A Call for Equity-in-Action Leadership
Equity-in-Action Leadership is needed now more than ever. Equity-in-action leadership can ensure that all students, particularly those who need an education to simply survive, receive learning experiences that are relevant to their lives and will prepare them for future school, career and life success. The effects of the pandemic, disparities between the quality of schools across neighborhoods and communities, realities like the Buffalo Massacre point to the need for leadership that will transform schools to address the realities our students and our country face.
Key insights of this work include:
Developing a school specific vision is essential
Less is more
Implicit bias training and bringing in experts on equity topics is key but not sufficient
Cultivating an equity mindset is ongoing work coupled with specific teaching and leadership priorities and moves
School and district leaders benefit from the space, expertise and encouragement to talk through the equity issues, to share what they know and need to learn and to implement equity-in-action plans that will improve the quality and outcomes of student learning
To support your team’s work in this area, here is an example of vision in development and objectives for the Equity Team at an ATAPE Group partner school:
Based on a needs assessment, our current Equity-in-Action Vision is to:
Create a culture of affirmation of diversity
a. to support positive identity development, student pride and confidence and to ensure our students feel acknowledged and supported
Incorporate daily classroom school-wide practice that allow students to
a. See themselves in the curriculum (culturally relevant books, conversations that invite students to share their experiences, ideas, hopes and fears)
b. Learn about and appreciate different lived experiences and perspectives
c. Develop ideas (essays, speeches, blog posts) and solutions (projects) to real life and social justice events.
Here is the Equity Team Role Description:
The Equity Team is a staff committee charged with the following
To learn together to increase our own awareness about equity constructs and social justice
To cultivate and spearhead a common language that will serve to affirm all aspects of student and staff diversity,
To share and get feedback on our own classroom practices that serve to advance our Equity-in Action vision
To create a school based space where students can share the explicit bias they are experiencing and to act on addressing