Equity Audit: A Teacher Leadership Tool for Nurturing Teacher Research

• In Event: 54.046 - Reciprocal Teaching and Relearning From Teacher Research

Abstract

Teacher educators and one teacher researcher collaborated on the following:
• scaffolding the teacher research process
• sharing the experience of using an equity audit tool
and
• exploring the resulting reciprocal learning and relearning.
The teacher educators embrace the “inquiry stance” (Cochran-Smith & Lytle, 2001). Yet, classroom teachers experience negative scrutiny (e.g., Darling-Hammond, 2013) and decreasing curricular autonomy (e.g., Crocco & Costigan, 2007; Lee, 2006; Ravitch, 2010). Additionally, their P–12 students face greater degrees of educational inequity.
Our adaptation of an equity audit tool (e.g., Bustamante, Nelson, & Onwuegbuzie, 2009; Groenke, 2010; McKenzie & Skrla, 2011) connects teachers to issues of equity in the early stages of learning how to conduct teacher research, using critical data driven decision-making (CDDDM), a counter to the blaming and shaming common to data driven decision making (e.g., Au, 2008, 2011; Mandinach, Friedman, & Gummer, 2015; Osei-Kofi, 2005). Teachers identify and analyze disproportionality across six identities such as social class, (dis)ability, etc.; write a policy brief; and create and monitor an action plan (Scheurich & Skrla, 2003). In studying the impact on teachers’ practice, we have learned that without established collegial, school-wide and system-wide supports, long-term success is improbable.
Beth is a White, mid-thirties, high school family and consumer sciences teacher, she teaches life-skills classes and typically has three English Language Learner (ELL) students per class, in a student population that is 58% White, 18% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 8% Black/African American, and 6% multiple race. Six percent of students receive ELL services and 18% is identified as economically disadvantaged. Beth sought to help create stronger connections with her ELL students; the equity audit introduced a clearly defined first step in the action research process. Following the audit, and student and teacher surveys and interviews, she was able to connect classroom-based problems with school- and district-wide patterns and emerging issues (Flannery, 2006, 2009; Koelsch, 2006, Pollock, 2004; Rodriguez, 2012).
As she followed the data, she began to test strategies to support ELL students in both the acquisition of English fluency, and the mastery of content area topics (Hill & Miller, 2013). Hall also used the data to inform the work of the monthly school equity committee, and shared her policy brief with elected officials at the federal and local levels. This has led her to encourage student civic engagement.
Scholarly significance
For Beth, weaving together the research threads moved her from “well-meaning but ineffective concern” (her words) to efficacious action. We teacher educators also face challenges that discourage the teaching of critical pedagogy (e.g., Freire, 1970/2010; Wink, 2011), teacher research (e.g., Caro-Bruce, Flessner, Klehr, & Zeichner, 2007) and culturally relevant pedagogy (e.g., Ladson-Billings, 1995; Scherff & Spector, 2011). This study has reinforced the power of shared learning; even more, it serves as a charge to all teacher educators to put abstract theories into action, and to maintain a sense of humility for the professionals doing the difficult daily work of educating our children.

Authors

• Jenice Leilani View, George Mason University

• Stacia M. Stribling, George Mason University

• Beth Hall

• Stephanie L. Dodman, George Mason University

• Elizabeth K. DeMulder, George Mason University