Where Equity Lives

Eliminating Systemic Inequity Traps in Schools and Districts

This book is the result of 25 years of studying over 300 schools and districts struggling to overturn the longstanding pattern of under achievement of the same demographic groups. It is a reveal of the five most common systemic inequity traps identified through the Study of Studies and ways for leaders to ameliorate them

This book is for education leaders who do not accept the that the underachievement of African American, Latino, Indigenous, low income and other vulnerable student groups is inevitable. Where Equity Lives: Shattering Systemic Inequity in Schools and Districts is the result of 25 years of studying over 300 schools and districts struggling to overturn the longstanding pattern of under achievement of the same demographic groups. This book is a reveal of the five most common systemic inequity traps identified through the Study of Studies that help explain historic achievement patterns. The authors lay out achievable paths of possibilities for education leaders to reverse decades of under achievement. Actionable insights are shared through real-life stories of schools and districts that struggled with and took action to address each of these traps. Chapters contain equity hooks—easy to remember cues of complete, complex, and nuanced leadership takeaways. Online templates are available for teams of leaders to apply the guidance from each chapter to your school system so that vulnerable students arrive at the spot where equity lives, that magnificent place where demographics no longer predict achievement.