Your Guide to Creating Equitable Schools
If we hope to interrupt educational inequities and create schools in which every child thrives, we must open our hearts to purposeful conversation and hone our skills to make those conversations effective. With characteristic honesty and wisdom, Elena Aguilar inspires us to commit to transforming our classrooms, lays bare the hidden obstacles to equity, and helps us see how to overcome these obstacles, one conversation at a time.
Coaching for Equity is packed with the resources necessary to implement Transformational Coaching in any organization. In addition to an updated coaching framework and corresponding rubrics, a comprehensive set of coaching tools puts success in every coach’s hands. Extensive personal narratives demonstrate what coaching for equity looks like and help us see how we can make every conversation count towards building a more just and equitable world.
Coaching for Equity covers critical topics in the larger conversation about racial equity, and helps readers develop the knowledge, dispositions and skills to be able to:
- Talk productively about race,
- Build trust to support vulnerability,
- Unpack mental models and change someone’s mind,
- Observe classrooms and collect data to support equitable outcomes,
- Inspire others and deepen commitment,
- Evaluate and celebrate growth.
Perfect for teachers, teacher leaders, coaches and administrators, Coaching for Equity offers extensive strategies for talking about race, power, and systems of oppression. In framing the rationale for transformational conversations, Coaching for Equity gives us the context we need to enter into this work. In laying out the strategies, tools and models for critical conversations, it gives us the way forward.
Comprehensive, concrete, and deeply human, Coaching for Equity is the guide for those who choose to accept responsibility for interrupting inequities in schools. It is for all educators who know there is a better way.
Table of Contents
About the Author xv
Acknowledgments xvii
Introduction
A Couple of Notes 4
On Bridge-Building 4
Defining Equity 5
What Is in This Book 10
Who You Are - The Readers 13
Who I Am - The Author 15
How to Get the Most from this Book 19
Before You Go . . . 22
Interlude: Compassion 23
1 Transformational Coaching: A Model for Change 25
Structures to Span Chasms 25
Assumptions behind Transformational Coaching 29
Transformational Coaching 32
The Three Components of Transformational Coaching 34
The Four Phases of Transformational Coaching 40
The Five Principles of Transformational Coaching 45
Before You Go . . . 46
Interlude: Curiosity 48
2 Jumping into Coaching for Equity 49
Building Relationships and Surfacing Strengths 51
Low Expectations and a Deficit Mindset 54
The Undulating Landscape of Emotions 60
Turning Inward 66
A Conversation about Crying 69
“Do You Think I’m Racist?” 72
Before You Go . . . 73
Interlude: Connection 75
3 How to Understand Race, Racism, and White Supremacy 77
What Is White Supremacy? 79
What Is Racism? 84
How Racism Manifests in Schools 88
The Power of Words and the Language of Oppression 92
It’s Time to Take Action 96
Before You Go . . . 98
Interlude: Courage 100
4 How to Talk About Race 101
Recognizing What Is and What Could Be 103
Attending to Myself 110
A Time of Growth 113
The Path to Racial Healing 117
Why Calling People Out Doesn’t Work 121
Ten Ways to Respond to the Question, “Am I Racist?” 125
Before You Go . . . 126
Interlude: Purpose 128
5 What You Need to Know about Adult Learners 129
The Gaps between Current Ability and Desired Ability 130
How to Sequence Adult Learning 137
The Coach as Learner 139
Before You Go . . . 141
Interlude: Compassion 142
6 How to Change Someone’s Mind 143
Addressing Beliefs and Behavior at the Same Time 144
Six Conditions in Which Beliefs Change 148
How to Build Trust 160
What to Say When You Hear Racist Comments 163
For People of Color Doing this Work 168
Before You Go . . . 172
Interlude: Curiosity 174
7 What You Need to Know about Emotions 175
Toward an Appreciation of Emotions 176
Exploring and Embracing Our Needs 179
Responding to Resistance 186
The Connection between Emotions and Justice 193
Looking at Emotions through an Identity Lens 194
Before You Go . . . 196
Interlude: Connection 197
8 What You Need to Know about Identity 199
The Social Construction of Identity 200
How to Facilitate Reflection 201
Addressing Racial Differences 205
Before You Go . . . 209
Interlude: Courage 210
9 Surfacing Current Reality 211
A Prequel 211
Beginning a Coaching Relationship 214
Planning a Coaching Conversation 223
A First Classroom Visit 229
Before You Go . . . 231
Interlude: Purpose 233
10 Recognizing Impact 235
Debriefing an Observation 235
A Pause to Look Inward 241
Fostering Patience 243
Analyzing and Interpreting Data 243
Coaching a Way of Being: The Legacy Question 247
Determining Next Steps 248
When to Talk about Race 250
Before You Go . . . 254
Interlude: Compassion 256
11 Exploring Emotions 257
When Anger and Doubt Arise 257
Gathering Student Experience Data 260
Debriefing the Data 262
Confronting Bias 264
Before You Go . . . 273
Interlude: Courage 274
12 Creating New Practices 275
Developing New Behaviors 276
Scaffolding Learning for Adults 277
Data That Reveals Beliefs and Ways of Being 280
Practice, Practice, Practice 286
Role-Play Practice 287
Evidence of Deepening Will and Commitment 288
The Ups and Downs of Learning 291
Reflection 294
Celebrating Growth 295
Before You Go . . . 298
Interlude: Purpose 300
Conclusion: Towards Liberty and Justice for All 301
Compassionate 301
Curious 302
Connected 302
Courageous 303
Purposeful 303
Appendix A: The Phases of Transformational Coaching 305
Appendix B: The Equity Rubric 311
Appendix C: Transformational Coaching Rubric (TCR) 2.0 335
Appendix D: Advocating for Systems Change 353
Appendix E: The Core Emotions 359
Appendix F: Resources for Further Learning 363
Glossary 371
References 377
Index 383
