Reflect on Equity in Your Process Discussion Questions
These discussion questions accompany the Activity: Reflect on Equity in Your Process strategy card.
February 4, 2021
Craft Category: Artifacts
Phoenix Charter Academy: Getting Inspired by Competency-Based Teacher Professional Development
In their redesign work, Phoenix Charter Academy began by exploring how to better equip their teachers to implement their unique model, which supports disconnected youth through competency-based learning and significant social-emotional supports. Phoenix knew that this would require attention to both staff skills and staff mindsets, and that different teachers came to the work with different strengths and needs.
As a result, Phoenix explored how districts have built teacher professional development models that are competency-based. This would enable Phoenix not only to flex and adapt its support to different teachers, but it would also involve teachers in a learning model akin to what their students experience in this competency-based school.
February 4, 2021
Monterey Peninsula: Getting Inspired by Relationships Between Students and Adults
Through their redesign work, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District has explored deepening personal relationships and students’ feelings of connection within the school community. The design team knew that such personal relationships and feeling of connection are important foundations for student engagement and student learning – but that too often, there are inequities in terms of which groups of students feel most supported and connected to school.
The team conducted research to better understand the equity implications of personal relationships and students’ sense of belonging. They also explored options for adapting their district structures and processes to better prioritize the work of building these relationships and connections; for example, the team reviewed staffing and scheduling changes other districts had made so as to build intentional structures for relationship-building.
February 4, 2021
Mastery Charter Schools: Getting Inspired by Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Pedagogy
Mastery Charter Schools has a clear commitment to equity – its vision is to be a model anti-racist school district. To live out this commitment, Mastery seeks to provide affirming, engaging, and culturally relevant learning experiences for all students. Mastery’s design team researched other districts that have implemented culturally relevant and sustaining practices. This research supplemented the work they were already doing internally to define those practices for their unique community context.
February 4, 2021
Mastery Charter Schools: Getting Inspired by Blended Learning and Digital Literacy
Mastery Charter Schools envisions a future of confident, independent learners supported by personalized, blended, and culturally responsive teaching and authentic relationships with adults. To achieve this vision, Mastery knew it would have to design an approach to digital learning and use of technology that would advance the network’s equity goals.
The team researched approaches to embedding blended learning in every classroom as a way to personalize learning to student needs, close the digital divide, and prepare students for life after graduation. ISTE technology standards for students – which provide clarity about how to use technology in a way that empowers students – became an important resource for Mastery’s design work; the team even contacted other districts that had implemented ISTE technology standards so as to learn from their experiences.
February 4, 2021
Cedar Rapids: Getting Inspired by Real-World Relevance in Learning
Cedar Rapids Community School District has a well-defined Profile of a Graduate, or clear depiction of what a graduate of the district should know, feel, think, or believe; the profile focuses on ensuring that all Cedar Rapids graduates are ready for their chosen future path. One concern the team heard from students, however, was about the difficulty in drawing connections between subjects taught in class and the bigger, real-world meaning of that learning.
As a result, Cedar Rapids sought to more deeply embed connections to the real world and students’ futures in the day-to-day learning experience. The team researched examples of other communities that have had success in providing relevant, real-world learning experiences for students. From this research, the team sought to include multiple dimensions of relevance in learning – personal, academic, real-world, and cultural – in their designs for the future. Such an approach helps teachers adapt the learning to different students’ needs, identities, and interests.
February 4, 2021
Cedar Rapids: Getting Inspired by Standards-Based Grading
Cedar Rapids Community School District has a well-defined strategy for implementing competency-based learning. Amid implementation, however, they ran into challenges getting standards-based grading (a key part of their model) to really “stick” in the district.
Cedar Rapids researched other communities that have demonstrated success in building a system and culture for standards-based grading. From this research, the team learned new approaches to track individual students’ mastery of standards over time (versus having grades that reflect mastery at a singular, stagnant point in time); these approaches struck the team as potentially powerful ways to close persistent achievement gaps in the district – which, in turn, would be a compelling message to bring to students, families, and staff in attempt to get the work to “stick.”
February 4, 2021
Explore Innovative Schools Discussion Questions
These discussion questions accompany the Activity: Get Inspired! Explore Innovative Schools strategy card.
February 4, 2021
Phoenix Charter Academy: Teacher Empathy Interviews on Supporting Professional Learning in a Competency-Based Model
Phoenix Charter Academy’s redesign sought to support and equip their teachers to implement their unique model, which supports disconnected youth through competency-based learning and significant social-emotional supports. Therefore, the design team focused empathy interviews on teachers, asking for perspectives on how each interviewee defined excellent teaching and learning, what experiences gave staff the feeling they were making an impact in students’ lives, and what their experiences had been with the network’s approach to teacher development and support. As they invited input on teachers’ past experiences, they also sought teachers’ ideas about the future, including what they’d like to see done “bigger, better, or differently.” In doing so, the design team expanded their understanding of the challenges they were facing.
February 4, 2021
Monterey Peninsula: Elevating Student, Parent, and Teacher Voice Through Empathy Interviews
Monterey Peninsula Unified School District’s redesign focused on deepening personal relationships and students’ feelings of connection within the school community. To figure out how to realize this vision, the design team planned group empathy interviews with a diverse array of stakeholders, including students, parents, and teachers, emphasizing inclusion for historically underrepresented groups like Spanish-speaking families.
Additionally, in keeping with their board’s stated goal to listen to and engage with all stakeholders, the cabinet held an “empathy interview board meeting” where they invited students, staff, and teachers to respond to interview questions in a town hall format. This brought important voices and insights to an even broader audience – including powerful decision-makers like board members – and built deeper connections among community members through personal interviews.
February 4, 2021