Education for Liberation’s Equity Committee Toolkit
Welcome
Welcome to Education for Liberation’s Equity Committee Toolkit, a resource designed to help school communities come together to work productively and honestly towards more equitable schooling environments. If your school or district is interested in starting an Equity Committee (or simply wants to elevate student, community, and family voice in equity decisions), we hope the resources in this e-book will be a useful starting point for your journey.
This toolkit was originally designed for E4L’s initiative in partnership with the Indiana Department of Education, “Cultural Competency: Leading Radical Change.” We are grateful to the IDOE for their support of this work and of Indiana educators as they embark on this journey. We are also grateful for the continued support of our colleagues at the Indiana University School of Education at Indianapolis.
This toolkit is intended to be used collaboratively with educators, school leaders, students, families, and community members–all representatives we suggest participate in an Equity Committee. While special care and attention will need to be taken to adapt some concepts and resources for younger grades, we believe that all students can and should have a voice in school improvement efforts. It is incumbent upon the adults to encourage and enable them to participate. When possible, we have included resources that are appropriate for a wide range of ages, grades, and experiences.
One particularly valuable component of this toolkit is the reflection option included at the end of most sections–this should help guide your committee’s discussions about their particular needs and how they can best utilize the resources of this toolkit. We suggest that you print out each reflection section (available to download) and keep them as an Equity Reflection Journal. This will help you track your thinking over the year as your knowledge and work develop.
In collaboration,
Leslie Etienne, Ph.D.; Cleveland Hayes, Ph.D.; Tambra O. Jackson, Ph.D.; Lasana Kazembe, Ph.D.; Ellise Smith; and Elise Swinford, Ph.D.
An Introduction to Equity Committees from Dr. Tambra Jackson
What is the value of an Equity Committee in my school?
“Equity committees are a valuable resource for schools who are really committed to institutionalizing equity as a part of the context and the practice of their space. Equity Committees are the designated group of stakeholders. So that would be teachers, it would be students, it would be school leaders, it will be parents, and it would be community members who all hold a commitment to making sure that children show up in a space where they are valued, where there are opportunities, and where they are free to be themselves.
And so because we all come from different cultural backgrounds, we all hold different perspectives of the world. It’s important to have a diverse group of people who are committed to analyzing and critiquing the practices of a school. And I would also say that equity committees are also important for teachers and school leaders. Whereas children are definitely the target equitable practices in schools, we also want schools to be equitable spaces for school leaders and teachers. We also need teachers to thrive. We want school leaders to be able to set a vision for the school. That’s where equity is included and for that vision to be supported.”
– Dr. Tambra O. Jackson
An Introduction to Equity Committees from Dr. Tambra Jackson (Spanish translation by Dr. Cristina Santamaría Graff)
¿Qué es el valor de un comité de equidad en mi escuela?
Los comités de equidad son un recurso valioso para las escuelas que están realmente dedicadas con institucionalizar la equidad como parte del contexto y la práctica de su espacio. Los Comités de Equidad son el grupo designado de partes interesadas. Entonces esos serían los maestros, serían los estudiantes, serían los líderes escolares, serían los padres y serían los miembros de la comunidad quienes tendrían el compromiso de asegurarse de que los niños se presenten en un espacio donde se los valore, donde haya oportunidades y donde son libres de ser ellos mismos. Y debido a que todos venimos de diferentes orígenes culturales, todos tenemos diferentes perspectivas del mundo. Es importante contar con un grupo diverso de personas comprometidas con el análisis y la crítica de las prácticas de una escuela. Y también diría que los comités de equidad también son importantes para los maestros y los líderes escolares. Considerando que los niños son definitivamente el objetivo de las prácticas equitativas en las escuelas. También queremos que las escuelas sean espacios equitativos para los líderes escolares y los maestros. También llevamos a los maestros a prosperar. Queremos que los líderes escolares puedan establecer una visión para la escuela. Ahí es donde se incluye la equidad y para que se apoye esa visión.
-Dr. Tambra O. Jackson
(Spanish translation by Dr. Cristina Santamaría Graff)