Reflect on the idea that students and educators are strangers because they lack shared experiences. Share the thoughts of your reflection includi

The Leadership

Journey Begins

Within

The projection (as we view others) is the attribution we make, the

conclusions we draw, and the fact that all we see in them is what is

missing. When we believe that the "other" is the problem and that

transformation is required of them and not of us, we become the

beneficiaries of their suffering in the world.

-Peter Block (2009. p. 58)

GETTING CENTERED

In selecting this book, you have indicated your interest in education, lead­

ership, and/or issues of access, equity. and diversity. Most likely you arc a

formal or a nonformal leader in your school or community. What caused

you to open this book and read lo this point? What might be some reasons

you want Lo continue to read and explore this text? We invite you to record

your initial thoughts to these questions. Your responses will guide the first

step on this journey with us.

11c1c1av• •-=-' ——-

I -I • 1•arc 1. I l'Odrr,hlp Is n lkvl'lopl•ll Pl'r,onal Pcr,pccc n e

rhough l'ducl11nr…, and students arc in the same c,1s…,room and . 1

. 'il 10o . the s.tmc time, cry oltcn we arc strangers lo one another. Vhen.· un u achk'l'lllCnl is prcuknt in a school. the cultural uiffcrcnce, h· dcr­• et l.'I.' cduL·cttnr .ind students .ire often represented by contrnstino c,p. . n

~ l.'rtl'nl'I.' , nlul'S, hcids. languages. socioeconomics. and world views 1. . '· • • 00 nltc educators and st udcnts treat one another differently because tll,

1 n . . cy ton· know one another s stones. 1

Unawareness of dilTcrcnt experiences is intcnsilted in that man I • • t' l 1· d 1· b d y !)Co- p c m our snncty s 1 1vc segregate 1ves asc on race/ethnicity .1 . dl . . t' t s t' r h . ,Cass. an mgu1s 1c pa terns. cgrcga 10n rom one anot er s cxpcricn,·,,s , . …… exists among educators. among our students, and between educator, and students. To be clTcclive cross-culturally, we must fully understand that cultural realities arc sets ol' lived. learned experiences. For us. Lisa Delpit ( 1996) eloquently expressed it with these words: "All the students that we teach arc 'Other People's Children."' Since we cannot live each other's cultures. it becomes imperative that we begin our leadership journey by looking inward to ourselves and understanding our reactions to people who arc culturally different from us. To understand ourselves as cultural beings is a necessary step to clTcctivcly teach "Other People's Children:· This chapter is designed for you to rel'lcct on your leadership role in your school. In the next few pages. •Ve invite you to begin this journe) toward Cultural Prot1cicncy hy

• taking a look at your school and your reactions to what you sec • considering the equity issues that abide in your school • considering access and achievement gaps as leadership issues • viewing aspects ot' current legislation such as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA. 201 5) as useful tools

"SEEING" MY SCHOOL-WHAT I SEE AND DON'T SEE

l d. · •t • l hat an: inOu-As School leaders. we inherit schools and schoo 1stnc s 1 • •

• I r •n I 1 ):, cnccd by social. polilical. and econom.ic forces not read, Y appa cl . • ll'rl·d

l 1 -·Kher am t:ll ikdy you hcgctn your education career as a c assroom c, . ,r.. 111 . r ·en· bc:-.t i Your first school with unbridled cnthus1asm tn ti) you –

1 .1 i:-i1phY I I . . • ·t 1ry and P , , l

your preparation program. you too< t H: rcquircl 11s 1

… 1c1ut-1,ht ,n I I. ll .• •red 'hat .1 …

course~. and may or may not 1.1vc u y constl I.' . nttr (1,,,,. . 1 . • . ur school c1lll ) .. ,l

thrn,l· cc>un,<:s to be lorrl's t 1.il 11np111g<: on yo • , harL' r,111 ll

I' I I .. • •llllll'lll 1th! ·h room. I low you kit about your irsl sc H>U us:–1~ I". ..c,1rct1ll . 1· l . .. t •. n ·I' pca..,l'L 111 ,nJ ;111yv'hl'r<: ,dll11µ a ro111111uum o ll'lll~ l'. Ill l – 111dcnl"•

I ·1d IP" dispka..,t·tl." Tlti11µ-; …,pokL·n and unspoll·n llhll l' } 1lll fl• t'<1llec1gut·, 111 your sclwol.

►

•

Chapft-r 1. Tht- teadt-rshtp Journn llrglm 'II hln • Ji;

Envision yourself d .. of the . hb • nving to and from your current school. Ta"-e noll'

ne1g orhood and th . ,

st cl t ~I c services present. or nol r,rescnL lor your

• t en s. ' so, note whether or not you would live in the ncighborhocxh

0 your st udcnts. Do the visible clements of the neighborhood cnviron­

•~~nt cause you lo judge your students and their parents? Underlying the

'ISrble elements of our school communities arc unapparent forces thal

make even more impc1ct on our students, our schools, and ourselves.

Thcsc seemingly invisible historical forces contribute to the sense of privi­

lege or deprivation experienced in your school that creates stress for your

st udents. their parents or guardians, and for you. These Invisible forces arc

the "equity issues" that serve as the great unspoken in our profession as

well as in society at large. The commonly used metaphor to describe these

invisible forces is, "Equity issues are the elephant in the middle of the

room that we pretend not to see."

Reflection

Describe your school environment. Describe the school's community

or neighborhood. What do you think and feel about the effect of these

environments? Please use the space below lo record your thoughts and

feelings.

WHAT ARE THE EQUITY ISSUES IN YOUR SCHOOL?

How much do you know about equity issues in your school or in schools

throughout our country? To what extent are historical events of inequity

prcscnl in your school today? Arc students in your school well scr'cd by

the academic and c.:ocurricular progrums? As you rcud this section. keep

these quc!,lions in mind, und use the space al lhc end of this section lo

record your responses. Hem em her, one of lhc major purposes of I his hook

i, for you lo become lncn:asingly aware of your reactions lo people whose

life expc:ricnces IlltlY he different from yours.

, pcr!,on's rec1clio11 to equity i,sues is o/kn dqx•ntlcnt on 1h0 1 (X'ron

own e,pcri<.:nct' ilS iJ student. Those of us who hare benefited lrom lhc

rurrent ~dwol structure may have u rl'nclion that is different from llio~e of

us -ho were 11wrgi1wlizcd or mc.1dc invi!,ihle. The: twin topics of unht·rsi1I

j

I '1 • P.1r1 I. r l'adc.-r~hip I, n Den•loped Personnl Pt•r~pt'clhe

public l'ducatinn and equity in cducc1tion haw yil•ldctl very di1·1· . erl'nt ,

rienl'L'S lor cultural groups of students. both historically and <.ti t)(rx,_ . . . rrentlv

l1srommu111cal1on and stress among educators can often h, 1 . •• c rc1ced

how L'II or poorly people felt served in their own school exn., . le, .,-..nenc.

Similarly. educators who ha'c been well served in our school (;s_

• 'Yslern olten arc at octds with pH rents and other community memher~ h h ~

0 ae been less well served. Irrespective of your prior personal experiences 1 1… .

. . ()~

a sr.hoc~l leader today. knowledge of the historicc::11 context of acccs.., and cqmty issues will provide an importnnl context on which to build ,our vision for what our schools can and must be.

Two expressed values in our democracy not yet fully rec1lizcd arc uni­ vcrs,11 public education through high school and equitable educational

opportunities for all students. Mistakenly thought by many educators to be a requirement in all fifty slates, required education through high school or age eighteen is a post-World War JI phenomenon that continues to unfold across the country (Hudson, l 999; Kousscr. 1984). Mackey and Duncan (2013) reported that as of 2012. sixteen slates have compulsory education requirements to the atlainment of age sixteen.

Progress toward universal education is intertwined with the advance­ ment in equitable treatment and equal outcomes for students based on gender, race, ethnicity. language. c-1nd ability. Legal cc::1scs such as Bro'11 , •.

Topeka Board of Education ( 19 54) and Serrano, •. Priest ( 1971. 19 76. l 9 771 (as cited in Townley & Schmeider-Ramirez, 2007) set in motion processes designed to remedy inequities intentionally structured into our society and. consequently. our school systems. Executive measures such as the order issued by President Eisenhower in 196 7 that sent ll.S. paratroopers to ensure the integration of Central High School. Little Rock. :rkansas: and legislative measures such as the 1964 Civil Rights Act 'rrc intcndrd to confront historical inequities. While dismantling the legal barrier~ Ill

segregation has been a monumental achievement, having schools ht' :,.uc­

ccssful for all students is a dream still deferred for nwny. Prominent researchers and socinl commentators haw prc"SL'd till'

issue for equity in our schools tor two gcnerntions. Edmonds ( 1 Y ;9 l idcnll

fled correlates for schools cflt•clivc for all students. yet we con1inul' Ill "db

cover" those fc.tctors as new. Hilliard ( 1991) rhallcngctf us and c1,"cd ii l

ht,d ''the will" lo educate all cltildrc11. Kozol ( 1991. 200 ~. 20071 cn111111Ut'' 1" dl'~crihc what is happening in too manv srhools ,, ith till' ll'rtll' '""":: and sm,,1,,11• i11<'<J11alili<'s. Fulla11 ( 200 3) t·,,ho~tcd us to cmbr,tt'L' k.itkr,lll[1 ~l.

• • I • • t ·11 nc l ' 1

" 1110rr1 llllpL-rr1t1vc. Bcrlincr (2005) makes a rompl'lling anJ r 11 1 • ii I ti • • • l ·nl1lln' or tl' 1111 r,i11,igl'nce of rmcrty ,111<1 its l'fkct 011 nur schonls. l'l Lil•. ,,I r 1liC)' ' I • I J 'L'll(lll ' • .im ~Ol'll' y. 111porta11tlr lkrl111cr ·1ll11str·11•·.., till' 1ntl'f"t ·

• , I '- • ',())Ill

pon·rty lllul r.icc/l'tl111irily tlrnt t111dcn-uts the 1101 inn pn:, aknt 111

Cha.,te, I. The !•de, …. ,.__,. I Lf

pmfessJonal devcl . . opmcnr circl ~ th h .

economic 1ssu,• A . c, at t e ac:h1evement gap Is only a liNlltb

• • syouarcr••d' h'

f1<m opporr unity , hat folio , ca •~g l 1s hook. it is 2018 or later. The rea.,..

exploration of "w·II…. s.hrgms, or maybe extends and deepens, your

1 ' morn/ unp<.'rative," und "leadership."

Rtflt,•tion

Tukr c1 few mo . .

ning of f his s .. mcnts and consider lhe questions posed at the begin-

. . • 'ect,on and repeated here: How much do you know about

cqult) issues in Y<)ur s ·h I . ~ 'I'

• • c oo or m schools throughout our country1 o

what extent ar h' t • I h I

c is onca events of inequity reflected in your sc oo

today? Are students in your school well served by the academic and cocur­

ricular programs? Please record your responses in the space below.

CONFRONTING ACCESS AND ACHIEVEMENT

GAPS AS A LEADERSHIP ISSUE

Early now in the twenly-firsl century, we are still faced with the challenge

to lead schools in ways that provide equitable opportunities irrespective of

students' cultural memberships. Schools are naturally heterogeneous

places to address issues of equity. We bring together students from differ­

ent cultural groups of race, socioeconomic status. gender, sexual orknta­

tion, and gender identity wilh the intent Lo provide quality education.

Bridging access and achievement gaps is a complex undertaking lhar

requires leaders who have knowledge of the social dynamics within soci­

ety and our schools llrnt foster disparities.

Laypeople and educators similurly mention the at:hiccrnenr gap as

though it is the single p/lcnomcnon of lest scores. For 1l1ar reason, C use

the term ''c:ducational gap~" throu~lwut I his hook to encompass access

and achievement in all usrc_-·cts ol the :-it'h,x1l experience. &lucaUonal

achievement is_ c~,mpoSt·d ul t~·o components within schools' control:

( 1) schools prov1dmg an:css to high-quality curriculum and instruction to

aU students and (2) ourcomc measures that assess student ac~

To UJustrate the frailty of relying on outcome mea~ able, one ~

_._ to examine the work of early researchers such a, Cotem. (

vuv ~ l

'

Is • rare I. I t>adt•r-.hlp I!. a Dt>eloped Peri,onnl Per~pet'Cive

and jencks lJl'ncks. Smith. Al'land. & Banc. 19 7 2 l who pointed l't·rcnn· het,H'l'll ,l'rkan .merkan and white students' pcrfo to lhe dif­ implicdtl'd gl'nl't ir inferiority. poverty. and lack or family su nnance and reasons for umkruchievcmcnf. In effect. they held thut son~~:~.

1 i:ls the

rong. with the students. their l"amilics. or their cultures ,1,11 . ing ·c1'i . . . • • csc clct' ha'c long-smcc been proven 111corrcrl nnd biased thinking (E1, 1 'Ills • .uuca1 rrust. 200n) Data exist that proves all students do learn. given the a l<>n

priatl' conditions for teaching and learning (Education Trust, iilfro- 1 lowcvcr. not addressing systemic access disparities or high quality cd )n1.

UCa­tional programs. experienced teachers, and equitable school fundin resulted in a continuance ot' the status quo or some students being we~ served and others less well. ii' at all.

The reality is that school systems across the country have seldom treated students in an equitable manner. Systemic inequities predate the landmark Brown court case that was to end "separate but equal": how­ ever, disparities continue lo persist in the form of current funding inequi­ ties in many states even today. Punding alone. however. will not create a level playing 11eld. A fundamental change in the way that many students are educated must occur. or we will lose another generation of youth to poverty and/or lives of crime.

Our PreK-12 (prekindergarten through twelfth grade) student popula­ tion in the United States is growing steadily with the greatest growth being demographic groups who have heen underscrved historically. Predictably. students of color and English learners will soon compose more than 50 per­ cent of all students in our nation's PreK-12 schools. In many school" and districts these populations are 90-1 O<) pcrccn t of the st udcn t population. as patterns of segregation seem to grow. ln contrast. the educator population remains overwhelmingly while. middle class. and female. Therefore. the real­ ity is that the primary culture or U.S. schools continues to rdkct a Eurocentric. middle class. and standard-English-speaking paradigm (Milner. 2007). Students who enter our schools and share the values, beliefs. sodo· economic status. behaviors. world view. language, and degree of ahlcncss that most closely align with this dominant paradigm tend tl> he most "ucct~­ lul. The qu<.;stion we must ask ourselves as school leaders and urts,cr 111

• I I • // / / / • t ·J ··l~111 1/1'1111V mcamn~ ll 'ilY~ 11'., ow ( () '(' /11('('{ l 11· {l("(I{ I'll/I(' llllC Sc)( Ill ,,, 1 I· 'J • .. . . . . . . . . ,r,,1/llll J){'(Jp/1· who mta Pllr sclwols wit/, cl~f.kr<'l1l sl'ts <!/ '11/111'.'i. /1<'/11'/s. ~,'< "'111

,:

1·xpnw11n•.,. hd1avi01 s. world 'ilws. l101111' /1111!Jllllfft'S. wi 'I'll as clt'!frt'1'' •1 af,/, 111 :hi

:s VfJU thi11k ahoul your school what ill''lJUitil's dt> n>ll 1hink nlll~ . . ,.. . •r~ cxi<.t ~ 11cm dn you dcsrrihc I he hl'hc1·ior ol formal .ind nonforrn,d [L,lt l ,.. • .I I . . . . – :, l'lccl',C tJ'-l 111 ,tu< n· .. s1ng Jlll'<Jllll1l''-: I lnw do you dc..,cribc yuur hehavmr. tlu: ,pacL below tu record your responses.

C'hopft>r I Th · • I'J

• e l,t-udershfp Journey Hcgjn.o. WHlun •

ESSA AS A LEADERSHIP TOOL

SeJected aspects of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA. 2016) similar

to th0se of its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB. 2001 ),

can serve as tooJs to support access and equity efforts. ESSA as the cur­

rent version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has made

the general pubJic and education profession more aware of differential

educational opportunity and achievement patterns that exist in and

among our schools and communities. Within our schools. we no,v have

the opportunity to discuss and analyze student achievement and access

issues as part of our everyday educational practice. Resistance and selec­

tive blindness that existed a few years ago is being replaced by school

members and community partners coming together to examine student

achievement and access issues that previously had been ignored or.

worse yet. not acknowledged or even recognized. Though resistance con­

tinues, thoughtful and committed educational leaders are skillfully using

ESSA planning as a vehicle for addressing access and achievement dis­

parity issues.

The oft-touted achievement gap is. in reality. a multifaceted outcome

measure of gaps in access to education. The light that ESSA focuses on

differential achievement patterns now points to multiple achicvcmenc

gaps. Achievement gaps differentiated by race/ethnicity, gender. class.

language. c1nd degree of physical and mental ahlencss arc now high­

lighted in the popular media. The focus on different aspects of achieve­

ment gaps has rekindled interest in examining who gees suspended.

expelled. and otherwise excluded from "regular·· dassrornns. The cx,uni­

nation of w~o. all c~c.Js school rcgu lurly as .Veil cl'i who drops out or is

"pushctl out 1s hcmg undertaken by schools nationwide. Data h·

d . . . h' t

t dt

descrihc i!->panllcs 111 ac u:vcmen rartcrn~. dropout rc:1tc… !.l d . -~- un cnroll-

nu:nt in higher-urdcr c:uurscs ,ire powerful when used as • d.

. . . . • • in 1carors of

,1L·ce-.s b<Jrncrs rhur exist .'1lh111 lhc school. lIUC'er: cou .

. . .. . • rdgcous leader.

chcm"c.: 1he focu~ lr01n d1c1( 1-. 'rung wirh the sfu(J•·nt .. 1 .. 1 c.;

e

~ o ' n l i •

need 1,, du ro meet the . …ruc.Jenr·s needs… < s H i,e I

I

..?O • l'ar1 I. I c.·ader,hlp bu Ot>,·elopt'd Per">onnl Persp<'c.·1h,e

' t· propose r1 process of' de'cloping ..in intentional k'i.ldcrship

I in· g • I I b I · • J)crspet

. llll l'l y I 1c follm,·ing quesli<>ll'-, which you nw"t person<1fly c1n •

mternc11ly ask. yourself': • tl

I. t/ho am I. a school leader. as a cultural being?

) Vhar arc my values, hclicf.c,, behaviors, language, c/a,_s, race/eth­

nicity. and world view?

3. Whal values. helicls. behavior. language. class. race/ethnicity. and

world view do the various students bring lo my dassroom/schcx)I?

4. llow docs my culture a/Teel the students who come lo my class­

room/school?

J, How will the students' cultures affect me?

6. What must 1 do when my culture and the students· cultures are

different?

Your responses to these quest ions become the basis for the cultural

aurobiography you ,,viii iniliatc in Chapter 3. The relkc:tions and personal

interviews you will complete in Chapters 4-6 will deepen your under­

standing of those culturally different from you and why you regard them

as you do. You will experience your rcllections. your interviews. and your

final assembling of this information as a deeply personal and liberating

educational journey. You will come to know yourself even heller. 10

understand the basis for your values and bclicls. and 10 be inlenlional

about being the leader you want to be.

DEFINITIONS OF KEY TERMS

1Jndcrstw1ding key terms is imporlcrnt to efleclivc c:omrnunication. Do you

rccLJII your first yec.Jr lc,1ching and the lirsl parent night or parent-teacher

cuufcn.'ncc c1ncJ how you mil led off terms and acronyms that I he parents

guc1rdians dicJn ·1 seem to know? You may hi.Ive used terms such .,s

s/tuulurtls-/Jasl'rl ass<·ss11I<'lll or pof.11110111inl /i-a(tio11s or c'<1llllflllt>11,· Jlfl'!ln·''·

Acronyms llrnt 1rn1y l1c1ve I ripped off your tongue could have been H n, Ir..

//:l'orN<."JI: v, ••• ,,,·l. r· 1 1. . . I ,,··1nd

• •• ' … ,. ou sc, e,H· > pro es-;1n11 hus its m, n 1cr1111110 ()1-,_ •

ilCflll l_'ll 1,.

<'ulturnl l'ru/icienc_v /Jus len11-; lo be defined. ton. Fn,m the l'f bcµin­

lllllg 011111 r wurl,, 1"!-!l'lher. H;1y hdd lh<11 "the ultimate prn,t·r in sPcill.' 1~

1/,cp11l'fl1>dd1JJl' "1• II I. r·1Cl'

• •11r >,11 fl'cl'-011. you m1gli1 .i:-.k. 'hy dn ,,·c W~l ' •

——– ('hapr._.r I Th

• e teodt"r~hl J

I .

P ournl'J Hegins Hit hin • J. I

:till lime lo dellnt' sc . • l'tntngly .

l'lhu: ,tor~ • I I common t • 11,

~ • clllc aypcoplc ch . t:rm~. he answer is hccnu.'>l' '>OnH.'

di ers11y-rdatcd per,1,11ecr '~><~sc lo he cullurally h/ind about cquil} and

.. IVls cJnd de . . I

correrl. .e Cpcrienc. t , . ns,vc Y dismi'is lhcm U"> "po/i11rn/ly

I ) ' > I . t: "o kind~ of con . . / ..

{ eop e m our pro/i•s . ccrns a 1out polil1cal corrcctne-;~:

. …sum who h , .

succe~slul ith some cult I

ave no interest in /ciirning hm Lo be

rorrrrlncss •is ,1 . ura groups of students use a charge of political

• • c • c rcc1son not to ·I , .

Ii eness through u , f c iangc, and (2) people mask their ineflec-

sc O au cour t (' • •

hut disphy t,·ttl an i.e., lash,onablcJ words and phrases

• c_ ,cornocomm·t

cquitv. We find th· t h I mcnt lo the deeper values of access and

I th • , . cl • t ough the motivation of the speakers may be clissimi-

ar, cir impact on stud t , d .

1 . 1 . h . • en s e ucallon is similarly ineffective. Therefore,

'r o er t e followin k g ey terms and definitions for our use in schools.

~ulture: We define culture as involving far more than ethnic or racial

di.ffcrences. Culture is the set of practices and beliefs shared by members

ol a particular group that distinguish that group from other groups.

Culture includes all characteristics of human description. including age.

gender, socioeconomic status. geography, ancestry, religion. language.

history. sexual orientation, physical and mental level of ableness. occupc:J­

tion. and other affiliations.

Cultural ltiformancy: This reflects our experience of having cross­

cultural relationships that are authentic and trusting and allow for

mutual learning and feedback that leads to personal growth.

Demograpliic Groups: Due Lo the historical stigma that continues to

impact our communities and schools, we use the term demographic group

in place of the term subgroup. Every few years the eugenics debate recurs.

and terms such as subspt'cies and related uses of the prefix suh- arc used in

racist, discriminatory ways. We find the term de111ogrnphic group to he more

precise and accurate.

Dominant CuJt11re: It should be noted that the dominant culture para­

digm that permeates schools tends to be present in most schools rcgardlc~s

of the communities where they arc located. Every classrooll) ha,; a grc.ll

de,,I of cultunil diversity present. By our definition. some eultun.•/ are

readily visible, wliile others nwy he hidden and not appurcnt. hL·n e

l'Xc1mim· ,,chievement. su~pension, and l'pul … iun d,11.1: a … signrneni to

cc:rtc1in c.,tc:gorie<; of ~rechi/ cdun1tion; or the lark of c1ssig11JllL'lll lo gilied

.iccdl'rntcd. unc.1 c1d'rl/H'l'U p!.1ccn1<:llt dt1:-.ses: it become., ck-.1r lhitt I hos~

who hrinµ., different c11/1ure lo Ille ~r/1onl do 1111/ rt'l'l'hl' equiu,blc lreal­

llll'III t1m/ foil to illluin eq11t1/ ll'vd.-. ol surn·,-,.

,

1.,! • Parf I. I t'adrrship •~ 0 I) 1 • <'H" 0 P<"d Pc.-no