DIRECTIONS & MIS-DIRECTIONS IN EQUITY INITIATIVES

PAUL C. GORSKI2.28.11

A Bit About My Experience Since 1998 have worked with schools

across the US Faculty development Organizational change Assessment regarding equity and

diversity

A Bit About My Scholarship Largely focused on equity and diversity

practice in educational institutions Gaps between philosophy and practice Gaps between “best practice” and actual

practice Common “pitfalls” (or how schools

operationalize “diversity” in ways that create more inequity

So today I’d like to… Talk about common ways “diversity”

and “equity” are operationalized at schools across the U.S.

Share my thoughts about some of the common pitfalls I have observed (and I and others have documented)

Recommend some of the principles of practice I’ve seen move institutions forward effectively around “diversity”

COMMON

APPROACHES

TO “D

IVERSIT

Y”

Common Approaches

1. Celebrating Diversity2. Cultural Competence3. “Support” Programming4. Human Relations5. Equity and Justice

1. Celebrating DiversityCharacterized by: Surface-level cultural activities and

programming (fashion shows, food fairs) Stereotypical minimizations of

“cultures” (Taco Night) Institutional resistance to addressing

diversity concerns in ways that don’t feel good to most privileged groups

2. Cultural CompetenceCharacterized by: Focus on learning about cultures, often in

ways that minimize or essentialize them (“Latino culture”; “African American culture”)

Focus exclusively on those in the “minority” while ignoring systemic power and privilege

An expectation that those in disenfranchised groups will “teach” those in privileged groups about their “culture”

3. “Support” ProgrammingCharacterized by:

Focus on offering support services and programs for disenfranchised communities

Often aimed at retention of faculty, staff, and students

Avoids real systemic, cultural change—sometimes called “deficit ideology” because it’s aimed at “fixing” or “saving” disenfranchised people rather than “fixing” what disenfranchises people

4. Human RelationsCharacterized by: Structured opportunities for community

members to come together across differences to hear and learn from each other’s experiences (Mix It Up Lunch; intergroup dialogue)

Interpersonal focus rather than institutional focus

5. Equity and JusticeCharacterized by: Institutional commitment to creating an anti-

racist, anti-sexist, etc., environment through policy and practice

Continual institutional and individual assessment of the extent to which equity and justice or present

Strong, public, and consistent support from campus leaders

Full cultural, social, political, and other access by all community members

Common Approaches1. Celebrating Diversity2. Cultural Competence3. “Support” Programming4. Human Relations5. Equity and Justice

Where is your school? Where is your unit? Where are you?

* * *

COMMON PIT

FALL

S

Focus Exclusively on “Support Programs” Effort is placed mostly on “fixing”

disenfranchised people rather than on fixing that which disenfranchises people Classic deficit ideology Parenting workshops, mentoring

programs, etc.

Marginalization of Diversity “Experts”Failure to take advantage of

institutional expertise around So, those who want to place effort here

are alienated Sends implicit message that

“diversity” isn’t important, because if it was, the most knowledgeable people at the school would be shaping the policy and practice

Stuck on “Celebrating Diversity”

Too many resources going into programs which celebrate diversity but which have no impact at all on how equitable or just the institution is Food, festivals, and fun Mix It Up

Test Score Obsession

Just because an LGBTQ student scores well on a standardized test does not mean she or he experiences school as equitable or just

Doing “What’s Hot,” not What’s Effective

Adoption of cool or popular (and uncool) paradigms and programs despite lack of evidence that they make a school more equitable PLCs Culture-specific “learning styles”

Missing Critical Issues

“Diversity” framed entirely around race (which, of course, is critical), to the exclusion of other identities (sexual orientation, religion, and so on) Tough to get buy-in if you’re asking me to

work on an issue that privileges me, but you’re ignoring the issue that oppresses me

Peace Before Justice

Temptation to avoid controversy or to lean on “conflict resolution” or “peer mediation” rather than responding in a more justice-oriented way to inequity

Lack of Transparency

So people who feel alienated or who have experienced oppression can’t “see” that the institution is responding, even if it is

Talk, Talk, and More Talk

Responding to incidents with opportunities for dialogue, but ending the response with the dialogue Lack of attention to policy change,

cultural change, leadership change, and so on

Lack of Clear Processes

Often schools do not have clear processes for students or adults to report experiences of discrimination Or processes are in place, but many folks

don’t know what they are Or processes are in place, but feel unsafe

to some people* * *

A FEW

PROGRAMS

& PARADIG

MS WE

KNOW D

ON’T M

AKE

SCHOOLS M

ORE

EQUITABLE

The “Culture of Poverty” and Other Stereotyped Paradigms

Avoid models which suggest we can know anything about a student based on one dimension of her or his identity

CoP model empirically debunked in the 1970s, yet remains most popular way we talk about poverty in schools today

Professional Learning Communities Research demonstrates modest

amounts of increased teacher morale and connectedness when done certain ways

No evidence that PLCs play any role in creating more equitable learning environments (or even in raising test scores)

Student Diversity Clubs Can be great educational experiences

for students if “diversity” isn’t completely depoliticized, but…

No evidence that diversity clubs make any school more equitable or just because these clubs don’t have the power to change policy or larger school culture

Mix It Up at Lunch Day Fun, perhaps, and especially for white

students

Implications for students of color..?

Learning Styles Research indicates that teaching

directly to “learning styles” does not help students learn or decrease achievement gaps Mostly because it has been shown to

encourage simplification and stereotyping (especially when culture-specific)

Others Intergroup dialogue programs Peer mediation programs Conflict mediation programs Respect policies Cultural festivals

PRIN

CIPLE

S OF

EFFECTI

VE

DIVERSIT

Y

PRACTI

CE

Acknowledgement

Acknowledge the work diversity advocates are doing and, in some cases, have been doing for years with little recognition and often in the face of strong resistance Worst possible scenario is that these folks

burn out and walk away

Set Expectations

Leadership (both school and district)must set expectations that people are to do their part to make schools and classrooms equitable, just environments

But equally important, schools need some measure of accountability for those who choose not to “participate” in this commitment

Make Family Involvement Accessible to All Families

Leadership (both school and district)must set expectations that people are to do their part to make schools and classrooms equitable, just environments

But equally important, schools need some measure of accountability for those who choose not to “participate” in this commitment

Reject Deficit Ideology

Must focus on cultural change at the classroom, building, and district level rather than trying to “fix” the cultures of disenfranchised communities

Engage in Policy Review

Inequities often are buried in policy in very implicit ways Pay-to-play extracurriculars Inaccessible family involvement

opportunities Others?

Provide Safe Feedback Outlets

People who are feeling alienated will not tend to step forward and share their feelings of alienation; they need opportunities to share issues safely and anonymously

Perform Full Assessment Full diversity assessment should include

various data collection methods (surveys, focus groups, and so on), all constituencies (students, staff, faculty, admin, community, and so on), complete demographics (for cross-comparisons), and detailed disaggregation And really ought to be performed by an

outside group that can do observations, as well

Place Equity First

Effort on addressing educational inequities must be prioritized Starting with policy and clear indications

(through accountability measures) that racism, sexism, and so on, even when it’s unintentional, is not acceptable and carries repercussions

Provide Ongoing and Advanced Professional Development Opportunities

Often schools are stuck in the “awareness-building” process, so that the conversation starts over each time—instead, provide a group of dedicated folks with professional development to continue doing the work in a more advanced and sustained way

* * *

THOUGHTS

, QUESTI

ONS,

COMMENTS, D

ISCUSSIO

N?

THANK YO

U!

PAUL C

GORSKI

GORSKI@EDCHANGE.O

RG