A Conversation with Brooke Davis, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Mental Health

Preparing our students for a rapidly changing world demands we take a holistic view of student success when making choices. Defining and bringing that vision to life is sustained and collaborative work that Brooke Davis knows firsthand.

As the director of diversity, equity, and mental health services at Kenowa Hills Public Schools in Michigan, she leads the implementation of new district policies focused on expanding students’ access to joyful, affirming, and knowledge-rich learning.

In 2021, Ms. Davis joined Leading Educators’ equity-focused fellowship in West Michigan, where she, an instructional coach, and middle and high school teachers examined how the district’s instructional practices relate to students’ strengths, interests, and cultural assets. That experience led to a systemic partnership with Kenowa Hills to establish professional learning communities (PLCs) focused on helping teachers develop equitable literacy practices with predictability and sustainability.

I spoke with her about her journey and the work ahead.

Leading with Vision

Our core mission revolves around ensuring that every student and staff member experiences a strong sense of belonging from the moment they enter our doors. 

This sense of belonging is crucial because it underpins everything we do. We want our learners to be inspired and empowered to pursue what is meaningful to them in today’s fast-changing world. Our mission extends beyond just the academic realm; it’s about valuing, supporting, and empowering every member of our educational community.

As a school social worker for 20 years, I know that students who feel supported and cared for are more likely to succeed academically and personally. To this end, I’m focused on helping educators create a positive and nurturing school environment where students can express themselves and seek help when needed.

We want to ensure that students feel prepared for academic challenges but also equipped to handle life’s ups and downs. Our goal is for students to look forward to coming to school each day and leave feeling confident and ready for the future.

While Kenowa Hills’ equity charge is comprehensive in scope, your work has taken much more of an academic focus. How did that start?

Our board and superintendent worked diligently to establish an equity policy around 2020—at a key inflection point for our country and our community. They tasked me with ensuring that policy became a theory of action we could bring to life in our daily work.

I am a person of color in a rural district, and I care deeply about why this work matters to our students. I’m also a one-woman show with some big ideas. I didn’t have a space to quickly learn from directors in similar roles or find best practices from which to start.

Based on our data and our education, we knew we had to do some things differently because some populations were not accessing all that we had to offer academically. So, a small group of educators and I decided to join Leading Educators’ Michigan fellowship and began to unpack our curriculum and instruction. The fellowship was our entry point to examining how our instructional practices relate to kids individually. I wanted the teachers to be able to learn, try new approaches, and continue growing before setting any requirements for leading others.

Eventually, Leading Educators started to develop a cohort for administrators, so my high school principal, middle school principal, and assistant superintendent came with us. It got difficult to protect the time with all we had going on then, so we decided to look at a more robust plan for ongoing support from Leading Educators.

Taking Action

At a point, we found that teachers were outgrowing their administrators in the learning journey. When it came to principals doing evaluations or classroom observations, teachers felt their building principals could only lean into some of the new standards and curriculum-based learning. That was the point when we started to discuss what a more direct partnership would look like.

Previously, we needed to develop sustainable systems to understand changes in equity. My coach from Leading Educators became somebody who could help me focus on actionable policies and procedures. This year, we have shifted toward working on our strategic plan through an equitable lens.  

What has changed?

The Leading Educators team didn’t just educate our teachers on the weekend and then turn them loose without support during the week. Teachers had a new connection with a local coach whom they could bounce ideas off.

Collecting data to track teachers’ progress also allowed them to advocate for why they wanted a stronger connection with Leading Educators and to pursue further growth. It became more routine for other teachers to observe their classrooms and witness student growth firsthand. It’s not just what I think they should have; it’s them advocating for what they feel they need. Because of that, the teachers’ new instructional practices will be more widespread. 

All of this has been a positive change for students, too. They now have more say in what they want to read and the projects they work on. Overall, the dialogue between teachers and students necessary to make learning relevant is happening. Watching students’ mindsets change is really what it’s about. That’s where student engagement comes from.

Delving into topics at the top of students’ minds in their lives within core instruction gives teachers a second wind in education because they see the impact on their students and their broader community. We want to inspire our learners to feel empowered to do what is meaningful for them in today’s world.

Leading Educators has helped teachers be more deliberate about all the instructional choices they can make. Now, our team is collaborating with our administrative cabinet, providing training sessions for directors and principals. Collective understanding is crucial for the sustainability of our system.

A Call to Action

If you say you will educate all, you must figure out what that means for you, your team, and your plan. I tell people that Leading Educators didn’t just help me with my students of color; they helped me with all my students. Our data reflects that we can see some things for all our students and not just one subgroup.

When we examine student engagement, bias, and the various challenges they face, whether hunger or other issues, it becomes clear that we need a comprehensive approach. Whether aligning our food service personnel with our principals and finance director or ensuring cohesion among all employee and student groups, Leading Educators has played a crucial role in fostering alignment and excellence throughout our district.

I now have thought partners who sit around the table with me, help me look at things differently, and connect me with learning we didn’t have before. When we discuss student engagement, we touch on key aspects like motivation, college and career readiness, social-emotional learning, and social justice.

Sometimes, it requires an organization to guide you through examining the data, shifting perspectives, and posing the right questions to build trust.

Leading Educators doesn’t stop at teacher education; they aim to ensure that everyone in your district, from teachers to administrators, understands and executes your policies and procedures effectively. What I appreciate most is that they’ve been in the trenches themselves. 

It’s a relief to know that when I express concerns about lacking support, they can confidently say, “Now you do. We know you have Dr. Keli on speed dial.”

Stay Engaged!

This interview is part of an ongoing series in which we highlight the most promising opportunities for systems change and the leaders making it happen.

Our partnership with Kenowa Hills Public Schools is just one of a dozen partnerships across the country pushing the boundaries of what schools can offer students. Learn more about how we help visionary districts, networks, and states go further faster.