Serving Educational Equity: A Five-Course Framework for Accelerated Learning

About Gwendolyn Y. TurnerSonya Murray-Darden

My why has evolved throughout my experience serving students in numerous educational settings as a professional developer classroom teacher leadership coach reading specialist administrator and researcher. But no experience entirely shaped my why like losing my former student who was shot and killed in Ferguson Missouri. His death would spark public protests social unrest and outrage within my community and beyond forcing much-needed conversations across the country about the role of social justice in schools. Mike was a gentle soul who loved math and was part of my reading club. There was much in the news media about his tragedy but what I knew as his former teacher was that he loved math even after graduating from high school. I wanted to think the teaching and learning he received and the information I poured into him as a student influenced his love of mathematics. Ironically his tragedy occurred the same day I graduated from college with an advanced degree causing me to reflect deeply on the external and internal influences of teaching and learning and my personal why. As I pondered the many sacrifices of my parents and teachers I concluded that the work of equity is about using education as a vessel to change lives. The educators I encountered influenced my life trajectory and educational experiences. My path began as a student in an urban school district with teachers who cared and provided the foundational learning I needed to succeed but I didnt live in an area where schools were considered the best. My mother decided to transition my siblings and me to a desegregated school by eighth grade riding a school bus for nearly an hour each way to a new school community. This community was very different from where I was raised and was considered a better educational opportunity.  As I traveled across town to a school that offered more opportunity and access the program offerings were better but I felt isolated. I was invisible. The experience helped me understand the difference between intent and impact. The school was challenging and rich in experiences intending to diversify educational experiences for all students by offering more opportunities yet the impact was a stifled voice. I quickly learned that serving equity requires elevating the voice of the underserved choosing the right curriculum understanding the impact of external influences building relationships and reflecting on the instructional decisions we implement when we elevate students possibilities. Ultimately I founded Equity Matters Consulting a consulting company focused on helping educators advance education by giving students a voice and a seat at the table. Our team focuses on adult learning theory to disrupt the status quo in schools and organizations using a practical inspirational approach. I began testing parts of the serving educational equity framework with practitioners over the past few years. I assembled strategies from our recent day-to-day consulting experiences with schools and organizations to offer as best practices in this book. Educational equity shines a spotlight on our expectations and asks us to reflect on how we hinder or elevate opportunities for students to have a better life. We should center a vision of excellence for every child no matter their zip code background or linguistic ability. Our book supports practitioners with resources to operationalize educational equity using actionable practices that ensure educational equity for all students. As an educator who has worked in numerous educational settings: classroom teacher substitute teacher reading specialist adult educator administrator educational consultant teacher educator college professor and researcher I have learned to respect both the teaching and learning process. One can expect culturally linguistically and academically diverse students in any educational setting. My career as an educator started in a rural area and later with migrant populations in which very few opportunities for economic advancement were available for families. These families taught me the importance of resiliency and the timeliness of quality relevant educational experiences that allowed students to acquire tools such as problem-solving reasoning and critical thinking. Tools that could be used in both academic and general life settings. We did not have time to waste on meaningless or irrelevant learning activities because a quality educational experience would be a ticket to greater life opportunities. When I started working with educators and visiting classrooms in Bolivia and Brazil I realized that quality education does not just prepare students to complete school assignments but prepares them for all of their life experiences as adults parents employees and citizens. In America we take education for granted but my experiences in schools and classrooms in South Africa and Thailand reinforced my belief that education changes lives. We serve students best when we honor their voices acknowledge their identities and value their life experiences.  Students who receive a quality education have many more life opportunities than those who receive an inferior education.  Too often we provide the best educational resources activities and experiences for those students who are already advantaged. Equity is a lens that educators can use to ensure all students reach their full potential. I believe in respecting the teaching and learning process. I believe that a quality education improves the quality of ones life. Lastly I believe that as an educator I can help students improve their life trajectory. As I worked in suburban and urban educational settings I realized that students enter a classroom expecting to learn to be engaged and to have their opinions matter and their voices heard. My beliefs practices and actions can profoundly impact the learning success of students regardless of their academic abilities cultural background or linguistic ability. We are not helping students complete assignments for class; we are assisting students in the tools they need for success in their lives. This is why I have embraced educational equity throughout my career. I believe that educational equity provides opportunities for all students to soar academically. Our work as educators is to help students acquire the tools they need for both careers and life. Therefore it is imperative that we provide instruction that meets students academic and social needs. Respecting the rights of students to experience rich meaningful learning experiences has been the cornerstone of my work as an educator.  This is a lesson that I have embraced in my work in this country and as a visiting instructor in Bolivia Brazil Thailand and South Africa. I believe that students want to learn and experience success while learning.  All students deserve intellectually challenging relevant and engaging learning activities in a supportive environment. Education is still the key that unlocks opportunities for students now and in their futures.