In equitable schools, students and teachers are appreciated as individuals; they are not defined by cliques or stereotypes. The environment is safe and inclusive; cultural, ethnic, linguistic, sexual orientation and special needs backgrounds are valued and celebrated. An open commitment to equity drives all aspects of the school—from teaching and learning to leadership development and community engagement. An equitable school creates an environment where everyone feels respected, secure and challenged to do their best.
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| When students are tracked as low achievers, they perform poorly in large part due to the lack of challenging learning experiences and support. |
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Equity is built into the fabric of effective small schools. Here, learning is personalized, leadership is distributed and all students are held to the same high expectations. Artificial barriers to learning opportunities—such as requiring a certain score on a high-stakes test for admittance to Advanced Placement classes—are removed. Not only are all opportunities open to all students; all students are expected to pursue them as part of becoming college-ready. In large schools, teachers, students, parents and community members are often disengaged from one another, making it difficult to establish basic ties of trust and communication. But in effective small schools everyone knows each other well, and relationships and acceptance are the foundation for the work that students, school staff, parents and the community do together.
What are some strategies to create an equitable environment?
- Eliminate tracking. The public school system has long sorted students into categories based on ability, designating students to specific “tracks.” Despite the best efforts of committed educators, studies show that a student’s assignment to a track affects a teacher’s expectation of that student’s current and future academic achievement; teachers expect less from students in low ability tracks. When students are tracked as low achievers, they perform poorly in large part due to the lack of challenging learning experiences and support. With few opportunities to push themselves and meet high standards, students in low achieving tracks end up fulfilling teachers’ low expectations for them. And because students of color or from low-income families are disproportionately placed into lower academic ability groups, tracking contributes to the historic achievement gap that divides students.
Research on tracking reveals that it has few advantages for high ability grouped students and major disadvantages for low ability grouped students. This underscores the importance of creating a learning environment in which all students are valued, seen as capable learners and encouraged to interact cross-culturally.
In small schools, students of varying abilities and backgrounds learn together. They work in flexible arrangements (studying independently, receiving one-on-one instruction from teachers, and collaborating in peer groups) and benefit from differentiated instruction, which tailors curriculum to individual student needs. In schools that actively reject tracking, advanced and honor courses have enrollments that reflect the demographics of the school. Course pre-requisites are removed to ensure that traditionally underrepresented students have access to classes that previously were the domain of only the highest achieving students. Supports (such as tutoring) ensure that all students have the help they need to get into and succeed in these more challenging classes.
Eliminating tracking is a first step in institutionalizing a commitment to high academic, non-discriminatory standards for all students.
- Ensure quality teaching for all students. If schools are to provide students of all backgrounds challenging learning, they need teachers who can deliver differentiated instruction and use a range of teaching strategies that match students’ learning styles. Successful teachers adjust their style of interaction (direct instruction, coaching, supervising) and type of assignments (individual reports, group projects, class-wide debate) based on students’ needs and interests. No single instructional approach is a guarantee; teachers who are able to use a broad repertoire of approaches skillfully have the most success in reducing the achievement gap and creating equitable learning opportunities for all students.
Ongoing professional development is essential to build and support teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom. In addition, ensuring quality teaching for all students may require strategic redeployment of the teaching staff. Traditionally, a school’s most veteran and capable teachers gravitate towards teaching upper-level courses that through tracking have filtered out students with learning difficulties.
Schools that are serious about creating an equitable environment assign their strongest, most experienced teachers to critical courses filled with students with the greatest learning challenges – such as 9th grade core academic areas. These schools have shed conventional seniority systems based on staff preference and convenience in favor of an approach that is best for students. They also recognize the importance of embedding supports (such as peer tutoring, double class periods, and after school tutoring) to help ensure students’ success.
- Make extracurricular activities a welcoming experience. Extracurricular activities define the social character of the school, create an alternative context for learning and provide opportunities for students to be recognized for their unique talents. Sports teams, student government, prom committee and clubs are some of the non-academic activities that represent the richness of school life.
In equitable schools every student is encouraged and supported in becoming actively involved in extracurricular activities; traditional barriers and stereotypes (only the “cool kids” can work on the yearbook, only the “geeks” play chess) are removed and newcomers are encouraged to learn the basics and join. For example, to understand the rigors of being a reporter on the school paper, students in English class write and critique articles, and then get feedback from the paper’s editor on the strengths and weaknesses of their mock submissions. Intramural sports provide a chance to practice skills before trying out for a team.
For some students extracurricular activities are the reason they are motivated to work hard in school. Beyond the satisfaction of pursuing their personal interests, extracurricular activities are also beneficial for creating a strong college application. These benefits underscore the importance of not just making extracurricular activities available to all students, but finding ways to welcome and encourage school-wide participation.
- Build durable learning with peer role models. Peer-to-peer connections are a powerful way to build and maintain an equitable school environment. When older students act as role models for students in lower grades and demonstrate how to handle situations by behaving in a way that is respectful of diversity, the learning is practical and durable. Role models can also be useful for families, teachers and other school staff. Anytime a seasoned member of the school community can share insights on the norms and expectations of the school and demonstrate how they manifest, people more readily internalize what it means to support and function in an equitable environment.
Review this element on the Oregon Small Schools Initiative School Change Rubric Self-Assessment Tool.
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