Five Practices for Equity-Focused School Leadership

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Sharon I. Radd. Five Practices for Equity-Focused School Leadership

Five Practices for Equity-Focused School Leadership

Table of Contents

Dedication

SR

GGG

MAG

GT

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Figure I.1. Five Practices for Building an Equity-Focused System

Pause and Reflect

Endnote

This Is So Hard! The Challenge and Urgency of Leading for Equity

What Is Going On

Figure 1.1. Levels of Systemic Inequity

Historical

Structural

Institutional

Individual/Interpersonal

Why All of This Matters

The Levels at Work: Tracking

Pause and Reflect

The Stories We Tell About Why We Don't Do Better

Pause and Reflect

"These kids don't want to learn."

"Their parents don't care."

"My colleagues aren't capable/cooperative/invested."

"I don't need this. I 'get it' and I have the outcomes to prove it."

"I don't need this. It isn't relevant to me."

"But I have to raise test scores. That's what this is all about."

Adopting a Transformative Approach: Individual Activity. Pause and Reflect to Prioritize Equity Leadership

Challenging Old Narratives

Pause and Reflect

Adopting a Transformative Approach: Team Activity

Preparing to Learn for Equity: Key Concepts and Guiding Principles

Paradigms and Cognitive Dissonance

Figure 3.1. Paradigms

Figure 3.2. Varying Paradigms Regarding Leadership, Equity, and Suspension from School

The Ladder of Inference

Figure 3.3. Ladder of Inference

The Need for Ongoing Learning

Emotions Ahead: Putting It All Together

Figure 3.4. Sphere of Reactions

Pause and Reflect

Experiences of Inequity

A Foundational Vocabulary for Talking About Equity

Pause and Reflect

Foundational Concepts for Understanding Inequity

Social Construction

Ism and Phobia

Privilege

Pause and Reflect

Intersectionality

Race-Neutral and Difference-Neutral Ideology

Pause and Reflect

Endnotes

Exploring Identities: Race

Current Realities About Race in Schools

The Broader Context of Race

Figure 4.1. Out-of-School Suspensions and Expulsions by Race and Gender

Disruptive Leadership Practices Toward Equity and Race

Disrupting Personal Racial Biases and Assumptions

Disrupting Negative Student Experiences That Align with Race

Disrupting Negative Attitudes Associated with Addressing Racial Biases

Disrupting Status Quo Thinking That Maintains Racial Inequities

Pause and Reflect

Endnote

Exploring Identities: Disability

Current Realities About Disability in Schools

The Broader Context of Disability

Disruptive Leadership Practices Toward Equity and Disability

Disrupting Student Isolation

Disrupting Paradigms to Support Inclusion

Disrupting Structures, Policies, and Practices to Redesign Service Delivery

Disrupting the Curriculum by Challenging Perceptions

Pause and Reflect

Exploring Identities: Socioeconomics

Current Realities About Socioeconomics in Schools

A Focus on Direct Instruction

Narrowing Opportunities

Tracking

The Broader Context of Socioeconomics

Figure 6.1. Number and Percentage of Children in Low-Income and Poor Families by Race/Ethnicity, 2016

Disruptive Leadership Practices Toward Equity and Socioeconomics

Disrupting Biases and Assumptions

Relationships with the Community

Universal Early Childhood Education

Protect and Expand Opportunities

Pause and Reflect

Exploring Identities. Language

Current Realities About Language in School

Pullout and ESL Content Programs

Structured Immersion

Newcomer Programs

Transitional or Early-Exit Bilingual Education

Dual-Language Education

The Broader Context of Language

Disruptive Leadership Practices Toward Equity and Language

Leadership

Collaborative Process and Professional Learning

Family Connections

Inclusive Services

Pause and Reflect

Exploring Identities. Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Identity

Current Realities About Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Identity in Schools

The Broader Context About Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Identity

Disruptive Leadership Practices Toward Equity and Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Identity

Disrupting Language, Concepts, and Messaging to Be Safe and Inclusive

Disrupting Representation Patterns

Disrupting Unfamiliarity by Providing Ongoing Learning

Disrupting Policy and Practice

Disrupting Curriculum to Improve Balance

Pause and Reflect

Exploring Identities. Religion

Current Realities About Religious Identity in Schools

The Broader Context About Religion

Religious Intolerance

Religious Discrimination

Hate Crimes

Tensions Between Religion and Other Forms of Inclusion

Pause and Reflect

Disruptive Leadership Practices Toward Equity and Religion

Disrupting the School Calendar

Disrupting Policies Related to Prayer

Disrupting Curriculum

Pause and Reflect

Routines for Building Effective and Cohesive Equity Leadership Teams

Pause and Reflect

A Note About Past, Present, and Future

The Equity-Focused Leadership Team Model

Figure 10.1. Equity-Focused Leadership Team Model

Four Routines for Equity-Focused Leadership Teams

Routine 1: Expand and Strengthen Relationships

Routine 2: Transform Use of Power

Routine 3: Integrate Personal Experience with Systems and Trend Data

Routine 4: Assess the Credibility of Data

Team Roles

Educator

Pause and Reflect

Learn Together

Practice Dialogue That Supports Learning from Each Other

Rotate Responsibilities for Planning and Presenting

Group into Smaller Learning Communities

Leadership Practitioner

Articulate Your Leadership Identity, Beliefs, Values, and Style

Establish a Regular Agenda Item for Critical Examination of Practice, with Guiding Questions

Equity Champion

Engage in Critical Consciousness Focused on Distribution, Use, and Impact of Power

Consistently Advance Equity in Ways That Engage Others in Powerful Collective Action

Decision Maker

Decide How to Decide

Communicate as Fully, Apparently, Humanely, and Genuinely as Possible

Sticking with Routines and Roles

Conducting a Needs Assessment

What Is an Equity Audit?

Performing an Equity Audit

Strategic Communication to Support Your Process

Identifying and Engaging Your Audit Team

Designing the Equity Audit

Collecting Data for the Equity Audit

Endnote

Analyzing Data and Identifying Findings

Preparing Your Data for Analysis

Planning for Learning in Your Data Analysis Sessions

Planning for Dissonance

Planning for Various Learning Preferences

Figure 13.1. Learner Types

Planning a Constructive Learning Environment

Sample Activities for Data Analysis and Professional Learning Sessions. Reflecting on Learning Preferences

Agreements and Appreciative Interviews

Conducting Collective Data Analysis

Part 1: Share Data

Part 2: Identify the Equity Gaps

Part 3: Understand Service Delivery

Part 4: Understand the Environment

Part 5: Assess Organizational Readiness

A Framework for Designing Sustainable, Systemic, Equity-Focused Change

Figure 14.1. Key Elements of an Equity-Focused Change Framework

What We Think Needs Changing

Leader Influence

Discerning and Deciding on a Perceived Strategic Approach

Developing a Theory of Action and a Theory of Change

Figure 14.2. Equity Audit Map of Existing Special Education Service Delivery

Figure 14.3. New Service Delivery Model for Special Education

How Should We Pursue Equity?

The Who

The Context

Putting It All Together

1-2-4-ALL: A Process for Engaging Stakeholders in the Change Effort

Looking Back and Planning Forward

Pause and Reflect

Planning

Building Coalitions

Broad Networks

Local Networks

Sustainability

Clear Values

Learning and Reflection

Continuous Improvement

The Human Nature of This Work

Figure 15.1. Components of Sustainability

Conclusion. A Final Word

Appendix A. Sample Equity Audit

Appendix B. Tools for Environmental Scans. Building Observations, Part 1

Building Observations, Part 2

Organizational Readiness Data Collection

Stakeholder Concerns

Service Delivery Mapping

Figure AppB.1. Equity Audit Map of Existing Special Education Service Delivery

References

About the Authors

Related ASCD Resources

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Sharon I. Radd, Gretchen Givens Generett, Mark Anthony Gooden, and George Theoharis

We dedicate this book to all those who work in schools, day in and day out, to create a more just and inclusive world; without you, this book would have no purpose. Thank you for living your commitment to engage in the exhausting but urgent work of creating more equitable schools.

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Betsy is a White woman who has worked her entire career in an urban, racially diverse school district with an increasing number of students living in poverty. Betsy has a social activist background; her commitment to social justice is part of her identity. She is comfortable talking about race in both personal and professional settings, believes that inclusive services are an essential part of a good school, and is committed to an affirming LGBTQIA+ culture—all pillars of equity-oriented leadership. Yet, she has two self-contained special education programs in her school—a separate program for students with autism and a program for students with behavioral challenges. The students in these programs eat lunch where the rest of the students do, but are essentially separated from the other students in every meaningful way. Betsy is frustrated that the district is working with a consultant on improving inclusive special education services, stating, "My school is inclusive; we have been doing inclusion for a long time!"

Tomas is a Mexican-American man who has worked in a few districts but has spent the past 10 years in a rural, predominantly White district with an increasing Latino/a/x and Asian population and 45 percent of students receiving free and reduced school lunch. Tomas has worked to create a more inclusive service delivery model for students with special education needs, as well as for the small but growing population of students learning English. Through his deep connections with the Latino/a/x and Asian communities in his district, he has become a strong bridge between the school district, these growing communities, and many White families. People see him as a trusted link who is looking out for all of their best interests. At the same time, he is reluctant to take overt action to eliminate ongoing harassment and bullying of students who are, or perceived to be, LGBTQIA+. He feels the community is "very traditional" and any attempt at an LGBTQIA+ affirming culture would "blow up."

.....