Shifting adult mindsets, challenging assumptions, and elevating equitable practices

The ELLabs is an important component in developing extraordinary leaders and is a portion of the Action For Equity (A4E): Extend Equity phase.

The Equity Leader Labs:

• Focus on policies, practices and mindsets that facilitate equity.
• Lead by doing the hard work of asking “why not?”.
• Share learnings from across our national portfolio.

Together, we will tackle the complex systems, leadership, and work needed to break through to equitable college readiness.

The ELLabs is for districts and schools who are committed to equity, and have partnered with EOS for at least two (2) years. Participants are prepared to implement policies and practices to sustain their work towards equity.

Each participating school team consists of at least one (1) and up to three (3) of each of these roles:

• District Lead
• Principal
• Assistant Principal
• School Equity Champion(s)
• Counselor(s)
• AP/IB Teacher(s)

For additional details on role descriptions.

• You want to change and improve the way you serve students of color and low-income students.
• You want to lead in progressive and stimulating methods that inspire change.
• You believe equitable learning opportunities are an urgent and pressing need.
• Innovation comes from experimentation and experimentation requires a laboratory. Join us to parse through the noise and to find, experiment and adopt new ways of working on behalf of students of color and low-income students.

The sessions will generally consist of pre-assigned work in preparation, a speaker or facilitator to set the foundation for the day, team breakout work-sessions, full-group developmental activities, and open floor conversations.

GUIDING QUESTIONS
As we designed Equity Leader Labs, we kept the following guiding questions in mind:

• What supports are needed to empower educators with the confidence and skills to establish culturally responsive, rigorous, and engaging classrooms that meet the academic and social-emotional needs of students of color and low-income students?
• What are the conditions and experiences needed to equip educators with the ability to mitigate implicit bias, dismantle policies that reproduce inequity, and instead design policies and practices that lead to greater equity?
• What essential experiences, knowledge, and skills do District and school leaders need to transform their mindsets, and to be bold and innovative in designing more equitable and inclusive approaches to education?

As a result, each session has been designed to cover an area of importance in the journey towards a sustainable equity program.

Collectively, these workshops will develop adaptive leaders who will take research-based, practitioner-vetted equity strategies to their schools to develop policies, practices, and mindsets that supports experiences of belonging for students of color and low-income students.

ELLabs’ sessions have a designated topic to be covered, leading to collaboration in the form of job-alike work groups, expert-led discussions, and open forums. Each cohort will have the autonomy to structure the session to best meet the needs of the participants. The sessions will generally consist of preassigned work, a speaker or facilitator  to set the foundation for the day, team breakout work-sessions, full-group developmental activities, and open floor conversations.

Session #1: Exploring Implicit Bias: Building a Foundation For Change
Reflect on your EOS journey and create an action plan.

• Define core equity and opportunity terms and concepts
• Use EOS data to develop and anchor learnings
• Global Beads Activity
• Introduce first developmental activity

Developmental Activity: In between session #1 and #2, participants facilitate one of three implicit bias activities with a group of their peers.

• Personal Insight Card Activity
• Values Voting Activity
• Global Beads Activity

Session #2: Belonging and Student Experience: New Perspective and Understandings
Observe and reflect on the experiences of students of color and low-income students.

• Develop expertise to create belonging-rich environments for students
• Introduce for second developmental activity

Developmental Activity: In between Session #2 and #3, participants engage in a half day student shadow.

• Walking in a Student’s Shoes – Assistant Principal Karen Ritter, East Leyden High

Session #3: Equity Tests of Change: Continuous Improvement through cycles of inquiry
Examine continuous improvement methods for growth and development.

• To understand and engage with core principles of continuous improvement
• Gain awareness of barriers to implementing change
• Introduce third developmental activity

Developmental Activity: In between Session #3 and #4, participants engage in ‘tests of change’ explore and improve their equity eco-system.

• Outreach
• Culturally relevant curriculum
• Classroom practice
• Assessment

Session #4: Extend and Sustain Equity: Establishing the New Normal
Develop your action plan for next year.

• Synthesize learnings from all labs
• Plan next year’s school activities to sustain equity

Developmental Activity: Reflect on the past year and how you can apply the learnings to your classroom, school, district and colleagues.Equity Leader Lab Brochure.

These regions currently are or have been host regions for the ELLabs. Specific dates and locations are finalized each year, in conjunction with the participating districts and schools eligible for the Extend Equity phase.

• Calvert County, MD
• Chicago Public Schools/Madison
• Chicagoland, IL
• Montgomery County, MD
• Pasco, FL
• Pickerington/Westerville, OH
• San Juan/Placer Union, CA
• Utica/Berkeley/Farmington, MI
• Virginia Beach City, VA

If your district would like to be considered for participating in or hosting an ELLabs cohort, please contact us. If your district is signed up for an ELLabs, you can use this form to identify potential participants from your district and schools.

Responses from ELLabs participants

“Looking at data from a student perspective isn’t something we are typically doing. Sometimes we think something is working or going well and students feel differently. That was a huge eye-opener to understand what’s working.” – Pilot ELLabs Member

“Try to cultivate a spirit of AP humility. Previously I would have 1 or 2 students of color, and most of my students had similar life experiences to me. Now I have one student who isn’t a student of color now I approach this class, I’m ignorant of the expertise that students bring to the class. How can we use the context of the text to help learn from each other. Conversations with fellow teachers and the data has helped.” – Pilot ELLabs Member

“Tried to be very reflective during this process. Figure out what’s working and what’s not. For AP next year what am I going to do differently? Made me see things in a different way. Strategies I’ve never thought about. I was reflective and flexible. Trying something new/different.” – Pilot ELabs Member

When asked what was most beneficial about the ELLabs experience

Getting an understanding of how different students in my class feel about the class and my teaching/level of care. – Pilot ELLabs Member

The opportunity to engage in a meaningful examination of my delivery of instruction. Also, an opportunity to introduce strategies to improve the academic success of my students. – Pilot ELLabs Member