3 Equity Strategies for the Start of the School Year
While we don't want to put too much pressure on ourselves, it's hard to overstate the importance of first impressions at the beginning of the school year. This is true for nearly every aspect of our classroom, including the strategies and routines we use that impact student perceptions of how equitable our class is. The following strategies are practical ways to increase perceptions of equity to start the year off strong.
Establish a Growth Mindset Culture
Many of us have heard about Carol Dweck's research regarding mindsets.1 If you're like me, after reading her research, you quickly changed the ways in which you offer verbal and written feedback to students, being careful not to praise fixed traits such as intelligence and instead praise malleable traits such as effort. Recent research about fixed vs growth mindsets offers a new way of influencing our students' mindsets that is perfect for the math classroom. Muenks and colleagues2 found that students' perceptions about their teacher's mindset led to all sorts of student behavior changes. When students perceived their teacher to have a fixed mindset, they reported less belonging in class, greater concerns for critique from their teacher, and greater feelings of imposter syndrome. So one of the best strategies we can use to increase equity in our class is modeling a growth mindset ourselves. This means embracing our own mistakes as an opportunity to grow, setting challenging realistic growth goals for the class, and continuing to focus on process over product.
Offer Multiple Forms of Assessment
At the beginning of the school year, we have an opportunity to set new expectations for how we will evaluate student work. Brookhart's work3 suggests that multiple forms of assessment can lead to more equitable outcomes by recognizing and valuing different types of student knowledge and skills. This could include traditional tests, projects, presentations, or even creative assignments like math-related artwork or stories. By offering multiple assessment methods, you allow students to showcase their strengths and understanding in different ways, reducing the stress of standardized testing and giving a more complete picture of their abilities.
Establish Clear and Supportive Communication Channels
As students get older, teachers tend to communicate less and less with students' parents or guardians. The thinking goes like this: it's important for my students to develop independence; therefore I'm putting the responsibility of home communication on them. This is a logical thought on its face. However, when viewed from the lens of equity, this kind of thinking doesn't seem quite as straightforward. Many of our students who feel a lack of belonging at school are channeling impressions about school that were cultivated at home. Perhaps they have a parent who had a poor experience when they were a student. Maybe they have a parent who wants to support them, but isn't always sure how. Research from Henderson and Mapp4 shows us that establishing open communications channels with students and their families is a critical strategy for increasing equity. This kind of communication helps students feel supported by their teachers, parents feel capable of supporting their children, and both parties feeling that their teachers are competent and caring. Clear and supportive communication can involve regular check-ins, using technology like classroom apps for updates, and ensuring that all communication is accessible (e.g., providing translations if needed).
Conclusion
There is no better time to implement one of the strategies above than the beginning of the school year. First impressions matter. An equitable start to the year can make it easier to build on as the year goes on. We encourage you to pick out one or more of the strategies above to raise your equity game!
Pete Grostic, Ph.D
Executive Director
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3How to Assess Higher-Order Thinking Skills in Your Classroom by Susan M. Brookhart
09/03/2024