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Prior to this program, I was a Brene Brown devotee and I was delighted when one of her books became part of our class materials.  For those of you who many not be aware, she hosted two podcasts: Dare to Lead and Unlocking Us.  She has sadly ended both of them, but they are still available.  I have been relistening to them and this week needed to hear some messages regarding armored versus daring leadership.  Here is the podcast link for those that are interested: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-on-armored-versus-daring-leadership-part-1-of-2/

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Brené on Armored versus Daring Leadership, Part 1 of 2 | Brené Brown

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The greatest barrier to daring leadership is not fear; the greatest barrier is armor, or how we self-protect when we're in fear. This is Part I of a two-part series, where I unpack the most common types of armor, including being a knower versus being a learner, tapping out of hard conversation versus skilling up and leaning in, and using shame and blame to manage others versus using accountability and empathy.

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Reading through Taking on the Tough Issues: The Role of the Educational Leaders in Restoring Public Faith in Public Education"  reminded me of the harsh reality of the inequities in schools.  I am in the early education field and while I do not see the same disparities Pedro A. Noguera discusses in the article, I do see and feel them in the center I work at.  I am constantly let done by the lack of equity at my center.  Do I believe teachers are trying to create equity within the classroom, absolutely and due to the insanely high tuition rates the equity gap in terms of financials is not huge.  Teachers are creating spaces for all children to thrive and learn in and when children would flourish with outside support it's much easier for the families I serve to obtain it.  This being said, if I worked in a center with a lower income population, the teachers would be required to be more creative, flexible, and not rely on outside support.

"Put more simply, if we do the same thing for everyone, it will not enable us to succeed in educating all children because they come to us with different levels of preparation, and different level of support at a home." pg.3/9 This resonates in relation to my inquiry work because I am wondering what additional supports do the educators I work with need in order to best support every child's individual needs in the classroom.  This means regardless of what they are able to afford at home, every child deserves quality care and the best way to ensure this happens is to provide opportunities for education and experience.

This article kept making me think how even if we do not become a Superintendent or Director of Student Services we can make a change by disrupting systems, being on the board, and/or creating spaces where children and families receive the support they deserve.

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I chose Dr. Pedro Noguera's Leading with Justice. What struck me while listening to Dr. Pedro was his explanation of how equity necessitates educators remain focused on outcomes and academic development. When everyone is involved, including teachers, parents, janitors, and students, and when educators' professional skills, bias, resources, and pedagogical skills are addressed. Equity is demonstrated throughout the school community not just the underserved students. Also, supporting the community holistically will improve and create a healthy, safe, and empowering learning environment for all.

This video relates to my inquiry issue by cultivating and empowering a school community to foster deeper learning, engagement, and higher classroom management, as well as, most importantly, meeting our students where they are and teaching through an intentional approach to student learning that focuses on student needs and raises expectations to make learning culturally relevant for students. This information will be useful in learning how to remove the barriers that our students face and cultivating a school based solely on the cultures of students. This video has challenged me to think about the entire school community, not just the students, and to assess the resources, professional development, staff bias, and training that all sectors of the community will require and provide. Dr. Noguera shared the five ingredients below to support and influence how to make a difference in the school community, as well as a guide for me in becoming a Bold Socially Responsible leader to provide resources and guidance to a school community.

An equity Agenda: Five Essential ingredients

-A coherent Instructional guidance system- teachers plan together and collaborate

-Ongoing development of the professional capacity of staff

-Strong parent-community-school ties

-A student-centered learning climate/culture

-Shared leadership to drive change

“You can get a FREE education, with a library card”

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I listened to Dr. Pedro Noguera in 10 Ways Educators Can Take Action in Pursuit of Equity. I was specifically interested in listening to method 5 which is to build partnerships with parents based on interests, method 8, implement evidence-based practices and evaluate for effectiveness, and lastly, method 10, Teach the way students learn rather than expecting them to learn the way we teach.

We need to move from the traditional teacher-centered approach that we see is clearly not working for all of our students. If we are failing some, we are not an equitable society and in this case, providing equitable teaching.

Many of these methods, specifically the three I pointed out are connected to my inquiry issue as I recognize that learning and teaching go beyond the classroom and must be happening in the home as well. For example, there are topics we learn in the classroom that some parents and families continue and encourage at home. Parents are our students' first teachers, the ones who know their children best and know what interests them. Parent-teacher relationships are pivotal as we communicate what students are learning, their interests, and how to continue that learning beyond the classroom walls. Teacher-parent partnerships influence, inform and prepare teachers to better support students. Method 8 of Implementing evidence-based practices is the forefront of what is occurring not only in our center but across early childhood education(ece). Things are quickly changing and we have more research on the topic of ece. For example, we have researched the different methods of teaching, pedagogy, and philosophies. We have the play-based approach, project approach, inquiry- learning etc. Then you have philosophies like, Reggio Emilia, Montessori, Waldorf. We must move past traditional teaching and learn to use these resources to help our students succeed. This takes me to method 10 of teaching the way students learn rather than expecting them to learn the way we teach. Our teachers must step out of the traditional box and implement these strategies. I have seen many teachers passively teach, and implement projects, topics, and curriculum that is unintentional. Its important for teachers to observe their students, and take the time to get to know their needs and learning styles. It's our responsibility to appropriately respond to the way students learn. Part of my plan is to observe teachers and students engage during class. I’d like to understand how teachers are preparing and planning.

Dr. Noguera spoke about immigrant students needing to receive an equitable education because they are a part of a system that needs education to begin with to be able to contribute to themselves and society. As a bold, socially responsible leader, is it my responsibility to acknowledge the research and put it into practice so that we create enriched opportunities for learning and growth for all students.

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I chose the video “Achieving Equity and Excellence” because it was the resource which related closely with the research I am completing; identifying existing equity gaps, searching for available resources to assist students in achieving their academic goals, and exploring and/or creating support systems to close those gaps. What resonated with me was a quote she mentioned which reads “No man is ahead of his time. Every man is within his star, each in his time. Each man must respond to the call of God in his lifetime and not in somebody else’s time.” For me, this was a reminder that today, right now, is the time to move forward and create change; not to wait to feel “more prepared, more qualified, etc.”  Rather to move into action. Each of us has a special calling. It’s up to us to put it into action.

Additionally, I gathered information on equitable practices that can be applied to achieve successful outcomes such as a supportive environment for students, relationships formed, and curriculum opportunities. Linda Darling-Hammond discusses that research has shown students will thrive in a learning environment that is supportive and that good relationships equal good experiences. I was glad to hear that as these are best practices I try to incorporate into my classroom. I appreciated the discussion on false beliefs. She reminds us that “each student has potential, each student is at various levels of educational experience, and each student learns in different ways at different paces.” I believe this information to be a key component for which we can use to provide students with an equitable and inclusive educational experience. I don’t believe the literature for my synthesis discusses false beliefs and its effects on academic achievement. I would like to complete more research on this issue to see how it might influence my research plan.

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I chose Dr. Pedro Noguera Interview at ACSC Superintendent’s Symposium and Leading with Justice. He shares what equity means to the community, and his passion is to bring equity to all students. He states, “Equity is about giving kids what they need to be successful, and acknowledging that goes beyond academic support. It includes social and economic needs. It also includes their emotional and psychological well being.”

I agree with him that not only is it important to learn academic skills but also social and emotional learning is a very important part of a student’s learning.  My inquiry issue is Social Emotional Learning at Preschool. I believe that preschool is not only a baby sitting place for working parents, but also a school to prepare students academically and socially emotionally ready for Kindergarten and even higher education.

There is a lot of information in Dr. Noguera’s videos. I am inspired to see the true stories at SJHHS. Every teacher becomes a teacher of literacy, regardless of the subject they teach. The students had a successful school experience and passed their exams. The principal saw the vision in the beginning, but she couldn’t make everyone do it. Therefore, she started with a group of teachers who were willing to do so, and after several years, more and more students passed the exams. And more teachers got on board because they noticed the literacy works. My hope is every teacher in my preschool knows the importance of SEL and teaches SEL at preschool.

One of the five essential ingredients for equity is the ongoing development of the professional capacity of staff. The teachers may come from different backgrounds and cultures, and teachers will understand the importance of SEL through professional development. As a bold, socially responsible leader, it is my responsibility to promote the SEL PD for preschool teachers.

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I chose the leading with [for] Justice video by Dr. Noguera because the title was appealing. I appreciated the connections he made throughout the video with real life examples. His statement, “achievement gap is an educational manifestation of social inequality” was very powerful. Very often, we associate achievement with intelligence and we do not think about the deep inequities in our society, including access to opportunities, access to quality education, and poverty among others.

According to Dr. Noguera, one of the essential ingredients in an equity agenda is, “ongoing of the professional capacity of staff.” This essential ingredient is a key consideration for my inquiry issue because the participants in my project are early educators pursuing higher education and working towards degrees and credentials. Therefore, hearing his statements was validating and reminded me about the importance of the work I’m about to do.

Understanding the importance of teachers’ professional development and its relation to children’s outcomes can be great information for my inquiry issue because I can argue the importance of supporting teachers with a cohort learning community. Most of my project participants are from low-income families and lack a support system to help them manage their multiple responsibilities. However, having support in a cohort learning community can motivate them to continue so they can make the most of the opportunity they have been given in the apprenticeship program they are part of. Dr. Noguera said, “education is power.” We need to empower early educators through education and give them all the tools they need to help children thrive. The potential benefit of doing so is so great that it will be experienced by generations. In all that we do as bold and socially responsible leaders, we must consider justice, freedom and opportunities.

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I chose the podcast, "10 Ways Educators Can Take Action in Pursuit of Equity." I chose this resource because I skimmed a couple of them, and this one and I felt it most closely matched my inquiry question. My inquiry question investigates why Black, Latino, and White students are underrepresented in Advanced Placement classes at our school. Early in the podcast, it is shared that if many students of a certain group are underperforming, to look at the ones that are performing and see what is different about them. That reminded me of my question. It also emphasized the importance of building partnerships with parents and communities to share messages of why certain actions are being done. I think at our school it is assumed that all groups already know about the Advanced Placement classes, since overall, there is a high demand for them -- however, this high demand is not coming from the Black, Latino, and White families, so I think that parent and community outreach could be done as it explains in this podcast. Overall, the theme of all of these ways to take action in pursuit of equity were all very intentional and from a variety of different angles - to the students, the parents, the entire system...which is what I would expect of of a bold, socially responsible leader.

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For this week's discussion, the resource I selected was the podcast of Pedro Noguera- "10 Ways Educators Can Take Action in Pursuit of Equity". I liked this resource because I wanted to learn the steps to take so that I can also take action to build an equitable environment for students. Working in a community college, I enjoy participating in many committees to support students' educational success. Some committees may need help with having a structure of the roles and responsibilities they need to do. There are also other committees I have been involved in where there is no action to help our students. Even though this podcast mentions how educators can take equitable action to support children and parents in their education, I believe Pedro Noguera's resource can also be applied in a higher education environment. Noguera mentions essential practices for Educators to support, build, connect, embrace, and take action in helping students in their educational journey. I like how he highlights the importance of speaking up for equity and having honest conversations. In addition, it is essential to think and reflect and ask our students what they need to be successful and how we can support them better to retain our students.

This podcast resonated with me because, in my position, I work with students every day. In my position as a  Financial Aid Technician, I work with diverse groups of students and listen to their financial needs daily at the same time, their personal needs needed to help them continue their school. It is essential to speak up for equity, listen to the student's voices, and provide clear guidance to help the students. The podcast mentions how speaking up for equity or having honest conversations may be uncomfortable. I have experienced this when speaking up on committees about our college's equity issue. It can be challenging to have staff members understand the equity issues that student faces because, in the committees, some staff members are not in the student support department and express their viewpoints differently.

This podcast will help me in my inquiry because I will work on reflecting on the data collected from students and staff members and continue to research evidence-based practices to help increase the transfer rate for Latino/Hispanic students in their educational journey.

The ways in which all issues of equity influence our actions as Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders is the determination to focus, improve, and support the needs of students in an accessible, clear, and inclusive manner in their educational journey. Most importantly, building strong trusting relationships with them to build a comfortable space for our students to be heard, too.

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I chose this talk because Dr. Linda Darling Hammond has such an impressive resume. Also, it’s fun to see that she’s connected to the Bay Area. The introduction was powerful when Brian Williams taught a greeting “And how are the children?” then we respond, “The children are well.” This is so wonderful because it centers children and their wellbeing. If we had just one generation of children whose wellbeing was the top priority, it would change the world. I believe the health and wellbeing of our children is a looking glass into the health and wellbeing of our culture, nation, and world. Another part of the talk that resonated with me is when Dr. Hammond uses data and research to teach us how important a diverse student population and equal funding is. Time after time we see the solution to close the achievement gap and produce high quality education is- desegregation and equal funding. When we prioritize those two things the outcomes are  powerful. The last thing she emphasized is quality instruction through connected relationships, project based learning, and positive social interactions.

This connects to my inquiry issue because I’m comparing a co-op nursery school with self directed free play to a public school TK classroom. I know our co-op school emphasizes connected relationships, positive interactions, and project (play) based learning. I don’t have data yet to support quality outcomes. Alternatively, I’m not certain the public school TK truly focuses  on  connected relationships, play, and positive social interactions. I will learn this through my classroom observation and teacher interview. After I conduct my research I will have data to see how well each class is performing. I will use this information as I carry out my research because it’s important to know if these classrooms are in fact implementing these powerful strategies we know work well for students, especially our historically disadvantaged students.

In my career as an educator I try to keep equity at the forefront of my values, decisions, and actions. Especially as leaders in education, we have an obligation to ensure equitable environments for all children. We have power and influence, and that should be taken seriously. We have the power to influence schools to be full of growth, learning, support, and inspiration for all children. And we have the power and influence for schools to be places of shame, heartache, and exclusion. It’s our responsibility to create enriching environments for all students.

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1. Why you chose the specific resource(s).

I chose to listen to Jennifer Gonzalez and her Cult of Pedagogy which I have been a fan of for some time now. Gonzalez always brings up relevant topics with excellent guests. Currently, we are realigning our districts dual immersion program across all sites to be more effective. As we continue to move with this shift, I also want to bring up the cultural relevance and equity components in our program which I believe has been missing. Dr. Noguera, whom I’ve had the pleasure to meet, has always been poignant with his speeches and work in building more equitable and successful schools. In our site, we provide many resources for our families and many teachers speak about equity in their classrooms but there is nothing cohesive as as a school to ensure that we show as a school we promote diversity and the inclusion of all families, with a particular focus on our immigrant and Black families.

1. What resonates with you?

One piece of the podcast that really stuck with me is having more candid conversations and speaking honestly about what is happening - at least at my current site, we tend to be conflict avoidant. Where any disagreement is seen as uncomfortable and is usually quickly moved on from. This is not to say we need to be in conflict with each other but we need to be able to speak honestly when we have disagreements and use that as a way to improve our school without assuming conflict is wholly bad. I believe we have improved our program but we still need to align our classrooms because across grade levels there is inconsistency with what is being taught. For example, I expect multiple paragraph essays by the end of fifth grade and students have come to me struggling to form a single paragraph let alone multiple. Ideally, we should have more time to work together to improve and delineate what is expected and the goals we need to have in each grade so we may scaffold our students towards success as they move through the grade levels.

1. In what way(s) does the content connect to your work/inquiry issue?

I am working to see how our program is or is not effective with our English language learners and how the dual immersion program helps not only ELL’s learn English and reclassify, but how it helps maintain their heritage language. In order to do this, we need to have honest conversations and feedback about the practices that are working and, as Dr. Noguera said in his interview, often times our students and families are the most honest and will let us know what we need to do. It’s my hope to use this information to be able to improve our program and this podcast helps me understand how to frame the work I am doing and ensuring I am giving feedback to build upon what our school and families are doing.

1. How can you use this information as you lead our inquiry? How might the information influence your thinking about how you carry out your research plan?

Using data to ensure I am driving whatever results I find to be based in what will be most effective for student outcomes and not what is just tradition or the path of least resistance. I believe that using this helps how I want to ensure this information makes it so our parents help us build our program forward and are not just recipients of the program but also active participants. Ensuring this will allow our families to have ann even greater stake in the program not only because their children are in the program but because they will be guiding the development of the dual immersion program.

1. In what ways do all issues of equity influence our actions as Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders?

It is our responsibility, regardless of our rules within schools, to ensure that we create schools that are setup to ensure success of all our students. We as leaders have power to influence a multitude of spaces and we have to advocate in the instances where we have to empower our schools to be spaces that allow our students to thrive. Our schools reflect a cross section of our communities and our schools are as diverse as our communities and we have to ensure we are constantly assessing our biases and actions to ensure we have welcoming spaces for all our students in order to ensure their success.

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1. Why you chose the specific resource(s).

I chose to watch Dr. Noguera’s interview after looking over his article Taking on Tough Issues. Many of his ideas in the article resonated with me. I especially liked the quote; “In the future educational leaders should be less focused on looking good and more focused on doing good.”  Additionally, I liked the seven elements that he listed in order to achieve excellence and equity in schools.

2. What resonates with you?

Two things resonated with me most. First, if we want to see a change in outcomes, we have to change the strategies and methods we’re using.  Second, students learn more and are more likely to achieve their full potential when they learn in a comfortable environment and have good relationships with their teachers.

3. In what way(s) does the content connect to your work/inquiry issue?

My inquiry focuses on students’ need for support when it comes to social-emotional learning skills. Teachers are noticing a need for a shared language and hope to see students’ improve in their skills, but the school isn’t making any changes in its approach to teaching these skills to students. The Second Step curriculum being researched will be a new approach, and  it will hopefully provide students with tools and skills to find success in social situations.

4. How can you use this information as you lead our inquiry? How might the information influence your thinking about how you carry out your research plan?

Dr. Noguera talks about using data to drive reforms. As I lead this inquiry at my site, it will be important to measure the effectiveness of the outcomes with data collection to show leaders at my site that changing our approach will in fact result in positive social-emotional outcomes for students. My site has a new Head of School this year who has been facilitating conversations around equity and goals for our school.  SEL has come up many times and is a top priority for my site. I am hoping that by being consistent with data collection in my classroom, I will be able to begin the conversation about the benefits to be had at our school by adopting an SEL curriculum.

5. In what ways do all issues of equity influence our actions as Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders?

As leaders in education, we need to be familiar with issues of equity because we should strive to provide support for students that need it and minimize the opportunity gap. We should be consistently analyzing school data, engaging with families, and looking for gaps in order to address issues before they become detrimental to students' success. We may be able to learn from other schools that are already successfully addressing these issues, but we also need to be able to think creatively and be innovative if we want to achieve equity in our schools.

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I listened to the podcast "10 Ways Educators Can Take Action in Pursuit of Equity" from Cult of Pedagogy. I've explored several other articles and podcasts from this blog before, which I have enjoyed and connected with. I appreciate the practical uses of the ideas presented and the alignment with my values and pedagogy. The interview featured here was one with Pedro Noguera, a leader in educational equity.

Several parts of the interview resonated with me. I really liked his points about the reevaluation of our current practices. Though teachers are by and large well-meaning and what we do in our classrooms is well-intended, we need to be open to the fact that some of these practices could be contributing to equity gaps. As an instructional coach, I can connect with this in that discussing teachers' practices can ride a very personal line. Teachers want to do the best for their students, but often have very emotional connections to their practices and can be defensive of their reasoning and choices to use them. Creating safe spaces for teachers to learn and reflect on their practices, potential ramifications and alternatives is super important.

Noguera touched on the importance of teacher training and use of research based strategies to intervene coupled with evaluation of those strategies. He also described early intervention and acceleration as essential to successful student outcomes. My study of structured literacy strategies to accelerate literacy development in elementary students reading below grade level strongly connects to these points. I think the notion of acceleration versus remediation of literacy skills will help to frame the research I am doing. In exploring whether these strategies are effective, I will consider the need for acceleration of student reading skills towards grade level as our ultimate goal. Within my research, I'll be exploring both a whole group format of instruction and small group, so it will be interesting to consider which model out of the two really accelerates student learning.

With regard to issues of equity influencing our actions as Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders, I appreciated the way in with Noguera described the normalization of inequities within our school system. He described the ways in which teachers can come to accept achievement gaps as inevitable and tied to factors out of their control. I liked how he challenged this by pointing out that there are working models of schools that are serving various student groups very well and that their very existence proves that this is not a given and that equitable outcomes for these students is possible (and deserved). As Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders, it is up to us to challenge these accepted norms. Though this work is not straightforward or easy, there are so many resources to tap into and it is our responsibility as educational leaders to advocate for all of our students to receive quality instruction and experience successful outcomes.

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I picked the podcast by Linda Darling Hammond because it was about trying to fix or at least understand systems that are broken with regard to equity. This is relevant to me because the districts that surround me and the one that my children attend are really excited about schools of choice. I work at a school of choice. I think they are really amazing for the students, families, and educators. But why can’t all schools be that way? Why does it take a special decision, a departure from the main stream, to get that experience? This year, more than ever, the more I am thankful for the place that I work, the more I’m aware of students who are at other schools and aren’t enjoying their education at all - and the teachers who teach everyday and don't want to go to work.

Dr. Hammond mentioned one of the reasons that equity issues still exist, the funding structures that are linked to property values. That’s a tremendously complicated hurdle to overcome with roots tied to terrible choices in the 20th century by the federal government. But I think the other obstacle to learning and success for students, is that schools are built to be large for an economic reason and that their size leads to a natural loss of community. I have a lot of thoughts about this but it would be a grand experiment to wave a wand over the country and change all the schools in two ways. No school can have more than 500 students or less than 300. And, each school must have at least 4 ages of students (grades). So, as a response to my post, I’d love to hear any thoughts (for or against) about how changing the size of schools would or wouldn’t impact student achievement. Thanks

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I selected the Podcast with Transcript - 10 Ways Educators Can Take Action in Pursuit of Equity for this week's assignment. I chose this transcript because it covers various equity issues while addressing the more significant problem of awareness without actual equity. This resonated with me because it always allows me to revisit and reflect on what it is to be truly equitable. Having been in higher education for almost ten years, you tend to become stagnant and stubborn if you don't 'check' yourself every now and again.

The podcast's content connects with my inquiry because it highlights the various identities and challenges in education. The vast population of my students are 1st generation students of color. Their experiences are those that Dr. Noguera speaks about. For my research, these ten approaches are tools that can help establish academic success for our students, one of our core values as a department. When collecting my data, I can use these ten pursuits to identify if we are successfully influencing the academic success of our student residents. Understanding these issue of equity influence how we empower our students and provide them the opportunities to succeed in life. Additionally, this builds trust with the community and creates genuine feels of support and representation.

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I listened to the Linda Darling Hammond - 2020 Mays Lecture Podcast because it aligns with the research we are conducting for this program. The podcast is about how Linda Darling Hammond carries out research to change policy. It was interesting how the speaker mentioned that she used to believe that doing research and publishing it in a journal was enough for it to influence policy, but that’s not the case. Often what happens is that the research doesn’t translate to the environment, so in the end there isn’t a benefit. This resonates with me because I’ve attended staff meetings where it is very data-driven with graphs and numbers, but it doesn’t answer the follow-up question which is “where do we go from here”? While I think having the research with the data is important, it can feel overwhelming when we’re left with what to do next based on the numbers. The podcast emphasizes the need to put the research in the context of the environment and to work with as many colleagues as possible to gain support.

I think this podcast is relatable to all of our work, specifically to everyone’s inquiry issue because we are identifying a problem at our sites and trying to collect data that hopefully will provide a base for change. In relation to my own inquiry I have gained support from my leadership and they are very interested to hear the results of the student survey. In the podcast Linda Darling Hammond stated “if you want to go fast go alone, and if you want to go far go together”. This idea is what I’m leading my research with because I know that I can’t pursue change in the Student Services Office without the support of leadership and other colleagues we collaborate with. To be a bold, socially responsible leader, issues of equity are at the forefront of our work. In my own role I meet with many international students who are attending a US school for the first time. In regards to Student Services, it’s very important to keep this in mind because these students often need more support navigating the US school system.

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I chose the video of Dr. Pedro Noguera at the ACSA Superintendent’s Symposium because early on he made a comment that really struck me: equity means responding to the academic and non-academic needs of kids. He also stated that we need to acknowledge students are different and they come to us with different needs. This resonated with me and connected to my inquiry, identifying the root cause of chronic absenteeism at my site. This will include responding to the non-academic needs of kids with support that is specific to their varied needs. Two other comments that stood out were the need to shift away from mandating to collaborating and problem-solving as a community, and that schools should be cultivating the talents of our students with teachers as advocates of children, not measuring and sorting the abilities of our students. While listening to his talk, I found many connections to my inquiry issue. He spent time talking about how schools can offset what families lack: lack of housing, lack of healthcare, and lack of transportation. He then discussed how a focus on agency over grit allows the community to identify what it can do as a community to support its children in their varied needs. I love the idea of agency and would like to ensure that I approach my research through this lens. How can we work collectively and collaboratively to identify the needs of our students? Ultimately, if we are embracing being bold, socially responsible leaders, then we are leading with equity at the heart of our decisions.
-Melanie Zapper

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I started my perusing with Dr. Pedro Noguera’s interview at the ACSA Superintendent Symposium and found immediate resonance and decided to listen/watch all of the content featuring him. As an emotional creature, I think the first chord that he struck in me was possibility and inspiration.  His talks were filled with examples of strong, equity-minded leaders, be they teachers or principals or superintendents who were challenging the status quo, doing something specific and actionable, whether it was the leader fostering a culture of care by taking his custodians to lunch and asking them about their hopes and dreams because the custodians had a critical role beyond making the campus clean but beautiful for students, or the failing high school in Boston who improved literacy by starting with willing teachers and ultimately shifted both culture and test scores, or the middle school math teacher who fostered a classroom of movement and student engagement.  We have acknowledged how difficult educational equity is and it is so important for me to repeat those success stories, to remember and remind: It can be done.  It IS being done.  Beyond this, Dr. Noguera deeply understands the importance of making educational equity work concrete, actionable and results-oriented and so many of his strategies are ones that I work towards and practice.  I was particularly struck by his emphasis on agency and accountability and have throughout this program noted my own work to center my agency and power.  One of my grants uses a framework called Results Based Accountability and I have come to embrace accountability, and have learned how to practice it without shame or blame but curiosity and it has been transformative.  Hearing it noted and holding accountability for all members in our system, teachers, students, parents, school boards, administrators, etc. simply makes sense to me.

In regards to my inquiry, Dr. Noguera noted a number of different, but applicable truths like the way in which relationships undergirds learning and the importance of students knowing why education and college are important.  It can seem elemental, but it isn’t always intuitive for families who have experienced intergenerational poverty which may have been furthered by a loop of substandard educational experiences.  At the end of his Leading with Justice talk he reframed several common questions and the combined effect made me question: am I asking the right questions?  I mean that broadly: my inquiry itself, my focus questions, my interview questions? I thought about the power of certain questions as was the case of the poet who asked her students to tell her “something about yourselves that is important to knowing who you are” and how that prompt unleashed these incredible answers that fostered community and connection.  “How do we raise achievement?” sounds like a great question until it is wrestled with and a new question emerges, “How do we get students excited about learning?”  I suppose I am simply realizing that the time has come to get into the research, the action, to see what answers emerge and acknowledge that my research may simply lead me to asking better questions.

Finally, with respect to the influence of equity on us as Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders, it is clear from our program, the content and Dr. Pedro Noguera’s work that this is the essential charge, that a student’s race, zip code, gender, income level should not be the determining factor in that student’s achievement.  In my case, my grants, my schools and work are all in service to students whose families did not attend college, who are low income, immigrants, of color, etc.  This also happens to be my community and where I live, and so the work is personal and it calls on us, on me, to look at the outcomes and results of my/our work and to move away from what doesn’t work versus repeating it, to understand that we are likely addressing issues beyond academics, but that we needn’t, shouldn’t do it alone, and that this work is possible.

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1. Why you chose the specific resource(s).

I chose to review the video - Keynote Linda Darling-Hammond speaking on

“Achieving Equity and Excellence: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go.”
Links to an external site.

because my issue focuses on creating equity between students through delivery of curriculum content material. I was interested to hear what the latest information is about where the educational system is and what direction is being encouraged to move towards.

2. What resonates with you?

Dr. Darling-Hammond highlighted that educational discourse today is centered around the discussion that money doesn’t make a difference. She gave some historical context that has led up to the disparity in school funding today causing inequity issues in education. A comparison of the ideals of the 1960’s influenced by the Kerner report to the 1970’s and then to present day education shows there is always a system of “push and pull” backs, or progress and setbacks. In the 1960’s, a gigantic move towards equity was apparent in educational programs established, such as magnet schools, teacher corps programs, loan forgiveness for teachers, and higher education scholarships. Poverty was cut as people fought against segregation. However, in the 1980’s, progress regressed  and poverty spiked because of government funding cutbacks to these programs. When compared, the educational reforms of the 60’s showed a reduced black to white reading achievement gap by half, whereas today the achievement gap is 30% larger than it was in the 70’s.

3. In what way(s) does the content connect to your work/inquiry issue?

She noted that segregation is the most thing that predicts the achievement gap. This is due to limited resources for hiring qualified teachers, creating better working conditions, unequal access to curriculum, learning opportunities or programs that eventually leads to dysfunctional schools. This connects to my issue of reading achievement gaps because without the proper funding for reading resources, teachers will not be able to provide students with the tools they need to achieve success.

4. How can you use this information as you lead our inquiry? How might the information influence your thinking about how you carry out your research plan?

Even though my inquiry is in a private school, it’s important to encourage the fair distribution of monetary resources to the necessary areas to benefit student academic achievement. Without allocating resources to the needs of the teachers and students, then the academic progress of students will be stunted because, as Dr. Darling-Hammond pointed out, the disparity will continue to grow and the school will have fewer qualified teachers, greater instability, and a rapid teacher turnover rate.

5. In what ways do all issues of equity influence our actions as Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders?

Mindscape 1 States that as educators, we should strive for  “Teaching and learning for equity and high achievement.” That makes academic achievement not based on background, race or culture.

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Erica Maciel

1. Why you chose the specific resource?

1. I have previously listened to some of Dr. Pedro Noguera’s talks and I feel that he is very inspirational in his messages. I also feel that I have the same viewpoints on the educational foundation as him. His message is powerful and when I listen to what he has to say, I find that I can relate to his methods because the most influential teachers for me were the teachers that I connected with the most.

2. What from the resource resonates with you?

1. The thing that resonated with me the most was the part where Dr. Pedro Noguera spoke about cultivating agencies. What he meant by this was that teachers need to be collaborative with their students. Teachers should not be superior or act like they know everything, instead they should venture on a learning expedition with their students. When students and teachers feel empowered, cared for, and listened to, they both have a higher success rate.

3. In what way(s) does the content connect to your work/inquirer issue?

1. My study will focus on Project-Based Learning (PBL), which is a student driven model of teaching and learning. Through PBL the teacher is to become a collaborator with the student as well as a support system. It is contrary to the traditional style of teaching where the teacher is an information giver. Instead, it puts the power in the students' hands to learn with their best methods and questioning style. Just like Dr. Pedro Noguero spoke about. He stated that teachers need to foster deeper learning and develop critical thinking and problem solving through curiosity. In the PBL model, students create their own questions and then find a way to solve the problems through collaborative learning.

4. How can you use this information as you lead your inquiry?

1. My study and unit will focus on student-centered learning, collaboration between students and teacher, as well as giving students equity through choosing their own path of showing that they have mastered their standard through a variety of different projects. Dr. Pedro Noguero focuses on keeping students engaged and active participants in their learning process.

5. How might the information influence your thinking about how you carry out your research plan?

1. This ed talk enhanced the importance of teacher collaboration with students as well as allowing the student to be responsible for their own learning and questioning. Additionally, it stressed the importance of ongoing teacher professional development and training. This will need to be incorporated into my action plan of study.

6. In what ways do all issues of equity influence our actions as a Bold, Socially Responsible Leaders?

1. Being a leader means that you take all individuals into consideration and you move forward on the path that suits the needs and interests of of people involved. Leaders need to have empathy and understanding for all students and staff. An equitable classroom ensures that students learn at their highest potential and that starts with a Bold, Socially Responsible Leader who cares about the success of all their students.