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The national debate about whether or not to teach critical race theory in schools has been in the news and has garnered attention and ire for quite some time. Critical race theory is rooted in academic theory that racism is ingrained in the history of the United States and still impacts laws in place today. Opponents of critical race theory argue that the teaching tells a story, which paints white males as inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Recently, my current state of residence took center stage in the debate when Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill into law prohibiting critical race theory from being taught in our schools. “I firmly believe that not one cent of taxpayer money should be used to define and divide young Oklahomans about their race or sex,’ Stitt said when passing the law.

Oklahoma is far from alone in its position on critical race theory. In fact, South Dakota, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah, and Arkansas are among the states with a ban on critical race theory. While states like Texas continue to consider following suit.  Critical race theory has been described as a self-destructive, America hating, anti-reality idea. Those who wish to see it banned from teaching in schools argue that it questions the very foundations of the liberal order.

Many superintendents and district leaders argue quite the opposite. Here in Oklahoma, for example, a number of educators across the state denounced the governor’s action. After years of focusing on ways of ensuring equity and inclusion in our schools, education leaders point out that America has just barely begun cultivating a climate for honest, constructive dialogue about the ways in which race and racism influence American politics, culture, and the law. Proponents of its teaching argue that removing access points to these conversations in a safe environment facilitated by trained educators undercuts our work to eliminate racism before it can even begin.

While education leaders across the nation have stepped out to challenge prohibitions on critical race theory, the issue does not rest solely with educators. At odds with the governor here in Oklahoma, for example, is the leadership of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre Centennial Commission.

This debate is ugly and painful, not unlike the work we as educators have been immersed in for many years to ensure equity and inclusion in public education. But I submit that engaging in the difficult conversations is necessary if we are to move beyond the status quo and address the serious issues of race and racism in our society that for far too long have been ignored.

In a recent conversation with a professional acquaintance, I was asked about the difference between coaching and mentoring. At the time, my response was muddled by a flood of memories from my own experiences that has since given me pause to reflect on the vast number of coaches and mentors who have made a significant difference in my life (personally and professionally).

Coaching is a capacity development process and can be described as support given by an experienced person to an individual learner (or group) in achieving a specific personal or professional goal. Mentoring refers to a counseling endeavor where a person guides a less experienced individual to help maximize their potential. Coaching is task oriented, structured, time bound, and well planned, whereas mentoring is relationship driven, long-term and typically provided through an informal role.

Having access to a support system of trusted confidants, critical friends, and thought partners you can go to and lean on for help can be the difference in success or failure. My reflections centered on those individuals who entered my life at various stages of my journey and includes teachers, former supervisors, role models, executive coaches, men and women from various geographical locations, diverse backgrounds, and ethnicities.

These are not casual acquaintances. The common dominator is each individual cared enough about me to invest their time, effort, care, and concern. In some cases, it involved opening doors, a peek behind the veil involving their decisions, providing personal advice, or explicit and intuitive feedback to help navigate tough tasks, challenging assignments, or career decisions but nonetheless, all were rooted in a relationship. Many of which continue to this day.

The days of the rugged individual going it alone are long gone. Coaching and mentoring are both important roles in developing human capital of any organization. All of us need support at various stages in our life’s journey, whether it is about individual (or team) performance and efficiency or career progression and effectiveness. In the right situation (e.g., learning and development strategy), coaching and mentoring can be effective approaches to developing leaders at all levels.

“We are reminded that, in the fleeting time we have on this Earth, what matters is not wealth, or status, or power, or fame, but rather how well we have loved and what small part we have played in making the lives of other people better”—Barack Obama.

The Wallace Foundation has released its second of three influential principal pipeline research reports, The Role of Assistant Principals: Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership (April 2021). This report written by Vanderbilt University and Mathematica researchers, summarized that the number of assistant principals has grown substantially in recent years, and with reexamination, the role of assistant principals could do more to leverage support for educational equity, school improvement, and principal effectiveness. The overarching purpose of the study according to the researchers, was to “shine a spotlight and synthesize the evidence” about assistant principals over the last 20 years. Some of the key findings suggest that assistant principal growth has become more prevalent (83%), educators of color and women face institutional barriers to advancement, assistant principals could help promote improved school climate and student outcomes, and the relationship between assistant principals’ experience and future principal performance is mixed. However, specific roles of assistant principals can matter for school outcomes (e.g., coaching teachers, visibility in the classroom, and paying attention to cultural inclusivity). Far too often assistant principals get pigeonholed into roles that limit their pathway to a principalship which is further amplified by ambiguous performance expectations and inadequate systems of support. The researchers acknowledge that the evidence base is still nascent.  The next Wallace Foundation report will examine Principal Preparation and Professional Development due out later this year.  To access the full Role of the Assistant Principals research report, visit the Wallace Foundation Knowledge Center at: The Role of Assistant Principals: Evidence and Insights for Advancing School Leadership (wallacefoundation.org)

As educators who are dedicated to laying foundations upon which systems of equity can build, we must look inward with honesty, compassion, and openness. The Leadership Academy recently rebranded a list of six research-based leadership dispositions that are crucial for leaders addressing issues of bias, inequity, and race. One of the dispositions asserts that as leaders, our education equity work must be predicated on our understanding of our own personal values, assumptions, beliefs, and even our own unconscious biases.

An education leader’s honest inward look is the starting point for the transformation of systematic and persistent racism in education.  But critical self-reflection is hard work, and it is not for the weak-hearted. It is difficult to look within for the purpose of honestly confronting our biases, challenging our beliefs, and evaluating our relationships. Thankfully, there are resources available to help us traverse this territory. Agencies, consultants, universities, and organizations have professionals who are trained to facilitate difficult conversations that enlighten without casting dispersions or heaping guilt upon us as we discover our biases or realize the privilege we may have been afforded throughout our lifetimes.

The key to unlocking these discoveries to advance equity in education in school districts is a consistent and deliberate delivery system steeped in a sense of urgency. School districts must embed this work in their strategic plans, mission statements, interactions, decision-making and practices. They must attest to this work in a way that holds them accountable, and they must include everyone in the district, from policy makers to educators and support staff. When district staff and stakeholders see that this work does not take a back seat to the budget season, the coronavirus pandemic, or high stakes testing, for example, its importance will register with them. When the evaluation of school leaders includes a measurement of their commitment to equitable outcomes, they will respond. As counter intuitive as it sounds, personal reflection should be mandated and appraised.

I highly recommend that every education leader read the six dispositions listed in The Leadership Academy’s rebranded publication. I point out the disposition of self-reflection in this article, but the others are equally important and worthy of commitment. They challenge us to model equity in our personal lives; strengthen our cultural competence; build up others to do this work; and actively and effectively confront the inequities we seek to change.

If public education is going to transform into a system that is truly equitable, it cannot be business as usual. Radical change is called for and, in this case, as educators, we must be the change we want to see.

The Leadership Academy’s publication on Equity Leadership Dispositions is available here: https://www.leadershipacademy.org/resources/equity-leadership-dispositions-2/  

This past weekend, I said farewell to a good friend (Mickey Alston) who passed away at age 81. Mickey was a retired New York City police detective (and an Air Force veteran) who I first met through his daughter (Jackie) while stationed at Tinker Air Force Base, OK. Jackie, her husband (JC) and their son, Justin were stationed at Tinker around the same time my wife and I were reassigned and arrived from Germany. Mickey (and his wife) would visit Oklahoma City from New York City periodically to spend time with Jackie and her family. We would sometimes get together for fellowship and outings at the homes of various friends to cook out, play cards (bid whist) and partake in adult beverages.

One of the most powerful examples of love I’ve ever witnessed, was when Jackie died unexpectedly in 2004 at age 41, Mickey promptly moved to Oklahoma City, bought a new home, and gladly stayed to help raise and support Justin. He was a devoted granddad.

My relationship with Mickey was largely social, but I knew him as a wonderful human being who loved his family dearly and once told me, “I’m very grateful that I have lived long enough to see my grandson become a young man.”  Justin went on to graduate from college at the University of Oklahoma and also obtained his master’s degree.

In light of all the lives lost to the COVID pandemic, where families were not able to pay their final respects, the funeral was a reminder of how important it is to say farewell to those we love and respect as an important part of the grieving process. Mickey’s graveside services were attended by his family, a few close friends, and representatives of the Air Force Honor Guard from Tinker Air Force Base. He was a good man and dear friend who I will always remember. May Mickey’s example live on in others whose lives he touched. Please keep the Alston family and friends in your prayers.

“The problem and inequities that have plagued our education system since long before COVID will still be with us even after the virus is gone. So, it is our responsibility, it our privilege, to take this moment and to do the most American thing imaginable: To forge opportunity out of crisis, to draw on our resolve, our ingenuity, and our tireless optimism, as a people, and build something better than we’ve ever had before.” – U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona

This week, the Senate confirmed President Joe Biden’s nomination of Miguel Cardona as the nation’s education secretary. What a time this is in the history of the nation’s public education system. A former elementary school teacher, who ascended to principal; a former principal who ascended to assistant superintendent; a former assistant superintendent who ascended to the highest education position in Connecticut; a Connecticut native whose parents are from Puerto Rico; a former poverty-stricken school kid whose family lived in public housing now leads the nation’s public education system.

His administrative experience has prepared him to well understand the needs of teachers, the demands of unions, the concern of parents, the realities of finite resources, infinite challenges, and competing priorities.

His authentic experience as a Puerto Rican boy navigating the halls and classrooms of public schools and later college lends a deeply personal understanding of the “problems and inequities” that must be urgently addressed if we are to fix what plagues our education system and build something better than we’ve had before, as he so unapologetically asserts.

President Biden has promised that increasing school funding is a critical goal of his administration. He has proposed tripling the spending for Title I programming. He has even proposed forgiving student loan debt and making community colleges tuition-free. Those are welcoming conditions for Cardona as he takes office. Yet, Cardona inherits a litany of heated national debates all while standing in a position where past inequities and present crisis intersect.

In a recent Op Ed, National Urban League President Marc Morial said: “The Secretary of Education must … lead a nationwide conversation about education through a racial equity lens and that conversation must center on the needs of students from marginalized communities, clearly illuminate the impacts of the pandemic, and demonstrate how those impacts interact with and exacerbate hundreds of years of systemic racism.”

It is my belief that Cardona’s personal experience as an impoverished youth, teacher, administrator, husband, and father of two school-aged boys will imbue his platform priorities. During his confirmation hearing, Cardona said “if we don’t assess where our students are and their level of performance, it’s going to be difficult for us to provide targeted support and resource allocation in the manner that can best support the closing of the gaps that have been exacerbated due to this pandemic.”

But perhaps the most insightful proclamation of Cardona’s vision of public education was gleaned not from confirmation hearings or well-crafted quotes but rather from his twitter feed one day in February. It read simply: All means all. Wishing Secretary Cardona every success in his transition and beyond.

The Wallace Foundation has released its seminal research report, How Do Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research (Feb 2021). As a national independent foundation, with a $1.6 billion endowment, Wallace has been heavily engaged in 20-years of principal research and freely sharing evidence-based lessons on school leadership (among other areas) as a part of their mission to “foster improvement and enrichment for marginalized children”. The primary purpose of the research report was to synthesize what has been learned about the relationship between school leadership and student achievement and other outcomes as well (e.g., student attendance and chronic absenteeism).  While principals are second only to teachers in terms of in-school factors impacting student achievement, one key take-away from the research findings emphasizes that the importance of principals is not stated strongly enough as there is strong evidence that having an effective principal contributes substantially to student achievement. To access the full research report visit the Wallace Foundation Knowledge Center at: How Principals Affect Students and Schools (wallacefoundation.org).

“To bring about change, you must not be afraid to take the first step. We fail when we fail to try.” – Rosa Parks

As we embrace Black History Month and all the Black Excellence that it celebrates, I cannot help but view the month through the lens of an educator.  As such, I see a dichotomy; a long list of accomplishments, inventions, milestones, and grand efforts achieved as much as because of the education of black people as despite it.

Reflecting on all that Black History Month propels to the forefront of America’s consciousness, the call to action for changes to an education system built to support an agrarian school calendar, designed to sort and select, segregated by the color line from its onset, rings loud and clear.

That bell has been rung by many heroes of past and present. Black History Month is a time to salute education heroes like Justice Thurgood Marshall, who successfully argued against the constitutional sanctions for segregation by race and made equal opportunity in education the law of the land in 1954. The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, 1954, marked a turning point in the history of race relations in the United States and sparked the Civil Rights movement.

Now in her 80s, Marian Wright Edelman connected her work as founder of the Children’s Defense Fund in 1973 and its fight for social justice to the urgency of that call today when she joined the Black Lives Matter protests this past summer. Wright, who made popular the phrase “every child is sacred,” is a living history of the work still necessary to make sure that equity for all students becomes the cornerstone of education and the bridge for historical and next generation Black Excellence. Mrs. Edelman now serves as president emerita and has handed the reins to Dr. Starsky Wilson, an activist and St. Louis minister.

Last month, I listened with an educator’s ear as Amanda Gorman, the nation’s first ever youth poet laureate, recited poetry during the 2021 Presidential Inauguration. I heard her describe our work as a hill to be climbed … “The hill we climb, if only we dare. It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit, it’s the past we step into and how we repair it.” Gorman has mentioned Maya Angelou, Audre Lorde, Yusef Komunyakaa, Tracy Smith, Phillis Wheatley and others as having shaped her work.

It also made me think of modern-day education idols like Geoffrey Canada, renowned around the world for his pioneering work helping children and families through the Harlem Children’s Zone, and Gholdy Muhammad, Georgia State University professor and author of Cultivating Genius: An Equity Framework for Culturally and Historically Responsive Literacy. Their repair work to raise the voices and exploit the potential of black students who have been marginalized and underserved by the education system is a steep hill to climb. They, along with educators and activists across the land, must continue that climb because it is the platform that ensures Black Excellence will flourish and cannot ever be stamped out.

I was honored this past month to visit virtually with East Cleveland (Ohio) City School District’s former Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation, Andratesha Fritzgerald, a powerful advocate for racial justice in public education.  Our conversation centered around her recently published book entitled: Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning – Building Expressways to Success, and we touched on everything from educator authenticity to institutional racism.

I’ve known Andratesha since our introduction when her district joined the Ohio Team of the ESSA Leadership Learning Community (ELLC), involving a network of Northeast Ohio school system and community leaders drawn to the work of School Improvement, Leadership, and Equity (a national collaboration project of the Wallace Foundation). The ELLC network has been engaged in leadership for equity work since 2016 as thought partners and bridge builders in support of a public-school model in need of urgent social justice reform and the educators on that mission. I was prepared for a profound and engaging dialogue when we discussed her book, and I think you will find that is exactly what our Q&A session netted.

Q: What was your purpose in writing “Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning – Building Expressways to Success?”

A: The temperature in the world is right for change and I wanted to equip teachers with actions that answer the frequently asked question: “Where do I start?” Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) helps teachers of Black and Brown children to understand what it means to honor every child. It also tells them what it means to bring out the best in them, and what strategies you can use to reach them, to teach them, and to learn from them.

Q: How can school districts capitalize on the social justice movement currently sweeping the nation in a way that is sustained as a movement and not just a moment in time? Not only urban schools but suburban and rural ones, as well.

A: A twin pandemic of racism and COVID-19 has cast a spotlight on inequalities that have existed for a long time. Inequities in schools are windows to the larger vision of economic disparity, the digital divide, and most of all racial tensions that are at a fever pitch in this country. But people are now open to taking action to change things. While there is attention to and opportunity for change, we must make a shift in the experience that Black and Brown learners have in and out of the classroom. We can create learning environments that are culturally responsive, culturally sustaining, flexible, and empowering. This is the time for every learning environment to evaluate the experiences and outcomes for all students (and especially Black and Brown learners) and get serious about the work of designing instructional supports for success.  Every child deserves an education that is free from the disease of racism and we have an opportunity to make changes on purpose.  Now is the time!

  Q: Should and how could an anti-racist element be added to teacher training and licensure requirements?

A: Antiracism must become a required component to teacher training and licensure requirements simply because teacher decisions and designs are integral to systems that perpetuate predictable outcomes for learners based on race.  We must change teacher preparation if we want to change the data that says Black students are three times more likely to be suspended than their white counterparts.  We must change teacher training if we want classrooms designed by teachers with all students in mind. If teachers are not equipped with design strategies and antiracism training, then another generation of Black and Brown students will be marginalized and labeled as failures, when the responsibility for the failure actually belongs to a system that chooses to ignore their needs.

Q: Is there or should there be a differentiation between anti-racism training and anti-black racism training, especially in light of the Black Lives Movement? 

A: Antiracist training must address every form of oppression because Black people are not monolithic.  Oppression oozes into every cross-section and intersection of our existence. If we are to defeat racism, we must see its multifaceted effects.  You cannot separate antiracism from the specificity of anti-blackness if you want to dismantle it.  We must confront the antiblackness to tear it down with antiracism.

Q: How can a teaching pool that is largely white teach an anti-racism curriculum with empathy and authenticity? 

As I explain in the book, controversy is born the moment dreamers begin taking actions to invite the marginalized ones into the secret society of success. That means, it takes courage to dream beyond the locked gates of educational access for all.  When we say “all,” we must identify those students whom the system has not traditionally served. It is more important than ever to recognize that our systems are not just or equitable for our Black and Brown students.

Q: What exactly is Antiracist UDL?

A: It is a merging of methodologies and strategies that acknowledges, identifies, recognizes, names, and studies barriers in systems caused by racism. Once the barriers are acknowledged, identified, recognized, named and studied — then they are systematically dismantled, erased, and eradicated with intentionally designed supports and systems that lead to desired outcomes at every level.

Antiracist UDL is intentional and action oriented. Action and intention are a strategic method to addressing racism. In many systems, racism exists and persists with debilitating outcomes, reminding Black and Brown learners that most systems were not created for them, nor will it change for their success. There are few systems that take on the challenge of being intentionally antiracist, and to be truly antiracist, the system must also be truly universally designed.

Q: We often hear the term “institutional racism,” how does the education system reflect such a structure?

A: Traditional systems that perpetuate institutional racism and block on-ramps to learning are designed for a mythical average learner.  One who is white, privileged, at grade-level, and self-regulated. The default language, culture, social and economic assumptions, and goals of traditional public education are oriented toward the white, suburban middle class. Often educators will say, “our systems are broken.” This is not true. Our systems are doing exactly what they were designed to do — allow white privileged students to succeed and move ahead while others are held back. UDL requires us to do better — to name barriers like racism and eliminate them by providing support and high achievement standards for all.

Q: What do you think is your book’s greatest value? What makes it special or worthwhile from your perspective?

This book is for teachers and school leaders who are serious about the actions required for equity to be actualized through antiracist universal design. If we do nothing to change, then we are practicing dishonor to Black and Brown children. We are encouraging their failure and embracing a system that has proven to be racist for as long as schooling has been in existence. Antiracism must be active, not passive. Universal design must be intentionally implemented — not just intended. Success for all must be more than passion. It must be powered by empowerment!

Q: Are you hopeful about a change?

There is hope for change when we decide that we are ready to make changes.  The brilliance of Black and Brown children comes alive when we mine for the gem and disturb the status quo.

Andratesha Fitzgerald’s book: Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning – Building Expressways to Success, offers an effective framework for school system leaders and teachers who are committed to promoting leadership for equity and interested in making equitable student learning outcomes actionable.

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.