Move beyond the "why" of equity and learn what it actually looks like in the classroom. This powerful book by bestselling author Colin Seale shows how you can overcome barriers and create sustainable pathways to realizing equity for your students.
Part I of the book explains why all education stakeholders should not just prioritize equity, but go beyond the buzzwords. Part II looks at why good intentions aren’t enough, and provides six ways you can leverage your power to really start doing something about equity. Part III discusses the five classroom-level philosophical shifts needed to make real change, including how to think differently about gifted education and achievement gaps. Finally, Part IV offers a variety of practical strategies for making equity real in your classrooms, no matter what grade level or subject area you teach. Throughout each chapter, you’ll find stories, examples, and research to bring the ideas to life.
With the concrete suggestions in this book, you’ll be able to overcome deficit models, focus on opportunities for academic success and educational justice, and make equity tangible for each of your students.
I believe in the work that this book promotes. My classroom looked like the classrooms described. But this work is hard and uncomfortable for many educators. It's scary because there has to be a shift in power.
I fear that educators who engage in reading this book will scoff and say there is nothing useful, it's too abstract, or the educational system of their state demands too much or limits too much of their influence. But, I also know that these strategies work. I have seen the evidence and experienced the joy first hand. I have also seen the psychological toll of teaching in these oppressive climates. Not to sound cliche, but to paraphrase Ghandi, we have to be the change we want to see in the world.