Resource Strands
Building the Foundation
The classroom practices described in the framework sit within the context of schools, systems, and institutions that shape students’ opportunities even before their education journey in school begins. To reach true equity, we know that our work in classrooms must be coupled with active efforts to disrupt and transform the systems, policies, and practices that perpetuate racism in our schools and communities.
Inner Resources
Teaching is a deeply personal craft. At our best, we bring our humanity and humility to the experiences we create in the classroom. When our identities and worldview as teachers differ from those of our students, there is a risk of unwittingly causing harm. Thus, as a conscious means to counter this common dynamic, the Teaching for Equity framework begins with inner resources. Inner resources are the values, beliefs, and practices that support our personal well-being and fuel reflection and growth.
Explore the Framework
(A Few) School and System Resources
Years of partnerships and the research on instruction and professional learning have helped us distill the characteristics that make some school systems more successful than others at reaching strong teaching and leadership at scale. These learning conditions include:
with meaningful roles that creates collective ownership
are high-quality and aligned to college and career readiness standards
for teachers to collaborate and learn together
to ensure there is a clear set of focused instructional goals
Ways to Center Equity
Our framework focuses on equity in classroom experiences, but there are other considerations for teachers and leaders that affect success. Just a few examples of working for equity at the systems level include:
Equity-Centered Decisions:
Analyzing policies and outcomes across lines of difference
Responding to different needs:
Redistributing supports and resources in service of students who are historically underserved
Behavior Policies:
Replacing punitive discipline policies with restorative justice
Accounting for Power:
Building meaningful engagement opportunities to share power, voice, leadership, and resources with students, families, and communities
Professional Learning and Change Management:
Investing time and resources to support adults’ learning, collaboration, and wholeness in service of a richer vision of student success, and more
Take Action
Ready to make changes in your practice? Head over to our action center!
Over the next year, we’ll be listening and learning with the goal of lifting up stories that make this vision more actionable. Using these practices in your context will help educators across the country learn more of what works for equity.
Stay in the know
Get timely insights direct to your inbox. Sign up for the latest news, tips, and opportunities from Leading Educators.
