From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education

by Estela Mara Bensimon, Tia Brown McNair, Lindsey Malcom-Piqueux

A practical guide for achieving equitable outcomes

From Equity Talk to Equity Walk offers practical guidance on the design and application of campus change strategies for achieving equitable outcomes. Drawing from campus-based research projects sponsored by the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, this invaluable resource provides real-world steps that reinforce primary elements for examining equity in student achievement, while challenging educators to specifically focus on racial equity as a critical lens for institutional and systemic change.

Colleges and universities have placed greater emphasis on education equity in recent years. Acknowledging the changing realities and increasing demands placed on contemporary postsecondary education, this book meets educators where they are and offers an effective design framework for what it means to move beyond equity being a buzzword in higher education. Central concepts and key points are illustrated through campus examples. This indispensable guide presents academic administrators and staff with advice on building an equity-minded campus culture, aligning strategic priorities and institutional missions to advance equity, understanding equity-minded data analysis, developing campus strategies for making excellence inclusive, and moving from a first-generation equity educator to an equity-minded practitioner.

From Equity Talk to Equity Walk: A Guide for Campus-Based Leadership and Practice is a vital wealth of information for college and university presidents and provosts, academic and student affairs professionals, faculty, and practitioners who seek to dismantle institutional barriers that stand in the way of achieving equity, specifically racial equity to achieve equitable outcomes in higher education.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction, Race, Teaching, Audiobook, School, Academic

137 pages, Hardcover

First published December 18, 2019

Reviews

[P. Lundburg · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those in the education field, particularly in administration, this is a must-read. The content is refreshing and necessary as we try to move the needle toward being truly equitable in our efforts to ensure all are provided quality education. That means digging into data and learning to actually see all of our students where they are so that we can become better "scaffolds" as they build their knowledge toward their future goals. The book reads more like an academic paper geared for those in higher education, so it can't be expected to be particularly engaging.... for that, I would rate it a 3. It's engaging for the content and our interest in improving in our work. For that, I would give it a 5. Between the two, it lands on a 4-star in my view.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as part of a book club at the community college where I work. I am staff, not faculty. Regardless, I found it useful and interesting. I had no idea that there was such resistance to disaggregating data by race and such a deficit mindset surrounding the educational outcomes of minoritized students. I had hoped for more concrete examples of policies and processes at colleges that cause problems for BIPOC students. The last chapter has good suggestions, but I would have benefited from more through out the book.

I also find their usage of the word “whiteness” confusing. Are they saying that having a deficit mindset occurs because someone’s skin is white? Or are they saying there is a culture associated with whiteness that causes all of the above? If so, I think more background information is needed on what white culture is.

[Randy Schultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - was reading with a reading group on campus. Group fell apart at the end but the book is still a must/highly recommended read for any University person - and even any that are not.

[Kat Conrad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt hypocritical in some regards.

Also felt like it failed to connect injustices back to root cause. Higher ed is a part of the system but we are not the whole system.

Talked about how buzz words were bad but then praised, uplifted, and used buzz words the entire time.

Talked only about racial injustices and not any other types of systemic identity based injustice until the end, where it felt like an afterthought.

Newsflash: socio-economic status is an important identity like any other and while you’re right that we shouldn’t be assuming it’s also inherently linked to race, it’s also a very very valid way to walk through the world in a way that’s marginalized from ‘mainstream’ experience. This book legitimately said it was a less important identity and contributed to less inequity in higher ed without any evidence. My institution has pretty good data to back up student success rates across demographic increasing with access to food and basic needs.

Did have some good points, helpful feedback, and call to action specifically in higher education so not all around bad by any means. Mostly academic calls to action though, and would have loved to see more about non academic programs in student affairs.

[Matthew Spencer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's heart is in the right place, so it pains me to award it only two stars. However, the writing was dense enough that the ideas didn't really stick.

From Equity Talk to Equity Walk bills itself as a handbook for department chairs or professors to change the culture of an academic department, and it's at its finest when it focuses on that goal. In particular, there are a series of case studies showing equity-minded/non-equity-minded responses side-by-side in chapter 2 that are quit memorable. I also benefitted from the aggressive arguments for data disaggregation, the concept of a sense-making step when data is presented and the witty barb of calling professors (including me) first generation equity practitioners.

However, that last barb illustrates one issue with the book: that it is a bit inaccessible. To star, it is heavy with diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) jargon, to the extent that the density of the academic language is a significant barrier for remembering anything. This "non-stickiness" of ideas is further aggravated by the disjointed voice of the book, which feels different from chapter to chapter. One manifestation of this academic inaccessibility is the suggestion that departments start their inclusion efforts by confronting holistic whiteness (presumably in faculty meetings), which is a difficult entry point for academics that are used to aspiring to race-blindness. I think a more oblique approach and/or concrete tips for defining whiteness would make that an easier pill to swallow, but it's as natural a suggestion as breathing to the authors.

The idea of a handbook that has exactly the recipe for taking your academic department to the next level of inclusive culture is great, so too is the idea of a book that discusses what to do with the data that is concretely available to practitioners in higher education. However, the organization and writing in this book didn't make that information sufficiently accessible. This is an OK read if you're a department chair and you've already worked through a few of the more popular basics, but I think I got more out of How to Be An Antiracist.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an easy, insightful read with actionable steps. There's also scenarios to help you see both how people try to avoid tackling equity and how to work with them on that. Chapter 2 is especially helpful in that regard. I'm hoping that everyone in higher ed will read this so that we can all work together to make more equitable spaces for everyone.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, short book about equity and how to think about it at an institutional level in higher education. Very good for anyone who works directly with high impact practices

[Carolyn Kost · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is demeaning to Blacks, presuming them to be lacking in agency, victims who require that all institutional structures be changed in order for them to reach the bar attained by impoverished Asian refugees with non-English speaking parents who have only an elementary school education. Somehow, many impoverished Asians manage to flourish without all that must change to accommodate Blacks and provide reparations:
• "cultural representation in the board of trustees"
• cultural representation in the curriculum (especially focusing on the ways they have been victimized by Whites) and inclusion of Black, Native American and Hispanic authors in every subject, regardless of whether they are the most cited authorities on the subject
• teachers who look like them
• specialized "high impact practices"
• changes to the strategic plan on a macro level and syllabi on the micro level
• denunciations of whiteness
• a cadre of VERY HIGHLY PAID (Berkeley's Chancellor is given a $325000 a year in salary) Grand Inquisitors to staff the DIRE office, attend meetings, stir up trouble where there wasn't any, and hire other consultants to hold diversity trainings. (UC Berkeley spends $25M a year and pays 400 employees to advance ‘equity and inclusion’).

None of the supposed impediments has affected Asians, a minority that has proven to be astonishingly successful. Perhaps they are not "minoritized" by whiteness.

"To paraphrase Dr. King...'the real problem underlying racial inequality': whiteness" (117).

Good heavens! When did Dr. King say anything similar? That has no resemblance to anything Dr. King ever stated. Centering ethnic origin cannot be defended. To group all blacks together as sharing characteristics is ignorant. The authors mandate disaggregating data on every possible metric only according to race and ethnicity (how are we to ask students that information?), but not in such a granular way. The obsession with the entirely arbitrary category of "Black," is baseless. Immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, or South America have little in common with each other, and far less with the fifth generation Southern Black college graduate (who somehow managed to flourish), the descendant of Boston Blacks free since the 18th century, or the great-grandson of a sharecropper from Mississippi.

The authors and their organizations (e.g. USC's CUE et al.) demand the centering of Blacks by all instructors and administrators in higher education, in "admissions, participation in high impact practices, degree attainment in STEM, transfer from community colleges to highly selective four-year colleges, faculty hiring," (28) language, etc. In their ideology, racial inequalities exist only because of institutional practices and instructors' deficiencies, not group averages. We must "stop believing that the accepted norm should be from the dominant culture's viewpoint" (17). Past and current norms and standards of excellence have been "determined by whiteness" and must be summarily discarded.

What could possibly go wrong with that?

Blacks are 12.6% of the U.S. population. About one-third of all Black men and women have college degrees; that's 3.8% of the population on which we are to center all of our efforts.
Preposterous.
The authors earnestly believe that by making the instructors and universities the problem, they are reversing W.E.B. Du Bois' famous, "How does it feel to be a problem?", referring to Blacks. They aren't. The problem remains the proportional Black lack of educational attainment and the changes to every single action the university and its employees execute in order to accommodate them, in the view of these authors.

This is truly an embarrassment of a book. It does not execute its stated intent (meeting people where they are); it's pure emotional ideology with no empirical foundation, preaching to the already converted to the new religion that is DIRE (Diversity, Inclusion, Race, Equity/Emotion), with no rational basis, no careful analysis, no consideration of any other viewpoints. Embarrassingly, it consistently quotes the opinions and favorite turns of phrase of one of the authors previously published in another source as though they were somehow authoritative. Dreadful in every way, this is not respectable academic writing, but merely racially charged ideology.

The authors assert that we must see "racial equity as a project with three aims:
1. Correct the educational injustices perpetuated by policies and practices that resulted in a systematic marginalization of populations whose ties to the United States came about involuntarily through enslavement, colonization usurpation of territory, or genocide.
2. Elevate antiracism as an agenda that higher education must take on if we are ever to truly be the just and good society we imagine ourselves to be.
3. Make whiteness be seen as the problem that undermines higher education from serving as a societal model for racial justice" (101). This is just DIRE dogma with no supporting evidence.

The language is so off-putting it needed a glossary. I needed my nighttime bite guard I was clenching my jaw so hard. Examples of the Woke vocabulary:

1. The term "minority," i.e. a group that is smaller in number than a larger group is never to be used. Rather, we must refer to "minoritized," a group subordinated in status to a more dominant group or its members. Still, "underserved" is better because it's "a call to serve such students."

2. The authors use the term Latinx, which the vast majority of those considered Hispanic reject, preferring to use national origin, like Guatemalan, Colombian-Panamanian, etc. First, Hispanic/Latino, etc. are nonsensical and amorphous terms. A German or Hungarian who emigrates to, say, Argentina or Chile, and then to the U.S. suddenly becomes Hispanic, entitled to all the myriad privileges that accords him or her. Second, Hispanic can include anyone of Spanish origin; why would someone of Spanish origin be treated any differently from someone from any other European country? Third, many actually consider Latinx to be a white supremacist term, since it departs from the Spanish term Latino due to considering it patriarchal in its grammar.

3. Even a term like "Inclusive excellence" is problematic "because it implies that there is a group who i) has the power to control access to excellence by deciding who is included, ii) has ownership of what defines excellence, and iii) requires that others must be invited to be part of this group in order to achieve excellence" (5). Instead, the AAC&U must use the term "expansive excellence," which will enable the redefinition of excellence. This is reminiscent of Gina Ann Garcia's assertions that Hispanic Serving Institutions should not be held to the normal standards of excellence, like graduation rates and faculty publications, but rather to revised standards, primarily how well they have transformed students into activists. This entire DIRE project essentially shifts dramatically the proper purpose of the university to activism from the pursuit of truth.

4. The word "equity" is at the center, naturally. "Equity prioritizes the creation of opportunities for minoritized students to have equal outcomes and participation in educational programs that can close the achievement gaps in student success and completion" (7), according to the AAC&U. "Equity is a means of corrective justice for the educational debt owed to the descendants of enslaved people and other minoritized populations willfully excluded from higher education" (20). "The goal of the 'equity as parity' standard is that all racial/ethnic groups achieve an outcome rate equal to that of the highest performing group...in educational outcomes (e.g. degree completion rate, retention rate, course success rate) and reflect the proportional participation of racially minoritized students in all levels of an institution (e.g. high-status special programs, high-demand majors, honors programs)" (55).

5. The authors assert that "the term achievement gap....places the onus of redressing educational disparities on the very students who experience inequities because it suggests that students are failing to 'achieve.' The term suggests that students are solely responsible for acting, and the language sends a message that practitioners do not have to engage in critical reflection on their practices. The term equity gap, on the other hand, evokes the notion that institutions have a responsibility to create equity for students" (73). Again, the authors believe Blacks lack agency to flourish without special treatment.

The authors cite the work of Association of American Colleges and Universities so often the reader must wonder why they didn't simply refer the reader to the aacu.org website or its America's Unmet Promise (which shares an author, unsurprisingly), and skip this atrocious Little White Book.

USC's Center for Urban Education uses the term "equity-mindedness to refer to the mode of thinking exhibited by practitioners who are willing to assess their own racialized assumptions, to acknowledge their lack of knowledge in the history of race and racism, to take responsibility for the success of historically underserved and minoritized student groups, and to critically assess racialization in their own practices as educators and/or administrators" (20). The authors repeat this many times, taking a page from Goebbels: People will believe a lie repeated enough times...

Ignoring all the empirical evidence to the contrary, instructors must consider all students as having equal ability to learn and complete assignments and equal motivation to do the work. Any disparity must be attributed to instructors' biases and lack of pedagogical skill. The lack of academic preparation, study skills, etc., must be summarily dismissed. "Rather than asking the Latinx student why they were not doing the homework, Burke decided to get the homework started during class" (111). Even more incredible is that educational institutions are criticized for providing solutions:
"From an equity minded perspective, questions such as these are rejected because the framing situates lower performance on Black, Latinx, and Native American students: Why are the grade-point averages of black students the lowest? Why do so many Latinx students fail college level math...The framing of these questions encourages 'solutions' that aim to fix minoritized students by providing them with add-on, compensatory solutions such as intrusive counseling and remediation" (48). "Why is it that my teaching practices create a successful experience for white students but not for racially minoritized students?" (109)."Racialized gaps are a catalyst to ask questions such as:...What causes these courses to underperform for black students?" (boldface mine) (49). Clearly, "minoritized students," perennial victims, lack agency and the entire enterprise of education must be changed to suit.

Know what the easiest and fastest way to ensure equal outcomes is? Lower the standards. And that's what you'll do if you're truly committed to equal outcomes for students with lower preparation, academic ability, motivation, work ethic, commitment, etc., regardless of the ethnic group with which they identify. If we assign a "transition team" and personal mentor and tutor to each student (de rigueur in some universities and advocated in The Chronicle of Higher Education), the thinking is that they will be more likely to persist to completion.

This begs the question of How much help is too much? At what point do we realize that we are enabling students and lowering standards related to self-efficacy, not merely academics. Many of us have had the experience of working in a place where we felt strongly we didn't belong, regardless of the ethnic composition. An organization, including a university, should not and will not change to accommodate us. It is the responsibility of the one who feels alienated to either find a way to relate and create a place for himself or herself --or find another place.

Don't dare imagine that class matters more than race, since "minoritized students pay a cultural tax that is levied only on American minoritized students who are burdened with the legacies of educational apartheid" (31). Nonsense. Proof? None.

The following thoughts are forbidden, even if they happen to be true:
• "Students are underprepared.
• Their culture does not value education.
• ...They don't know how to be students
• They don't know how to study for a test
• They read the book, but they don't understand it.
• They lack self-regulation skills.
• They go in by high school and don't realize college is different.
• They have no idea what it is to be a college student.
• ...Their language skills are lacking
• The don't know how to read or take notes." (47).
If you haven't taught in a community college or non-selective institution, you may be misled. If you have, you know these are empirically true statements.

"The American Council on Education's report found that 45% of all undergraduates identified as being a race or ethnicity other than White, compared with 29.6% in 1995-6" (80). Sure. A white complexioned, blond-haired, blue-eyed person like Cameron Diaz is likely to identify as "hispanic" or "other," if there is any justification at all to do so, since it is to his or her very great advantage. This is why there is a movement to create a NAME (North African Middle Eastern) group to further erode the "White" category. All of this ethnic slicing and dicing is nonsense. Why ethnicity, particularly when so many people are of mixed ancestry? Will we subject them to DNA testing? No. It's all subjective identification for advantage. Nevertheless, "Whiteness," as the term is used here, transcends actual complexion or ethnicity. It is whatever these ideologues say it is.

Here's a university DIRE statement the authors still find fault with. See if you can find the problem:
"College D is a community that includes the form and values voices of all people. As such we recognize the social barriers that have systematically marginalized and excluded people and communities based on race ethnicity gender sexual identity socioeconomic background, age, disability, national origin, and religion. We are committed to the equity of opportunities and strive to promote and advance diverse communities. We value and proactively seek genuine participation from these historically underrepresented in underserved groups and recognize them as an essential component of creating and welcoming a rich academic intellectual and cultural environment for everyone" (85).

Did you catch the naughty word?

It's "them," because it establishes the underserved as "other" (86).

We must all strive to be at the forefront of DIRE as activists, for "[B]eing a first-generation equity practitioner is not stigmatizing and is not a barrier toward being tenured and promoted" (107). Well, they have that right. It's only the ones who question or oppose the DIRE ideology who experience those barriers, who are silenced, shunned, and/or even dismissed. Just ask the 591 professors who have been sanctioned for heresy against the DIRE orthodoxy.

[Liz Norell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Tia Brown McNair and AAC&U, so I was delighted to consume this slim, readable volume on what it means to do equity work. In the summer of 2020, it was perfectly aligned to world events and the things I've been thinking about regarding my teaching and my presence in the world more generally. However, I do think this book might've been more useful if it had given me more specific examples of assessment strategies that DO promote equity and DO NOT resort to the common pitfalls of much of this work. Often, it feels like discussions of what not to do leave us with more questions than answers. I do realize that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to assessment, but some models would be useful.

I also would've liked this book to spend more time on the critical but often absent problem of trying to get buy-in from faculty who aren't yet awake to the unconscious but insidious was bias infects their relationships with students. We all know of colleagues who are skeptical that bias is actually a going concern, and I'd really like to see tangible advice on how to bring them into this work.

[Michele Siqueiros · Rating 5 out of 5]

A true practical guide for anyone in higher education interested in ensuring that equity isn’t just the popular word of the day but results in changed practice by campus leaders, faculty and the community at large. Key lessons:
1) Race matters. You cannot be an equity leader if you refuse to be race conscious. Colorblindness just means you refuse to really see your students and understand their racialized experiences. (Also being color blind is just passive aggressive racism).
2) Reflect. Ask the tough questions. This book is filled with them. Latinx students aren’t failing because they’re Latinx. Your practices are the reason.
3) Dissagregate Data. Data is a powerful tool, data disaggregated by race/ethnicity and gender is twice as powerful. And while data has potential power.... it’s only when it’s acted upon and used that it matters.
4) understand whiteness in higher ed
5) racism is reinforced actively in higher education (admissions requirements, remedial course placements, etc.)

[Jean Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I found this book hard to get into and a struggle to read, but with many principles and ideas that are worth knowing. If I hadn't been required to read this for a summer program, I probably wouldn't have, but that said, I am glad I did. One of the key principles is that in order for institutions like universities to change, we need data on student success that is disaggregated by race, gender, socioeconomic status so that we can see who is succeeding and who is not, and use that to examine our practices and the ways in which the system excludes those who are not in the majority.

My secret to reading difficult books like this is to make an outline of the key important ideas as I read, and to look at how those ideas fit together.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book did a nice job of informing readers and helping identify key problems with equity in higher education, which need to be addressed. However, I was disappointed by the paucity of concrete ideas about how to create solutions. The final chapter of the book finally starts to delve into this but I was hoping for more—and especially for more case studies of what people and other institutions are doing to improve situations once they identify them.

[Jonathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The authors forgot to write the "equity walk" part.

[Jess Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction: Embarking on "From Equity Talk to Equity Walk" was a journey ignited by a recommendation from a DEI expert. I am profoundly grateful for having picked up this insightful book. Despite its concise nature, it serves as a powerful reminder of the gaps in our understanding and the importance of adopting a learner’s mindset in the complex work of equity.

Synopsis: This book traverses the challenging landscape of educational equity, addressing the deep-rooted injustices through systematic marginalization based on race, ethnicity, and history. It advocates for a clear articulation of equity, underpinned by the necessity to understand and correct educational injustices. Through principles of equity by design, it calls for a paradigm shift in practices and policies to not only recognize but accommodate the diverse contexts of student learning. This work stresses the importance of ongoing learning, data disaggregation, and critical questioning to foster a truly equitable educational environment.

Strengths: The book’s brevity, surprisingly, does not detract from its impact. Instead, it makes for an accessible, digestible read, achievable within a week. Its straightforward language and approachable format are designed to comfort the discomforted, challenging faculty and staff to confront hard realities without stigmatizing first-generation equity practitioners. Through practical examples, like the impactful case study from the Community College of Aurora, the authors highlight the transformative power of disaggregating data, making the case for equity-minded practices in tangible, relatable ways.

Opportunities: Despite its strengths, the book may not bridge the gap to those yet unconvinced of the value of equity work, speaking more to those already engaged in the conversation. It primarily addresses faculty, leaving a gap for administrators seeking to champion equity from their positions. While rich in actionable insights, a deeper dive into the 'why' of equity work could broaden its appeal and impact, offering more comprehensive guidance for implementing these critical practices across the spectrum of higher education roles.

Conclusion: "From Equity Talk to Equity Walk" is an important read for anyone within the higher education sphere committed to understanding and advancing educational equity. While I rated it 4 out of 5 for its concise yet impactful contribution, I longed for further exploration into administrative roles in equity work. Nevertheless, it has been a grounding read, one that I've already recommended to colleagues, underscoring its immediate value and relevance in today's educational landscape.

#EquityInEducation #FromEquityTalkToEquityWalk #HigherEdEquity #TheClarkCommunique

[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a helpful resource for higher education practitioners, especially if/when used in conjunction with the resources made available through USC's Center for Urban Education. This is a straight-talk book that challenges professionals to stop using coded language to occlude the fact that equity gaps in higher education outcomes are attributable almost entirely to white privilege and the acceptance of whiteness as the tacit norm in all educational interactions. The centerpiece of the book, in my opinion, is in Chapter Two in the detailing of the 10 obstacles that block the path toward racial equity. In addition to describing the problem, the authors go out of their way to prescribe possible solutions/creative responses, and they do so in a forceful but non-judgmental way (not easy!). A powerful and useful read.

[Punita Bhansali · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important, practical, and concise read for anyone that works in higher education, whether you are faculty, staff, or an administrator. Not only does it provide explanations as to why inequity exists at educational institutions, but it offers useful approaches and tools for improving equity and inclusivity at the individual course level, departmental level, and institutional level. The authors place a lot of emphasis on the importance of collecting disaggregated data and how that data can then instruct practice. Even if you are already well-versed on the topic of equity-mindedness, this will provide concrete examples and strategies on how to take action, both immediately and in the long-term.

[Dawn Archey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for anyone working in higher education. It provides a theoretical framework, action steps, and examples.

A few key take a ways from this book:

1) Disaggregate your data in lots of ways (race, gender, course, learning outcomes). (This made me uncomfortable due to small sizes of subgroups until I realized we aren't trying to make claims of "statistically significant differences," but rather looking for actionable patterns.

2) Talking about race is hard, but necessary.

3) Don't put the responsibility to fix the problem (of difference in outcomes by racial groups) on the very groups who are suffering from it. They have enough to do. And also, its our (white people's) fault due to slavery, land grabs, racist housing policies, etc.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

(2021 - #57, ebook)
1) Equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts
2) Post secondary education
3) Racial awareness, anti-racist frameworks
Enjoyment: 3

“We must constantly self-assess and act to ensure that we are not promoting an either/or proposition in our efforts to advance equity in higher education, but a both/and definition to examine all forms of inequities,...” -p. 81 (ch. 4)

“...equity work must be constant, honest, forgiving, reflective, and brave.” -p. 100 (ch. 4)

“How does it feel to know that I don’t know how to be successful with racially minoritized students?” -p. 105 (ch. 5)

This book asks educators to consider an equity-minded approach toward student success that addresses forms of racialized influence and hegemony in educational systems of operation.

[Gemington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic concept but difficult to support without full institutional buy in. These brilliant educators draw a line in the sand between saying and doing. When it comes to equity, diversity, inclusion, and anti-racism, higher education institutions have mastered the talk. Our mission, vision and value statements tell that equity matters. Practically, however, these statements amount to very little.

Chapter two does the best job of articulating these differences. The argument they make around collecting and deaggregating institutional data in compelling. The idea of specificity and naming is important here.

This book is inspiring but takes leadership to implement that isn’t there yet. It makes me hopeful for what is possible and could be in our sector.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

[education book #3] the best part about this book were the scenarios (i think in chapter 2) that demonstrated what not to do and what to do side by side. overall, i appreciate that the authors are sharing deep expertise from their years of work on equity at the university level. i think this book targets a pretty specific audience (college/university presidents and provosts, academic deans and department heads, professors with influence, etc.) that i don't exactly fit into. so it wasn't the most helpful to me directly, but it was a quick read. also, unfortunately there were a number of copyediting errors and some formatting weirdness that were a bit distracting.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

The ideas in this book have been said more eloquently by other authors. They discuss at the beginning of the book not falling into the trap of using “trendy” terms without any real meaning, and then use trendy terms without any real meaning for the rest of the book. Additionally, there are very few implementable ideas; the authors even specifically say that faculty and administrators respond better when they are given some concrete examples and ideas of what to DO, and then fail to provide those themselves, except in vague references. This is all equity talk, beaten to death, without the walk.

[Rachel Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important book. It's a little surface-level, though. Most of the book focused on the need to disaggregate data, which is crucial. But it even said itself that data is not self-acting. There were a few practical solutions offered, but in the end, I wanted more.

However, there were some nuggets of really good stuff in here. After disaggregating the data, practitioners are encouraged to further analyze why the results may be what they are. The focus on writing a good syllabus and presenting the information in it well is huge, and I think it's a great starting place.

[Carolyn Harper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book because my institution recommended it. Frankly, this is more apropos for administrators than for regular professors, simply because most of this awareness needs to be addressed from an institution-wide perspective than the individual classroom. As an adjunct, I found little in this book that pertained specifically to me, though I did appreciate the suggestions at the end. For an institution, however, I see great value in this book.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essential reading for all higher ed leaders & change agents. Practical and actionable for many, whether your role is faculty, faculy development, student support, advising, institutional research, diversity & inclusion, grant writing, academic support. We all need to analyze our practices and the time is now.

[Steven Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short book that does a good job of pointing out some the problems diversity and inclusion efforts in higher education, and why many well intentioned efforts don’t address the underlying systemic issues that created and continue to support inequities. The focus on the system and the faculty and staff puts the responsibilities on those who have the ability to institute positive change.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A great book for those in higher education to kickstart discussions about what equity in outcomes really means. More suggestions of specific actions to address inequity would have made the book stronger.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title makes this book sound kind of cute/silly but it's actually REALLY useful at calling out institutional and practitioner whiteness in higher ed, and helping folks understand what it will really take to adopt racially just frameworks for equitable outcomes in higher ed. Highly recommend!

[Jenn Hooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equity with action! Made me think through concrete things both I and my institution can do to be truly equity-minded; to walk the walk! Led to good conversation with colleagues throughout the semester.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read From Equity Talk to Equity Walk as part of a campus-wide book reading at work. I really enjoyed the real-life case studies and practical examples provided. To me, that is one of the hardest parts of equity work- going from theory and good intention to actual practices.

[Pete Eraca · Rating 3 out of 5]

The themes in this book are inherently useful to all educators. However, the examples and scenarios are most useful for faculty and some student affairs professionals. Would appreciate a chapter focused on enrollment management professionals.