Essay topics include achieving equity for all students; creating equity awareness in teachers; working with families & communities to close the opportunity gap Equity is a term we hear a lot these days, but what does it really mean? How can teachers ensure that every student gets what he or she needs to learn and succeed? Education leaders from around the country share their thoughts through essays that explore topics such as: how to achieve equity for all students; creating equity awareness in teachers; working with families and communities to close the opportunity gap; setting high expectations to raise academic achievement; and more.

"Recognizing the importance of race, class, gender, culture, and ability, the authors provide a window into the difficulties that professional educators grapple with as they face the challenge of teaching all children. This text is both authentic and practical, and it demystifies the issues of equity that pervade today's classrooms." a?Diane Yendol-Hoppey, Associate Professor University of Florida "Action research of this caliber on the subject of equity is critically needed for all children to have access to the same level of rigor and high standards. This is a must-read for districts who really want to turn action research into action that affects student learning." a?Terry Morganti-Fisher, Director of Professional Development Austin Independent School District, TX Utilize the power of action research to narrow the achievement gap! Despite the best intentions of reform efforts, educational inequity continues to exist in public schools. Creating Equitable Classrooms Through Action Research confronts this challenge head-on and shows educators how they can use action research to both raise student achievement and strengthen instructional leadership. Ideal for both a first-time action research endeavor or one already in progress, this practical guidebook helps practitioners formulate specific research questions, collect and analyze data, and communicate their findings. Educators will discover: Ten action research studies on narrowing the achievement gap Guidelines for implementing an action research project that supports culturally relevant instruction Authentic examples for discussion and reflection Invaluable for school district leaders, teachers, professional development schools, and preservice teachers, this resource for systemwide improvement efforts helps schools provide more equitable learning environments for all children.

This report takes a pragmatic look at equality, equity and inclusion in curriculum. It examines how curriculum can be adapted to meet specific needs of diverse learners, particularly vulnerable students. It also features a range of strategies which countries use to design curriculum, so that no student will be left behind.

This handbook is written to provide guidance for educators, teachers, parents, grandparents, and caregivers as they navigate through a child’s educational experiences. After more than four decades of attempting to close the Achievement Gap, this book generates support for teaching diverse learners and children of color by constructing a teaching and learning environment that ensures equity in the classroom for every child.

In The Road To Equity: The Five C's to Construct an Equitable Classroom, author, Kayren Gray identifies the issue and implements solutions to create inspiring results in your classroom. Utilize the road map to equitable outcomes through my interpretation of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs as a reference point, moving through each level to reach self-actualization, or in our case, a more equitable classroom. Each chapter is a story and a stop along the road, with application and reflection to embark on your journey towards educational equity to close the gap and change the narrative.The detours in my own life were the driving forces that led to a desire and mission to ensure educational equity. There were more tolls and exits I had to prepare for, while I observed others using cruise control and others being fortunate enough to take the HOV lane. Those moments in life that set me back or directed me to an exit, in order to refuel, changed a little piece of me- sometimes for the better but sometimes for the worse. Those unexpected detours were my "North Star," shaping my experiences to prepare me to deliver a message that hopes to inspire you to do what you can to close the gap. In fact, if we all do what we can, little or much, it's more than we would see accomplished, if we all did nothing at all, and that's why this is so important to me. K-12 Stakeholders will learn to: confront bias and understand barriers to learning; create opportunities to build relationships; collaborate through curriculum, lessons, and practices; commit to building confidence and a growth mindset; celebrate diversity and inclusion to achieve a more equitable classroom.

Teacher leadership remains at the forefront of conversations in teacher education, with discussions on recruitment, retention, and effectiveness. Teachers are at the core of schooling, and the roles they assume and types of leadership they engage in are multi-dimensional. Teacher leadership comes in many shapes and definitions. In this sense, both opportunities and challenges exist in teacher leadership. While national competencies continue to define dispositional and knowledge base for teacher leaders, there is still work to be done to define and add to the body of scholarship on this topic. Teacher leadership opportunities provide development for teachers as a key retention strategy; however, role ambiguity presents challenges in how to empower teachers for formal and informal roles of leadership while maintaining the teacher identity. Empowering Formal and Informal Leadership While Maintaining Teacher Identity provides a comprehensive look at the opportunities and challenges of teacher leadership, drawing on research and practice that add to the body of knowledge for teacher leadership, which is a niche in education that differs from educational administration. Highlighted topics within this book include models for teacher leadership, teacher education, types of leadership roles, the development and retention of teacher leaders, and leadership across different types of school districts. This book is ideally designed for inservice and preservice teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students interested in teacher leadership roles and the way in which teacher identity is maintained in relation to these other leadership positions.

"Joe Feldman shows us how we can use grading to help students become the leaders of their own learning and lift the veil on how to succeed. . . . This must-have book will help teachers learn to implement improved, equity-focused grading for impact." —Zaretta Hammond, Author of Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain Crack open the grading conversation Here at last—and none too soon—is a resource that delivers the research base, tools, and courage to tackle one of the most challenging and emotionally charged conversations in today’s schools: our inconsistent grading practices and the ways they can inadvertently perpetuate the achievement and opportunity gaps among our students. With Grading for Equity, Joe Feldman cuts to the core of the conversation, revealing how grading practices that are accurate, bias-resistant, and motivational will improve learning, minimize grade inflation, reduce failure rates, and become a lever for creating stronger teacher-student relationships and more caring classrooms. Essential reading for schoolwide and individual book study or for student advocates, Grading for Equity provides A critical historical backdrop, describing how our inherited system of grading was originally set up as a sorting mechanism to provide or deny opportunity, control students, and endorse a "fixed mindset" about students’ academic potential—practices that are still in place a century later A summary of the research on motivation and equitable teaching and learning, establishing a rock-solid foundation and a "true north" orientation toward equitable grading practices Specific grading practices that are more equitable, along with teacher examples, strategies to solve common hiccups and concerns, and evidence of effectiveness Reflection tools for facilitating individual or group engagement and understanding As Joe writes, "Grading practices are a mirror not just for students, but for us as their teachers." Each one of us should start by asking, "What do my grading practices say about who I am and what I believe?" Then, let’s make the choice to do things differently . . . with Grading for Equity as a dog-eared reference.