The promise of a new year brings a sense of fresh starts. The response of educators in delivering quality education during a global pandemic proved that, as educators, we can endure much more than we ever would have thought possible. The very sense of urgency that was applied to the creation of new structures, capacity expansion and innovative collaborations during the Coronavirus pandemic must not be lost by leaders as 2021 ushers in the hope of effective vaccines and an end to Corona-life as we knew it in 2020.
Although we know districts managed a number of challenges presented by the pandemic, a fresh start in 2021 for educators does not mean simply moving beyond the pandemic. What we experienced in 2020, has cast a blinding light on the inequities of public education and even exacerbated those inequalities.
Equitability, or rather the lack thereof, has been a drum beat of educators for decades. Our fresh start in 2021 is the opportunity to leverage the recognition of educational inequities that COVID-19 shoved into the realm of public discussion. I dare say that never have systems been so pumped and primed for such dialogue. How do we build on the work that’s been accomplished and continue to make a difference for our students, schools, and districts?
Education leaders must be poised to move the needle from dialogue to action. Teams must be positioned for success. Courageous conversation and bold change are the only ways forward. Communication and collaboration with your educators and policy makers must be prioritized. To borrow a phrase from the former Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the time has come to stop treating the problem of educational inequity as “a grinding, eat-your-broccoli exercise.” It is time to start treating it as an opportunity for innovation and accelerating progress.
For many organizations, this fresh start means powering up an already aggressive mandate for change. Others may be heading with resolve to the starting line. Though I have engaged in this work with passion, resolve, and urgency since 1996, I am starting fresh in 2021. I have never been more excited to assist educational organizations transform leadership as if lives depend on it, because they do.