Seven equity strategies for local leaders, including listening first, strengths-based approaches, and co-design¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

The guide recommends seven strategies for local leaders to disrupt power imbalances and foster greater equity. These include: "Engage and listen to teachers, students, and families first, before taking action"; adopting strengths-based approaches to planning, decision-making, and communicating; embracing existing community values, histories, and relationships; co-designing, co-implementing, co-leading, and co-governing initiatives with students, families, and communities; using inquiry and reflection to disrupt implicit and explicit biases; using data collection and analysis to disrupt organizational and structural inequities; and helping children claim their power and lift up their communities.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Leaders must acknowledge unequal starting places and examine power structures, including systemic advantage and disadvantage, as the guide's equity framing requires

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• K-12 students
• families
• teachers
• district leaders

Target Learning Goals¶

• equitable experiences and outcomes in whole-person learning and development

Related Strategies¶

• Listen to the Voices of Students
• Assess team readiness across leadership, facilitation, communication, shared understanding, and capacity before starting

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Walrond, N. (2021). Serving the whole person: An alignment and coherence guide for local education agencies. WestEd. https://www.wested.org/resources/whole-person-alignment-and-coherence-guide-for-local-education-agencies