This book is for education leaders who do not accept the that the underachievement of African American, Latino, Indigenous, low income and other vulnerable student groups is inevitable. Where Equity Lives: Shattering Systemic Inequity in Schools and Districts is the result of 25 years of studying over 300 schools and districts struggling to overturn the longstanding pattern of under achievement of the same demographic groups. This book is a reveal of the five most common systemic inequity traps identified through the Study of Studies that help explain historic achievement patterns. The authors lay out achievable paths of possibilities for education leaders to reverse decades of under achievement. Actionable insights are shared through real-life stories of schools and districts that struggled with and took action to address each of these traps. Chapters contain equity hooks-easy to remember cues of complete, complex, and nuanced leadership takeaways. Online templates are available for teams of leaders to apply the guidance from each chapter to your school system so that vulnerable students arrive at the spot where equity lives, that magnificent place where demographics no longer predict achievement.
Robin Avelar La Salle earned her Ph.D. in education from Stanford University and is the Founder and President; a technical assistance organization with a 25 years history partnering with schools and districts that serve historically lower achieving. Her career as an "equity warrior" is captured in her 2018 book, "Shattering Inequities: Real World Wisdom for School and District Leaders," written with Ruth S. Johnson. Ruth Johnson, is a nationally known expert in the use of data to promote equity. She is the author of several books including ''Data Strategies to Uncover and Eliminate Hidden Inequities: The Wallpaper Effect'' (with co-author Dr. Avelar La Salle), and ''Using Data to Close the Achievement Gap,'' a bestselling book published by Corwin Press.
Contents Preface Acknowledgements Forward by Michael Fullan Introduction Part I: What's the Floor? Chapter 1: Symbolic Data Systems Equity Hook: The Emperor's New Clothes Chapter 2: Baby Step Planning Equity Hook: Backcast, Don't Forecast Part II: Under What Conditions? Chapter 3: New Tracking Equity Hook: A Rose by Any Other Name Chapter 4: Christmas Tree School Systems Equity Hook: The Thing of the Thing Part III: How Aligned are YOU? Chapter 5: Misaligned Leadership Equity Hook: Equity Leadership Columns Conclusion: How to Change Minds and Hearts Appendix: Study of Studies Methodology References About the Authors Index
