Making a Difference

Contents Prologue Preface Acknowledgments IntroductionThe Instructional Leader as an Equity Leader To whom and what are we most accountable? Why leadership is crucial to the conversation Why we need culturally responsive instructional supervision now How developing empathy can make our communities better Learning to stand up to hatred Part IAddressing the Feedback Loop Problem in US Schools Chapter 2Shifting Feedback from Hierarchical to Helpful Shifting away from plantation practices Reexamining the purpose of feedback about instruction Utilizing ongoing conversations to cocreate knowledge and promote authentic accountability Leveraging relational trust to promote more inclusive instruction Chapter 3Liberating Ourselves from Prepackaged Systems Why moving beyond the checklist is so important How templates prevent critical thinking Learning to create feedback practices that are immediately useful Developing common language and assumptions about learning Meeting policy requirements through pedagogies that lead to equitable outcomes Chapter 4Learning to Engage in a Community of Culturally Responsive Instructors (CCRI) Considering the role of data in acts of educational resistance Why autonomy is at the heart of inclusive instruction How critical colleagues can collaborate for co-liberation Sharing learning as a form of love across a school culture Questioning power structures to address systemic inequity The challenges of moving forward with the work Part IIDeveloping a Team of Inclusive Instructional Leaders Chapter 5Being Intentional about Representation Why representation matters Shifting away from racial and sexual contracts Other sociocultural identities to consider Determining how ‘instructional success’ is measured The goal is not to maintain comfortableness Being clear about steps for success Chapter 6Working Together to Determine What Culturally Responsive Instructional Supervision Looks Like Determining goals for walkthroughs What does equity data look like in a walkthrough? How ongoing instructional reflections inform practice The process of examining walkthrough data Using data to drive professional development efforts Chapter 7Establishing A Plan of Action When Instruction is Not Inclusive Defining what teaching looks like that lacks cultural responsiveness Determining feedback and support structures to addresses problematic pedagogies Further developing reflective and inclusive instruction Seeing criticality as a tool for emancipation Developing the scaffolding for transformation Part III Supporting Ongoing Growth and Development of Culturally Responsive Instruction Chapter 8Growth Starts with the Self Using agency to address the purpose of education Owning content expertise Learning to address the needs of society over our own comfort Knowing pedagogical look-fors when reflecting on teaching Chapter 9Learning to Grow with Critical Colleagues How critical colleagues help to better understand the self and others Topics of discussion for critical colleague groups Being purposeful with discussions to drive difficult growth edges Using every group conversation as an opportunity to discuss equity Chapter 10Using Peer-Led Classroom Observations to Drive Equitable Outcomes How peer walkthroughs can help calibrate building-wide expectations Using peer feedback to inform inquiry cycles Transforming feedback to deconstruct systems of inequity Allowing instructional improvement efforts to evolved over time for more equitable outcomes ConclusionSignaling a Shift in Where We Must Go Resisting technorational approaches to improving instruction Using supervision to support a system of opportunity Honoring ‘getting into good trouble’ A closing note to practitioner