Superintendents Must Stand Up to Fear to Support Educational Equity

Research shows that when schools integrate and embrace each individual’s rings of culture, interpret the laws and data for accountability and continued improvement, and ensure all youth feel a sense of belonging, there’s a positive correlation to student success. Through these measures, students who receive an equitable education can build empathy, boost critical thinking skills, and foster teamwork — all traits needed to excel in today’s classroom.

Yet, we rarely think about the impact of educational equity on our country outside the classroom. The McKinsey Institute for Black Economic Mobility published research in 2021, finding that creating a more just society could boost the U.S. economy by up to $3 trillion a year.

However, according to The Sum of Us author Heather McGhee, one of the biggest stalemates to equity is individuals who subscribe to a “zero-sum mentality.” In their minds, progress for students of color comes at the expense of white children, which is contrary to the inclusive school environment educators strive for.

As a result of this belief, progress toward implementing diverse curricula came to a sudden halt in many states, and the idea of critical race theory (CRT) has become a political lightning rod. In the face of these challenges, superintendents must create a united front on behalf of students who want an authentic education and stand up to adults with ulterior motives who are using misinformation and false theories of indoctrination to chip away at the foundations of their futures.

Success Starts with Courageous Leadership

In July, superintendents from across the country gathered for a leadership summit hosted by a national superintendent think tank. According to participants, today’s students are eager to connect with a diverse community of teachers and peers and learn from everyone’s lived experiences.

Unfortunately, many politicians and parents see the growing focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as teaching kids what to think, not how to think. One superintendent said, “There’s a whole campaign working against us, and they’re well-mobilized and well-funded.”

As discouraged as some superintendents are, they believe that when administrators work together to take four key steps, they can maximize student outcomes while minimizing political discourse:

•  Amplify student voices. Adults who dominate the curriculum reform conversation and silence opposing viewpoints may push students – especially students of color – to the sidelines. The “parents’ rights” movement sometimes threatens to erase diverse stories from literature classes and factual lessons from American history courses.

In one district, the outcry from frustrated students led administrators to introduce dynamic history classes centered on diverse perspectives. Each year, students tell the district what’s missing, and the district brings in new units from approved curriculum partners to ensure every child feels represented. The district also encourages parents to walk through a class and invites them to view the curriculum anytime to reassure them that teachers aren’t hiding lesson materials.

Administrators must be unapologetic defenders of our children’s educational needs. Student-informed curriculum may not be what some adults picture – nonetheless, it’s most often the best curriculum for those we serve.

• Reduce fear in the classroom. Legislators in many states have tightened their grip on what and how to teach. While educators are understandably fearful, they should also feel confident that administrators will support them and the necessity to teach in the most inclusive way possible.

For instance, Mid-Del School District in Midwest City, Oklahoma, serves a large African-American student base, but teachers are continually worried that sharing diverse history lessons will violate state law.

Superintendent Rick Cobb remarked, “In Oklahoma, we have a very rich African-American and Native-American history. Teachers want to do the right thing by their students, but they’re diluting their content so they don’t get in trouble. In reality, the legislation is really ambiguous. We’re trying to make people understand the scaffolding of our nation’s history and that it’s not all pretty.”

However, the blowback can’t land on administrators alone. According to summit attendees, we have to push professional associations to lead a collective effort and provide consistent messaging to defend and uplift educators.

• Dismantle inequitable systems. For four years, Lawrence Public Schools in Lawrence, Kansas, focused on equity work for teachers to improve student outcomes, but after all of its efforts, the data looked the same.

Instead of revamping the status quo, the district rebuilt its equity policy from the ground up. One intentional aspect was establishing culturally sustainable resource criteria to ensure curricula present multiple sides of complex issues, accurately represent people of diverse backgrounds, and empower students to consider other points of view.

As a result of the effort, according to Superintendent Dr. Anthony Lewis, achievement gaps among marginalized students began to close, and graduation rates are the highest in 16 years.

Even when the positive results of equity policies are evident, getting stakeholders behind efforts to counteract white supremacy culture is a challenge in both conservative and liberal communities.

Administrators regularly face the “but we’re not the problem” mentality of many “nice white parents” who don’t subscribe to the anti-CRT movement but still fear that equity policies could compromise their child’s education.

•  Find the bravery needed to do the best for our students. With ongoing partisan strife pitting politicians, parents, and educators against each other, administrators can’t allow fear to overtake us.

To ensure each student receives a quality education, we have to question the concerns driving ongoing controversies. If they’re based on fear, we need to emphasize with parents and assure them that their students are not receiving any curriculum that will diminish their humanity.

At the end of the day, we may change some people’s minds, but it might take longer to change their hearts. Finding strength in discomfort is what will ensure our kids succeed. As Tom Burton, former superintendent of Princeton City Schools in Ohio, stated, “We’ve become too reclusive when it comes to conflict. We need to engage all sides so we learn and grow from one another.”