Equity Tools and Artifacts for Districts and Schools
Equity Tools and Artifacts for Districts and Schools – PDF Document
The Western Educational Equity Assistance Center (WEEAC) utilizes multiple tools and artifacts to support school leaders and educators in embedding equity in policies, procedures, and consciousness.
This document will provide you with equity tools to start, continue, or embed equity in your district or school. Each tool has a specific set of entry points that are imperative in embedding equity thoughtfully. Suggestion are grounded within best practices. Artifacts and activities require some pre-work to successfully integrate Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) work.
Pre-work Definition
Pre-work is defined as the infrastructure that supports equity. It is not recommended that EDI work proceed without integrating the following components:
- Communication of an equity commitment; coupled with the “why” of embedding equity work. This should be communicated by superintendents and school leaders prior to implementation. In some cases, members of school boards and superintendents simultaneously commit to EDI work. In school buildings, principals and assistant principals would anchor the work in this area.
- Courageous leadership that supports a trajectory is built into the equity commitment. This provides a road map for the work to begin; although the specifics of the work are individualized to educators, teams, departments, etc. The goal is to communicate that EDI work is imperative, expected, and will be integrated.
- Data-anchored equity focus points are shared that align with the “why” of the work.
- Acknowledgement of inequities, marginalized spaces, and vulnerable students, families, and communities is also stated.
This pre-work is often delivered at staff meetings, via a position statement, in a face-to-face meeting, or some combination of all these options.
Caution!!
Pre-work advice: Thoughtfully and developmentally build the pre-work stage, as this provides the foundation of authentic EDI work.
Each artifact is shared on the following pages. The following order of use is advised:
Beginning Awareness |
Emerging Awareness |
Advanced Awareness |
Cultural Café |
Naming Me |
Louisiana 27 Equitable Classroom Practices |
Lindsey’s Cultural Proficiency Continuum |
Social Group Membership |
Assessing Bias in Standards and Curricular Materials |
|
Culturally Responsive Leadership Assessment |
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Beginning Awareness: These artifacts are an important entry into the work. Regardless of people’s experiences, we recommend starting here and then scaling to the exercises in the emerging and advanced categories. Cultural Café and Lindsey’s Cultural Proficiency Continuum are tools to begin conversations, raise awareness, and can assist in building competency in how to discuss and engage in equity work.
Emerging Awareness: The three artifacts in this category are exercises that can be used with groups who have done some baseline equity work. This category is focused on inside out work, which is imperative to furthering one’s equity commitment. Without understanding our own identities, biases, and backgrounds, it is challenging to engage in any meaningful equity work. These exercises will greatly assist participants in deepening their understanding of how they show up in classrooms and in working with students and colleagues.
Advanced Awareness: Once members of your school, district, or organization have committed to their inside out work and developed a level of understanding of terminology and how inequity can emerge, introduce these artifacts. The checklist of equitable classroom practices and tool to assess bias in materials will assist educators in evaluating personal practice and understanding components of equity and culturally responsive curriculum.
Social Group Membership
Dr. Kathy Obear
Social Group Membership – PDF Document
Purpose of the Tool
This tool is an important step in understanding personal identity in a United States context. This is a sample list of identities such as race, religion, sexual orientation, etc. which shows the members of the dominant or agent group and subordinate or target group. As your school or organization contextualizes equity work, this tool is a valuable artifact in personal inside out work. Exploration of personal identity and how that may show up in the classroom and as a leader can assist in better understanding and working across difference.
Pre-Work
This artifact should not be used in isolation. It is important that participants have a baseline understanding of identity and isms (racism, sexism, classism, etc.). Utilizing tools such as Naming Me are a suggested first step.
How to Utilize
Social Group Membership is a powerful addition to a PLC or professional development session. In the session:
Small Group Processing
Invite participants to pair off. Some reflection questions you may consider:
Large Group Processing
Similar reflection questions are a great idea here. Additionally, you may ask:
Additional Notes
Follow-up
This is a great exercise to revisit a couple of weeks after introducing it. What have participants learned or considered since the social groups were discussed? How have they continued their own learning? How have they utilized what they learned and reflected on in their roles?
Social Group Membership may be one in a series of tools you use in equity training and professional development. Consider following Social Group Membership with the Culturally Responsive Personal Assessment or another self-assessment tool to build on the knowledge gained around personal identity, privilege, and oppression.