Equity
Chief Equity Advocate
1-minute summary; 6-minute read Core Question: How do we touch hearts and minds for good? “Everything hangs on one’s thinking …” – Seneca “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford Core Idea: What we aim at … we eventually achieve. Words matter. Values matter. Start by defining our north star…
Read MoreMaking Equity Progress
Start anywhere but start now: An Equity Review Process: 10-minute read “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke Core Thesis: Good Equity Work Can Be Done Over the last five years, I have read every book on district-wide equity, tracked equity success stories…
Read MoreLeadership • Equity • Culture
More Books for January 2023 4-minute read Best Books in: Leadership: 6 Types of Working Genius and nine others Equity: The Third Reconstruction and three others Culture: The Burnout Epidemic and two others Bonus: The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams … and others Leadership: The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand…
Read MoreWenatchee’s Equity Story
Equity: a Plan and Promise for Future-Ready Students An Interview with Dr. Paul Gordon, (outgoing) Superintendent, Wenatchee WA – May 3, 2022 For the last three years, Wenatchee has been on an equity journey initiated by Superintendent, Dr. Paul Gordon We Promise … is at the heart of our Strategic Plan Our strategic plan was…
Read MoreOne 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…
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