OAR 581-017-0550: African American/Black Student Success Plan Grant Program: Definitions

The following definitions apply to OAR 581-017-0550 to 581-017-0565: (1) “Achievement Gap” means any significant and persistent measurable disparity in academic performance or educational attainment between different groups of students, such as white students and African/African American/Black/African Diaspora students, for example, or students from higher income and lower income households. (2) “African American” means a person of African descent, having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, living in America, including African immigrants. African Americans are members of the African Diaspora. (3) “African American/Black Student Success Plan Grant” means the Grant established in OAR 581-017-0553 to implement ORS 329.841. (4) “African Diaspora” means the worldwide distribution of peoples descended from native Africans or people from Africa, specifically persons having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, and living outside of the continent by choice, or most predominantly against their will, particularly the descendants of Africans who were involuntarily migrated via the slave trade between the 16th and 19th centuries, including the Transatlantic slave trade. The African Diaspora is vast and includes displaced Africans living in numerous countries around the world, including but not limited to African, Afro-Caribbean, and Afro-Latinx immigrants. (5) “Black” means a person of African descent, having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa, living in America. Black people are members of the African Diaspora. (6) “Community-Based Organization” means a Nonprofit Organization that is representative of a community or significant segments of a community, which is located within or in close proximity to the community it serves. This includes Culturally Specific Organizations that have an expressed mission of providing services to specific populations within a community. (7) “Community Voice” means that members representing the community served by the project will be involved in co-constructing the project design, implementation, and/or providing strategic guidance in final decision-making. (8) “Culturally Responsive” means the implicit recognition and incorporation of the cultural knowledge and experience of students served by the African American/Black Student Success Plan in teaching, learning, assessment, and support. This includes identifying and valuing: students’ cultural assets in instruction and assessment; diverse frames of reference that correspond to multifaceted cultural perspectives/experiences; and performance styles and behaviors in the classroom that can differ from dominant culture views of what qualifies as achievement or success. (9) “Culturally Specific Organization” means an organization that serves a particular cultural community and is primarily staffed and led by members of that community. These organizations demonstrate: intimate knowledge of lived experience of the community, including but not limited to the impact of structural and individual racism or discrimination on the community; knowledge of specific disparities, barriers, or challenges documented in the community and how that influences the structure of their program or service; commitment to the community’s strength-based and self-driven thriving and resilience; ability to describe and adapt their services to the community’s cultural practices, health and safety beliefs/practices, positive cultural identity/pride, religious beliefs, etc. (10) “Disciplinary Incidents” means any form of disciplinary or behavioral action, particularly those resulting in removal from regular instruction and activities, including referrals, detention, in and out of school suspensions, and expulsions. (11) “Disproportionate” means unequal or inequitable differences in outcomes for African/African American/Black/African Diaspora students based on race, gender/gender identities, and/or sexual orientation compared to other groups of students, particularly their white counterparts. (12) “Nonprofit Organization” means nonprofit corporation as defined by ORS 65.001. (13) “Opportunity Gap” means the unequal or inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities, particularly the ways in which race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, English proficiency, community wealth, familial situations, or other factors contribute to or perpetuate that inequitable distribution for certain groups of students, for example a school offers AP classes but erects or fails to address barriers that limit the enrollment of African/African American/Black/African Diaspora students (14) “Partnership” means a group of organizations, Tribes, districts or individuals who agree to work together with a common interest and shared vision. In a partnership, there is a high level of trust and 2-way communication, and differences in power and privilege are addressed. Roles and responsibilities on all sides are well defined and developed with shared authority in decision making. There might be shared space and staff, with expectations and agreements in writing. (15) “Student” means an individual who is enrolled in early childhood through post-secondary education (including non-traditional settings) and who is African/African American/Black or otherwise part of the African Diaspora.