April 12, 2019

How to Coach for Equity (from a blog)

I want to offer some concrete ways in which we can coach teachers and leaders
within our education system to build more equitable classrooms and schools. This blog will

discuss what you see and where you look.

It's What You See

Where does your gaze settle when you walk in to a classroom? Is it on the teacher and

whatever he/she is doing? Is it on the students who are on-task or off-task? What draws

your attention?

As a coach for equity, I scan the room for any child who seems left out, cast out, under-served

or under-performing; for those who are socially, emotionally or academically not succeeding;

for the vulnerable who need us to huddle around and help them get through childhood.

Those are the children I look at first. I also see through a lens of power and systemic

oppression because my gaze lands first on the children who may come from communities

that have been disenfranchised for centuries, the children who may have more hurdles to

jump across.

Then I pay attention to how the person with authority (usually the teacher) relates to these

children. These highlight the first two indicators of equity in a classroom. I have been in

more classrooms than I can count where when I walk in the door, the first thing I see--right

by the door--is a "time out" chair occupied by a black or brown male. The inequity stares

me in the face. The symbolism of being by the door calls for a re-labeling of so called

"drop outs"--I see those who may one day drop out being pushed out in the first, third,

fourth grade. I have seen the same in the front office of many schools-- black and brown

boys (and a fair number of black girls) also being pushed out, waiting to be picked
up because of a behavioral infraction. As a coach for equity, I take note of this.

When I go into classrooms, I also notice the following:

• Who is the teacher calling on? And are those students the "successful" ones? Or are they

from the group of disengaged boys in the back of the class? And what is the nature of that

interaction between the teacher and the students? If the teacher does call on one of those

boys, is the interaction positive, neutral or negative?

• If students are doing group work, is every child meaningfully involved? Do they all have

input into the work? Do they each contribute? Are each child's contributions appreciated

and valued? How do students speak to each other? And are any students treated differently

because they are perceived as being different?

• English Learners struggle in many ways when their learning needs aren't met. So I pay

attention to how they are given access to the content and curriculum, how their specific

language needs are met, and perhaps most importantly, whether they speak at all. We know

that ELs need to speak a lot to become proficient in English, but I've been in dozens of

classrooms in dozens of schools where many ELs can go an entire week without a single

opportunity to speak. So I notice--who speaks? What do they say? How does the teacher respond?

This is a great article to read. CLICK HERE MY FAVORITE QUOTE FROM THE ARTICLE "I CAN UNEQUIVOCALLY SAY THAT RIGOROUS INSTRUCTIONAL PLANNING IS THE KEY TO IMPLEMENTING EQUITY." This quote speaks to me because as teachers we can make the difference in a child's life. This article and our focus on EL and SED in our SPSA for 2019-20 addresses equity.

CLICK HERE TO READ OUR SPSA 2019-20

Observable Fish Moments at SV:

Be There: Thank you Melissa for leading our Battle of the Books. Thank you Jennifer for planning our Academic Olympics.

Play: Thank you for taking pictures with our #butterflyeffect

Choose your attitude: 

To actually choose how you respond to life, not just react, you must be intentional. Ask yourself throughout the day, "What is my attitude right now? Is it helping the people who depend on me? Is it helping me to be most effective?" NO EXCUSES!!

Make Their Day:  When was the last time you had lunch with a student? Make their day by eating with a student and finding out much more about them :)