Equity Warriors

How a North Carolina school district is tackling the status quo to dismantle unfair practices that lead to predictive outcomes by race

Ask other leaders in the Guilford County Schools what made us become fighters for equity across the school district, and the answers vary. For some, it was seeing ourselves reflected in the faces of our students, 70 percent of whom are children of color and close to 70 percent of whom live in poverty.

Others analyzed the district’s achievement data and wondered how it was possible that race and ethnicity continued to outweigh poverty in terms of predicting students’ academic outcomes, especially in a district whose students, staff and schools often earn national recognition for excellence.

Some found renewed commitment during the high school graduation ceremonies held inside the county’s juvenile detention centers. Others might credit the relentless focus on equity expressed by the superintendent or cite the impact of a cabinet retreat conducted at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala., which honors lynching victims.

Regardless of the source of awakening, we know that transforming learning and life outcomes for students has life-and-death consequences.