Equity
One District’s Equity Journey
Puyallup’s Equity Journey An interview with Dr. John Polm, Superintendent of Puyallup (WA) Schools. The Journey Begins Over the last decade Puyallup’s demographic has shifted. From 18% Free and Reduced Lunch to 40%. From 20% diversity to 47%. Equity work began in 2017, mostly in curriculum and professional development. Professional Learning Timeline Looking back, Puyallup’s…
Read MoreMore books on discernment and equity
More Books … I’ll start with a list of books that fit our theme of discernment … and adaptive leadership (last month’s theme) … here are several titles that resonate: Leadership … discernment Collaborating with the Enemy: How to Work with People You Don’t Agree with or Like or Trust by Adam Kahane | Jun 5, 2017 This…
Read MoreAdvancing Equity in Times of COVID
Doing the Right Thing The time is always right to do what is right. – MLK Jr Just too crazy Yes, we are over the top with COVID right now and racial equity is a hot topic. AND those two together remind us that our students of color have lost the most over our two…
Read MoreHow do you grow student resiliency?
Equity = Safety > Belonging > Achievement The new year started with hope and enthusiasm. Then, from day one transportation was a challenge. Lunch was a challenge. Classroom behavior was a challenge. No, it wasn’t COVID. Unknowingly, we had tripped trauma triggers for dozens of students. For years, we planned to combine two schools. An…
Read MoreAdapting for Equity: Chicago’s Story
Adapting for Equity: Chicago’s Story Districts that Succeed: Karen Chenoweth’s new book, Districts that Succeed: breaking the correlation between race, poverty and achievement, is a great book. Chenoweth tells how five districts, large and small, have created student achievement success. She used the research by Sean Reardon (Stanford) showing district outliers that outperformed districts with…
Read MoreReview: Improvement in Action
Review: Improvement in Action: by Anthony S. Bryk What a gift! This book captures 30 years of school DISTRICT improvement and provides six case studies. Anthony S. Bryk shares insights from the forefront of the improvement field: Chicago: For many years, Anthony Bryk, headed the University of Chicago Consortium for School Research. They identified 100…
Read MoreCommunity Voice
Creating Equitable Community Voice “A master class” in equity. “On fire.” “Bringing justice.” “Concrete and Precise.” Those are a few of the accolades for Dr. Gloria Henderson’s presentation, Advancing an Equity Policy, at a recent conference. In a time of intense conflict, Dr. Henderson creates an open and honest community wide dialogue on racial equity. …
Read MoreRacial Equity Teams and Improved Practice
Deliberate Practice Makes Racial Equity Teams Better Learning by doing is key to getting better. Deep practice, according to Daniel Coyle (The Talent Code) is operating at the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes. This is what makes you smarter/better. Using school based racial equity teams to advance racial equity Practice 1: This…
Read MoreMichelle Reid: National Superintendent of the Year
An Interview with Michelle Reid, National Superintendent of the Year: Recognized for Northshore’s focus on Educational Justice Congratulations, Michelle, on your recognition as AASA National Superintendent of the Year, for 2021. You and your Northshore team have done great work. Thank you for sharing your hard won wisdom, successes and lessons learned along the way.…
Read MoreMy Equity Journey: Learning to Grow Capacity
My Equity Journey … Using Leadership Voice to Grow Capacity “You can count the seeds in an apple, but you can’t count the apples in a seed. When you teach, you never know how many lives you will influence … ..you are teaching for eternity” – Karen Jensen My story: My mother was the youngest of three children born into a…
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