It is that time of year when students are returning to schools all across our country.  The type of school they are returning to will play a significant role in their success or lack thereof.

If they are returning to an EQUITY School, then their success is all but guaranteed. These are schools that believe:

• Every child can master the literacy and mathematics standards set for them by their state.
• Every child can succeed no matter who their parents are, what zip code they live in, or what background they bring with them.

The educational professionals in these schools believe this so strongly that they make sure that each individual child has what they need to achieve those standards and complete the school year working on or above grade level.  In EQUITY Schools, the educators:

• know each of their students well. They understand what privileges they have or do not have and what marginalizations and/or oppression they face. They work to define their students as more than  generalizations.
• know their students’ given names, how to say them, how to spell them, and show that they value their names.  
• ensure their students see themselves in a curriculum that is inclusive of all students.
• know themselves, are reflective educators that guard against implicit bias.
• do not allow deficit thinking when it comes to working with their students and their families.
• go the extra mile, making many front porch visits to keep communication flowing between the school and home. The students see their teachers and their parents working together.

These EQUITY educators understand the critical importance of literacy on or above grade level for success. They understand the importance of mastering advanced mathematics and being instructed with the expectation that all will find success in advanced level classes of their choosing.  These educators’ instructional methods reflect their beliefs. 

• There are no below grade level reading groups.  They use pre-teaching, front loading, and additional tutoring to ensure all students are able to succeed at or above grade level. 
• These educators are experts in their disciplines and ensure that their students are learning the literacy of the content areas that they teach: the vocabulary, the syntax, the way information is organized and defended in the various disciplines. 
• These educators ensure students are engaged in advance content courses and teach them how to succeed in advanced classes.
• No students are allowed to take only basic math. Students are engaged in advanced mathematical thinking and supported when needed with pre-teaching, front loading and additional tutoring.

These EQUITY educators are masters of instructional strategies that engage all students in high levels of learning. 

• They provide explicit instruction and modeling. They scaffold the learning step by step.  
• They support students in practicing new skills both individually and in cooperative groups.  
• They connect student learning to real life problems that facilitate transfer of knowledge and critical thinking. 
• These educators ensure cooperative groups are structured so that each student is accountable for their own learning as well as helping to facilitate the learning of their team mates.
• These educators take time to celebrate student learning and let them soak up the joy of learning.

These EQUITY educators create partnerships with other professionals in their building and in their communities to ensure students can focus on their learning and are not derailed by life circumstances. These educators and their partners ensure that:

• Students are provided with the physical, emotional, and mental health supports they need.
• Students have adequate food and housing.
• Hurdles that crop up to impede a student’s learning are quickly dealt with to remove the barrier. 

Being an EQUITY School is no small feat!  It takes a united and talented team of educators, partnering with community services, that refuse to let any student slip through the cracks. It takes relentlessness and dedication that tries even the strongest of us.  However, together we encourage each other, support each other, and get it done for the sake of our children, our future. 

Do you work in a school that practices EQUITY?  If not, what are doing about it?

Educators working to ensure their students are in an EQUITY School are our heroes.  They are ensuring our future by ensuring every single student in their school succeeds at the highest level.  They are ensuring that we are passing our world on to a better future for all.

This blog is written by Dr. GwenCarol Holmes, a long-time educator and passionate advocate for all students mastering rigorous standards.