Five Key Drivers of Equity in Schools
(Originally titled “Creating Clarity on Equity in Schools”)
In this Educational Leadership article, Pedro Noguera (University of Southern
California) and Joaquín Noguera (Loyola Marymount University) say we’re living through “a
particularly perilous time for equity efforts in education.” That’s because K-12 equity work is
being questioned by the political right (for being “woke” on race and LGBTQ) and by K-12
leaders (defensive about their lack of measurable progress).
When the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act proclaimed that all students would receive an
adequate education by 2014, there was lots of support in red and blue states and lofty slogans
and exhortations around equity. “However,” say Noguera and Noguera, “support for what
equity work truly entails never ran deep, and it soon became clear that many policymakers and
education leaders who espoused support for equity did not actually understand what was
required to achieve it… Lack of progress combined with lack of clarity on equity has left
schools open to backlash.”
Some schools are making solid progress, say Noguera and Noguera, and that’s because
they have articulated a clear vision that responds to student and community needs, decided on
effective strategies, implemented an action plan, and monitored progress. Successful schools
embrace a vision of equity that provides historically underserved students with the support they
need, identifies the root causes of disparities in special education and disciplinary referrals, and
maintains high standards and expectations for all – which includes keeping honors and
advanced placement courses. “It is profoundly important,” say the authors, “that the
commitment to equity not be interpreted as a retreat from the pursuit of academic excellence.”
To be successful, they say, schools must somehow work on “everything, everywhere,
and almost all at once” – curriculum, learning materials, cultural responsiveness, high-quality
teaching, school climate, and more. To keep from being overwhelmed and scattering their
efforts too widely, Noguera and Noguera recommend the five essentials for school
improvement identified in 2010 by the Chicago Consortium on School Improvement. They
believe these are what today’s equity warriors should focus on:
• A coherent approach to learning and teaching – School leaders articulate a clear
instructional framework and bring teachers together to plan lessons and assessments, analyze
student results, and continuously adapt and improve instruction. “By reducing teacher isolation
and providing greater clarity on curriculum and instructional expectations,” say Noguera and
Noguera, “leaders can increase teacher quality throughout a school – a key starting point for
equity.”
• Ongoing development of professional quality – “Like students, teachers vary in their
abilities and needs,” say the authors; “teachers cannot teach what they do not know.” Schools
must provide high-quality, differentiated professional development that addresses pedagogical
and cultural gaps, and give teachers opportunities to plan and analyze student work with
experienced colleagues, observe other classrooms, and get specific feedback and coaching that
is helpful, not threatening.
• A student-centered school culture – “The schools that make the greatest progress in
meeting their equity goals,” say Noguera and Noguera, “work to create a culture that prioritizes
students’ needs. This means faculty and staff must be curious about students’ needs and
students’ interests. They must work to become students of local culture and keepers of
community knowledge.” This includes finding curriculum materials that affirm students’
culture and heritage and address their developmental needs.
• Parent and community involvement – The key is going beyond bake sales and
engaging family members as thought partners, collaborators, co-designers, and community
leaders who are valued and respected partners in providing all students with high-quality
learning experiences. Effective schools also develop partnerships with community
organizations, churches, universities, hospitals, and local nonprofits.
• Shared leadership that drives change – Research on effective schools has always
emphasized the critical role of the principal, say Noguera and Noguera, and that role has even
more impact when school leaders distribute decision making and responsibility. “When a
school staff embraces a common vision of how things should be done,” they say, “and when
staff are able to take ownership of common goals, progress can grow exponentially.”
“Creating Clarity on Equity in Schools” by Pedro Noguera and Joaquín Noguera in
Educational Leadership, September 2023 (Vol. 81, #1, pp. 28-34); the authors can be reached
at rossier.dean@usc.edu and joaquin.noguera@lmu.edu .
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