Developing Support for Equity Initiatives

Anyone leading change in the equity and race arena will become an ambassador of discomfort — and discomfort is something most humans avoid assiduously. In American education, few topics are more anxiety provoking and fraught with cultural trip wires.

To develop and sustain support for equity initiatives, leaders need to focus time and resources on communications and engagement as well as changes to educational programming.

 Anticipate concerns.

Some teachers and principals bristle when confronted with data that don’t align with their views of their classrooms and schools. Unfortunately, some families can be unwittingly intolerant of any perceived slight to their children. The desire to protect one’s child, even to the detriment to and neglect of other people’s children, cuts across race, class and partisan politics.

Conflating equality with equity is common, as is the initial reaction that any attempt to balance the scale is patently unfair. Others use poverty as a proxy for race and ethnicity. Yet poverty doesn’t explain why so many poor white kids are having better outcomes than more affluent Black kids.

The vitriol aimed at school officials and administrators who embrace equity can be swift and severe. The key to surviving the outrage is to build a broad-based coalition of support.

This can be as simple as inviting parent and community leaders to join with district staff in professional learning that’s focused on equity or ensuring key influencers have access to the research and data supporting the district’s plans to address wealth inequality and racial equity.

 Increase information flow.

Our school district keeps key constituents informed through virtual and face-to-face meetings (pre-COVID-19), frequent emails, robo-calls, texts and digital news blasts so they can serve as information ambassadors in the district and community. By communicating directly with people willing to share accurate information with others about district initiatives, some of the volatility inherent in controversial subjects can be diminished.

Storytelling is an ancient technique that equity-focused districts are using to win more hearts and minds. Data informs, but real people and real stories are more compelling and persuasive.

Student, teacher and leader testimonials are powerful. If professional staff or productions are not in the budget, a decent cell phone camera and inexpensive online editing software will work. (Hint: Film horizontally, not vertically.)

Third-party endorsements via positive press can be leveraged across communication platforms as well. These carry more credibility than any collateral materials produced by district employees.

 Beat the school bus home.

Digital and virtual engagement strategies also serve as early-warning systems. Getting ahead of an issue — what many principals call “beating the school bus home” — is key.

District officials can ward off controversy and misinformation by setting the record straight ahead of time.

When the stakes are high — and equity is as high as the stakes get when it comes to improving outcomes for children — people hunger for more information, not less. Transparency and frequency matter, as does repetition of key messages and points.

Don’t let social media trolls become an unhealthy distraction. Assign staff to monitor content for emerging trends and issues, then address those in less volatile media where district leaders have more content control.

Most social media experts advise against engaging naysayers online. Instead, they urge leaders and their communications teams to tell their own story. Responding to anti-sites simply adds more fuel to the fire. Anonymity and distance encourage bad behavior online, while conflict secures more views, likes and shares.

While customer service and responsiveness to parent and community inquiries are important, school leaders should address the underlying fear, anxiety and tension rather than the hate, anger and distrust. Unlike retail sales, the customer is not always right in education. We need to empathize and educate, not apologize, for our efforts to create more equitable schools and a more just world.

SHARON CONTRERAS, is superintendent of Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, N.C.
@scontrerasgcs

NORA CARR is chief of staff at Guilford County Schools in Greensboro, N.C.