Breaking Barriers: Excellence and Equity

Breaking Barriers: Excellence and Equity for All By Avis Glaze, Ruth Mattingley, Ben Levin. Published by Pearson Canada, 2012

Equity is defined as giving each student what is needed to be successful – what that looks like differs from student to student. Having high expectations for all students is paramount in reducing the achievement gap. Regardless of student’s race, culture, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, special needs, “All students come to school with a range of strengths and talents. It is important for educators to build on students’ prior knowledge and experiences and not focus solely on the challenges they face” (p. ix). Breaking Barriers: Excellence and Equity for All describes 21 high-impact strategies organized into 5 key areas of focus for equity of outcomes:
• Strategy 1: High expectations for all students (failure is not an option)
• Inclusive School Culture
o Strategy 2: Build relationships
o Strategy 3: Help students feel safe and respected at school
o Strategy 4: Offer flexible programming
o Strategy 5: Establish career development as an integral part of the
curriculum
• Instructional Practices
o Strategy 6: Focus on literacy across all subjects
o Strategy 7: Develop oral language
o Strategy 8: Differentiate instruction
o Strategy 9: Emphasize higher-order and critical thinking skills
o Strategy 10: Make formative assessment integral to learning
o Strategy 11: Integrate the arts
• Culturally Responsive Classroom Experiences
o Strategy 12: Practise culturally responsive teaching
o Strategy 13: Make classroom activities culturally responsive
o Strategy 14: Select culturally reflective learning materials and resources
• Early Interventions
o Strategy 15: Implement early and ongoing interventions
o Strategy 16: Provide tutoring
o Strategy 17: Support summer learning opportunities
o Strategy 18: Strengthen access to guidance and counselling
• Character Development
o Strategy 19: Identify character attributes
o Strategy 20: Promote inclusive practices
o Strategy 21: Maximize student engagement

Reflections
I truly believe all students can achieve and be successful. As educators, we must put students at the forefront – support them academically, socially, and emotionally. We know from Ken Leithwood that teachers are the number 1 factor to student success and they need to differentiate instruction and use assessment for learning to drive their teaching. Students need to experience genuine success which builds confidence and the desire to learn more. They need to know we care: “Teaching is about human relationships. The more we as educators learn about our students, the more they are likely to learn from us” (Cummins, 2007, in Glaze et al, p. 45). As a vice-principal, I strive to be visible in the hallways, visit classrooms, and get to know students as they work in the library or are called down to my office.

School is our second home – or home away from home. We must take good care of it – that means ensuring it is a safe place to be, where we treat each other with respect, and where each student is here to learn and can reach their potential. All students feel welcomed (regardless of race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, special needs) and are connected to the school (including participation in clubs and sports). They see themselves represented in curriculum and are given a voice on how the school culture can be improved. Bullying and any type of discrimination or harassment are unacceptable and will be dealt with consequences and with learning outcomes. For teachers, instructional time is preserved, and where the workplace is a professional learning community so they can continue to develop. Administrators are responsible for providing such conditions and by serving as instructional leaders.

I agree that literacy is key. When I taught high school mathematics, I modelled and expected students to strengthen their reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Each subject discipline has its own vocabulary which needs to be explicitly taught. Reading a mathematical text is not the same as reading a novel in English class. I am proud to have introduced ESL mathematics at the grades 9 and 10 academic levels at my previous school – we focused on literacy to get at the mathematics. As vice-principal, I work with the 5% of the student population who for whatever reasons are not attending class regularly and are disengaged. In my diagnostic questions, I ask about how much reading they do outside of school. If students don’t read then they can read aloud for 20 minutes in my office. I walk the talk as reading is a gift that opens doors to learning.

When I was mathematics head, I received criticism from colleagues for “saving” students. For 3 years, part of my timetable was with the Alternative Education department. Since class maximum is 16 students, I would, with parental and student approval, move students into my Alt Educ class with a level change. Previously, they were resistant to the move and only become receptive when they see the realities of failure. As a vice-principal, I wear a “guidance counsellor hat” and see if a level change can be made before the mid-term; else it becomes me intervening and working with both student and teacher. Fortunately, I also have my student success teacher, special education, ESL, and child-youth worker for support.

Ultimately, it is Character Education traits that I want to see as the end product of our graduating students. My board, York Region DSB, has 10 such traits, spearheaded by Glaze when she was a superintendent in York Region: respect, honesty, courage, optimism, responsibility, perseverance, empathy, fairness, integrity, initiative. The learning skills component of the report card is so important since we need students to adapt to the ever-changing society (e.g., explosion of technology). I am enthused when conducting Teacher Performance Appraisals as a vice-principal that teachers track students’ learning skills and ask them to self-assess them with reasons.

One area of inequity that continues to “bug” me is the private schools where students can buy their credit with high marks (universities treat the mark at face-value). This is so unfair to students who live in poverty. I have students in my office who no longer live at home and must self-support, while others have parents who must work 2 jobs to put food on the table.