Читать книгу Five Practices for Equity-Focused School Leadership - Sharon I. Radd - Страница 10

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

We know that schooling and education are powerful gateways to opportunity and quality of life. We know that hundreds of thousands of teachers and administrators give their blood, sweat, and tears to their students every day and have profound impact. We know that the spirit of universal public education is a spirit of equity and opportunity. Nonetheless, in the midst of this noble work and promise, we have gross inequity. This inequity must and can be changed.

This change requires a systemic and transformative approach. By systemic, we mean that the problem lies in the system and the inequities are symptoms and results. In other words, although inequity breeds inequity, it is not the cause but the result of a system that is set up to produce inequities. Therefore, system-based approaches are necessary to create equity. When we say transformative, we mean that you have to learn to think and act in some fundamentally different ways to change these historic patterns that are entrenched in the system. This section establishes the need for you, as a school leader, to make a firm and engaged commitment to prioritize equity leadership.

To begin, we illustrate some of the harder truths about how inequity lives, acts, and grows in schools. We visit Ezra in Meadowbrook to explore how systemic inequity manifests. We then present the Levels of Systemic Equity to help you understand inequity as historical, structural, institutionalized, and interpersonal/individual, demonstrating why equity leadership must address systemic causes.

Over the past 10 years, the suburban community of Meadowbrook has transitioned from a farming community made up of mostly White, working class families to a more complex and densely populated exurb. It is now home to an elite gated golf-course community in the southeast corner of the city along the lakefront, as well as an increasing number of Section 8 housing developments in the more commercial areas of the city. New residents are drawn to the city because of the school system's reputation for excellence and high achievement. At all income levels and across the variety of housing options, the city is becoming more racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse.

Ezra, a White male in his late 30s, has been the principal of Meadowbrook Middle School for eight years. Because the city's 6th through 8th graders attend school there, it is a virtual microcosm of the city. In addition, Ezra's shift from teacher to curriculum specialist to principal began during the implementation of No Child Left Behind, creating increased awareness of racial disparities in opportunity, resources, and achievement. As principal, he was tasked with leading his entire staff to "close the achievement gap" and create a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.

Now, under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Ezra continues to feel pressure to raise test scores and eliminate inequities in his building. Simultaneously, racial and ethnic tensions are increasing throughout the building related to events in the community. Specifically, the local mall management has been under fire related to anti-immigration rhetoric and graffiti that continues there, seemingly without intervention. In addition, the city council is debating policies and services related to the local library and their obligations toward patrons who are immigrants, refugees, or have insufficient financial resources.

Ezra is beginning to realize that all of these things are connected. Due to his long-standing commitment to all students, he has been working at equity for a long time. When trying to address the problems he's facing, he's been encouraged to reach for the nearest, most promising tool. It's been tempting to look to new curricula or teaching strategies, especially those approaches that are "scientifically based" or "scientifically proven." But, as Ezra has experienced, most schools can make some progress with these methods, but then they plateau or worse, regress.