work with a grade or department team than when they rely on just their own reflection . Teammates can provide a diversity of perspectives on lesson plans , observe lessons and provide objective feedback , and help each other maintain a learning orientation throughout the school year .
Cultivating an equity mindset : ‘ Inside-out work ’
Developing an equity mindset – whether in the inner city , the suburbs or a rural valley – requires examining one ’ s own cultural identity and examining how issues of race , class , culture and power play out at school . It involves looking critically at one ’ s biases and asking whether those biases influence which students are called on in class , who gets disciplined , and which students are expected and encouraged to stretch themselves . Doing this examination of one ’ s personal history and biases to understand one ’ s own role in equity issues is sometimes called “ inside-out work .” This work is more likely to succeed if it has the following features :
• Done in teams : Inside-out work is ideally done in the same small teams established to work on instructional issues . Using these teams capitalizes on the rapport that team members have already developed . Inside-out work gets into sensitive topics , but established relationships allow team members to be transparent and take risks in order to grow together .
• Uses continuous-improvement methods : For both technical instructional issues and equity work , teams should adopt a continuous-improvement approach . At Partners in School Innovation , we promote a resultsoriented cycle of inquiry , which consists of the following steps : establish goals , develop plans to reach those goals , implement the plans , assess the strengths and weaknesses of the implementation , adjust methods going forward , and then set new goals and repeat the cycle . Using the same process for both instruction and inside-out work signals that the latter is just as important .
• Takes into account staff readiness : Educators will vary in their familiarity and comfort with equity discussions ; therefore , it is important to roll out the work carefully . Team leaders can encourage participation by
Developing an equity mindset – whether in the inner city , the suburbs or a rural valley – requires examining one ’ s own cultural identity and examining how issues of race , class , culture and power play out at school .
framing discussions as being ultimately for students ’ benefit , which may prevent sessions from becoming too abstract . A discussion facilitator can set a positive tone and example by leading the work with his or her own personal story . Other members ’ inclination toward inquiry will likely lead them to participate and help move discussions forward .
• Uses research-based tools and texts : Many materials are available to guide teams in their inside-out work . For example , Project Implicit ’ s Race Implicit Association Test will help people discover subconscious biases toward certain ethnicities , and books such as “ Beyond Heroes and Holidays ” ( Lee , Menkart and Okazawa-Rey , 1998 ) offer guidance in providing culturally responsive , equitable instruction . Yet another tool is the Aspen Institute ’ s “ Racial Equity Theory of Change ” ( Lawrence , et al ., 2009 ), a workbook that helps communities tackle problems marked by chronic racial inequities . Basing conversations on research-based tools such as these signals a seriousness about the work and promotes thoughtful discussion .
• Uses discussion protocols : Adhering to certain protocols will lend structure to discussions and keep groups on task . For example , a team could go through the “ Paseo ” ( or “ Circles of Identity ”) developed by the National School Reform Faculty ( 2001 ). This protocol begins with individuals reflecting on and recording elements of their identity . Then people pair up to answer questions about equity or identity , and then rotate to form new pairs and answer a new question . After a set of questions is answered , the group debriefs on the activity and names ways that they will act differently going forward .
• Guided by explicit norms : Discussions will be more fruitful if the team agrees to act according to a set of principles or guidelines . For example , teams benefit from adhering to the four norms that Glenn Singleton recommends in “ Courageous Conversations about Race ” ( 2005 ): Stay engaged ; Experience discomfort ; Speak your truth ; Expect and accept non-closure .
With these norms , Singleton is encouraging participants to be forthcoming and persistent even when conversations become uncomfortable , and despite the fact that the quest for cultural proficiency is never-ending .
Progress is possible
In the first half of 2016 , we co-facilitated an eight-day ACSA Equity Institute for school and district leaders in the Central Valley . Spread over several months , the workshop engaged small teams through articles , videos , small group discussions and individual reflections on a range of equity topics . Participants discussed concepts such as white privilege , unconscious bias , and stereotype threat ; examined the practices of their staffs and themselves ; and tried to understand their students ’ experiences at school . According to participants , the discussions pushed them out of their comfort zone and helped them grow .
For example , participants underwent the Race Implicit Association Test , and one county office of education employee found that his level of bias was higher than anticipated . “ It was surprising and disappointing ,” he said . “ It made me more aware of thoughts
36 Leadership