The differences between equality and equity in education are significant, and they matter on many levels. Equal treatment is insufficient. This discussion points out the common confusion between equality and equity among teachers and the importance of providing the necessary resources for each student to succeed. The group advocates high standards in curriculum, critical peer evaluation among teachers, and the provision of tools and resources to genuinely achieve equity over mere equality.

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Dr. Shaun Nelms is an author and prominent figure in the field of education and school transformation. He is the Vice President for Community Partnerships at the University of Rochester. One of his notable achievements was creating and implementing a school transformation model for the lowest-performing school in the lowest-performing district in New York State. Shaun C. Nelms, EdD Vice President of Community Partnerships Director, William and Sheila Konar Center for Urban Education Success.

Mary Rice-Boothe, Ed.D., joined The Leadership Academy in 2015 with more than 20 years of experience in education as a teacher, principal, principal coach, and curriculum designer and currently serves as Executive Director, Curriculum Development and Equity. She is the author of Leading Within Systems of Inequity in Education: A Liberation Guide for Leaders of Color and can be found on Twitter @mriceboothe or by reading her newsletter.

Jehan Hakim a second generation Arab-American Muslim woman, and mother of four. She is a Bay Area native that was born and raised in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco, California – and graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. Though she’s been a community organizer and educator for decades. The depths  of her experience span from program management & coordination within school districts, to interfaith coalition building, community outreach, foreign affairs, and diversity.

Jennifer Cárdenas M. Ed. is a WIDA fellow and a multilingual learner program specialist in Columbia, SC. She is pursuing her Ed. D. in curriculum studies, focusing on equity for language learners.

Four teachers share their personal experiences and challenges as teachers of color in predominantly white educational settings. They cite specific examples of bias, micro-aggressions, and the feeling of being both invisible and hyper-visible in the educational system. They confess to not feeling truly valued or acknowledged for their contributions. Turning to solutions, the group pointed to the need for districts to take more proactive steps to support teachers of color. This includes more robust recruiting and retention processes, increased leadership diversity, training on implicit biases, and the significance of fostering a genuine culture of inclusion and appreciation. The conversation wrapped with reflections on questions white administrators can ask themselves to support educators of color better.

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Read related article on Edweek

Dr. Janice Wyatt-Ross has a Bachelor’s in Special Education from the University of Central Arkansas, a Master’s in Special Education from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and a Doctorate in Urban Educational Leadership from the University of Cincinnati. Presently she is employed as the Program Director for Success Academy of Fayette County Public Schools.

Laleh Ghotbi Salt Lake City School District // 4th grade – Utah Teacher Fellow since 2021. Laleh started her teaching career in 1992 in Iran, where she taught in middle and high school for 7 years and worked as an academic coach at the school district for the next two year. In August 2000, she came to the United States with her husband and their 8-year-old son. Since then, she has worked as an Academic Enhancement Coordinator at Indian Hills Elementary for two years and earned two masters’ degrees; Master of Science and Technology-Biotechnology from the University of Utah, and a Master of Arts in Teaching from Westminster College where she graduated with honors and was chosen as the student speaker for the 2017 commencement.

Keisha Rembert is a passionate learner and fierce equity advocate. She is an award-winning educator who taught middle school ELA and United States History teacher for many years and now instructs future educators. She hopes to change our world one student at a time.

Dr. Edoho-Eket has been a public school educator for 18 years and currently serves as Principal of a top ranked elementary school in Maryland. She is the author of the newly released book titled: The Principal’s Journey: Navigating the Path to School Leadership.

Differentiating instruction can be a loaded term for many teachers. Some think it means creating a separate lesson plan for each student. Join us as we provide specific examples of differentiated instruction done well and what we need from each student to make differentiated instruction work

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Isabel Becerra is the Multilingual Consultant for Region 10 in Richardson, Texas. She was born in Bolivia and has been an educator since 1992. She is a passionate advocate for Bilingual Education and is actively supporting equity for all learners.
Andrea Castellano serves as an elementary teacher in New York City’s public school system. She also supports teachers as an Instructional Coach and PBL curriculum writer and staff developer.