Take 5: Equity - Getting Beyond the Buzzword

At a meeting this week of our school's Instructional Leadership Team, there was a brief discussion of equity. I walked away with a desire to explore a variety of questions. What is equity (it means different things to different people in different places)? What does it mean -- and what should it mean -- to me as a teacher? How can we achieve it through teaching practices in schools? I took this deep dive into the topic to broaden my thinking. So take 5, and learn a little more about equity with me.  Equity isn't a destination; it's something you have to wake up and work toward for your students each and every day. That means continuing to learn and grow about this topic that it is at the bedrock of all we do.

---

A good place to start is with this piece featured in Edutopia: Increasing Equity for All Students. 

Is the New Education Reform Hiding in Plain Sight? from the Washington Post explored the connection between personalized learning and equity. And I think the article begs more questions than it answers, it's an interesting perspective. How do we balance standards and skills with voice and choice?

---

I found this article illuminating: Tinkering Spaces: How Equity Means More than Access. I think I tend to think that access is everything, when clearly that's a start but not enough.

This Code.org infographic by has a list of strategies that might serve as a reminder of things you can do immediately to not only make your class more equitable but also to make yourself as an instructor more accessible. And the best part might be the biblography which serves as an equity reading list.

So, I think I would be terrified if someone walked into my room with this checklist, but as a self-check it might be a helpful place to start for teachers that want to really focus on their equity teaching practice. Pick a few and build from there and, if you are like me, you'll find that you do a lot of this already but there's something about putting a name to it and doubling down on your commitment.

How do you address and facilitate equity in your classroom? Let's learn from one another.

​-Corey

---

You might also like:

• Siri: I Love Ya, But It's Time For You To Go. (May 22, 2018)
• Why Whole Class Discipline has No Place in your Classroom. (October 24, 2017)