 year history every single teacher in Eanes ISD attended anti-bias training to provide them with the tools to handle a range of scenarios. As parents who have seen even their young elementary students experience discrimination, or hateful and biased language, Eanes for Equity was committed to ensuring that our teachers were better equipped with tools to recognize and directly address these difficult situations.  Training continued in 2021 and 2022. 

 

Students/Alumni Goal – Solicit student feedback to understand how we as parents can maximize support. Foster student-centered safe spaces of conversation.
 

Achievement – E4E actively sought out learning from alumni and student experiences. We collaborated with the Alumni-founded Chaps for an Anti-Racist Eanes (C.A.R.E) to understand their experiences while in Eanes and co-developed with them the first DEI-focused Eanes ISD Voter Guide. We had the pleasure of including student-written features in our Newsletter from Westlake High School’s Featherduster editors as well as co-developing community conversions with Chaps for Change. We continue to seek out student experiences as they remain at the heart of our mission. 

 

Curriculum Goal – Incorporate culturally appropriate language into lessons, K-12. Incorporate a more honest look at Eanes’ history through a racially sensitive lens.
 

Achievement – In 2022, Eanes retained a curriculum consultant - not to develop a new curriculum – but to help guide its teachers on how to maximize the district’s existing curriculum with a DEI lens. While this work continues to evolve, the district will be influenced by state shifts like the Texas State Legislature's SB3 which passed in the Fall of 2021 curtailing social studies curriculum as well as national shifts such as the College Board expanding it’s Advanced Placement offerings to include African American Studies in the Fall of 2022.

Parents Goal – Develop Elementary, Middle School and High School parent groups to share age-appropriate resources. Create facilitated community conversation opportunities.
 

Achievement – 1) We have successfully created parent engagement groups within each Eanes campus. Together we share resources and partner with campus leadership to support DEI and ensure that each of our kids has the opportunity to thrive in schools where they are welcome and safe. 2) We have hosted educational opportunities to learn from panels of experts, authors, faith leaders, student leaders and each other. Please check out our Events to view our robust Community Conversation efforts past and future!