We get these calls all the time: A superintendent sees the urgent need to address the fact that her district’s students of color are less likely than their white classmates to read at grade level or graduate in four years, but most of her school board members are afraid to name and discuss those inequities, and some community residents are resistant to any change that they believe will result in less access and privilege for their kids. Or, in a rapidly changing school district, the district and school level staff are not representative of the students and families walking through the school doors every day. The superintendent wants to fund staff development and recruitment for diverse staff but with a shrinking budget, it’s hard to convince the school board to provide resources for solutions that are not immediately apparent in classrooms.

Challenges like these represent deeply seated inequities that have been living and breathing in systems for years. The good news is that the number of principals and school system leaders who understand the collective urgency to create more equitable schools is on the rise. They understand, as we do at the NYC Leadership Academy, the critical role that leaders play in doing this work exponentially — not as one-off PD’s but as a growing and unstoppable movement.

Of course, with any movement comes the occasional setback. A few weeks ago, we were served such a setback when the Federal Commission on School Safety proposed to rescind guidelines developed in 2011 to address the extreme disparities, particularly racial disparities, in school discipline practices across the country. The Commission argues that the guidance has led to schools being too lenient on discipline and, in turn, endangering the safety of students and educators. In addition, the Commission proposal says, by focusing on race, the guidelines prioritize one group of students over others.

But the facts are indisputable: Students of color are more likely than their white classmates to be suspended or expelled, often for similar offenses, a disproportionality that is mirrored in our country’s criminal justice system.

As I have written before, you can’t change these disparities without exploring the root of these challenges, and you can’t do that without talking about institutional and structural racism. Taking a colorblind approach to addressing inequities really means you are working while blindfolded. It exacerbates disparities.

On top of that, alternative forms of discipline that make real efforts to support students and avoid pulling them from classrooms are showing some success. A recent study by the RAND research group found that during the first two years of a new restorative justice program, schools in Pittsburgh were able to reduce suspensions overall as well as the significant disparities in suspensions between black and white students and low-income and wealthier students. At the same time, teachers reported real improvements in their schools’ climate. Moreover, a survey of about 150 district leaders from across the country found that nearly half of the districts that have used the guidelines to try to improve discipline practices in their schools have seen some positive results. They have implemented restorative and trauma-sensitive practices, and supported teachers develop the skills to build strong relationships with their students.

While we call for these guidelines to remain on the books, we must continue to push this work forward. Our young people are counting on us. Together, our leadership has the potential to exponentially decrease the number of inequities facing our students.

For those of us already doing equity-focused work, let’s continue to lift and highlight the specifics about what that work looks like, the successes and challenges we are experiencing on the ground, and the impact it is having on our educators, students, and communities. We are with you in this journey and will continue sharing our stories on Twitter, at #HowILeadforEquity. We ask you to do this same. Let’s keep this momentum going.

linkedin

Nancy B. Gutiérrez, Ed.L.D.

Lead Executive Officer & President

Dr. Nancy B. Gutiérrez is President & Lead Executive Officer (LEO) of The Leadership Academy, a nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting and developing culturally responsive school and school system leaders to create the conditions necessary for all students to thrive. Since 2003, The Leadership Academy has done work in more than 375 school districts, state education departments, and education organizations across the country, reaching over 12,000 educators in 39 states.

Nancy began her career as a teacher and principal in her home community of East San Jose, CA, where she was the founding principal of Renaissance Academy, the highest performing middle school in the district and a California Distinguished School. Nancy also led the successful effort to turn around the district’s lowest performing middle school. She was named the UC Davis Rising Star and Association of California School Administrators’ Region 8 Middle School Principal of the Year in 2010. In 2014, Nancy joined The Leadership Academy and served in various roles before being named President & CEO in October 2018. Prior to her tenure with the Leadership Academy, Nancy launched a program for executive leadership advancement for the New York City Department of Education that led to superintendent certification.

Nancy is a Fall 2019 Pahara-Aspen Education Fellow and was named one of the top 100 most influential leaders in education in New York in 2020. In 2023, Nancy was named San Jose State University’s Distinguished Alumna.

Nancy is a graduate of the inaugural cohort of the Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Doctor of Education Leadership (Ed.L.D.) program and is a graduate of the Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) Aspiring Superintendents Academy. She has served as an adjunct professor for NYU, Teachers College and American University as well as an expert guest at various Harvard Principals’ Center Institutes. Nancy is a frequent keynote speaker and has authored numerous pieces on education leadership for publications including Education Week, Kappan, The74, Learning Forward’s Learning Professional, District Administrator, and Hechinger Report. She is also the co-author of Stay and Prevail: Students of Color Don’t Need to Leave Their Communities to Succeed, a revolutionary guide to disrupting harmful mindsets and practices in our schools to ensure that students can thrive in their home communities.

Nancy is a member of the Board of Directors at the Hunt Institute, brightbeam, and Education Leaders of Color (EdLoC), and serves on the Latinos for Education teaching team.

Find Nancy on Twitter @nancybgutierrez or LinkedIn.