Becoming Equity Leaders

Building le

adership

from th

e insid

e out

“We can always make a difference if we muster the courage to think critically, to care for others, and to sustain hope, so we can organize and mobilize with one another to bring power and pressure to bear on the prevailing status quo.”     

- Cornell West

WHY WORK TOGETHER?

A Question . . . What does it mean for us to lead using an ‘equity lens’?

“The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes, in seeing the universe with the eyes of another, of hundreds of others, in seeing the hundreds of universes that each of them sees.”

- Marcel Proust

Leading for Equity means taking

responsibility for what matters to

you.

“When I dare to be powerful – to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less important whether I am afraid.”          - Audre Lord

Morning Mixer

Find someone and share . . .

What is YOUR vision for racial equity in your work and community?

Where does YOUR power come from?

About Today . . . We will . . .

Get reconnected with each other and with our Racial Equity

Theory of Change work

Review RETOC map and use it to transition together to the next phase of our work

Brainstorm communications and messaging support to advance racial equity

Begin to design our ‘Community of Practice’ and get ourselves ready for action

Listening as a Leadership Strategy

Turning to One Anothersimple conversations to restore hope to the future

“Human conversation is the most ancient and easiest way to

cultivate the conditions for change. If we can sit together and talk about what’s important to us, we begin to come alive. We share what we see, what we feel, and we listen to what others see and feel. . . The simplest way to begin finding each other again is to start talking about what we care about.”

Wheatley, 2002

THE ART OF CONVERSATIONBehaviors that help take conversation to a deeper realm

we acknowledge one another as equals

we try to stay curious about each other

we recognize that we need each other’s help to become better listeners

we slow down so we have time to think and reflect

we remember that conversation is the natural way humans think together

we expect it to be messy at times

Community AgreementsCommunity AgreementsAn invitationAn invitation

•Show up (or choose to be present)

•Pay attention (to heart and meaning)

•Tell the truth (without blame or judgment)

•Be open to outcome (not attached to

outcome)

We are all caught up in an inescapable network of

mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.

Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Linked FATE

Linked Fates…Transformative Change

• Our fates are linked, yet our fates have been socially constructed as disconnected (especially through the categories of class, race, gender, etc.)

• We are the same and different. Because we are the same, dialogue is possible. Because we are different, dialogue is necessary.

Where have we been?(so far)

Thrive by Five

Advancing Racial Equity in Early Learning in Washington

The Vision

In Washington, we work together so that all children start life with a solid foundation for success, based on strong families and a world-class early learning system for all children prenatal through third grade. Accessible, accountable, and developmentally and culturally appropriate, our system partners with families to ensure that every child is healthy, capable and confident in school and in life.

- Washington Early Learning Plan

The Challenge

There have been a number of efforts to build bridges between existing programs, but Washington’s current early learning system is still duplicative, fragmented, confusing, and inaccessible to many of the children and families that most critically need these services.

- Washington Early Learning Plan

ESSENTIAL QUESTION . . .

How can we use a racial equity lens to help inform our approach in supporting the development of an early learning system at the local and state level?

Developing a Racial Equity Theory of Change

View from the Balcony View from the Balcony A Complex Systems Lens

““While early childhood While early childhood education has the proven education has the proven

potential to prevent educational potential to prevent educational inequity, if not dramatically inequity, if not dramatically

improved, it will do the reverse improved, it will do the reverse and perpetuate it.and perpetuate it.””

Sharon Lynn Kagan, “American Early Childhood Education: Preventing or Perpetuating Inequity?” Equity Matters: Research Review No. 3, April 2009

Two Related Two Related Efforts:Efforts:

Using a Racial Equity Lens Across Early Learning Systems

ANDAND

Developing Racial Equity Theory of Change for a Particular Outcome

Adva

ncin

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Equ

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Theo

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2012

Adva

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A vision of…

…what we want to accomplish

…with logical sequence of steps for getting there

…and Informed logic! – our assumptions

relating to cause and effect are plausible and

supported by good evidence

…that are also informed and disciplined by a structural racism

analytical framework

Racial Equity Theory of Change (RETOC)

Step #1: What We Want – Defining our Racial Equity Outcome

Step #2: What We Need – Identifying the Building Blocks for Change

Step #3: What Helps or Stands in the Way – Identifying Policies, Practices, Cultural Representations

Step #4: What We Must Know – Understanding the Politics of Change

Step #5: What We Must Do – Gearing Up for Action

Desired Racial Equity Outcome

Building

Block

P +/- P +/- R+/- P+/- R+/-P +/-P +/-R +/-P +/-

Who has most power, influence to shape PPRs

Possible sources of retrenchment

Assess our organizational capacity realistically

Building

Block Building

Block Building

Block Building

Block

What we What we wantwant

Our Our prioritieprioritiess

What What helps, helps, hindershinders

What weWhat wemust knowmust know

What we What we must domust do

How governance works in our context

Given our capacities, decide role we can play, set strategic priorities, identify allies

Take action!!

4

2

3

5

1

The RETOC—Five Steps Towards Racial Equity

How We Made Choices About our RETOC for Early Learning

Plan for Who and How to Make Choices About this RETOCStakeholder Group

• Start conversation• Envision outcomes

• Capture conversation to inform:• Whole puzzle

• All steps of RETOC for one racial equity outcome

Thrive with Working Group and Management Team

• Take in the work from each meeting• Make decisions/proposals about choosing a focus

• Work on steps for developing RETOC• Plan for next Stakeholder Group

Stakeholder Group • Continue to identify and articulate all five steps of the

RETOC process

Thrive with Working Group and

Management Team

• Take work of Stakeholder Group, continue to develop RETOC Map to be “good enough” to get started

Stakeholder Group (3/12/2013)

• Review and respond to RETOC Map• Get Ready for the next phase of work

 How did we do it? 

A refresh of core concepts and understandings . . .

Listening and discourse Community Opportunity structures Structural racialization Targeted universalism

STRETCH BREAK

Core Competencies of a Leader for Equity

© 2012 National Equity Project

Equity Imperative

Equity Imperative

Design Leadership

Design Leadership

Social Emotional Leadership

Social Emotional Leadership

Instructional LeadershipInstructional Leadership

Facilitative LeadershipFacilitative Leadership

Instructional LeadershipInstructional Leadership

Developing an Equity Imperative

You champion a vision for equity and enroll others to participate.

You guide data collection and analysis to reflect the complexity of equity challenges to surface root causes and foster insight.

You publicly commit to a specific equity result.

You understand and acknowledge power, privilege, and oppression as factors shaping inequitable outcomes.

You have the courage to respectfully interrupt conversations and behaviors laden with unconscious bias.

Some indicators . . .

WILL

Courage to accept responsibility. Commitment exceeds fear.

SKILL

Practiced and ready. Anticipate responses. Achieve predictable

results.

KNOWLEDGE

Content knowledge of theory, practice with research to back it up.

CAPACITY

Necessary time and material support systems in place.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Build alliances. Effectively work in diverse groups and settings. Self-aware of one’s own triggers.

Effective Leaders Support the Development of…

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE

What are the skills, practice, language, materials and support that will help me be a leader for equity?

Taking Leadership for Equity“Those who practice leadership for equity must confront, disappoint, and dismantle and at the same time energize, inspire, and empower.”

Sharon Daloz Parks, Leadership Can Be Taught

When have you been…? What caused you to be this way? What can you do to overcome it?

When have you been…? How was this encouraged? How can you be sure to remain this way?

Passive Distrustful Pretending Insecure and Powerless Fearful of emotions

Active Trustful Authentic Confident and powerful Accepting of emotions

Getting Ready to Lead for Equity

LUNCH!

Protocols

A protocol is a structured process or set of guidelines to promote meaningful and efficient communication and learning.

Micro Lab Protocol

To address a specific sequence of questions in a structured format with small groups, using active listening skills.

Micro Lab

1. What are you noticing as you do your own work (in your organization and/or community) about what needs to happen to achieve racial equity?

Micro Lab

2. In your role, how do you think you are being experienced by others? How do you want to be experienced in this role?

Micro Lab

3. What are you learning about what it means for you to lead for equity in this role?

Micro Lab

Areas of possible support going forward

1. Communications support – telling the story2. Planning for and leading critical conversations3. Shifting the discourse4. Holistic meeting design5. Managing group dynamic

A tool is only as good as its user.

You are the greatest tool in your toolbox.

Taking it Forward

“There’s never any guarantee of victory in history. Nevertheless, if we can commit to

loving, serving, and understanding each other – recognizing that we are far more alike than we

are different – we have a chance.”

Cornel West