Building a Better Sense of the Equity Picture
Equity Information Resources from the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE)
In recent weeks I’ve been bringing up the metaphor of the six blind men and the elephant quite a bit, often getting a blank-faced stare in return. The story tells of the six men coming in contact with a (presumably very patient) elephant, whom they all grasp to get a sense of what the creature is like. One, holding on to an ear, says the elephant is like a fan. Another, holding the tusk, says the elephant is like a spear. Another, on the trunk, calls out, “snake!” And so on.
In recent weeks I’ve been bringing up the metaphor of the six blind men and the elephant quite a bit, often getting a blank-faced stare in return. The story tells of the six men coming in contact with a (presumably very patient) elephant, whom they all grasp to get a sense of what the creature is like. One, holding on to an ear, says the elephant is like a fan. Another, holding the tusk, says the elephant is like a spear. Another, on the trunk, calls out, “snake!” And so on.
I sometimes feel that when we educators come to the table to talk about equity, we’re in a very similar situation. There are so many facets to equity—infrastructure, psychology, pedagogy, policy, language, technology, an on and on—that getting a grip on the whole can be daunting.
I sometimes feel that when we educators come to the table to talk about equity, we’re in a very similar situation. There are so many facets to equity—infrastructure, psychology, pedagogy, policy, language, technology, an on and on—that getting a grip on the whole can be daunting.
In the past year, my organization – the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education (SCOPE) – has been involved in a fruitful collaboration with CEA to bring together some of the leading thinkers in education to develop a broad and coherent sense of what equity in education means – and what we can actually do to promote it – in all its many facets.
With that goal in mind, CEA asked me to share some of SCOPE’s resources on equity in education. Below is a list of some key research and products – our piece of the pachyderm – which hopefully contributes to a better sense of the big picture.
Resources on Education Systems
Investigating Teaching Policy Around the World
This project examines how high achieving nations around the world have made significant improvements in student achievement and equity and discusses how those approaches can be replicated in the U.S. The study produced two briefs: “The Secret to Finland’s Success: Educating Teachers,” and “How High-Achieving Countries Develop Great Teachers.”
The Julia Richman Education Complex: The JREC Story
This multimedia packet presents the story of the successful transformation of New York City’s large, comprehensive Julia Richman High School into the Julia Richman Education Complex. From an academically failing, physically unsafe, graffiti-ridden school of 2,600 that graduated only a third of its students, Julia Richman became a vibrant multi-age complex of six schools, including four high schools that graduated more than 90% of their students and sent about 90% to college.
Oakland Unified School District New Small Schools Initiative Evaluation
This study of OUSD’s New Small Schools Initiative assesses how the new schools are performing, what factors influence their achievement, and recommends policy strategies that build on current successes. A final report and school case studies are provided.
School Reform in Milwaukee: Using Data and Analysis to Support and Guide Urban District Reform (2011)
Milwaukee Public Schools is a district known for having had one of the most aggressive school choice plans in the U.S. for nearly 20 years, offering private school vouchers, charter options, and within-district public school choice. Over the past five years, Milwaukee has attempted to build common instructional practice across this diverse portfolio of schools. Researchers examined the recent history of reform in the district, the district strategy for influencing instruction at its school sites, and professional development and accountability strategies to evaluate how they influenced instructional coherence and quality.
Windows on Conversions: A Multi-Media Exploration of Redesign at Four Comprehensive High Schools
An up-close examination of successful school redesign in four very different schools across the U.S., reported in the voices of teachers, administrators, parents, and students through DVD-formatted documentaries and written case studies.
Resources on Education Practices
High Schools for Equity: Policy Supports for Student Learning in Communities of Color
At a time when the achievement gap in California is large and unchanging, some high schools are beating the odds. This study focuses on how these schools are accomplishing this and how their approaches can inform state policy so that more schools can realize the same success.
Preparing School Leaders for a Changing World
Principals play a vital role in setting the direction for successful schools. What are the essential elements of good leadership? What are the features of effective pre-service and in-service leadership development programs? What governance and financial policies are needed to sustain good programs? This series addresses these questions and surfaces exemplary practices.
The Role of Performance Assessment in Achieving 21st Century Standards of Learning
Recent moves by American states to create internationally benchmarked standards have been accompanied by concerns for developing assessments that evaluate how students apply challenging content knowledge in complex situations. A group of leading education researchers has tackled the topic from many sides, examining experiences with and lessons learned from large-scale performance assessment in the U.S. and abroad, including technical advances, feasibility issues, policy implications, uses with English language learners, and costs.
Smaller Learning Communities: What Makes a Small School Successful?
A rich collection of tools, writings and practical practices for small schools (including sample bell schedules and budget reallocations). Video and case study excerpts illustrate the journey of this former comprehensive high school into smaller learning communities that successfully graduate and send to college the majority of their students. Those who are deeply interested can also sign up for study visits to see the school first hand.
Resources on Education Resourcing
Achieving Equity through Innovation: A Canada-United States Colloquium
Video, provocation papers, and other artefacts from this event address a broad range of education and equity issues. The colloquium was co-sponsored by SCOPE and CEA.
Teacher and Leader Effectiveness in High-Performing Education Systems
This project aims to find best practices in enhancing teacher effectiveness by looking abroad at effective education systems that appear to have well-developed and effective systems for recruiting, preparing, developing, and retaining teachers and school leaders and to see if the findings could be applied in the U.S. context.
Teacher Salaries: Bringing High Quality Teachers to High Needs Classrooms
By every measure of qualifications – certification, subject matter background, pedagogical training, selectivity of college attended, test scores, or experience – less-qualified teachers tend to be found in schools serving greater numbers of low-income and minority students. This study examines how and why teacher quality is inequitably distributed by reviewing research and examining data from California and New York, and makes policy recommendations on how to bring high quality teachers to the students that need them the most.
Transforming Schooling and Teaching: Teacher Professional Development Series
Teachers are the most important factor in student achievement, and how teachers are prepared and supported throughout their careers is vital to their success. This project tracks states’ progress in teacher professional development and identifies policies and practices that offer promising lessons.
