Coaching with an Equity Lens

Special thanks to Chrissy Thuli and Barb Novak--their work influenced this blog post. 

 

All equity work is a personal journey, it requires you to be open and acknowledge your own truth.  I personally believe that words matter all the time, but in equity work they truly matter.  Recently a colleague challenged me on the use of the phrase, “coaching for equity”.  She argued, and I agree, that coaching for equity could be misunderstood.  Coaching for equity might mean that someone else has that job--they coach for equity so I don’t have to--or that it fits into a certain day like --I coach for equity on B days.  Rather, we must bring a lens of equity to every coaching interaction--it is the job of all coaches at all times.

Coaching with an equity lens is interesting because there is currently a ton on information out there on coaching and a ton on equity, but little that brings the two together.  In this two-part post I will share Wisconsin’s framework:  A Model to Inform as a map to help push into this essential dialogue.  Before we get to the framework, however,  post 1 will focus on a common definition of equity and a understanding of what it means to bring it to your work.  In Wisconsin we believe, Equity means that every student has access to the educational resources and rigor they need at the right moment in their education across race, gender, ethnicity, language, disability, sexual orientation, family background and/or family income (CCSSO, 2017).

For many, deciphering the difference between equity and equality is a good place to start.  If we start from a place of equality we are essentially saying that the world is equal, but it is not.  Some students have access to tutors, honors classes and better-funded schools while others have larger ratios of adult to student support and less-skilled teachers.  To further muddy the water--the world has bias and systemic racism.  Predominantly marginalized students must face microaggressions and implicit bias that the better-supported, predominantly white students do not.  Equity, then, requires purposeful use of resources, removal of barriers and intentional support.   (Informed by the Center for Urban Education)

Equity is not something extra; something on top of the core work.  Equity is embedded within all aspects of our work; equity is the core.  Working towards equity is not a checklist or a strategy.  Working towards equity is a way of being and knowing that leads to developing systems that respectfully engage with learners and families who have been historically underserved.  Working towards equity is not an afterthought; something to consider when the main work is done.  Working towards equity is the place you come from; a mindset, the way you do work/make decisions.   

Elena Aguilar’s quote, “Coaches are in a unique position to influence teachers and administrators to interrupt inequitable practices, to engage them in safe, reflective, transformational conversations that shift beliefs and ways of being,” demonstrates how coaches are well-positioned to engage in equity work.  We know that creating equitable systems is an ongoing process and since a coach’s role is job-embedded, they can provide unbroken support for this process.  Equity work often requires root cause analysis and coaching supports individuals and teams to understand their role in creating and reforming the system, planning action, implementing change, studying results, and refining action.   Educational equity requires looking at data to make decisions and employing evidence-based instructional practices.   Coaches can use questioning, paraphrasing, and summarizing to continually focus conversation and collaboration on equity.

And of course, educators must continually engage in professional learning and practice.  Coaches can support teams in developing culturally responsive ways of collaborating to meet student needs.  Although it is clear that coaches play a key role in this work, the question I most often hear is, “how do I get started?”

This is a common question when you are shifting into what Joellen Killion calls coaching heavy (more on this in upcoming September blog post).  Basically coaching heavy requires a shift away from focusing on teacher actions to student outcomes and systems change.  This is heavy work.  This is necessary work.   Wisconsin’s Model to Inform, a roadmap for individual equity work, provides a starting place for coaches ready to dive into the work.  Look for post two soon on the Model to Inform and how you can use it to engage in dialogue.

As coaches for educational equity we can, “mediate a person’s thinking toward values, beliefs, and behaviors that enable effective cross-cultural interactions to insure an equitable environment for learners, their parents and all members of the community” --D. Lindsay, Culturally Proficient Coaching