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Racial equity and educational excellence: challenges and successes in Twin Cities educational reforms
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Racial Equity and Educational Excellence:
Challenges and Successes in Twin Cities Educational Reforms
Erik R. Lien
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
A dissertation submitted to the faculty
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education
May 2023
© Copyright by Erik R. Lien 2023
All Rights Reserved
The Committee for Erik R. Lien certifies the approval of this Dissertation
Rev PM Crowley Hillstrom
Monique Datta
Morgan Scott Polikoff, Committee Chair
Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2023
iv
Abstract
Despite a solid academic record, Minnesota faces one of the worst educational gaps between its
Black and White students. It ranks worst in college readiness gaps along racial and income lines,
and 50th in the nation for Black students who graduate on time. Suspensions for Black students
exceeded national averages and occurred at five times the rate for White students. The state
attempted different strategies to address the problem over the years. However, these efforts failed
to find results, including its alternative compensation (Q-Comp) program, which attempted to
incentivize performance goals through additional pay. The present qualitative study produced a
narrative-driven examination of the perspectives of 15 educators in the Twin Cities to help close
the educational gaps Black students face. The study addressed three research questions: What
reforms in educational practices are Twin Cities’ schools pursuing to improve educational
excellence and racial equity? What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make
reforms focused on educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on educational
practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity? The study used purposeful
sampling from five districts representing different demographic areas of the Twin Cities. The
sample included a district official, building administrator, and teacher to represent each district.
Selected districts included one of the state’s largest and most diverse districts; two suburban
districts from different parts of the Metro; two exurban districts; one slightly more rural; and one
charter school. I use sensemaking as a theoretical framework to highlight meanings,
perspectives, and interpretations of participant narratives especially their beliefs about their
successes and challenges. The study asked participants about their experiences in equity-based
reforms, focusing on five critical areas identified in the literature review: policies, teacher
v
performance and evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity (recruitment and
retention), and school discipline.
Keywords: Twin Cities, Minnesota, educational excellence, racial equity, sensemaking,
policy, teacher performance and evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity,
discipline
vi
Dedication
To my Eliza Jane, my darling, my daughter, my love, and my world. My greatest joy and sense
of accomplishment will always come from being your dad. Never let anyone silence the voice
you worked so hard to share with the world. Keep dreaming your beautiful dreams, having your
fabulous adventures, and building the courage to bring them all to life.
To my wife, Sylvia, for giving me the beautiful gift of being a father and staying home with our
little girl, the courage to pursue this work, and having the strength to be my wife. Thank you, for
all that you do for me, and for every person you care for. Here’s to us, here’s to love, you know
the rest! I love you!
To Grandpa, I’ll do my best to fill the shadow you left behind when you left last year. I’ll strive
to be the type of man you were.
vii
Acknowledgements
First, I want to acknowledge my family for their patience and grace during this process.
Thank you for standing beside me and understanding the time that we sacrificed. To my sister,
from growing up to the difficulties of the past years, we always stuck together, and I love you for
that. For my dad, who showed me that it is never too late to start over, for helping me heal, and
being there when we needed him during some of the darkest days. For my mom, for showing me
how to make moments memorable, to be generous, and for always seeing the best in me,
especially when I only saw the worst. For my grandparents for giving me the safest place in the
world and the best memories, anyone could ask for growing up. I work every day to give my
daughter the type of memories you gave me and make you proud. To Noah, Sophie, Max, and
Samantha, Wujek loves you and promises never to miss anymore special days. To those who
could not finish this journey with me, I know your love watched over me, and I miss you all. I
hope I make you all proud as I finish this work.
I want to thank my Chair, Dr. Morgan Scott Polikoff, for helping get me back on my
journey and providing your guidance and feedback. With a few comments on an assignment you
probably do not remember, but at the right time, you helped me refocus and become engaged
again. You helped awaken a desire to grow as a researcher, and I would not be here without your
assistance.
I want to thank Dr. Monique Datta for serving on my committee and helping to bring
some joy back to writing for me. Writing for you felt like engaging in a conversation when I
needed the distraction from the realities of losing so many close to me. Because of you, a spark
returned to resume writing and hone my skills.
viii
I want to thank Dr. Rev Hillstrom for serving on my committee and for unknowingly
inspiring this journey. Thank you for opening my eyes years ago to a desire to do meaningful
equity work and for your assistance in moving me along that path throughout this process. I look
forward to many years of your mentorship, friendship, and working together to achieve
educational excellence and equity for our students.
Thank you to Dr. Deanna Campbell for always taking the time for us. Thank you for
teaching me the things I struggled with and providing me with the opportunities to express those
I did in a better way.
Thank you to my cohort for sharing this adventure with me, with a unique expression of
gratitude and love to my constant group members and text buddies: You know who you are!
Thank you for having my back, whether it was yet another project, the barrage of texts during
classes, texting holiday greetings and good news, or helping one another during hard times.
Never forget, I will always have yours.
A special thank you to Suzan Samaha, whose wisdom, friendship, and encouragement
helped so much through the final months of this journey. I look forward to many years together
as equity friends and equity educators.
Last, but not least, thank you to the participants. Your perceptions and experiences about
how working to improve racial equity for our students in the Twin Cities drove the heart of the
narrative. Your dedication and compassion for your students radiated throughout our
conversations, I hope this work captures the essence of your efforts. Thank you for what you do
for our students of color and Indigenous students across the Metro.
ix
Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv
Dedication ...................................................................................................................................... vi
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... vii
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ xii
List of Figures .............................................................................................................................. xiii
List of Abbreviations ................................................................................................................... xiv
Chapter One: Overview of the Study .............................................................................................. 1
Background of the Problem ................................................................................................ 3
Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................... 7
Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................................... 8
Theoretical Framework ..................................................................................................... 10
Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 11
Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................................... 12
Organization of the Study ................................................................................................. 12
Chapter Two: Literature Review .................................................................................................. 14
Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 14
Framing Educational Excellence and Equity .................................................................... 14
Standards-Based Reforms ................................................................................................. 15
Reforms in Teaching ......................................................................................................... 17
Sensemaking ..................................................................................................................... 39
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 45
Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................................ 47
Sample and Population ..................................................................................................... 48
x
Instrumentation ................................................................................................................. 51
Data Collection ................................................................................................................. 52
Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 53
Ethics 54
Summary ........................................................................................................................... 57
Chapter Four: Findings ................................................................................................................. 58
Participants ........................................................................................................................ 58
Results: Research Question 1............................................................................................ 61
Results: Research Question 2.......................................................................................... 122
Results: Research Question 3.......................................................................................... 135
Summary of Findings ...................................................................................................... 140
Chapter Five: Discussion ............................................................................................................ 142
Implications..................................................................................................................... 153
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 160
References ................................................................................................................................... 162
Appendix A: Administrator Interview Protocol ......................................................................... 174
Demographics Section .................................................................................................... 174
Experiences With Black and White Student Inequity..................................................... 174
Addressing Equity Policies ............................................................................................. 174
Performance and Evaluation ........................................................................................... 174
Professional Development .............................................................................................. 175
Teacher Diversity ............................................................................................................ 175
School Discipline ............................................................................................................ 176
xi
Additional Sensemaking ................................................................................................. 176
Closing Interview ............................................................................................................ 176
Appendix B: Teacher Interview Protocol ................................................................................... 177
Demographics Section .................................................................................................... 177
Experiences With Black and White Student Inequity..................................................... 177
Addressing Equity Policies ............................................................................................. 177
Performance and Evaluation ........................................................................................... 178
Professional Development .............................................................................................. 178
Teacher Diversity ............................................................................................................ 178
School Discipline ............................................................................................................ 179
Additional Sensemaking ................................................................................................. 179
Closing Interview ............................................................................................................ 179
Appendix C: Study Information Sheet ........................................................................................ 180
Appendix D: Metro Central Strategic Action Plan: Objectives and Initiatives .......................... 182
xii
List of Tables
Table 1: Identification of Metro Schools .................................................................................. 5050
Table 2: Participant Identification ................................................................................................ 59
xiii
List of Figures
Figure 1: State Teacher Evaluation Systems Requiring Student Growth ..................................... 18
Figure 2: States Using Standardized Test Data............................................................................. 19
Figure 3: Framework for Sensemaking of Formal Achivement Data........................................... 43
Figure 4: Metro East Equity Framework ...................................................................................... 67
Figure 5: Metro West Equity Framework ..................................................................................... 71
xiv
List of Abbreviations
BARR Building Assets, Reducing Risks curriculum
DEC District equity council
EBD Emotional and behavioral disorders
ELS:02 Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002
ESEA Elementary and Secondary Education Act
ESSA Every Child Succeeds Act
IEP Individualized education program
MAAP Minnesota Association of Alternative Programs
MCA Minnesota comprehensive assessment
MDE Minnesota Department of Education
NCLB No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
NCERDC North Carolina Education Research Data Center
NCTQ National Council on Teacher Quality
NELS:88 National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988
Q-Comp Minnesota’s Quality Compensation Program
PLC Professional learning community
Project STAR Tennessee’s Student Teacher Achievement Ratio project
RP Restorative practices
RTTT Race to the Top
SAP Strategic action plan
SASS National Center for Education Static’s Schools and Staffing Survey
SBA Standards-based accountability
xv
SEL Social-emotional learning
SIP School improvement plan
SIS Study information sheet
SLOs Student learning objectives
SWPBIS School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports
TFS National Center for Education Statistic’s Teacher Follow-up Survey
VAM Value-added model
WEDSR Wisconsin Educator Development Support and Retention
1
Chapter One: Overview of the Study
From the arrival of Great Britain in 1607 to the emergence of an independent United
States, the clash between European Whites, Indigenous peoples, and Africans initiated a
catastrophic chain of events, culminating in the erasure of cultures, languages, and identities. The
driving forces behind the expansion of settler colonialism, where “the colonizer comes to stay,
making himself sovereign, and the arbiter of citizenship, civility, and knowing” (Tuck &
Gaztambide-Fernandez, 2013, p. 73), strengthened as the young nation expanded. Manifest
Destiny called for the United States to extend its dominion to the Pacific Ocean. The belief in the
exceptionalism of American virtues and systems created a divine mission to spread its
civilization across the continent (Fraser, 2015). Eager to absorb land and expand its economy,
the movement to the West eventually led to a collision with Mexico.
The American victory in the Mexican-American War fulfilled the dreams of the believers
in Manifest Destiny. However, despite promises of full citizenship, the Land Act of 1851
displaced most Mexicans from their rightful lands and caused their political and social status to
plummet (Fraser, 2015). Concurrently, various Indigenous nations fought to retain their
remaining territories. The patterns of displacement and domination persisted, leaving a legacy of
settler colonialism characterized by targeted deculturalization through forced relocation and
education (Spring, 2016). These efforts led to spiritual and cultural genocide for the Indigenous
populations across the country that survived the onslaught, which claimed thousands, if not
millions, of lives.
Despite these tragedies, the end of the Civil War brought a glimmer of hope to many
newly freed Black people in the South. Black people took significant risks to establish small
schools as early as 1860 (Anderson, 1988). The arrival of Union troops and the war’s eventual
2
end enabled them to expand their efforts. The formerly enslaved people’s educational movement
represented the final step toward emancipation from dependence on Whites for essential
services. Liberated from slavery and White control, Black leaders initiated a determined effort to
build an education system rooted in self-determination. While they accepted some assistance,
they primarily forged their own school system (Anderson, 1988).
However, their efforts provoked a White backlash. Southern power structures remained
essentially unchanged, and as the White planter class faced a dwindling labor supply, they sought
to restrict access. Terrorist groups like the Ku Klux Klan targeted schools, prompting President
Grant to deploy Union troops to the South to arrest organizations like the Klan and the White
League. Nevertheless, the end of Reconstruction and the withdrawal of Northern resources and
military protection allowed segregation to take root across the South. This segregation placed a
stranglehold on Black political power and participation, resulting in the loss of economic and
social capital, fundamental civil and human rights of citizenship, and limitations on their access
to various educational choices (Anderson, 1988; Fraser, 2015).
Nevertheless, the educational system often perpetuates structural racism by neglecting to
comprehensively teach the many aspects of these events in American history. When it includes
them, the struggles of Black people are often portrayed as relics of the nation’s past, creating a
false narrative that people of color have already achieved equality and social justice.
Consequently, efforts to overcome historical disparities face challenges rooted in selective
beliefs about past events and contemporary issues. Eve Tuck and K. Wayne Yang (2012) used
the term “move to innocence” in their rebuff of Jared Diamond’s Guns, Germs, and Steel (p.
9). Patel (2016) described how textbooks and schools frequently depict the attempted genocide
of Indigenous peoples and the anti-blackness era of Jim Crow as past events rather than ongoing
3
struggles. The argument continued that Diamond’s success offers a sense of justification for
settler colonialism by avoiding the underlying intent behind the domination it entailed. The truth
is that these periods from the nation’s past continue to shape a foundation entrenched in white
supremacy. Despite the efforts and sacrifices of many, the Civil Rights Era fell short of its full
potential or sustained lasting results due to the forces arrayed against it.
The lack of representation of cultural diversity in the curriculum remains just as harmful
to students of color or Indigenous students. The historical underrepresentation in the texts and of
teachers of color or Indigenous backgrounds perpetuates a continued sense of invisibility among
our diverse student populations. Loewen (2007) lamented this idea further by emphasizing the
potential of American anti-racism to empower oppressed people worldwide. Unfortunately, the
educational system fails to deliver this message to students in the United States. Today, the
pattern persists across the country, resulting in an educational system plagued by racial
disparities that disproportionately burden students of color and Indigenous students. While the
problem affects a larger population, my study explicitly examines the gap in the educational
system that continues to exist between Black and White students.
Background of the Problem
During the 1971 legislative session, Democratic Governor Wendell Anderson achieved
national attention for the “Minnesota Miracle” by advocating for school funding reform through
the Republican-controlled legislature. He pledged to fulfill the state’s constitutional obligation to
provide all students an “adequate” education along with significant property tax relief. The
reforms increased state aid to Minnesota schools to 65% of operating costs, addressed the
disparities in per-pupil spending between districts, provided additional aid to districts with
disadvantaged students, and attempted to control property tax levies for school operating costs
4
(Dornfeld, 2008). Anderson appeared on the cover of Time magazine, and Minnesota garnered
national recognition as a model for effective government, educational dedication, and success.
The Scope of the Problem
The problem’s scope materialized in the ensuing decades as the efforts behind the
Minnesota Miracle failed to sustain themselves. Political and financial shifts throughout the state
created a different landscape by the late 1990s. A report compiled by the Federal Reserve of
Minneapolis determined that, compared to the nation, the state continued to perform well in
terms of standardized test scores, graduation rates, and college readiness (Grunewald & Nath,
2019). However, some of the most significant educational gaps in the country also emerged
(Crann et al., 2019; Shockman, 2019). Kailin (1999) examined a district she described as
“highly-rated,” one of the most “liberal” and “enlightened school districts in the United States”
(p. 726). Even with the positive assessment, she still discovered the typical disparities Black
students face in schools nationwide. The Black students had higher dropout rates than graduation
rates; higher suspension rates; and twice the rate of special education referrals all
disproportionate to their population percentage.
Two decades after Kailin’s (1999) study, the gaps and disparities remain. Minnesota finds
itself alongside Wisconsin, posting the widest education gaps in the nation between its Black and
White students (Crann et al., 2019). Using 2019 data to account for pre-COVID conditions,
approximately 34% of Black students met proficiency standards on the Minnesota
Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) reading tests, as compared to 66% of White students.
Meanwhile, the math test showed a gap of 26% between Black students to 63% of White
students who showed proficiency (Shockman, 2019). Suspension rates for Black students
occurred at five times the rate for White students and exceeded national averages (Gordan,
5
2019). Minnesota ranked 50th in the nation for Black students who graduate on time (Minnesota
Compass, 2022). In predicting future success, the state’s college-readiness scores rank among the
highest in the nation. Based on the ACT and SAT exam scores, Minnesota students finished first
in reading and third in math. However, it ranked among the worst in the nation in college-
readiness gaps along racial and income lines. The gap between White and Black students
meeting the benchmark on the reading tests was 34% and 39% for math. Moreover, only 25% of
Black students demonstrated college readiness, resulting in many taking developmental courses
(Grunewald & Nath, 2019).
While districts attempted numerous reforms to address their educational gaps, most focus
on improved test scores, doing little to alleviate other disparities. As Dumas (2018) suggests,
such limited efforts fail to address the entirety of Black suffering or create a more inclusive
system. Their academic plans typically fail to address disproportionally higher suspension rates
for Black students or focus on changing the behavioral patterns of teachers to create more
inclusive classrooms. Love (2019) further elaborated that only long-term and anti-racist
strategies offer a chance to solve the problem’s totality.
The Black and White Division of Resources
Educational gaps between Black and White students provide struggles across multiple
levels of Minnesota’s current system, ranging from early difficulties in math and reading to
college readiness. Future economic opportunities and successes also intertwine with education
(Crann et al., 2019; Gordon, 2019; Love, 2019; Morris, 2004). Additionally, changing conditions
have increased the difficulties for many students leading to the widening education gap across
Minnesota, despite efforts to halt it. The concept behind the Minnesota Miracle funding goals
aligns with the ideas held today by academics, policymakers, educators, and advocates seeking to
6
help students achieve equitable outcomes. State funding must maintain systems that provide
students with the same opportunities for success regardless of their zip code (Baker et al., 2016;
Baker & Green, 2015). Minnesota schools rely heavily upon state funding, with most receiving
around 80% of their operating budget. Problems emerge when addressing the specific needs of
an individual school or district. The concept of “per pupil” allocation fails to account for the
unequal distribution of funds, given the higher needs of some students compared to those of
others.
Increasing segregation across the Twin Cities has exacerbated the problem over the past 2
decades, depriving certain areas of needed resources. Gordon (2019) described how levels of
segregation impact performance and achievement. As racial and economic segregation increases
across neighborhoods, schools, and districts, it correlates to the disparities in the education gap.
Minnesota ranks among the worst in the country in segregation rates in its neighborhoods and,
increasingly, its schools (Gordon, 2019; Stancil, 2020). Historical patterns dictate the trends
which follow. More affluent residents move to the wealthier suburbs with stronger schools
bolstered by local revenue. Property values and economic opportunities collapse in the areas they
left behind.
In a state struggling to find remedies to its education gap, most of its population lives in
the Twin Cities. To provide context, three-fifths of the Twin Cities students are White. With the
current financial structure, the more affluent schools contain predominately White populations.
However, Metro schools continue to confront increasing segregation, where 44,000 students
attend schools with less than one in 10 White students. As funds shift away from the increasingly
segregated schools, it raises several questions for educators and state officials to address, such as
the potential for the increase in the belief gap, possible problems with teacher expectations, or
7
the recruitment of quality teachers. The concept of a belief gap pertains to the challenges among
families in Metro that have yet to send a family member to college. As a result, younger family
members lack an example or hope that they will make the step towards higher education and
greater financial success (Crann et al., 2019).
Statement of the Problem
The education gap exists throughout every county in Minnesota, transcending urban,
suburban, or rural lines. Statistics demonstrate statewide data and trends on the extent of the
problem, but my study focuses on the efforts made to improve racial equity in Twin Cities
schools. For reference purposes, the United States Office of Management and Budget states that
the Twin Cities Metro area comprises 15 counties. More specifically, this study focuses primarily
on the core area located near Minneapolis/St. Paul area, the suburbs, and outlying exurbs along
the same interstate corridor. It is effectively Minnesota’s political, economic, and cultural
epicenter, with a population of around 3.16 million people. According to the 2020 census, the
Twin Cities represent 55% of the state’s population and account for 78% of the state’s population
growth.
While the region remains predominantly White, 31% of the population now identify as
Black, Indigenous, or person of color, increasing regional diversity (Metropolitan Council,
2021). With increasing diversity, the current educational trends created an environment during
the past 2 decades where students of color and Indigenous students experience a belief gap over
access to better educational and financial results.
Like most of the country, Minnesota experimented with different methods to address the
educational gap. Nevertheless, uniform solutions rarely apply to diverse problems, and unique
challenges require dedicated individuals. As Franco et al. (2011) described, everyone involved in
8
education is responsible for recognizing each student’s strengths. They must remove the
obstacles and structural barriers preventing them from learning and achieving their best results.
Equity programs must match local conditions and receive the support necessary to ensure
successful outcomes. The type of support educators receive depends on the conditions they face.
Every educator deals with unique challenges requiring different resources. Despite these
challenges, some educators find ways to achieve successful results and improve the outcomes for
their students.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the present study is to create a narrative-driven examination of the
localized efforts of educators in Twin Cities’ schools attempting to improve educational
excellence and racial equity. Additionally, I focus attention on the challenges and successes they
face as they attempt to improve equity between Black and White students in local schools. The
study looks at the policies, practices, and strategies different districts try, and how educators
react and make sense of their efforts in this process. The study divides educators into district and
school-level leaders, and teachers. Leithwood and Seashore-Louis (2012) describe leadership as
school officials with the ability to perform two core functions: provide direction and exercise
influence. These individuals possess the capacity to make decisions designed to have a positive
impact on equitable outcomes at an individual building or throughout the district. Teachers then
engage in the direct contact with students, enacting the reforms on a day-to-day basis. They serve
as a vital conduit between the upper levels where policy formulates and its practical
application. The present study explores reforms taking place across the Metro, and how
educators perceive those efforts in light of the challenges and successes they experience.
9
The study sought to identify the qualities, practices, and attributes of educators necessary
to address the challenges and increase probability of student success. Moreover, this study looks
at educators’ sensemaking around reforms, challenges, and successes they engage on an ongoing
basis. Additionally, it creates an opportunity to assess the differences that emerge between three
levels in the educational reform process by examining the issue from the perspectives of district
administrators, building administrators, and teachers. Specifically, this study addresses the
following three research questions:
1. What reforms in educational practices are Twin Cities schools pursuing to improve
educational excellence and racial equity?
2. What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
3. What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
The study uses qualitative, semi-structured interview protocols to address these questions.
It employs purposeful sampling from five districts in an attempt to achieve maximum variation.
The sample includes a district official, building administrator, and teacher to represent each
district. As such, the sample contains the individuals who plan, supervise, and execute policies
related to achieving educational excellence and improving equity for students. The districts
selected represent one predominantly urban district mainly comprised of students of color. The
following two selected represent predominantly suburban districts of growing diversity, typical
of the suburban landscape of the Twin Cities. The next two districts represent the exurban areas
of the Twin Cities, which see increasing population and diversity. The variation within these
districts exposes them to the increasing segregation trends across the region. One of the districts
10
selected in the exurb area is a public charter district containing three schools. The other exurb is
a public school district with three schools but also contains a rural population. I also interviewed
an individual working with the state education department with knowledge and experience from
numerous districts across the Twin Cities Metro.
Theoretical Framework
Sensemaking provides the theoretical framework for the study. Goffin et al. (2022)
described the importance of language in sensemaking and creating a narrative to help establish a
sense of meaning behind what they think or feel. It helps individuals rationalize their experiences
while creating an ongoing narrative of their present situation and future actions. Weick et al.
(2005) elaborated that sensemaking evolves as we gather more information and assess our
actions. They noted that one group never gets the story, but learn more comprehensive stories.
Sensemakers become increasingly motivated as the story grows. Perhaps most importantly for
those pursuing equity work, as people search for meaning and collect more data, the story grows
more resilient in the face of criticism.
As educators strive to reform their practices to achieve educational excellence and
improve racial equity, they create meaning from these experiences. Likewise, they carry their
past experiences into these situations. Weick (1995) added that sensemakers often gain
perspective from the point of view of knowing something occurred through comparison to prior
experience. In other words, a principal initiates equity-driven learning communities only to
observe conversations among White staff about “those kids.” The principal identifies the
unproductive conversation from a previous session but now attempts to create a new narrative to
redirect the staff. Their sensemaking on the reforms, along with their challenges and successes,
11
drive the foundation of this study. It offers a unique ability to compare how and why district
representatives, building administrators and teachers approach equity, if at all.
Significance of the Study
Efforts to improve racial equity in schools face significant obstacles. While segregated
schools often lack curriculum choices or experienced teachers, Black students typically face also
barriers when attending schools with White students. Black students often receive fewer
opportunities for student leadership roles and access to advanced courses but higher discipline
and special education referrals (Baker et al., 2016; Emling, 2020; Love, 2019). Funding remains
a continuously disproportionate issue, as some leaders struggle to assist students with substantial
needs, even with compensatory funds. These problems come against an increasingly politically
hostile environment towards ideas about racial equity in schools.
Against this backdrop, Franco et al. (2011) describe the need for educators willing to
pursue an agenda that improves the outcomes for students and encourages others to participate.
Undertaking such an agenda challenges the current system that supports White privilege to the
detriment of Black students (Baker et al., 2016; Emling, 2020; Franco et al., 2011; Love, 2019).
My study examines the reform efforts educators in the Twin Cities pursue to improve
educational excellence and racial equity in their schools. Through an analysis of how they
attempt to evaluate their challenges and successes, it aims to inform the practice of others
through how they engage the obstacles Black students endure. The theoretical framework of
sensemaking offers the prospect of presenting the experiences of other educators to build a
stronger narrative to enlighten their peers across the Metro as they address similar problems.
12
Limitations and Delimitations
The sample size only consists of five districts from the Twin Cities Metro area, with a
district representative, building principal, and teacher representing each district. As a result, their
responses connect to their perceptions and experiences in their individual locations. Even as the
potential exists that educators at schools with similar demographic backgrounds may encounter
comparable experiences, it is difficult to generalize results to other parts of the United States.
Also, the study specifically addresses the current educational debt and its resulting disparities
between Black and White students. As such, any considerations, statistics, or comparisons
pertain only to evaluations made within this context. Disparities between other racial and ethnic
groups remain unexamined within this study.
Organization of the Study
The study is organized into five chapters. Chapter 1 provided an overview and the
background of the study. Chapter 2 presents a review of the literature that examines reforms in
education. It then proceeds to address the four key areas this study explores as means for school
educators to enact reforms: teacher performance and evaluations, professional development,
teacher diversity, and school-discipline reform. It closes with an examination of sensemaking
that serves as the theoretical framework for the study’s design. Chapter 3 elaborates the
methodology: the sample, collection tools, and data analysis. It also discusses ethics and the
efforts to establish credibility.
Chapter 4 presents study results. It starts with an overview of the participants. It then
reviews the findings of Research Question 1. It starts with the policy, practices, and strategies
findings, moves into teacher performance and evaluation, and then to professional development.
These sections cover each of the districts from the sample. Next, it discusses the final two areas
13
of Research Question 1: teacher diversity and school discipline from participant perspectives.
Chapter 4 then reviews the findings on Research Question 2, addresses the challenges the
participants reported, and Research Question 3 on their successes. Finally, Chapter 5 discusses
the findings and the limitations that arose during the study; evaluates the implications of the
findings and offers recommendations; and provides thoughts for future research.
14
Chapter Two: Literature Review
The present study focuses on the efforts of educators pursuing educational excellence and
equity. It also requires an exploration of the challenges and successes educators encounter in
their endeavors. The literature review begins by briefly establishing a framework to describe
educational excellence and equity employed in the research questions before moving into reform
efforts.
Research Questions
1. What reforms in educational practices are Twin Cities schools pursuing to improve
educational excellence and racial equity?
2. What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms in educational
practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
3. What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms educational
practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
Framing Educational Excellence and Equity
Years before NCLB and ESSA declared the need for dramatic reforms to improve
educational excellence and equity in schools, James Knight (1987) discussed ideas on methods to
improve these areas. He published a brief report in 1987 examining the whole school
environment and questioned the importance of test scores. He also approached the topic of equity
in how teachers approach students and address bias and whether schools work with a student’s
self-image. Knight (1987) proposed ten strategies to establish educational excellence and equity,
which he rooted in two fundamental psychological theories: the Pygmalion effect (the self-
fulfilling prophecy) and perceptions rooted in self-concept and self-esteem related to results.
Knight’s list included:
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1. Make students feel important.
2. Make students feel invited.
3. Deal with needed changes in others from a positive point of point of view.
4. Learn to make appropriate nonverbal cues.
5. Get to know each student personally.
6. Learn to empathize.
7. Establish parameters.
8. Use student-centered instruction.
9. Learn to know and understand the difference between discipline and punishment.
10. Be enthusiastic about teaching.
While Knight published his work in 1987, he drew from research dating back to the late 1960s.
Over 3 decades later, Knight’s work continues to prove foundational in building inclusive
classrooms that remove barriers and provide supportive, nurturing environments for all students
(Donovan et al., 2014; Kennedy, 2019). Regarding the research, the push continues for
educational excellence which “involves achieving the skills and knowledge needed to prosper in
Minnesota’s diverse and rapidly evolving social and economic context” (Minnesota Education
Equity Partnership, 2018, para. 1). Most importantly, reforms require educators to meet students’
needs by shifting their focus on making changes and reforms to the educational system rather
than placing an undue burden on the students (Kennedy, 2019; Knight, 1987; Minnesota Equity
Partnership, 2018; Young & Creighton, 2010).
Standards-Based Reforms
Knight’s work in the 1980s served as a catalyst of sorts, foreshadowing the trends in
education. Individuals outside the field started to look at student performance, which soon
16
shifted the conversation back into the political arena. The drive towards standards-based reform
and improved national performance in education that targeted student achievement started over a
decade prior to NCLB (Darling-Hammond, 2011; Song et al., 2021). Around the same time
Knight presented his strategies to improve student performance, President George H. W. Bush
met with the nation’s governors. Together, they hoped to create competency standards to place
the nation first in the world in math and science, with at least 90% of students graduating from
high school. They set the target of 2000, but the nation failed to reach the objective (Darling-
Hammond, 2011). As a result, more comprehensive reforms followed, leading to 2 decades of
increased accountability measures. Reforms grew more targeted, and federal legislation sought to
align more standards and assessments. The centerpiece lies in education policies driven by
standards-based accountability (SBA).
With the passage of NCLB, SBA often results in adding consequences to measuring and
incentivizing school performance on student achievement in standardized tests (Hamilton et al.,
2012). Despite the increased pressure on teachers, the evaluation systems often lacked sufficient
feedback to improve their performance (Looney, 2011). As NCLB evolved and shifted to the
policies in the Obama Administration like Race to the Top and ESSA, efforts to improve student
achievement led to changes in a wide range of teacher policies from performance, evaluation,
and professional development. However, it also encompasses other factors, such as pushes to
reform school discipline policy and increased diversity in hiring practices. When it comes to
improving educational excellence in racial equality, the influence of educators varies
considerably. The remainder of Chapter 2 focuses on categorizing the types of policies, practices,
and strategies, educators work with in their efforts to improve racial equity. It also identifies
teacher performance and evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity, and school
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discipline and core areas in the literature with a natural extension of challenges and successes
where appropriate.
Reforms in Teaching
One of the critical issues raised in the aftermath of the passage of NCLB and the push for
standards-based accountability centered on the ambiguity behind how different states and
districts defined it. Desimone (2006) described the use of policy attributes theory, expressing the
need for specificity in implementing new policies. She further elaborated that providing teachers
with clear supporting documents, materials, professional development, and guidance, increases
the chance they will implement them. Alexander et al. (2017) reported data from the National
Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) that between 2007 to 2015, the number of states linking
some aspect of student achievement to teacher evaluation grew from 16 to 43 states.
In 2019 however, NCTQ stated that at least 30 states withdrew at least one of the
evaluation reforms passed during the efforts to respond to shuffling standards between NCLB,
the Race to the Top program, Common Core, or ESSA. Nine fewer states required measures of
student growth as part of teacher evaluations. They elaborated that fewer states required annual
evaluations for all teachers and principals. The rapid rise that tied objective measures of student
growth in teacher evaluations also steadily declined. Figure 1 illustrates the decline since its peak
in 2015. Even in the states that continued to use the objective measures of student growth as
elements of teacher evaluations, the value tied to student growth typically declined as well
(NCTQ, 2019). Of the states that continued to require objective measures of student growth, the
sources of data started to vary over the past several years with less of a reliance on state
standardized tests (NCTQ, 2019). Figure 2 demonstrates the increase in the number states
moving away from the use of state standardized tests as their sources to measure student growth.
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Figure 1
State Teacher Evaluation Systems Requiring Student Growth
Note. From State of the States 2019 (p. 3) by E. Ross & K. Walsh, 2019, National Council on
Teacher Quality, 2019. https://www.nctq.org/pages/State-of-the-States-2019:-Teacher-and-
Principal-Evaluation-Policy. In the public domain.
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Figure 2
States Using Standardized Test Data
Note. From State of the States 2019 (p. 7) by E. Ross & K. Walsh, 2019, National Council on
Teacher Quality, 2019. https://www.nctq.org/pages/State-of-the-States-2019:-Teacher-and-
Principal-Evaluation-Policy. In the public domain.
Figures 1 and 2 demonstrate the changing environment teachers faced just over the past
few years. Such changes and instability in evaluation systems undermine the clarity Desimone
(2006) described as a key to increasing the likelihood that teachers successfully implement new
classroom policies. When vital components of their job, such as the nature of their evaluations or
measures of student growth, shift dramatically within a short period, teachers struggle to
maintain a connection to the purpose behind reforms (Schmidt & Datnow, 2005). Individual
school leaders at the district and building level lack the ability to influence national and state
policymakers. Likewise, their ability to make curricular decisions varies tremendously,
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especially as such decisions grow more contentious in today’s political climate. However, they
have the potential to provide the necessary stability to create measures and reforms for teachers
to enact to achieve educational excellence and improve equity. The key areas focused on
addressing the research questions lie in areas where educators demonstrate more consistent
influence: teacher performance and evaluations, professional development, teacher diversity, and
school discipline reform.
Teacher Performance and Evaluations
With the bulk of school reforms addressing teachers in some way, performance and
evaluation developed into vital but often contentious areas between administrators and their staff.
One of the early debate points emerged around defining “effective” teachers. As policies shifted,
the Race to the Top initiative promoted revisions to teacher evaluations from the NCLB era
(Alexander et al., 2017; Steinberg & Garrett, 2016). However, even that has continued to change
since then. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate how the data comprising the evaluation process continues to
shift across the states in a relatively short time.
The question is not whether students benefit from teachers who perform better due to
experience or training or receive more support. The tension lies in measuring teacher
performance and attaching it to student achievement. Measuring both performance and
achievement add a layer of complexity. Alexander et al. (2017) examined if the use of student
achievement in teacher evaluations made a difference in student proficiency results. They created
a second research question to examine whether differences existed between Black and Hispanic
students. To complete the study, they drew data from the NCTQ documenting and classifying
teacher evaluation policies in 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013 that employed student achievement or
growth. They used NAEP’s eighth grade reading and math scores across the same 4-year
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markers, using growth achievement in four cohorts (2003–2007, 2005–2009, 2007–2011, and
2009–2013). The NAEP separates data along racial lines to allow comparisons to address the
second research question. They used fixed-effect models to control for differing factors between
states.
Overall, Alexander et al. (2017) uncovered a slight increase in reading but no significant
difference in math proficiency scores. The researchers noted that a study from Dee and Jacob in
2011 highlighted gains in math achievement scores in fourth graders. These gains linked back to
efforts made during NCLB and noted higher gains for Black and Hispanic students and students
eligible for subsidized lunch. They asserted that this follows the logic that little movement of
math scores makes sense in this context. Conversely, it highlights little progress since that time
as well.
However, they brought up some other points that merit concern. One is that states
lowered their standards and created less rigorous assessments. Some evidence matches this
theory in the disparities between state tests and the NAEP assessments (Alexander et al., 2017).
As an evaluation tool for teachers, the decreased value of the instrument seemingly decreases the
weight of what is measured. Nevertheless, consider a different consequence for the teacher when
states utilize data for high-stakes accountability policies. Stenberg and Garrett (2016) noted the
importance of incoming student achievement on teacher performance measures. Depending on
the context, using this data creates the possibility of a teacher facing sanctions or dismissal.
The other areas the researchers addressed came from how adding student achievement to
teacher evaluation often merged with other policies and accountability measures. Many districts
implemented value-added measures yet offered little training or explanation on navigating these
systems (Alexander et al., 2017; Darling-Hammond, 2015; Darling-Hammond et al., 2012). With
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a mixture of policies in place, determining a method to measure the value of one versus another
proves nearly impossible. Likewise, little practical growth develops without training on
implementing the changes stemming from these policies.
Additional Evaluation Tools
One of the frequent tools repeatedly used in evaluating teacher performance examined
throughout the literature is the value-added model (VAM). These models determine a teacher’s
effectiveness based on a student’s growth. The data typically comes from measuring test scores
from one year to the next (Darling-Hammond et al., 2012; Darling-Hammond, 2015; Looney,
2011). When appropriately designed, VAMs offered the opportunity to provide data that
accounted for a student’s background concerns that standardized tests ignored. Likewise, they
ideally offered the chance to produce data to help design reforms for system-wide improvements
(Looney, 2011). Nonetheless, Darling-Hammond (2015) identified the “ideal conditions” under
which VAMs could work:
1. Student learning is well-measured by tests that reflect valuable learning and the actual
achievement of individual students along a vertical scale representing the full range of
possible achievement measured in equal interval units.
2. Students are randomly assigned to teachers within and across schools – or,
conceptualized another way, the learning conditions and traits of the group of
students assigned to one teacher do not vary substantially from those assigned to
another.
3. Individual teachers are the only contributors to students’ learning over the period of
time used for measuring gains. (p. 132)
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No teacher works in these conditions, and some VAMs fail to employ fixed-effects
models to increase accuracy or control other factors. Stronge et al. (2011) demonstrated this with
a study illustrating its value for single years, schools, or teachers but noted the need to control for
prior achievement and socioeconomic status. While they argued it had a place, they agreed that
one data source proved insufficient to provide the total picture of each teacher across districts.
Darling-Hammond (2015) noted that using VAMs as a measure of support to create goals and
assist one another offers another avenue to utilize the data more positively for teachers. Thus,
achievement increases when districts offer more resources for teachers to improve their practice
and respond to student needs. As ESSA loosened some of the more restrictive assessment-based
accountability measures of NCLB, the use of VAMs shifted more towards growth and local use
(Close et al., 2020).
With many states moving away from VAMs, they are looking for alternatives to continue
to measure the relationship between teacher effectiveness and student performance. Close et al.
(2020) conducted a survey research study with candidates deemed the “most knowledgeable”
state education personnel from every state and the District of Columbia. They followed up with
phone interviews with nonrespondents to surveys for clarification and validation purposes. They
sought to understand four key areas regarding the changes to their evaluation systems following
the implementation of ESSA: the measures used by states to evaluate teachers; how state
evaluation systems changed; what strengths and weaknesses state personnel see in their teacher
evaluation system; and how to have their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses changed.
With a shift away from relying on VAMs, Close et al. (2020) found that student surveys
emerged as a form of data in more states. Student learning objectives (SLOs) also increased in
usage throughout the country. In many states, these operate similarly to student learning goals,
24
with teachers looking to understand the impact of their teaching and adjusting based on the
results. Nevertheless, plans and the value assigned to them and student surveys vary significantly
across the states. Still, the trend marks a move away from the reliance on standards-based testing
but also makes it more difficult to compare student performance between districts and states
(NCTQ, 2019).
Ultimately, post-ESSA (2016) meant a shift towards more local control. Individual
stakeholders provided input. Furthermore, the new systems increased collaboration through
professional development focused on improved teaching. Such steps indicate attempts to move
towards the ideas proposed by individuals like Darling-Hammond to focus more on professional
development and improvement rather than harsh accountability measures.
However, the variance and lack of support and communication between states and
districts created concerns. Moreover, Close et al. (2020) found that the language of new policies
needed adjustment to demonstrate more engaging interactions with teachers. The connections
play into what Desimone (2006) asserted about establishing a clear, well-documented policy to
gain teacher support. It also coincides with Schmidt and Datnow (2005) on the need to create
changes that reflect the ideologies and values of teachers. If the opposite transpires, though, the
reforms prove difficult. Still, the critical aspect remained the opportunity to use more formative
methods to focus on teacher improvement through multiple measurements (Close et al., 2020).
With an increasing need to focus on student learning and understanding the educational debt
between Black and White students, this push holds potential for needed changes with continued
adjusting.
Regardless of how performance is measured, evaluations remain a crucial aspect of the
teaching profession. Whatever the approach, administrators’ most prominent role in this area
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remains observations (Close et al., 2020; NCTQ, 2019; Neumerski et al., 2018; Song et al., 2021;
Steinberg & Garrett, 2016). This area also allows administrators to offer teachers ways to
improve their classroom performance through feedback, resources, and support (Alexander et al.,
2017; Neumerski et al., 2018; Song et al., 2021). As stated previously, in many states, these
observations are also shifting to a more formative nature, with many using research-based
evaluation models. Twenty-nine states currently use either Danielson’s Framework for teaching
observational system or the Marzano casual teacher evaluation model. Some states use a system
that merges both models or a framework based on them (Close et al., 2020).
Observations: Concerns Over Fairness
Despite the importance, administrators must approach observations with thoughtfulness
and view them as opportunities to create partnerships. Otherwise, they can damage the
relationship with teachers and potentially decrease their effectiveness. Also, some states still
maintain at least a degree of high-stakes consequences to their evaluation systems (Hunter,
2020). With such a level of importance in place, administrators must consider the language used
in rater severity to measure their evaluations and the number of observations teachers receive
(Hunter, 2020; Neumerski et al., 2018; Wind et al., 2021).
As policies led to new observation systems under RTTT, teachers felt concerns about
how administrators handled or conducted observations accurately and fairly (Hunter, 2020;
Lewis et al., 2022). Hunter (2020) sought to examine cases in which such biases significantly
impacted observations. He asserted that prior-year effectiveness scores of a teacher created an
assimilation bias which led to increased observation. Teachers assigned additional observations
negatively impacted their scores via assimilation bias. He further claimed a more robust
connection between this bias to early-career teachers. Hunter pulled data from Tennessee’s
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teacher panel linked to 80% of its schools to examine this. This data includes demographic
information about the teachers and the “level of effectiveness” score used to determine the
number of observations a teacher receives.
Hunter’s (2020) analysis uncovered assimilation bias only when teachers received
additional observations. While regression discontinuity design predicted that teachers with more
observations also received lower first observation scores, he noted some imprecise estimations.
One area of particular concern is that he noted a predicted decline in teachers’ observation scores
when the proportion of Black students in their classes increases by 25%. While Hunter’s data
looks at one state, the potential for assimilation bias exists in other areas. Such possibilities
illustrate administrators’ and other professional observers’ need for adequate training and
professional development. The multiple observations often led to increased professional
development or continued cycles of observations that drew administrators from other tasks.
Moreover, it created questions about the quality of feedback and support teachers
received. One important note is that studies involving principals inflating scores offer the same
lack of quality feedback (Lewis et al., 2022). Either way, it fails to offer any other avenue for
teachers to improve or receive the opportunities to allow them to succeed (Alexander et al.,
2017; Lewis et al., 2022; Neumerski et al., 2018; Song et al., 2021). Hunter discussed the
possibility for policymakers to examine the need to mitigate these costs by finding ways to
remove this bias. As long as it remains in place, it takes resources away from other teachers and
students that require attention.
Observations: Increased Feedback and Interaction
However, spending significant time with staff offers administrators and staff the chance
to form connections and foster growth. Neumerski et al. (2018) also examined administrators
27
spending significant time conducting observations. They conducted semi-structured interviews
with approximately 60 principals in six urban school districts. They selected the sites based on
each implementing their teacher evaluation systems with specific criteria: rubric-based teacher
observations, value-added or growth measures, and student surveys. The principals in the study
noticed their role shifting to more of an instructional leader as they implemented their
observations. They observed teachers more frequently but provided detailed feedback, support,
and professional development derived from rubric-based evaluations.
The principals not only provided more specific evidence-based feedback to teachers, they
used formative observations to hold “robust” conversations. The rubrics provided specific points
to explain their teacher’s functional areas connected to examples from their instruction. These
connections allowed the principals to offer guidance in areas that needed improvement but also
validation for what worked. It also helped them create growth plans for struggling teachers.
Furthermore, it helped many principals reflect on ways to improve as mentors to their teachers.
Unlike Song et al. (2021), the study focused on the interaction between principals and staff rather
than student achievement.
However, the principals also reported challenges balancing their observation time with
other administrative duties (Neumerski et al., 2018; Song et al., 2021). While some appeared
overwhelmed, others found ways to distribute responsibilities. Teachers also lacked universal
support for the new system. Some teachers altered their behavior while resisting the new rubrics.
As Schmidt and Datnow (2005) asserted, teacher buy-in is essential to the evaluation system’s
success. The necessity of teacher buy-in resonates throughout the literature. In addition to the
evaluation system, equity-based professional development and reforms to school discipline
require active engagement to ensure success.
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Professional Development
When conducted effectively, teacher performance and evaluation systems allow
administrators and teachers to form a partnership dedicated to improving educational excellence
and racial equity. Well-designed systems provide the ability for growth, reflection, and guidance
with rubrics designed to help target issues specifically tailored to the needs of Black students.
However, these programs require all staff members to buy into the system. Roegman et al.
(2020) noted that equity remains less developed in observations on classroom instruction despite
its importance. Thus, professional development becomes essential in helping improve equitable
outcomes for students. However, Lieberman and Miller (2011) described the need for a school to
create a culture committed to working collaboratively rather than a quick fix. Teachers and
administrators need to understand that effective professional learning communities (PLCs) take
support, engagement, and sustained self-reflection (Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019; Darling-
Hammond et al., 2017; Lieberman & Miller, 2011). When done correctly, PLCs reciprocate with
improved school culture, teacher mindset, and self-efficacy improvements, reduced teacher
isolation, and constructed a shared culture focused on high-quality instructional practices
(Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Leonard & Woodland, 2022).
Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) reviewed 35 studies from the past three decades that
employed highly controlled or carefully experimental designs. They also sought studies where
student outcomes contained statistical controls for context variables and individual student
qualities. Based on those studies, they found seven elements essential to effective professional
development:
1. It is content focused.
2. It incorporates active learning utilizing adult learning theory.
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3. It supports collaboration, typically in job-embedded contexts.
4. It uses models and modeling of effective practice.
5. It provides coaching and expert support.
6. It offers opportunities for feedback and reflection.
7. It is of sustained duration. (p. 1)
Building routines and strategies, especially around a shared curriculum, allows for setting
goals and applying their work to student learning (Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019;
Lieberman & Miller, 2011). Allowing teachers to engage actively in the planning stages further
increases engagement and enhances the likelihood of successful implementation, which benefits
the students (Cavendish et al., 2020; Kennedy, 2019; Leonard & Woodland, 2022).
Carter Andrews and Richmond (2019) further highlighted how vital professional learning
is to meet an increasingly diverse student’s academic and social needs. Moreover, they further
established the importance of PLCs in the literature as long as they remain focused on shared
goals and concrete outcomes. Teachers must receive structured activities relevant to their
practice (Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Leonard &
Woodland, 2022). Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) established that active learning professional
development helped improve student achievement. They analyzed a randomized control study
from a set of high-poverty schools where teachers engaged in reflection and other metacognitive
routines, including think-alouds and reading logs. Their students gained the equivalent of a
year’s worth of additional growth in reading achievement and significantly higher achievement
on state ELA and biology assessments.
However, making the focus on equity in PLC work requires effort. Traditionally,
educational practices and structures typically produced outcomes with a negative impact on
30
Black students. Administrators and teachers attempting to engage in equity-focused learning
communities or PLC work run contrary to commonly held beliefs and deficit thinking about the
actions and behaviors of underserved students (Leonard & Woodland, 2022; Roegman et al.,
2020). While a recurring theme throughout the review, teacher buy-in remains crucial. Equity-
focused PLCs require a shift in the mindset of the teachers regarding their expectations and the
realities of the diverse backgrounds of their students (Cavendish et al., 2020; Dee, 2005; Leonard
& Woodland, 2022; Roegman et al., 2020).
Teacher Diversity
While professional development presents opportunities to provide teachers with tools to
improve educational excellence and racial equity, it fails to change a predominantly White
profession. One way to improve educational outcomes lies in finding teachers Black students
relate to on a more personal level. Increasingly, evidence highlights Black students’ long-term
benefits from having at least one Black teacher, especially in elementary school (Bond et al.,
2015. Rosen, 2018). Traditionally, most forms of curriculum lack examples for Black students to
identify with. During my years teaching history, I observed an assortment of texts that focused
more on an American history that happened to Black people, not with them involved as
participants. Other than the most well-known names, their stories appeared in the sidebars of the
pages of massive history books. Some teachers work to create a more expansive narrative for
their students to demonstrate the active role the different racial and ethnic groups played in
building the United States. However, minority teachers offer a more direct connection to
illustrate the active example of someone they identify with achieving academic success while
actively contributing to societal growth (Bond et al., 2015). The benefits include providing
students with an individual with “insider knowledge” of similar experiences or shared cultural
31
backgrounds to address implicit biases and stereotypes and even facilitate cross-cultural social
bonding (Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019).
In marking future success, the presence of a Black teacher offers similar benefits to Black
students. Their graduation rates increase, along with the likelihood of attending college (Bond et
al., 2015; Fox, 2016; Gershenson et al., 2018; Rosen, 2018). The connection provides a tangible
example to override the belief gap for many students. Using data gathered from student and
teacher random placement into the Tennessee STAR program, Gershenson et al. (2018) found
that with one Black teacher by third grade, the chances of Black students enrolling in college
improved by 6 percentage points over their peers to 19%. Gershenson et al. (2018) successfully
replicated their results using students from North Carolina students entering third grade between
the 2001 and 2005 school years with data collected from NCERDC. This data expanded upon the
STAR data as it covered multiple cohorts, the state’s population, and increased coverage of
graduation statistics to provide a more robust sample. Using a quasi-experimental design,
Gershenson et al. (2018) examined the same factors, finding key findings not limited to the
original setting.
While Gershenson et al. (2018) limited their examination to enrollment, Fox (2016) used
the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:02), a nationally representative data set, to
conduct a quasi-experimental research design in an attempt to go beyond that. To link
expectations to attainment, Fox (2016) used nonrandom sampling to sort students into teachers
and compare the expectations and recommendations. Fox found a “large and statistically
significant effect” for postsecondary attainment. Bond et al. (2015) reported a similar positive
correlation between the increased expectations and performance for Black students that stemmed
from having a Black teacher. Effective teaching involves building relationships with students.
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Providing students with an example to follow with a qualified teacher, they identify with that
place high expectations upon them offers one step toward improving educational excellence.
Black teachers offer effective role models and often enter with a sense of duty to their
communities (Blum et al., 2021).
However, providing this role model offers another strong defense to protect our Black
students for school leaders to consider. The students still operate in a system that functions
rooted in systemic racism. As such, Black students endure the added disparities placed upon
them by many White teachers that offer lower academic expectations and a disproportionate
focus on perceived misbehavior (Downey & Pribesh, 2004; Fox, 2016; Gershenson et al., 2016;
Okonofua & Eberhardt, 2015). In a highly influential study, Dee (2005) employed data from the
National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88) that proved innovative as it:
Purged the potential biases created by the nonrandom sorting of students across and
within schools. Specifically, for each of the eighth-grade students surveyed, NELS:88
solicited student-specific evaluations from teachers in two distinct academic subjects.
This unusual data feature allows the implementation of a fixed-effect econometric
specification that essentially identifies how two demographically different teachers
evaluated the same student. (pp. 158–159)
Dee’s (2005) use of fixed-effect logits allowed him to run samples on specific groups of
students to highlight teacher expectations and perceptions about performance or behavior. The
findings supported that a teacher’s perception of a student influences outcomes, opportunities,
and the environment. These factors also contribute to the interactions between the student and
teacher. In every classroom, these interactions present opportunities for growth or the potential
for conflict. The study also provided a tangible connection that racial and ethnic differences
33
increased the likelihood of a teacher holding unfavorable views of students. A common concern
that merges with low expectations then becomes the potential of a self-fulfilling prophecy for
Black students regarding poor academic performances and outcomes (Fox, 2016; Gershenson et
al., 2016).
However, school leaders face the additional issue of finding Black teachers to hire for
their students. Professional development offers a reasonably direct path for administrators to
approach equity-based reforms and for teachers to receive the training they need. When hiring
Black teachers, though, supply fails to meet demand. One of the recent issues facing staffing
shortages is concerns over the number of qualified individuals entering the profession. However,
using data from the National Center for Education’s nationally representative Schools and
Staffing Survey, Ingersoll et al. (2019) noted that the number of minority teachers entering the
profession from 1987 to 2012 increased by 104%. Despite this, the number of minority students
outpaced that growth, leaving a significant gap, especially between Black students and teachers
(Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019).
The Retention Problem
In general, teacher shortages remain a problem across Minnesota. As indicated, teachers
of color or Indigenous teachers face even greater shortages. Yet the need for highly qualified
individuals to identify with Black students simply increases as the educational gaps continues to
grow. To compound the problem, data on attrition and turnover rates further indicates that
minority teachers leave the profession at higher rates (Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019).
Ingersoll et al. built upon a series of studies they conducted over the past 2 decades to examine
the perceptions surrounding minority teaching shortages. Like Bond et al. (2015) they noted
recruitment and placement proved largely successful, with the majority located in urban public
34
schools, serving high-minority, high-poverty communities. Their data from the SASS drew from
seven cycles: 1987–1988, 1990–1991, 1993–1994, 1999–2000, 2003–2004, 2007–2008, and
2011–2012. The TFS draws from teachers in the original sample that departed along with a
representative sample who remained 12 months after the initial survey.
As they conducted their empirical analysis, they ran regression models to determine the
characteristics behind the departures. While some natural attrition transpired due to school
staffing, the bulk occurred due to job dissatisfaction or to pursue other jobs. Conditions in the
building, marked by dissatisfaction with administration, accountability or testing, student
discipline, limited influence and autonomy highlighted these reasons. Bond et al. (2015)
complemented these findings with their report indicated the potential for administrators to take
some type of action within their buildings to retain staff members. The schools these individuals
leave typically already had difficulties recruiting candidates and undesirable organizational
conditions. Schools with greater levels of administrative support, faculty input and instructional
autonomy experienced the lowest turnover (Alexander et al., 2017; Ingersoll et al., 2019). School
demographic characteristics proved to hold little influence over movement. However, minority
teachers demonstrated less likelihood to leave schools with higher percentages of students of
color and poverty-level enrollments than their White counterparts (Bond et al. 2015; Ingersoll et
al., 2019). These teachers also show substantially less anxiety about accepting positions or
connecting to students of color than particularly younger White, female teachers (Picower,
2009).
Jones (2019) explored the intersection between race and relational trust in depth
regarding the retention issue in Wisconsin schools. Given its proximity to Minnesota, similarities
with increasing trends in diversification, and issues with the education gap, Wisconsin provides a
35
unique comparison for the state. Jones pulled school assignment, experience, gender, race, and
education data for teachers and principals from the WiseStaff data system managed by the
Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. To identify retainment, the study compared teacher
assignment data from 2016−2017 and 2018−2019. It used survey data collected by the Wisconsin
Educator Development Support and Retention (WEDSR) Teacher Survey.
The measures Jones (2019) took from the WEDSR pertained to trust between principals
and teachers and trust between teachers. The data demonstrated that relational trust between
these groups proves essential to increasing retention rates. Overall, the variance in the teacher
retention rates ranged between 69.9% and 87.3% depending on the level of trust between
teachers and principals, and 76.2% to 83.3% for differences in teacher trust. Black teachers
generally reported lower trust for their fellow teachers than White teachers. The results generally
indicated that teachers from the same racial background as their principal created more trusting
relationships. Statistically, White teachers reported a more significant trust gap working with
Black principals than vice versa. Regardless, Jones (2019) found similar results to Ingersoll et al.
(2019), indicating an increased likelihood of Black teachers leaving their schools. More
consequential, those within the first 2 years of their careers frequently left the profession entirely.
Teachers leaving the profession often found an environment where the felt disconnected from
their peers and lacked the types of emotionally safe spaces allowing them to thrive (Bond et al.,
2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019; Jones, 2019).
Jones suggests that Wisconsin looks at creative approaches to quickly resolve the
situation as teacher shortages increase and the state population diversifies. He proposed grant
programs for students of color and the recruitment of paraprofessionals from communities of
color. These individuals offer the potential for the development of future teachers as well.
36
Additionally, he advocated for creating emotionally safe spaces within schools for teachers from
diverse backgrounds to collaborate and build relationships. He encouraged this, especially during
the early years when mentoring proved crucial.
School Discipline Reforms
School discipline reforms, like recruiting more Black teachers, also prove challenging.
Also, similar to equity-based learning communities and professional development, these reforms
require staff buy-in. Black and other teachers of color or Indigenous teachers provide
opportunities to present students with relatable staff members and positive role models. These
differences often lack when the staffs consist predominantly of White teachers and
administrators. Given that Okonofua and Eberhardt (2015) discovered connections between
stereotyping and negative responses to Black student behavior, any discipline reform requires a
mindset shift among many teachers. Gregory et al. (2021) further extended the problems with
discipline reform in their examination of the topic through the identification of the following
obstacles:
Too often, school discipline reforms are implemented without (a) considering the
sociohistorical and structural conditions of oppression; (b) increasing cultural
relevancy/responsiveness, competence, and bias awareness; (c) complementary
approaches to developing socioemotional and behavioral competencies; and (d)
instructional reforms that address opportunity gaps. (p. 208)
Gregory et al. (2021) went on to further review some of the limitations facing efforts to
reform the exclusionary practices of school discipline. They examined research that analyzed the
three practices currently used to balance improved school safety and academic performance with
an equitable focus: school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (SWPBIS),
37
social-emotional learning (SEL), and restorative practices (RP). They stated that these strategies
made progress in advancing discipline reform when explicitly employed with equity-minded
elements. Alternatively, Gregory elaborated that most cases faced limitations due to disregarding
institutionalized oppression and maintaining the status quo of cultural neutrality. Additionally,
the programs failed to provide social and emotional support or tackle complex barriers that
prevent learning opportunities.
During their review of SWPBIS, Gregory et al. (2021) revealed improvements in problem
behaviors, student engagement, academic outcomes, and reduced likelihood of dropout by
implementing Tier 2 and 3 practices. Their examination uncovered less evidence to support a
positive impact on disciplinary inequity. They reported that some studies demonstrated mixed or
negative results related to exclusionary disciplinary practices. However, the focus on positive
behaviors provides a foundation to build toward improved equity if the school remains consistent
with its practice. Gregory et al. also identified the need to include equity-focused strategies as
part of SWPBIS planning further to ensure equitable outcomes or culturally responsive PBIS.
Cultural responsiveness consists of five components:
Identity Awareness (i.e., practitioners learn about their sociocultural lens and the
sociocultural experiences of their students and families), Voice (i.e., practitioners engage
students, staff, and families as partners), Supportive Environment (i.e., practitioners are
proactive and instructive to prevent challenging behaviors), Data for Equity (i.e.,
practitioners critically examine disaggregated data by student groups), and Situational
Appropriateness. (p. 208)
To contrast the more standard SWPBIS model, Clayton et al. (2020) reaffirmed the
importance of buy-in, building relationships, and the potential to improve behavior and school
38
culture in their case study. The model requires consistency for staff and students. However, they
provided little tangible evidence of systemic changes regarding equity. They presented five
schools whose efforts demonstrated the development of healthy SWPBIS programs while still
showing the need for more focus described by Gregory et al. (2021). The teachers and principals
interviewed by Clayton et al. (2020) understood the concept of focusing on achieving positive
outcomes for all students. Their program lacked the element of culturally responsive PBIS to
identify and serve the needs of students of color and reduce Black/White student discipline gaps
(Gregory et al., 2021).
SEL approaches present a problem: many rely upon packaged programming, often
focused on behavior. These programs lack culturally relevant or equity-based practices (Gregory
et al., 2021; Kennedy, 2019; Leonard & Woodland, 2022). Gregory et al. (2021) highlighted
concerns over programs using SEL student report cards turning into a method of sorting and
labeling to worsen disparities.
However, Gregory et al. (2020) saw potential in the five core competencies established
by CASEL’s prominent framework: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness,
relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. These components provide a foundation for
building the necessary values and competencies for SEL “equity elaborations.” While this
requires more customized SEL programming, it allows students and teachers to celebrate
cultures, confront inequities, and discuss solutions that foster positive relationships (Gregory et
al., 2021; Kennedy, 2019). Kennedy (2019) added the need for school leaders to establish
discipline audits to help teachers uncover potential bias and attempt to prevent microaggressions.
Restorative practices increased in usage as research supported their value in reducing out-
of-school suspensions (Darling-Hammond et al., 2020; Gregory et al., 2021). Darling-Hammond
39
et al. (2020) analyzed all the quantitative research available from U.S. K–12 schools published
between January 1999 and December 2019. They noted that nearly all research lacks the internal
validity necessary to confirm any positive connections between RP and improvements
exclusively. Their assessment found its usage linked to discipline, misbehavior, and school
climate improvements. Gregory et al. (2021) suggests transforming the school culture and
empowering staff and students. Both parties must foster conversations about racism and
oppression during the RP process. Without a focus on racial justice and the dedication of the
staff to make the sustained commitment, RP faces continued struggles to close disparities.
Gregory et al. (2018) provided one specific study that examined using RP as an
alternative to suspension. They used a cross-sectional design and multilevel modeling to examine
disciplinary data from Denver Public Schools from 2014–2015. After analyzing the data, they
realized that participation in RP reduced the odds that individual students received suspensions
regardless of a racial group. However, they noted only a marginal change in the persistent gap
between Black and White students, but that participation only reached 26% of disciplined
students. Districts need to prioritize sustained participation in programs like RP to ensure
success. Ultimately, more academic and behavioral supports, such as combined support with a
PBIS or SEL program, offer the potential to improve programs like the one at DPS.
Sensemaking
The core fabric of the theoretical framework of the study lies in the concept of
sensemaking. Sensemaking involves an ongoing process wherein individuals construct a sense of
reality or meaning from their circumstances (Allen & Penuel, 2014; Bertrand & Marsh, 2015;
Goffin et al., 2022; Weick et al., 2005). Each person’s perspective, or lens, is unique, and
sensemaking occurs when an individual encounters an event that disrupts their normal perception
40
or understanding. Allen and Penuel (2014) described the purpose of sensemaking as a pursuit to
solve the uncertainties that exist within the environment. It provides an avenue to address the
sense of doubt that often exists with change and helps create meaning as actors progress into the
unknown. Weick et al. (2005) argue that it also means we move beyond questioning the concepts
we form into our identities. We engage in some form of action but also ponder the meaning of
those actions and our need to act.
Weick (1995) elaborated that sensemaking forms when individuals reflect upon or discuss
their current achievements and endeavors in a reflective sense. Our understanding and meaning
continue to grow as we examine the moments and experiences we encounter. The need to
continue to develop new programs constantly evolves, and those involved need a solid
framework that gains resiliency with additional data. However, despite the various studies,
Coburn (2005) pointed out that most research on sensemaking involving instructional practices
revolves around teachers, with less focus on administrators. In general, much sensemaking
research appears tied mainly to data in the literature regarding equity.
Sensemaking and Data
Sensemaking’s presence in educational research crosses the spectrum from examining
teachers’ connections to policies, and responses to professional development, to using data and
beyond. Still, teachers and administrators carry individual perspectives, often ones driven by
their roles. Bertrand and Marsh (2015) illustrated this point with their study relating to teachers’
sensemaking of student data. In particular, they looked at how teachers explained the causes of
the outcomes of observed data with implications for equity in the education of ELL students.
They believed teachers arrived at attributions to student performance based on the processes of
sensemaking, which then influenced student outcomes.
41
Ultimately, they created a purposeful selection for their case study of six schools that
failed to meet state and federal accountability standards for more than 5 years. Two districts
hired literacy coaches, one a data coach and one in PLCs. All schools served significant
populations of Latina/o students, Black students, ELL, and special education students. Their
main selections included two to four teachers per school who focused on language arts and
worked with a coach or PLC. They also included additional personnel. They conducted three
school visits and 79 semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and observations (Bertrand &
Marsh, 2015).
Bertrand and Marsh (2015) then looked at four mental models of sensemaking:
instruction, student understanding, the nature of the test, and student characteristics. They
matched these models with specific dimensions of attribution: locus, stability, and controllability.
Given that my study focuses on sensemaking, the analysis of the results focuses primarily on that
area. As teachers “made sense” of their data about lesson construction, they reasoned they could
build and improve their practices and outcomes. Other areas created mixtures of how teachers
made connections. Model 4 dealt with student characteristics and illustrated the potential through
the sensemaking theory of predicting future student outcomes through reinforced low
expectations. Their work established a connection to the concept of attribution. With this process,
teachers’ sensemaking of data creates the potential to solidify or reconstruct the expectations
about students in certain groups. Given the possibility of harmful sensemaking, Bertrand and
Marsh suggested finding ways to examine different aspects of data through professional
development, reflection, and even administrators using experts to interrupt any biases potentially.
Bertrand and Marsh (2015) offered mixed results, with cautioned potential for
sensemaking to reinforce or establish negative bias about underperforming students. However,
42
Goffin et al. (2022) offered a more defined system for using sensemaking and data in decision-
making. They drew conclusions from a more comprehensive examination of 25 empirical and
theoretical studies where they applied an integrated conceptual framework on educational
professionals’ sensemaking of formal achievement data. The analysis offers an essential
expansion to the traditional use of data. The element Goffin et al. established through this
examination enforced the concept that individual sensemakers process data. These individuals
belong to groups where interactions transpire, with sensemaking developing within their
contexts. Figure 3 presents the framework Goffin et al. designed to express the process.
43
Figure 3
Framework for Sensemaking of Formal Achievement Data
Note. From “Teachers’ and School Leaders’ Sensemaking of Formal Achievement Data: A
Conceptual Review,” by E. Goffin, R. Janssen, and J. Vanhoof, 2022, Review of Education,
10(1), p. 26 (https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3334). Copyright 2022 by the British Educational
Research Association.
Goffin et al. (2022) proposed that their framework offered an opportunity to serve
sensemakers working individually or through a system. It presents the structure to move from the
44
individual to the collective and articulate their assumptions and meanings to engage in
negotiations and collaboration. As such, the data still works through each individual’s lens and
continues as an active pursuit of coherence. However, the potential exists for the use of data to
increase in value given sensemaking’s nature of transpiring at multiple levels beyond the
individual. In the context of this study, the educators I selected presented varying backgrounds
and situations to fit into multiple levels of the categories Goffin et al. outlined, depending upon
their organization and support network. Each sits in a role to not only work through situations
with unsettling data but must reflect upon their actions carefully (Weick et al., 2005).
Sensemaking’s Role
With such an emphasis placed on teacher evaluations, sensemaking provides a lens to
examine data at multiple levels and the formation of relationships between administrators and
their staff. Rigby (2015) described six first-year principals’ experiences with teacher evaluations.
Their study stated that the messages the principals received influenced their sensemaking, which
impacted their perceptions of the school, community, and staff. They established themselves as
sensemakers in their roles as instructional leaders primarily through what took place during
teacher evaluations (Rigby, 2015). Depending on the teacher, this relationship can develop into a
positive or contentious partnership. Given the model established by Goffin et al. (2022), how an
administrator develops as a sensemaker depends on their previous experiences and whether they
can work with others to collaborate and reach a meaningful coherence about the situation.
Given the importance of sensemaking to the study, the administrator’s understanding of
themselves and how they make their place in the world provides a critical lens into how they will
manage the uncertainty of their environments and respond to their changes (Allen & Penuel,
2015). Allen and Penuel described how sensemaking helped teachers form their understanding
45
and ability to utilize ideas and teaching strategies from professional development. Given that
they looked at science teachers, they shared a common focal point. However, their environments
presented highly different opportunities to engage in their sense of coherence and a richer
sensemaking process.
Both faced a level of uncertainty around their situations. One teacher worked alone
within the confines of the curriculum due to a lack of collaborative support. The others enjoyed
more collaboration, allowing them to enjoy a more robust sensemaking process and explore their
environments through shared, though limited, resources. Similar examinations prove more
challenging for administrators, especially in how they view addressing working with staff on
professional development. While this study focuses on the reforms targeted at achieving
educational excellence and improving racial equity, how administrators engage in sensemaking
in their efforts is vital to understanding their practice.
Summary
Given the study’s focus on reforms to educational practices to improve educational
excellence and racial equity, Chapter 2 opens with a brief overview of the significant policies
leading to standards-based reforms. The literature review then identifies and analyzes four
significant reform efforts: teacher performance and evaluation, professional development,
teacher diversity, and school discipline. Additionally, it examines sensemaking, which serves as
the study’s theoretical framework. Each reform effort contains subsections broken down into
more specialized studies to examine different aspects. However, a common theme runs
throughout all the reforms: teacher buy-in. Regardless of the reform effort, participation and
committed involvement are critical to success in implementing a program to ensure successful
46
results to benefit Black students when attempting to close educational gaps with White students.
Chapter 3 details the methods used to conduct the study’s qualitative research.
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Chapter Three: Methodology
The nature of the literature review required an organization, description, and analysis of
the policies, practices, and strategies identified to help improve educational excellence and racial
equity. The primary areas covered included teacher performance and evaluation, professional
development, teacher diversity, and school discipline. The literature also provided a foundational
reference for the challenges and successes educators experience in each area. Likewise, the
nature of the interview creates a similar flow, drawing upon the themes from Chapter 2. Using
the concept Maxwell (2013) described, the qualitative interviews required the creation of
categories, which also allowed the natural subdivision of challenges and successes to address
RQ2 and RQ3.
Thus, the leaders selected possess the ability to provide a measure of influence over
decisions regarding student equity and programs to improve educational excellence. This quality
aligns with understanding the methods leaders in the Twin Cities employ and the successes and
challenges derived along the way. Teachers offer insight into the implementation of these
policies and practices. They observe their impact directly on the students. The present study
focuses on a localized area and is explicitly limited to the educational debt amassed between
Black and White students. As such, the intention is not to produce generalizable data. Instead,
the purpose is to gain greater insight into the practices of a knowledgeable group of educators
and construct a narrative from their collective experiences. The present research also seeks to
observe educator perceptions around their attempts to improve educational excellence with those
efforts focused on practices. Moreover, participants can offer perspectives on their successes or
challenges. Three research questions guided the study:
48
1. What reforms in educational practices are Twin Cities schools pursuing to improve
educational excellence and racial equity?
2. What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
3. What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
Sample and Population
Participants in this sample included 15 individuals, representing five districts from
various areas across the Twin Cities Metro. The number also includes one individual who works
at the state level with in-depth knowledge of equity work in numerous districts across the Twin
Cities. The intended sample included a district-level administrator, a building administrator, and
a teacher. The individuals selected for the study fit criteria related to demographics and their
academic position creating a non-probability and purposive sample (Johnson & Christensen,
2017). Maxwell (2013) justifies the use of purposeful sampling based on the nature of their
position and the need to use that to examine the research questions explicitly. Their activities
place them in positions to improve equity or impact academic achievement at the district or
building level. The educational practices include those examined in the literature review: teacher
performance and evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity, and school discipline.
These functions include areas such as committee work, PLC oversight or involvement, or
interaction with parents and stakeholders.
I began initial participant recruitment via contacts currently engaged in equity work and
through my current principal. These individuals assisted me essentially through snowball
sampling by connecting me to individuals that matched the criteria (Johnson & Christensen,
49
2017). Snowball sampling is a standard method for expanding the network of participants and
ensuring they have no relationship with the researcher. The participants received briefings on the
background of the study prior to our meetings.
Following the initial meeting with each participant in every district, I asked for their help
with the next step in building the sample. They connected me to other individuals to recruit for
the other roles until I completed all five districts. However, despite several attempts to invite
multiple district personnel from Metro East, no one responded to my requests. The building
principal attempted as well, without success. Participant recruitment at Metro Charter varied
slightly. I reached out to the director of advancement myself. After reviewing the study
information sheet and listening to the nature of the research, the director of advancement
recruited participants for the study. In Chapter 4, I identify participants by their districts and
pseudonyms (see Figure 4).
When selecting among districts, I initially eliminated exurb districts, especially those
containing the rural areas of the Twin Cities Metro. My original plan required participation from
districts with a minimum of 12,000 students, with Black student enrollment numbers of at least
5%. Those districts mirrored Twin Cities Metro trends with increasingly diverse suburban
populations. However, during the early stages of recruiting, I gained access to one of the largest
districts in the state, expanding the original study scope. Likewise, the Twin Cities is expanding
into the exurban regions, with growth increasing rapidly as opposed to decreases in Minneapolis-
St. Paul. With increased population comes increasing diversity, which I wanted to evaluate the
preparedness of these areas.
Thus, I lowered the percentage of Black student enrollment to 2%. As a result, the
selected schools offered a unique opportunity for comparison:
50
• one of the largest, most diverse districts in the state
• two suburban schools on different sides of the Metro, both facing different
segregation-type issues
• one exurban charter school that attempts to pull from more diverse areas in other parts
of the Metro
• one exurban public school that pulls from rural areas
This sample helped improve the chances of maximizing variance between the types of districts
represented. Table 1 identifies each school under a pseudonym to maintain confidentiality.
Table 1
Identification of Metro Schools
School name School type Size range Black/White %
Metro Central Urban/suburban 30,000–40,000 24/23%
Metro West Suburban 10,000–15,000 11.2/58%
Metro East Suburban/Urban 7,500–12,500 19/30.6%
Metro Exurb Exurban/Rural 2,500–5000 2/84.6%
Metro Charter Exurban/Various 1,000−2,500 2.7/77.2%
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Instrumentation
Interviews provided the primary data collection tool to gain insight and evaluate the
successes and challenges Twin Cities’ educators face in their efforts to improve educational
excellence. Reaching out to educators from different areas of the Metro presents the potential to
discover various methods to improve racial equity. I selected a semi-structured, open-ended
approach to allow the participants to offer rich data. As Maxwell (2013) suggests, this provides a
guide of roughly scripted questions that requires specific data with critical issues but the
flexibility of open-ended responses. Participants frame their experiences by viewing their unique
situations, allowing the researcher to form probing questions specific to each response.
Whenever available, I reviewed documents and policies connected to equity programs,
teacher evaluation and performance rubrics, or policies designed to promote educational
excellence. However, the individual district and school websites provided the more concrete
definitions of the actual policies regarding equity plans and frameworks than the interviews.
Nearly all interviewees indicated they followed them at their sites “loosely.” Still, viewing
materials helped reinforce the responses and provided further data. Finally, I used the Minnesota
Department of Education (MDE) Report Card (n.d.) website to gather information on
demographics or verify any academic information for each district. Along with student
demographic backgrounds, the MDE Report Card gathers information on academic performance,
discipline, and staffing profiles by race, education, and experience.
To conduct the interviews, I created two separate interview protocols. I crafted one set for
district and building administrators and another for teachers. Both protocols contained 13 base
questions with 10–12 follow up questions depending on responses. The content for each set was
52
essentially the same, though I altered the teacher protocol to align more with their perspective on
the areas.
Data Collection
I connected with each participant by email except participant “Omar,” who currently
works for the State. I conducted all my interviews over Zoom and made every accommodation
for participants to choose the time and location where they felt most comfortable. I provided
participants with both the Study Information Sheet (SIS) and a copy of the questions in advance.
These actions provided them with a sense of comfort and a chance to gather any materials that
enhanced the information collected during the interview. Several participants prepared notes for
their sessions, allowing them to provide detailed responses. At the onset of the meeting, we
reviewed the SIS and the process. After that, I officially obtained participant consent to record
the session for transcription. I followed the semi-structured list of interview questions along with
probing questions to clarify answers or draw out additional information when needed. I planned
each session for about 45 to 60 minutes, but most elaborated on their statements in greater detail
and provided a rich narrative.
I also viewed and collected documents on teacher evaluation programs from three
districts and reviewed the websites of all five. Metro East, Metro West, and Metro Central sent
me links to equity frameworks before the interviews. Regarding specific documents, I received
teacher evaluation and performance rubrics from Metro East’s 5D+ rubric for instructional
growth and the intercultural competence dimension. Tom from Metro West sent me a link to
review the 5 dimensions of teacher and learning framework they use in their teacher performance
work. Metro Exurb sent me a copy of their current Marzano focused teacher evaluation model.
Alaina at Metro Charter sent a copy of Charlotte Danielson’s framework but predominantly used
53
it to comment as a reference point. Each district leader expressed a degree of variation in how
they used or interpreted them, but Metro Exurb stated they remain relatively “tight” to the
language of their rubric. As Bowen (2009) discussed, collecting documents on school policies
and procedures strengthens the data collection process to reinforce the evidence from interviews.
Indeed, Bowen (2009) specifically cited policy documents as an example. Documents offer a
specific buffer against possible biases and concerns over reflexivity as they remain inherently
“non-reactive” (Bowen, 2009). I followed up each interview by emailing participants a copy of
their transcript to verify through member-checking.
Data Analysis
Data analysis followed each interview. To enhance reflexivity and provide as much depth
as possible, I followed Atkins and Duckworth’s (2019) recommendations and journaled
throughout the process. I also kept a research journal during the interviews with separate notes
and quotations and marked essential times on the recording. After completing the interviews, I
finalized the transcripts through automated transcription on Rev. After transferring them to my
files, I deleted them from my Rev account. I further verified the text by reviewing the recordings.
Finally, I completed the validation process by member-checking each transcription with the
participant (Creswell & Miller, 2000).
Once I finished the process, I loaded the transcripts into Atlas.ti for thematic coding. The
coded documents allowed me to view comparisons between officials of the same positional level
across the districts but also within districts. When establishing the categories or themes for
coding, I attempted to construct ones that followed the criteria described by Merriam and Tisdell
(2016). Initially, I started by addressing their advice to build ones that responded to the purpose
of the research and aligned them to the major components from the literature review: school
54
reform policy, teacher performance and evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity,
and school discipline. However, these categories required further development. Merriam and
Tisdell (2016) listed four other criteria for categories or themes: they should be exhaustive,
mutually exclusive, sensitive to the data, and conceptually congruent.
Setting up the coding processes that served as “sensitive to the data” as possible and
remained “conceptually congruent” posed the most significant challenges. Merriam and Tisdell’s
(2016) term “sensitizing” meant finding ways to name the categories to code to create meaning
and ease their understanding. One example derived from teacher diversity. I created “Black
Teacher Retention,” which, under their criteria, is more sensitizing. Ensuring that I created a
conceptually congruent category meant guaranteeing the same level of abstraction fit across all
categories of the same level. From the category “school reform policy,” I created subcategories
for coding specifically to “equity policy,” “student achievement,” and “practices.” I based these
on the interview trends and information from reviewing district websites. Upon completion, I
sorted the organized data to address each of the three research questions. Given the importance
of sensemaking to the project, valuable quotes lie at the heart of constructing a meaningful
narrative focused on the voice of the participants.
Ethics
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) touch upon critical ethical considerations for this study.
Participants received full disclosure of the study through the SIS for ethical purposes and to
encourage more robust data. I promised to ensure complete confidentiality through the coded
protection of identities. During email conversations, I reminded participants that they remained
free to withdraw at any time or to pass on any question they chose not to answer. I reminded
them that any data, documents, and transcripts collected during the process pertain only to this
55
individual study. I reviewed that I conducted all Zoom recordings in my office from my
residence. As such, I captured and reviewed all in a private setting. I informed them that their
identity and school would be kept confidential and assigned pseudonyms. I reviewed the
transcription and coding process. I used an automated software called Rev. I further explained
how my Rev account required two-factor authentication. I deleted all the transcripts immediately
upon completion and transferred them to my personal folders.
I also described how I stored all data in an encrypted, hidden folder on my laptop and
backed it up on an external hard drive. After reviewing the material above, I reminded them to
expect copies of their interview transcripts following their completion for verification of their
authenticity. I also offered the chance to request to review their complete recordings, though
none of the participants opted for that. I closed the protocols informing them that upon the
completion of the study, all documents pertaining to the study would be shredded and destroyed.
Any information stored on my computer Zoom recordings, transcriptions, coded data, or any
other personal information collected about their participation in this study would be wiped
from my hard drive and external hard drive using McAfee’s “Shred” option rather than the
standard delete option provided through the standard recycle bin. The SIS each participant,
received contained the same information.
Credibility
Merriam and Tisdell (2016) discussed the difficulty in establishing validity and reliability
in qualitative studies. Instead, they rely on maximizing credibility and trustworthiness. I used
member checking as a strategy they described to increase the study’s credibility. Member
checking allows the participants to examine their transcripts and assess their accuracy (Merriam
& Tisdell, 2016). The educators in this study each possessed the opportunity to “sign off” on
56
what they said during interviews. As stated in the Data Analysis section, I used documents when
available and viewed district websites to support the semi-structured interviews. Information
from the MDE Report Card provided further data on each district’s demographics and academic
performance.
The use of the documents collected serves as a means of corroborating the information
presented during the interview process. Adding these resources together helps provide readers
with increased trustworthiness in the study (Bowen, 2009). Member checking allows participants
to examine their transcripts for accuracy (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016). The educators in this study
not only had the opportunity to “sign off” on what they said during their interviews, but also
clarify or amend it. For example, one participant believed a statement they made reflected too
harshly upon their administrator after viewing the transcripts. They requested to edit it before my
coding process to clarify their statements.
As described in the Data Analysis section, I used a reflective journal throughout the
process to engage in reflexivity and improve the study (Atkins & Duckworth, 2019). Lochmiller
and Lester (2017) described reflexivity as a process of purposefully checking one’s biases,
assumptions, experiences, or identities that potentially influence the study. For example, as a
veteran teacher, I possessed substantial experience with all the areas covered by the study
besides specific attempts to hire Black teachers. Each situation required examining the
participants and their practices as a researcher, not an educator. Prior to starting the interview
process, I added a separate research journal to capture critical statements or quotes to follow up
on during the moment. Having the research journal also enhanced the reflective process. It
allowed me to follow up on comments made by the participants and connect ideas between
questions to reframe or adjust them appropriately.
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Summary
This qualitative study aims to gain insight into the reform efforts of Twin Cities educators
as they strive to improve educational excellence and racial equity. Given the importance of the
narrative aspects of the study, understanding the challenges and successes they experience is also
an essential component. I attempted to select a sample of districts to represent various types of
districts across the Metro area. With the help of snowball sampling, I selected the participants
using a purposeful sample of educators due to their positions working with students in the Twin
Cities. Semi-structured interviews of 15 participants provided qualitative data. Chapter 4
provides the findings of the interviews, conclusions, and analysis regarding the three research
questions.
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Chapter Four: Findings
The study’s purpose is to examine the localized efforts of Twin Cities educators to
improve educational excellence and racial equity. Additionally, it draws attention to the
challenges and successes they face in their efforts to make these improvements. The study
employed sensemaking as a theoretical framework to construct a narrative driven by the
individual lens of each participant. Given the prevalence of the educational gap present between
Black and White students across the Twin Cities Metro, I attempted to expand my sample to
examine areas beyond the suburbs. Given the prominence of the achievement gap issue, I
expected to find more cohesive policies in the districts to promote educational excellence and
racial equity. With the increasing diversification of the suburban and exurban regions, I also
anticipated changes to professional development and teacher evaluation systems. Chapter 4
presents the findings of the following research questions:
1. What reforms in educational practices are Twin Cities schools pursuing to improve
educational excellence and racial equity?
2. What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
3. What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
Participants
As described in Chapter 3, study participants come from a non-probability and purposive
selection. This selection stemmed from the fact that they worked in districts from different areas
of the Twin Cities and worked as either a district, building administrator or teacher (Johnson &
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Christensen, 2017). Table 2 provides the identification of the participants with pseudonyms to
ensure confidentiality. The participants also determined the characteristics listed in Table 2.
Table 2
Participant Identification
District Pseudonym Position Self-described
characteristics
MN State Employee Omar Worked in leadership
roles with multiple
districts across the Metro
Person of color
Minnesota born
(They/Them/Their)
Metro Central Nicole Curriculum supervisor White, cisgender female,
middle class, “typical
Minnesota-grown person
with your European
ancestors,” a mother
Gretchen Principal White female, grew up
sheltered from race until
starting equity work
professionally and
marriage to person of
color, now mother to
biracial children
enhances her racial lens
Harley English language arts
teacher
White, cisgender woman,
wife, daughter, sister and
friend. Able-bodied and
educated, someone who
sees herself with a lot of
privilege
Metro West Sam Director of educational
equity
African American, Male,
some Hispanic roots,
third generation college
student
Tom Principal White, Cisgender, Male,
close to power and
believes its connected to
identity, atheism
important part of his
identity
Clare Social studies teacher White, female from single-
parent household, raised
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District Pseudonym Position Self-described
characteristics
by strong women, Italian-
American, Catholic faith
and Family important
aspects of identity
Metro East Mike Principal White, straight, middle class
male. Relationship-based
leader, identifies with his
work
Anna EL/multilingual learners
teacher
White female, mother,
educated
Metro Exurb Ray Director of teaching and
learning
White, male, Scandinavian,
reflective on each
individual knowing that
identity and the trauma or
turmoil that led them to
come to the United
States.
Deuces Principal White male, ethnically Irish,
extroverted, servant
leader, strives to provide
for others and take care
of them
Rick Math/science teacher White male, father,
husband, middle class,
grew up financially
secure but academically
at-risk of not graduating
on time which helps him
identify with his students
Metro Charter Kelly Executive director White woman, educated,
privileged, a leader
Alaina Principal White, cisgender female,
recognizes privileges that
comes with it, witnessed
that when dealing with
the system after adopting
a child of color
The
Librarian
Library coordinator White, Jewish, queer person
with Black and mixed
family (they/them/their)
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Results: Research Question 1
The following section examines the findings of Research Question 1: What reforms in
educational practices are Twin Cities schools pursuing to improve educational excellence and
racial equity? The qualitative interviews addressed how educators identified and utilized the
reforms implemented in their district to improve educational excellence and racial equity. The
themes employed drew from the major categories covered in the literature review: policy, teacher
performance and evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity, and school discipline.
When I initially envisioned the study, I intended to compare districts. However, as I started to
interview, I realized comparisons within districts in how each level viewed attempts to make
improvements and reforms often varied as much as between districts. The interviews opened
with an examination of the policy efforts, practices, and strategies the districts used in their
efforts to improve educational excellence and equity.
Part One: Policies, Practices, and Strategies
Each of the districts presented demonstrates an effort to maximize the variance of the
sample available by attempting to examine different areas of the Twin Cities. Before I discuss
the results from the individual districts, Omar delivers a unique voice to the study. While their
current role lies with the state, their experiences in leadership roles with multiple districts across
the Metro provide the true value to their participation. As such, Omar provided a unique insider’s
perspective to introduce the foundational importance policy holds, even at the basic level:
For us to be anti-racist, and in order, not just individual work that we have to do, it’s very
systemic. And so, in the educational system, we need to have policies. And when we
have a school policy that focuses on equity, that number one gives permission for leaders
at the site level to start engaging with their staff and embed equity in their work. So, what
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does that look like? For example, when an equity policy is in place, the school principal,
school leaders, and the leadership team at buildings create professional development.
When there’s a policy in place and a strategic plan that every principal needs to do, they
will be held accountable by their superintendent to ensure that equity is happening on the
grant. The superintendent, in return, needs to report back to the school board; what equity
work have you done? So, there’s accountability in place when there’s an equity policy. It
gives a green light for professional development to include equity. Again, I’m not saying
this is high-level great anti-racist equity work. I’m just saying it’s a starting point.
To coincide with their interview, I received the 5D+ rubric for instructional growth with
the Intercultural competence dimension addition from Metro East. Metro Exurb provided me
with their Marzano evaluation rubric and highlighted the topics of this year’s observations. All
districts publish policy data on their websites, and the state provides demographic data for all
districts. Metro East, Metro West, and Metro Central sent me links to their Equity Frameworks
before the interviews. The exurb districts lack the larger Black populations in the Twin Cities
and its suburban areas; these areas also show higher rates of growth than Minneapolis or St. Paul.
Conversely, the Minneapolis and St. Paul districts face declining enrollments, with outer
ring suburbs and exurbs growing more quickly and diversifying (Metropolitan Council, 2021).
Metro Exurb, one of the focal districts in the study, currently benefits from maintaining one of
the lowest average prices per square foot cost in the Twin Cities, with the exurbs claiming the
top spots for sales in the Metro last year (Buchta & Webster, 2022). Each district listed an equity
policy or statement on its website, except Metro Exurb. One potential reason is that Metro Exurb
is still struggling to establish an equity policy to release to the public, as Ray pointed out during
our conversation.
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The Exurbs: Addressing Policies for Increasing Diversity
While the state only reported Metro Exurb’s current Black population at 2%, its diversity
is increasing from its Latino/Hispanic, Asian, and students categorized by the state as “two or
more races.” Ray acknowledged the changes:
Well, students see certain student groups and, in our district, and there’s hate between
groups, and I have witnessed it in the form of bullying and harassment. You see it from
student to student or group to group. I see that now as a district. So that’s on that level of
inequity.
Even though Ray recognizes the changes in motion, his position spreads him thin in a district
slow to prepare equitable reforms. As Director of Teaching and Learning for Metro Exurb, he
defined his role as one that is essentially responsible for the learning needs of all the students
from “birth to 21,” along with the staff and administrators. He also handles federal programming,
Title IX, compensatory funding, and interventions. Prior to this year, Ray also served as a
building principal. With no one below him, organizing policies or practices to examine and
address inequity proves difficult. Deuces and Rick agreed that, thus far, equity reform has yet to
reach the building level. As Rick stated, “I just haven’t been told to be aware of this or pay
attention to it or ensure that I’m following anything yet.”
Metro Charter uniquely contrasts Metro Exurb regarding its efforts to enact policies to
improve educational excellence and racial equity. Metro Charter also sits in a largely
conservative exurban region but attempts to draw students from other parts of the Metro to attend
through its distinctive curriculum. The school offers pre-K through 12th-grade enrollment,
before and after-school childcare options, immersion, IB, advanced placement options, and
various extracurricular activities. The school hosts international students and teachers. Its
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website contains a detailed equity statement, especially considering the area of the Twin Cities
exurb region the school resides.
The foundational policy of Metro Charter established a system rooted in equitable
practices. They focus on community building and the development of positive relationships. As a
result, Metro Charter designed a system of policies and practices to facilitate their growth.
Additionally, Kelly highlighted the aim to “build a continuum of young people who help create a
better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.” All students
start in the immersion program. Based on their selected language, nearly all students experience
classes with a native speaker in either Chinese or Spanish at some point. The option remains
open to continue in the immersion program as they advance into the Upper School in sixth grade.
Metro Charter also marks the trend of how the participants highlighted the importance of
practices and strategies over specific district policies. Kelly described current practices made by
the district to close its performance gaps. The district started a program to create sessions for
students who fell behind in math or reading. “We’re inviting certain kids based on their MCA
scores.” She elaborated on efforts to create opportunities during the day through basic skills
classes. However, the schools implementing it want to avoid labeling students. As a result, they
opened the program up to any student rather than its intended targeted group.
Besides the specific IB and SEL models laid out by Kelly, Alaina described the Equity
Policy at Metro Charter as “fairly boilerplate and what you should expect to find in any
Minnesota school.” She referred me to the strength and importance of its equity statement and
more robust policies against bullying and harassment. She quickly pointed to one area in policy
and practice, the dress code:
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Kids can wear head coverings. And I know that has been a thing, especially for some
African American girls who, having a Black daughter, I know if your hair isn’t perfect,
you’re going to wrap a scarf around your hair. You won’t come to school with your hair
not looking good. And do you have to say, ‘Boys, there you go! Hat off?’ And the same.
And even hoods have this connotation of gangster, but it’s kids today wear hoods and
hats, and it’s a thing that we need to become increasingly aware of how we treat students
based on the way they dress.
Creating a more culturally accepting environment provides one step Alaina helped
implement. Perhaps a more crucial academic practice is generated from the dress code changes.
She discussed how nearly every Black male student that transfers into Metro Charter arrives with
an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP typically classifies students with emotional
and behavioral disorders (EBD). Alaina believes changes away from a restrictive dress code
reduced the idea that wearing hats showed disrespect among older, White staff members, noting,
“We also have support teams that really look at putting interventions in place to support kids in
the classroom so that it’s not automatically every Black male student who gets a special
education referral.”
The Librarian (pseudonym) works at the district’s high school and said the most
substantial changes they observed followed the George Floyd murder: “It was definitely sort of a
reactionary amount of training.” The staff formed an equity team that examined policies and
engaged in progress training which then went to the rest of the staff. As the Librarian noted, “It
started out people taking that initiative, and then admin wanted to make sure it was being pushed
out.” They said membership eventually declined, but it remains available: “It’s less present in all
of the materials.” Kelly said the decline in materials stemmed from limited funding to help with
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their development. Metro Charter also deals with high turnover among its older staff due to
higher wages in neighboring districts, making it challenging to maintain the continuity of the
Equity Team’s work. They recently launched a push at the state legislature for access to revenue
to revitalize programs to provide staff with equity-based training and strategies to help students
within their classes and increase mental health support.
The Suburbs: Policies for Increasing Diversity
Suburban districts in the Twin Cities district often draw unique parallels between the
“Eastside” versus “Westside” or “Northern part” versus the “Southern part.” The breakdown
often falls along racial lines, socioeconomics, and perceptions of the allocation of resources. The
practices in one part of the district typically appear incompatible. However, the individual nature
of building lines offers as much of an obstacle to success as outside factors. To provide a
personal example, I spent 12 years working in a district similar to Metro West. District-wide
professional development or curriculum writing sessions frequently contained comments that
claimed certain standards or strategies only worked in specific parts of the district.
As I conducted the interviews for Metro West and Metro East, degrees of the “other side
of the district” problem emerged. I anticipated most comparisons to come between the districts.
However, a level of separation within districts on how best to help students achieve educational
excellence and equity also emerged, which I will elaborate later.
Metro East provided an equity statement on its district site under Departments, then
Teaching and Learning. All the other districts with equity statements displayed it more
prominently on their websites. Metro East’s statement expressed the core commitment to
building strong communities that value diversity and maintain inclusivity. The district lays out its
policy framework in Figure 4.
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Figure 4
Metro East Equity Framework
While Figure 4 offers a solid visualization for a starting point, attempting to delve into
how Metro East implements its equity framework at the district level proves more problematic.
The documents for its Achievement and Integration Plan demonstrate the targets in text format,
breaking the goal down sequentially until 2020. The district launched a new Achievement and
Integration Plan in July 2020 with alterations to its goals but provided no data on the results of
the previous ones. Unfortunately, I needed clarification from a district representative on the
policies and practices in place or the results they observed. As discussed in Chapter 3, no one at
the district level responded to my participation requests.
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Lacking a district representative in Metro East left me without a voice to explain the
equity-related policy for Metro East from the district level. While Mike, a high school principal
in Metro East, mentioned the district policy as “disrupting what hinders that progress and
perpetuates those gaps,” his primary focus revolved around his school improvement plan (SIP) at
the building level. One area he specifically zeroed in on was the 50% summative floor which he
felt “helps students focus on learning, not necessarily all the peripheral stuff that isn’t about
mastery.” He went into further detail on the process:
So, when he reached out to me, and we talked about your work, you (your principal) told
me you’re a baseball guy, so you know a great ballplayer hits over .300. So that is three
out of every 10 at-bats, right? Imagine if you could hit 50% of the time. You’d be a
legend. For a student, though, 50% is a failure, and the deeper they go below that 50%,
the harder it is for them to climb back up. So, you set a foundation for them to build back
up. Then in terms of the summative formula, you standardize the grade scale and the late
work policies, and all those things evolve into a perfect place to build on.
While Mike provided more details on equitable practices in other areas, such as
discipline, his SIP plan differs from Anna’s experience as a teacher in another part of the district.
When I asked her about strategies from the district to help close the educational gaps, she
struggled to respond. “It’s pretty jarring how little of that I’ve gotten compared to my previous
other districts.” The plans depicted in Figure 5 amounted only to the targets for their PLC or Q-
Comp goals. Her site also followed the 50% floor on summative assignments, which she agreed
provided a safety net for students and improved opportunities for positive outcomes. In a
significant shift, though, she noted conversations about Universal Design for Learning starting at
her site, but Mike never mentioned any shift in that direction. The discrepancies between the two
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narratives regarding the direction of the two sites in Metro East are consistent with how Anna
described a level of instability in leadership.
Without the district-level participant, reconciling the differences between Mike’s and
Anna’s experiences remains difficult. The MDE Report Card placed the district behind the state
average in Math and Reading performance on the MCA exams. Moreover, the schools come
from the same socioeconomic and geographic portion of the district. Both Mike and Anna
possess the same 50% summative floor for students. Still, that data applies to the district and not
necessarily to their individual schools. Between Mike’s Site Improvement Plan, his experience,
and his presence at his site, he offers the stability to build a consistent set of practices for the
students. The absence of the same leadership level at Anna’s site hinders the implementation of
district policies or similar strategies to those Mike reports experiencing success.
Metro West’s Attempt to Fulfill the Equity Promise
Metro West starkly contrasts all previous districts in its efforts to build and disseminate a
coherent set of policies across the district committed to improving educational excellence and
racial equity. Equity appears as a focal point on the district website, with its icon on the
homepage and an individual listing centered in the “About Us” section. Their commitment to
equitable practices started in 2012 with its Equity Promise. It focused on attempting to the
factors that often inhibit the success of Black students: programs that predict their success,
academic performance identified by racial patterns, and that the school the student attended in
the district impacted the outcome.
Sam elaborated that the process took another step forward following the updated and
renewed 2020 Equity Promise. “We actually just went through an equity audit throughout all of
our policies to look at how we can look at these policies through a different lens.” Tom agreed
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and added that while the achievement gap often receives the most attention, Metro West’s Equity
Promise needed policies to address three areas.
We felt like we had an expectations gap. There’s an aspirations gap. And then we also
felt like there was an opportunity gap because without helping students develop
aspirations without having higher expectations, we were the barrier to them having
greater opportunities. … And we felt that if we took away the aspirational expectation
and opportunity gaps, we would put a huge dent in the achievement gap.
As such, the renewed Equity Promise focuses on improved support for students of color
to take advantage of the Early College Programs and college and career planning. However, it
also established District Equity Council (DEC), including local stakeholders. DEC’s mission
includes implementing, structuring, and monitoring the action steps of the efforts to fulfill the
Equity Promise. According to Sam, the DEC and district’s primary focus lies in the following:
• creating an equity framework, including some immediate actions
• developing a long-term equity and integration policy
• establishing guidelines for staff professional development
The DEC contains parents, students, alums, and community members overseeing the district’s
equity commitment.
Outside of Omar, though, Sam viewed the ideas behind the policies through the widest
lens: “Unless we change our system, it’s just another intervention. It’s another add-on, it’s
another option … when a system is stressed, the first thing that leaves is the intervention.” He
also discussed the need to change the frame of reference of the individuals involved in the
system. Success requires everyone involved, regardless of position or building. Metro West’s
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Equity Framework, shown in Figure 5, lays out its mission and partnership with the DEC in its
effort to work to fulfill the Equity Promise.
Figure 5
Metro West Equity Framework
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Tom sees the Framework as a means to confront the system that causes the aspirational,
expectation, and opportunity gaps, noting, “It’s a starting point. Everyone can look at it and see
our values and goals.” He recalled his earlier point about attacking the three gaps to “dent” the
achievement gap: “Since 2012, between 95 and 97% of our students earn college credit through
our policies … that’s the greatest equity lever we’ve introduced.”
However, Metro West provided a clear example of a teacher that deviated along the “East
vs. West” lines of the increasingly segregated districts mentioned earlier. Clare pushed back
somewhat against the district-wide systemic changes presented by the new approaches to
addressing the Equity Framework. She expressed concerns about the previous equity work in
their buildings needing consideration in the new policies and practices. Still, her most significant
issue appeared to stem from the realities of implementation. One of the critical equity-related
policy points addresses services and that the building or race does not factor into a student’s
success. Clare detailed her concerns with an example relating to special education versus English
Language Learners and funding for staff and resources:
The district caters everything to the East side, the rich side, because those are the parents
that are in their offices. Knocking down their doors, I think the most telling thing is that
our superintendent gives a State of the District speech at the teacher leadership institute at
the beginning of every year. There’s these two graphs and it shows the growth in special
ed numbers and the growth in ELL numbers. And our ELL population, specifically on the
West side of the district where I teach, has boomed in the past 10 years. And special ed
has stayed constant. And special ed FTE has gone up and up and up. And ELL FTE has
just stayed completely constant. We have no additional support … which parents are
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advocating at the district office? It’s special ed parents who are White, speak English, and
have resources, and not our ELS students, many of whom are new to the country.
Based on my conversation with Sam, he knows these aspects of the system need to
change. Sam noted, “This past school year, for the first time to do standardized training for
everyone in the school district … rooted in giving us all common language so that when we’re
saying equity to one another, we’re actually saying the same thing.” One area Sam frequently
addresses involves “getting on the same page.” His tenure as director of educational equity for
the district only started last year, so he understands that the work takes time. If the problems
described by Clare go back 10 years, Sam knows the mechanisms that he needs to push to enact
change, but also how hard to push them.
Metro Central: Building Its Strategic Action Plan
Metro Central faces the same socioeconomic and racial segregation issues described in
the Suburban districts but is the most diverse of all the districts in the study. In addition, it ranks
among the largest ten districts in the state for the number of students enrolled. It includes
“inclusive culture” among its guiding values and to decrease disparities in achievement based on
race, ethnicity, culture, and identity as a “long-term student outcome” as part of its Strategic
Action Plan (SAP). Aspects devoted to achieving educational excellence and equitable outcomes
appear throughout the SAP. The district posted the complete plan in Appendix D. Systemic
equity falls under Objective 1 and states, “Intercept the normalized patterns of unearned
privilege/advantage and/or access through policy, procedures and programming.” While its
current strategic initiative remains “to be determined,” its current strategies include:
• recruitment and retention of teachers of color
• equity training for staff
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• recruiting and retention administrators of color
• a district equity plan
• recruitment and retention of diverse special education paraprofessionals
Despite having considerable resources devoted to working in the Office of Equity and on
its initiatives, the formal Racial Equity Policy dates to 2013. Nevertheless, others like Nicole, a
Curriculum Supervisor in the district, see more value in the current Strategic Plan:
The vision pulls you. The work, the mission and vision ... especially with just the
strategic action plan of interrupting inequitable systems and thinking about intentionally
focusing on decreasing disparities and achievement based on race and ethnicity, culture
and identity. And I think about the positive school and district culture as one of our
strategic action plans and effective and culturally responsive instruction, which has been
a focus. And so, all these things are things that I have; I am excited to be helping continue
this work as a district.
Given her position as a curriculum supervisor in Metro Central, Nicole works with a measure of
access to the most effective system of policies, practices, and strategies of all the districts in the
study.
Gretchen held a unique role in shaping an individual school’s culture within that system.
She served as the opening principal at her current school in the district. The role allowed her to
take the strategic action plan and craft the building according to her personal vision. While not
strictly a specific policy, her hiring practices involved finding equity-minded staff members
aligned with her vision and focused on a positive school climate. “We had to create a system that
would support all kids, all cultures, all races, all ethnicities, all genders, whatever it may be …
My number one job in this entire school opening was hiring the right people.”
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Finding the right people also involved a policy referred to as an Election to Work
Agreement between the leadership and staff. The policy involved current staff using extra time in
the summer to invite the new staff into the building with the priority of forming relationships.
Gretchen commented:
I truly feel like that has built a positive culture and climate that has allowed us to engage
in tough conversations sometimes around, ‘okay, have we created a school that is not
oppressing our Black and Brown kids? Are we looking outside the box as to how we are
putting systems and structures in place?’ So, I would say, and this is my testimony, that
we’re doing the right thing. The first year that we had our first group of kids come in. I
remember a parent coming in, and it was a couple of times she had come into the
building, and she had said to me, came into my office, and said, ‘I just have to let you
know that. So, my daughter is in sixth grade, and I’ve never ever felt like this walking
into a school building. It doesn’t feel like a school. It feels like this community.’
As a staff member, Harley presented the voice of someone entrenched in the district’s
SAP and Gretchen’s vision for implementing it. While the conversation included many of the
same topics, Harley centered on how working in Gretchen’s school allowed them to use more
restorative language. She commented that they ask, “how can we look at our policies and make
sure that they are written with care in mind, and not complicity in mind? I think restorative
practices give us a lens for how are we communicating and solving conflict.” Still, Harley finds
that the parameters established under the guidelines within her school under the SAP also
maintain a positive culture for the staff: “I didn’t know this for a long time, even after working in
three states. Learning to shed those layers, learn how to be you in a community, when it happens,
we build a system to fix things.”
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Looking Across the Metro
Once again, Metro Central offered the most diverse district examined in the study. They
also presented the most complex system of equity policies. Conversely, Omar laid the
groundwork for the importance of sound policy in their opening to the section. They brought up
the importance of stakeholders in establishing educational policy rather than simply leaving it to
district leaders. They helped create the equity policy in their previous district but achieved it with
the efforts of staff members, community stakeholders, parents, faith-based leaders, and students.
Omar reported: “When you have this type of equity policy in place, the trickle effect of all these
doors opening for equity is large, just endless opportunities to truly embed equity in all aspects
of the school system.” A system created by so many voices opens the door to a dialogue missing
in many districts across the Metro. It offers the chance to build a positive narrative as a
community to remove the obstacles preventing students from achieving educational excellence.
Summary
Early in Chapter 2, I mentioned James Knight’s 1987 report addressing the need to
examine the whole school environment. In terms of examining methods to reform pedagogy
through changes to policies, practices, or strategies designed to improve educational excellence,
Knight (1987) questioned the importance of test scores. Instead, he focused more on equitable
issues of addressing the interactions between educators and students and how schools address
bias and a student’s self-image. Knight’s work in 1987 aligned with the continued drive to
establish environments for Minnesota’s increasingly diverse classrooms that remove barriers.
These classrooms require a constant focus from educators committed to crafting the type of
nurturing environments that provide the resources necessary to succeed in our state’s quickly
changing social and economic context (Minnesota Education Equity Partnership, 2018).
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While each participant commented on the extent to the depth of policy connecting to
issues pertaining to Black and White students, they acknowledged the presence and severity of
the educational debt between the student groups. With increasing diversity approaching the
exurban regions, though, from a policy and practice perspective, Metro Charter prefers a
proactive approach, while Metro Exurb is a reactive one. Still, Metro Charter already experiences
increased diversification, and the pace moves slower at Metro Exurb. For the rest of the areas,
the policies must address the needs of the present. Omar highlighted how some districts across
the Metro already built explicit models that exceed the standards presented here, while others
have leaders that stand out. Although Chapter 5 discusses these examples, all participants further
addressed the critical areas from Chapter 2.
Omar emphasized the importance of the community and stakeholders: “Equity policies
are created with community, with students at the table. That’s when you hold people
accountable. Then people ask, ‘what are you doing around equity?’” He noted further, “It can’t
be just district leaders creating policies. That’s not how you create systemic change.” Metro
Charter and Metro West shared similar views on involving their communities in achieving
equitable outcomes. For Metro West, that entails reaching out to stakeholders across an entire
district. Metro Charter’s focus begins with ensuring the families that attend currently share their
vision of equitable outcomes for all students.
Part Two: Teacher Performance and Evaluation
The area that aligned most weakly in search of reform efforts to improve educational
excellence and racial equity fell within Teacher Performance and Evaluation. Much of this
stemmed from the inconsistency in its implementation or omission of aspects pertaining to equity
from certain districts. All the districts participated in Minnesota’s Quality Compensation
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Program (Q-Comp), which provides alternative teacher compensation and professional
development systems. Three districts followed Close et al. (2020) description of the increasingly
common trend of using either Marzano or Danielson or creating a framework from them. Metro
East chose the Center for Educational Leadership’s 5D+ rubric for instructional growth and
teacher evaluation. Metro West also selected a rubric from the Center for Educational Leadership
but opted for the 5 dimensions of teaching and learning.
Each district asserted that its system focused more on teacher growth than evaluation.
None of the districts reported a connection to student performance other than data collected for
the teachers tied to their Q-Comp-related goals and growth plans. The trend mirrors the
movement of more districts towards formative observations focused on improving classroom
teaching through feedback, additional resources, mentorship, and positive support (Alexander et
al., 2017; Neumerski et al., 2018; Song et al., 2021). The districts further provided some form of
PLC tied partly to their Q-Comp work but also to professional development. Each participant
provided an overview of how the performance and evaluation system worked from their
perspectives. However, the following section focuses on the participants’ perceptions of how
their systems helped them improve educational excellence and racial equity.
Metro Exurb: Marzano: Focus on Growth, Questionable on Equity
Metro Exurb utilized the Marzano focused teacher evaluation model as the centerpiece of
its performance and evaluation system. The system focuses on what it views as 23 essential
teacher competencies. Ray praised the system for its ability to help staff grow and offer them
feedback. He felt it went beyond a simple evaluation system and offered a way to hold
purposeful conversations with teachers over critical areas of their practice: “It takes a look at
social-emotional learning. It looks at cultural awareness. … So, there are ways in which we
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specifically looked at our evaluation tool, and it does move in terms of equity and SEL in those
pieces.”
Deuces agreed with Marzano’s use in teacher growth and tried to take away the
“evaluation” concept with his teachers: “We’ll talk about it. I’ll ask you questions. I mean, if you
struggle with something, then I’ll help you. That’s my job.”
However, he deviated from Ray’s appraisal of how well the system addressed equity issues:
Well, the model in and of itself does a great job. Now, do we, as a district in terms of
choosing what our focus is going to be in terms of whether it’s a district-level or a
building-level growth piece? That is another issue. We only choose three of Marzano’s
elements to focus on each year. One of the elements specifically focuses on the
Achievement Gap, but the rest fall into different areas. We can drive the desired effects
toward equity, but that has yet to be the district’s direction.
Rick’s perspective differed slightly, questioning whether Marzano included a sufficient
equity component. Additionally, he agreed with Deuces that how the district used Marzano
provided limited opportunities for growth in areas related to equitable achievement:
I would say that equity’s not a huge piece of it now. There’s room for growth for that. If I
looked at all, however many there are, 25 or 30 key elements to look at, a couple of those
addressed equity. But in the last 3 years, that hasn’t been a key element that we focused
on, at least not that I recall.
As with policy, Ray possesses an optimistic perspective on the potential usage of
Marzano in Metro Exurb’s performance and evaluation system regarding educational excellence
and racial equity. The MDE Report Card indicates slow Reading and Science recovery, but Math
scores remained stagnant following COVID. The area continues to benefit from growth but also
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faces continued diversification. Ray’s role as the Director of Teaching and Learning allows him
to utilize his vision of Marzano’s equitable pieces into practice through professional
development.
Metro Charter: Making Charlotte Danielson Their Own
Whereas Metro Exurb followed Marzano as intended, Metro Charter reported it deviated
from the Charlotte Danielson framework when building its teacher performance and evaluation
system. Kelly explained they “essentially did design this system. We tweaked Charlotte
Danielson to make it fit us.” Their system also focuses on growth and develop for its staff to help
them attain educational excellence and racial equity for students. As Kelly noted:
We have a small enough staff that allows us to look into the needs of individual teachers
and how they interact with students. We can check on the types of questions they ask the
students of color versus White students and whom they call on. We can coach those
teachers on their patterns of behavior and allow the teachers to reflect and debrief. We
have to do the traditional observations, but sometimes we learn the most by ensuring we
are actively present in the classroom with our teachers.
Alaina followed also focused on growth but added helping teachers set goals: “We want
teachers to set meaningful goals, to push their practice forward and not just check the box.” She
stated that Metro Charter adjusted the Q-comp pay to reduce the portion aligned with goals, data,
and teacher evaluations:
I think that allows teachers to take more risks and be more reflective. Another big value
is reflection, and who are the kids that do well? Who are the kids you aren’t connecting
with, and how can you build a relationship with those students? So, we focus on that
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rather than how you will move them from this test score to this test score. To ensure
accountability, we follow up and make our presence known in the classrooms.
Alaina noted some difficulties in promoting equitable outcomes through their
performance and evaluation system with many international teachers on staff: “If I’m from
China, I don’t necessarily know or understand the history. Some of our international teachers
struggled to understand the difficult conversations we had after that happened to George Floyd.”
She said she continues to coach her international teachers through clear language about the
impact external factors play on some of their students and the need to work together to reflect on
the outcomes of her students’ experiences.
Alaina explained her need to modify the Danielson framework: “There’s been critiques of
Danielson’s work over the years that equity is not clear, it’s kind of embedded, but it isn't called
out maybe in a strong enough way.” She wants more focus on helping provide her teachers with
more tangible ways to remove obstacles to achieving equitable results with their students. She
believes they need to make explicit language related to equity as part of their teacher evaluation
and growth model, noting “that’s how we give teachers clarity on equitable practices, whether
it’s curriculum design, student assessments, student engagement, even family engagement; what
are they asking of families? Are they advantaging some kids more and disadvantaging others?”
With a relatively young staff and several international teachers, crafting these additions to the
model offer critical language. It offers a blueprint to guide their conversations and growth,
offering them insight into the areas their students need to achieve equitable results.
As the one who experiences the teacher evaluation and performance system, the Librarian
added the expectation of self-evaluation as part of the growth model. They described the efforts
to achieve racial equity as more of a “scaffolding process” with their administrator: “It’s there;
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my administrator focuses more on what I do with the students to improve academically.
However, I think that has to do with the fact that I fall into the IB program.” They knew it
factored into the other buildings more heavily. They further commented that other teachers
received the equity checks Kelly described to measure how teachers interacted with students of
color versus White students. Looking at their program, though, they concluded: “I think there’s
an opportunity for an equitable perspective in the lesson building, but it’s not a core facet of the
teacher evaluation process in the IB program.” Regardless, they operated in a different
environment from how Alaina ran her building.
Metro Charter’s leadership contains several essential elements to hold what Roegman et
al. (2020) called equity-focused sustained interactions. It works to identify the inequities that
arise in society with its staff and provide strategies to confront them. It strives to produce
policies designed to create safe spaces for leadership to provide and receive valuable feedback to
improve their students’ performance. They remain motivated to face the challenges presented by
a conservative community that requires them to guide their teachers on the importance of
ensuring equitable student outcomes despite the obstacles. Despite these strengths, a level of
division remains on how teachers receive their evaluations related to equity within the district.
Closing this gap is essential to achieve the type of educational excellence and racial equity Metro
Charter strives for in its Equity Statement.
Metro East: Building Intercultural Competence into 5D+
As mentioned, Metro East grows significantly more diverse than the two exurban
districts. The district uses the Center for Educational Leadership’s 5D+ rubric for instructional
growth and teacher evaluation. The five areas covered include purpose, student engagement,
curriculum and pedagogy, assessment for student learning, and classroom environment and
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culture. The 5D+ includes 30 teacher performance indicators with a scale rating from
unsatisfactory to basic, proficient, and distinguished. During my interview with Anna, she
struggled to find a specific area or indicator related to racial equity to direct me to after sending
me a copy of the rubric. The rubric extensively focused on improving teacher performance
regarding educational excellence, classroom environment, and interaction with colleagues, but
nothing related to culture or equity. Eventually, she found a separate rubric on Intercultural
Competence the district used. They selected and modified portions of a rubric created by a
neighboring district to establish their own.
Mike viewed the system as effective for improving teacher performance in improving
educational excellence and racial equity among his staff:
The rubric’s solid. It strongly focuses on student engagement, high expectations, culture,
collaboration, and student voice. You know, all contribute to quality instruction that
impacts students of color. It’s best practice for all kids, but some key pieces there are
good for students of different student groups and cultures.
He highlighted that his administrative team made drop-ins a routine to ensure teachers “practiced
culturally responsive teaching.”
I asked him to describe “culturally responsive teaching.” He explained that Q-Comp
observations and goals contain at least one equity component. He expected his staff to possess
intercultural competence and demonstrate high expectations for all students. All staff kept data to
identify what students needed additional assistance. “Our system is set up for growth,” Mike
observed, “The observations help give the teachers the information to grow and assist their
students.” He wanted to know that staff engaged Black students, which comprised nearly half of
his building, with the same level of rigor as his higher-performing Asian and White students.
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I know the gap still exists between White and Black students. I’m not going to tolerate a
teacher who thinks that they can ask a Black student a “yes/no” question or not ask them
at all. That’s why we drop into the classrooms. That’s why we talk to our teachers and
find out what they need to be successful.
Mike’s SAP provides a level of stability in his building. He only wanted to change one
area of the performance and evaluation system and shift towards a team system. He believed
teachers evaluating each other formatively offered a level of potential for improvement since
“teachers are more likely to relax around each other.” He also expressed interest in a system that
Neumerski et al. (2018) examined that allowed administrators more access to their teachers and
students. Mike concluded that “in a perfect world, principals could spend their days working
with the kids and spending time in the classroom finding ways to mentor teachers.”
Anna provided a different perspective about her site: “I’ve always respected culturally
responsive teaching. Looking at our rubric, thinking about Black and White students and the
inherent issues that we see, I feel like that is a failure. I’ve never been evaluated on any of this.”
She explained that her previous districts handled it differently, making it a critical element of
their observation cycles. However, her current position within Metro East failed to provide her
with any feedback on her “Intercultural Competence” in her first 2 years. She noted, “We have
one of the worst achievement gaps in the country, and I received tenure as an EL teacher without
an administrator evaluating how well I handled race and culture in my class.” Compounding her
frustration is that the 5D+ model’s framework centers on performance and evaluation. Her lack
of assessment meant she received no feedback on meeting her students’ needs.
Nothing definitively reconciles the differences between Anna and Mike’s narratives
without a district-level representative. Mike’s stability as the building principal and Site
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Improvement Plan are potential reasons for the discrepancy with Anna’s. Anna expressed
frustration over the lack of guidance and feedback from her administrators. The system can help
teachers improve student outcomes when utilized with fidelity and correctly. Like any system,
though, the absence of leadership and structure renders it ineffective for teachers. It removes
valuable collaboration with the administration, possibly limiting their ability to help their
students.
Metro West: “We Don’t Use the Word Evaluation”
The other suburban district in the study, Metro West, also roots its teacher performance
and evaluation program in research from the Center for Educational Leadership. Unlike Metro
East, they use the 5 dimensions of teacher and learning framework to promote educational
excellence and racial equity among its students. The primary difference lies in the performance
indicators and performance evaluation levels present only in the 5D+ model. Tom argues that
they chose this by design: “We don’t use the word evaluation. We want to remove judgment as
much as we can. Our process is about growth, and using appraisal is a keyword instead.”
Sam indicated he struggled with this question. Since he only moved to the position of
Director of Educational Equity last year, he felt that “is the one part that I am still learning … but
when we want to ensure equity isn’t optional, we need to make sure we allow teachers the time
to engage fully. What can we take off?” His concern stems from how often interventions compile
on teachers until they are overwhelming or ineffective: “We need to cultivate a culture where
people have the mindset that it’s not about optional equity and that they’ll have our support and
our resources. We need to create a system to provide support but also accountability.”
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Tom provided more depth due to his long experience in the system. They developed a
complex system for teacher teams to work on student growth plans to help track progress and
improve academic outcomes:
Principals appraise teacher teams. So, every U.S. History teacher is appraised together as
a team on their ability for every student they serve. Essentially, we tell teachers that even
if the kid is not in your classroom, that student is your student. We have our teacher
teams working in cycles of common formative assessments to identify students that need
to be on track to reach proficiency or who failed to meet the standard on the summative
assessment. Then they have to work to act differently as a team and individual teachers to
find ways to improve their results. And then, they have to report how students performed
on that common summative assessment. We have three different reporting sessions
throughout the school year in which the team comes together and breaks down their data
by student demographic. That includes race, EL status, special ed status, and free and
reduced lunch status. And they tell us how they performed based on the results they
measured for the students they served.
Tom admits that the growth model requires fidelity, but those who engage with their colleagues
and respond to the appraisal process experience growth. Having teachers document and present
when students struggle forces them to confront reality more effectively than just their
observations. Tom remains a realist regarding the achievement gap in his school in Metro West:
“It’s a significant change that’s resulted in greater achievement, but we have not closed the gap
between our Black and White students yet.”
Clare argues that the performance and evaluation system needs to do more to help
improve racial equity at her site in Metro West, noting, “Does that help at all improve
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performance in regards to equity? I don’t think so.” Even though Clare describes the system the
same as Tom, her tone paints a different picture. She found the system easy to navigate
depending on the administrator and the “I can” statements aligned to the benchmarks used to
guide students towards proficiency. She used the major causes of the Civil War as an example,
where all her students scored in the mid-80%. Her Asian students landed as the upper outlier at
91% and Hispanic as the lower at 71%. She commented that the system benefited those PLCs
engaged in solid dialogue; otherwise, it only functioned as a tool for self-driven teachers. Clare
based her responses on her role on the committee to review the PLC documents and on the
building instructional team. She reported:
Nobody’s looking at our data. I have to calculate the data and the Social Studies
Department Black students achieving at 20% below where their White students are. We
have a meeting where each department checks if each other read their one, and I’m
assigned to read Social Studies. So, I read the stuff I write, which I’m already familiar
with. After that, there’s no meet and confer; what do we do with the 20% I found?
Clare commented on her frustrations with the system and the need for administrators to spend
more time in classrooms. She shared Sam’s view of taking roles off educators’ plates to
determine how to allow them to engage in equity work. She wanted to see more administrators in
all the classrooms, not just newly hired ones. Effectively, Clare believed too many teachers felt
complacent and comfortable since administrators needed more time to make formal observations
yearly.
Like Sam, Clare indicated that achieving racial equity for students required accountability
for staff. While she lacks the optimistic perspective of Tom, she likely also experiences
differences within the various regions in the district. When Sam speaks about bringing systemic
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change, he understands the need to ensure that the performance plan provides the same
opportunities for all teachers. The goal of the Equity Promise remains to deliver the same
educational excellence and racial equity to students in schools across the district. The challenge
lies in engaging stakeholders across the district to reconcile how all parties utilize the 5D
Framework.
Metro Central: Growth, Equity, and Evaluation
The largest and most diverse district focused on the hybrid form of their performance and
evaluation framework based on the Danielson rubric. While they emphasized growth, they also
stressed their district’s value on equity for new teachers. Unlike the other two suburban districts
and Metro Exurb, Nicole mentioned tenure specifically. She explained that the teacher
performance and evaluation process allows the district to give its students the best teachers
possible and reduce the potential for “tenure by accident.” Their commitment to racial equity
allows principals to converse with their teachers and form relationships.
Nicole commented that the performance and evaluation process served as a filter and a
bridge: “Principals talk about the fact that this is a growth school, but then they can strategize
about what support the teachers need better to equip themselves in their craft and our
profession.” She further raised concerns over Minnesota’s recent changes to the licensure
system, creating a tier system. Tier 1 only requires a bachelor’s degree and a job offer from a
Minnesota public school. The license contains no provisions for previous childhood or
educational work experience. She questions the ability of new assistant principals to evaluate
teachers on their performance to ensure equitable outcomes for many Black students.
Additionally, she raised concerns over their readiness to provide enough feedback to guide these
teachers on their equity policies.
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While these inconsistencies exist, Nicole sees progress as more building leaders receive
training in guiding their sites under the Strategic Action Plan (SAP). The district established a
principal’s academy that is “supporting their own skills to lead their staff in culturally responsive
instruction, and they’re feeling ‘the district is aligning with a common vision that makes sense, is
meaningful, and meets the needs our students.’” The district started equity walkthroughs and
provided training to administrators and staff on how to approach them. They held sessions on
having conversations following these walkthroughs to discuss meaningful observations. These
require vulnerability and trust, as they require potentially difficult conversations about racial
equity.
Gretchen immediately commented about the need for student voice in the evaluation
system: “Doesn’t it make the most sense to ask those that we’re with every single day? ‘Hey,
how am I doing? Am I meeting your needs?’” She also struggled with the efficacy of how the
district's SAP handled teacher evaluations to improve racial equity. From her perspective, she
still sees a system where teachers respond with discomfort to conversations about the
performance of their Black students. However, she felt leaders often respond poorly to critiques
of their ability to provide feedback:
We’re not going to make any gains if we don’t. If we don’t truly embrace our role as
leaders in the system, we’re not going to see a change. I have to build a relationship with
the people I’m working with. I have to build that trust and rapport. I have to be willing to
do the work, which means getting in, observing, and having conversations.
She told me about a recent equity walkthrough that resulted in a conversation leading to the shift
in the entire composition of her classroom to help her classroom management. Gretchen saw
potential in the performance and evaluation system but shared Nicole’s belief that it needed time
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and training to develop. Harley received her evaluations within the system and bluntly referred to
it as “box checking” regarding equity-related issues: “I have good conversations with my
principal following our walkthroughs, but she doesn’t handle my observations, so it doesn’t go
much beyond that.” Gretchen commented during her interview that she received two new
assistant principals this year. With them still learning the evaluation system, it creates a gap in
the feedback between the walkthroughs and opportunities to hold valuable conversations about
equity following observations.
She commented that her site makes more effort than the district in general: “Our
observation cycle remains the same, but we get more opportunities to talk about Black and
Brown students compared to our White students and what they need.” Self-reflections were
another powerful system feature, but she believed few of her colleagues agreed. She concluded
the section with the same thoughts as Nicole and Gretchen on the need for improvements and
consistency across the system.
Omar’s Perspective Across the Metro
Omar’s leadership positions in multiple districts across the Metro allowed them to create,
facilitate, and observe numerous equity-related teacher evaluation and performance policies or
procedures. These roles allowed them to engage in activities across the spectrum to improve
educational excellence and racial equity. Omar’s experiences ranged from building a framework
with stakeholders at the foundational level to working with individual teachers to help them
improve their equitable outcomes with students.
They also noted their usage of a fifth, culturally responsive domain to Charlotte
Danielson’s framework. They commented on one district that established a system where equity
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coaches engage in teacher observations centered around equity goals three times a year. They
highlighted similarly working with probationary teachers as a compelling experience:
I would meet with probationary teachers three times a year and create a CLEAR
(Hillstrom, 2021) lesson. And that was extremely powerful because many teachers
needed that support, which was intentional. Those were the lessons I would create with
them, and then they would be observed on it. They felt more confident in their teacher
evaluation because it wasn’t, ‘I got you!’ It was ‘I’m working with you on your teacher
evaluation. What are the goals that you want to focus on? I’m going to help you with the
equity part. I’m going to be your coach and help you with equity.’ When teacher
evaluations are used in a way that ignites the teacher’s passion, again, that’s how teacher
evaluations, from my perspective, work.
Omar also spoke about the value of equity walkthroughs or visits. They pointed out the
value of engaging in purposeful ones with engaged administrators and active feedback. These
require trust and relationship building by both parties due to the sensitive conversation following
each walkthrough: “It needs to be ongoing. It needs to be consistent. It can’t be one and only
one.”
Summary
The attempt for educators to establish teacher performance and evaluation systems to
improve educational excellence and racial equity produced mixed results. Like the participants’
assessments of their district’s efforts to construct meaningful equity-related policies, practices,
and strategies, results varied between and within districts. While I expected some division, the
extent present in Metro West remains an unexpected outcome.
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The exurban districts continued their distinct nature from Metro East, Metro West, and
Metro Central. As Metro Exurb’s Director of Teaching and Learning, Ray attempted to highlight
how effectively their use of the Marzano rubric worked to evaluate teacher performance on racial
equity. However, how they use Marzano only touches upon two or three areas each year. Rick
noted that equity-related areas were not among them for several years. Metro Charters works
more progressively on their growth-minded teacher evaluation and performance rubric. Though
based on the Charlotte Danielson model, they made several modifications to help their teachers
set goals and allow for meaningful conversations. However, the Librarian also reported their
experiences in the IB program differed. They received few equity-related walkthroughs or
conversations with their administrator as other teachers at Metro Charter.
The suburban districts adopted different forms of the five dimension programs from the
Center for Educational Leadership to improve equitable outcomes and teacher growth. Metro
East demonstrated differences in how their teacher and administrator viewed the effectiveness of
the 5D+ rubric. As a principal, Mike said it worked effectively as a growth model at his site. His
administrative team used it routinely to ensure his teachers practiced culturally responsive
teaching. Anna commented, though, that she had never received that type of evaluation in Metro
East at her site.
Metro West wanted to establish a performance system rooted in equity and growth. As
the Director of Educational Equity, Sam looked at a system needing ways to build a mindset
among teachers to engage equity fully. He knew teachers needed support, but for equity to work,
the system required accountability. As a building principal, Tom provided more details based on
his experience in the system. He placed teachers into teams by subject level to focus on growth.
However, he also admitted that the system required accountability. Clare noted frustration with
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the current system and the need for more participation at her site. As a teacher and member of
the instructional team, she asserted that her site leaders failed to provide the type of feedback
Tom provides.
As the most extensive and diverse system, Metro Central also created the most complex
framework based on the Danielson rubric. Their model emphasized growth, but the district’s
commitment to racial equity allowed principals to have conversations and evaluations to build
relationships with teachers. While these centered on development, the performance and
evaluation model also reduced the risk of “tenure by accident.” Metro Central was the only
district to mention tenure policy. As a curriculum supervisor, Nicole commented that the system
operated as a filter and a bridge to ensure their students receive the best possible teachers.
Unfortunately, Nicole believed the realities of Minnesota’s current teacher shortage and
lack of training for assistant principals on the evaluation weakens the filtration process.
Ultimately, Omar summarized the direction Twin Cities educators must consider with equity-
related teacher performance and evaluation systems. They require trust and relationship building
between the district, buildings, and teachers to work effectively. Performance and evaluation
systems need clear training and language to promote understanding by all parties. Whatever
system a district selects, the parties must communicate, offer feedback, and make it an ongoing
and consistent process.
Part Three: Professional Development
Of all the areas, professional development offers the most direct avenue to put essential
resources into the hands of educators to enhance educational excellence and racial equity. When
done effectively, it offers a bridge to implementing policy through practical training.
Administrators and teachers can organize these materials into organized PLCs through mutual
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support, engagement, continuous reflection, and growth (Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019:
Darling-Hammond et al., 2017; Lieberman & Miller, 2011). Professional development associated
with PLCs also provides a channel with the potential to enhance teacher performance and
evaluations, given that many participants reported their programs lacked coherence or a
consistent, equity-driven focus. Despite the importance of well-designed equity-related
professional development, the range in the participants’ responses varied. Some participants
reported feeling confident in their equity training, but others received almost none. However,
many participants who reported receiving no equity-related professional development in their
current district stated they received it in previous ones.
With equity-related professional development, Omar offered a statement that summarized
how educators often struggle. “Discomfort is okay.” They continued with another area educators
find problematic in professional development. “I’m not a fan of ‘one and done’ sessions.” Each
of these statements materialized in some form throughout most of the interviews. Many attended
at least one training session that involved confronting or discussing their “whiteness” or “White
privilege.” Conversely, several participants reported that their equity-related training amounted
to a guest speaker who felt like the district needed a “beginning of the year ‘check-the-box’
session about equity.”
Metro Exurb’s Struggles
Metro Exurb demonstrates an apparent disconnect between the perception of how equity-
centered professional development transpires in the district and the reality of what educators
receive. Rick commented that most of his equity-related training that contained “any real merit”
over the years stemmed from his involvement in the Minnesota Association of Alternative
Programs (MAAP):
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There have been a lot of keynote speakers and sessions at MAAP. MAAP has taken a big
stance on equity. Definitely, yes, it’s significant there, but when I go back to my district,
no, maybe a speaker once every year or two.
Rick invests his time heavily in his participation in MAAP. Despite the increasing diversity of
his district, he relies on its resources and past experiences to prepare him for the pending
changes. To provide perspective on the change, data from the 2000 Minnesota Department of
Education reports the percentage of White students at Metro Exurb at 97%, whereas today, it is
84%.
The topic of professional development irritated Deuces about his current position: “We
receive zero, none. And I don’t mean addressing educational disparities or equity; we receive
none unless we seek it out.” He pointed out his past fortune in receiving practical equity-related
training and building a supportive network over his career: “I’m blessed because I have been in
the business for a long time. I know a fair amount, and I know good people, so when something
comes up. I got lots of different places to get whatever I need.” He talked about bringing coaches
from Building Assets, Reducing Risks (BARR) at his previous district and learning to look at
student achievement and equity areas differently. BARR helped Deuces create new
conversations with his PLCs and put the teachers back into teams to discuss their instruction to
help students achieve. “We need that; I don’t see it happening.”
Elements of Ray’s sensemaking emerge on the topic of equity-related professional
development. He described the meaning of equity-related professional development and his
vision for its future in the district:
I envision conversations about cultural awareness, where we encourage the staff to look
at their self-identity and understand their biases. The training starts with this reflection
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and moves into their daily life. It changes how you move into your instruction. I view
looking at where the students start and as we look at improving instruction, our approach
to having 2% Black students is different than 90%, but we create an understanding of the
lens of their experiences. We build an environment that facilitates their achievement and
examines their academic growth, then harnessing the power of the teacher becomes
remarkable.
His professional development perception resembles the framework Goffin et al.
constructed (2022). Ray looks at where the students begin academically. He then pushes the staff
to understand their identities, push that reflection into their understanding of the students, and
improve instruction. Ray acts as a “sensegiver” along the way, helping to facilitate understanding
to improve student outcomes. The problem he faces is taking how he perceives the ultimate
vision of equity-driven professional development in Metro Exurb and extending it across the
district. He also faces issues with the measurement as it is based on effectiveness. It requires the
staff to undergo equity-based professional development, then look at the metric the district wants
to measure.
Metro Charter: Promising, but Limited Funding
Metro Exurb struggles with a level of access to equity-related professional development.
The participants noted its value and realized its value. All three received it from other sources,
and Ray envisions a substantial form of future equity-related professional development. Still,
neither Deuces nor Rick expressed the same level of optimism or “sense” of a quick arrival for
the type of policies Ray believes in. Alternatively, Metro Charter shares Ray’s progressive vision
but needs more funding to employ the professional development required to implement it fully.
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The Librarian highlighted the issue, noting, “I think there’s definitely still a good intent
that that want to make sure that we’re hearing current issues, but there is a lack of funding
consistently to get people outside the district to share their experience.” One example they cited
occurred 2 years ago with a day-long training session focused on identity: “They talked about
being your own person and not ‘othering’ people based on differences. It provided tremendous
depth to consider where our students come from compared to us.” The training helped teachers
improve their work in PLCs for the year and helped facilitate conversations about equitable
practices in their goals.
Budget constraints only allow for a set number of outside sessions, so Metro Charter
needs to facilitate different topics to balance training and assist its staff with licensure
requirements: “Since then, one of our instructors picked things up from a TED talk or attended
something and brought it back to lead a PLC. It’s nothing led by an expert. They just don’t
receive consistent funding.” Still, when I asked about measuring the impact of professional
development, she commented on staff action rather than data: “We have had Black students run
into issues with other students. There’s more empathy and effort by the staff to rectify that and
heal that trauma than in the past.”
Kelly also commented on the same in-service as the Librarian that focused on identity.
As executive director, they then spoke about the budget issues to describe why Metro Charter
struggles to offer similar professional development opportunities:
It opened the eyes to the population in our school of students. Staff members learned to
recognize the traumas our students experienced, not only from other students but also
from their actions. They also started working on breaking that cycle.
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I asked what that looked like, and they brought up the PLC work and efforts by the Equity Club
to bring speakers to talk about equity. They work on writing grants to expand their equity-related
professional development every fall. To them, the most significant change occurred in the
teachers’ comfort level to interceding on students’ behalf:
Even ten years ago, in Metro Charter’s City, staff would be reluctant to upset the status
quo. If a White student committed a racist act against a Black student, they cared for the
Black student but did not call the racism out. Today, they feel confident enough to do
both. In this community, you don’t know who that will upset. The staff knows the
students need a safe space, and they need to know we have their backs to give that to all
students.
My question about measurement aligns with the budgetary concerns Metro Charter faces
as it attempts to provide more equity-based professional development: “We survey the staff.
Inevitably someone will write, ‘I hope this isn’t a one-time only,’ It reminds me of the odd
equity issue we face trying to deliver equitable results to our students.” The issue is that
Chartered public schools face budgets limited to the basic formula allowance revenue for all
educational expenses. Public schools can create levies or other voter-approved funding. Charters
cannot raise these funds. Likewise, when students opt to attend the charter school instead of the
district school, the levy funding remains with the district school rather than follow them (Schools
for Equity in Education, 2022). The imbalance makes it difficult for Kelly to pour resources into
any professional development area.
Alaina had the most experience in the district, creating and attending professional
development to facilitate educational excellence and racial equity:
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Working in the community Metro Charter is located in, there’s a lot of cultural
differences we have to work around. We’re an immersion school. Students come from
outside the community; staff needs the training to meet their diverse needs.
Metro Charter’s student and staff demographics contain more diversity than its community. She
organizes and prepares cultural awareness and anti-racist training for her staff.
She utilizes her Courageous Conversation training with her staff to prepare the
professional development. In addition, Alaina described working with Marceline DuBose, a
founder and Lead Equity Specialist at Due East Educational Equity Collaborative in her last
district:
She helped develop a systematic professional development model because frequently,
with equity PD, it feels like ‘let’s throw something at the wall and see what sticks.’ In
one session, we try implicit bias, but before we master that, we move to culturally
relevant teaching and so on. It’s surface level. She brought us a comprehensive model,
then tied it to our teacher development plan. We spent years developing it. It required
strong leadership from the top. I try to bring some of what she taught here; I wish we had
the resources to develop the entire system.
Alaina also maintains connections with Sharon Radd, one of the authors of Five Practices
for Equity-Focused School Leadership. Her network helps deliver expertise to the professional
development she facilitates for her staff. The problem is that her experience benefits the staff in
her building rather than the entire district. Much of Alaina’s work and “professional
development” transpires in working with PLCs, equity walkthroughs, or working on growth
plans. The district lacks a system to organize and deliver equity-focused professional
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development to support all teachers. Alaina possesses the expertise for that type of position but
requires removing her from her building. They need more resources to create that position.
Comparing the Suburbs: Metro East’s and Metro West
The lack of a district-level presence for Metro East once again created a gap in the data
gathered for the district. To compound the problem, Anna reported receiving one professional
development session related to equity since she arrived. It involved seeing the data on how
students performed on last year’s tests by race, the goal for the year, and a video about the equity
department. With limited data from Metro East, I compared Mike’s narrative to the data
compiled by Metro West’s experience with professional development.
In a statement that echoes Anna’s experiences, Mike commented on professional
development with “some district, more building.” Since Mike revises and manages the SIP each
year, he oversees and approves the building’s professional development and Q-Comp activities.
When asked if he receives the resources he needs from the district, he responded, “I actually do. I
could nickel and dime a little, but the superintendent shifted the Teaching and Learning
relationship to the buildings to a model of what buildings need. We ask, and Teaching and
Learning support us.”
Mike lists the national educators, training, and resources he accessed over the years to
help his building improve racial equity. At the district level, he received training in culturally
responsive teaching from Dr. Sharroky Hollie. Mike continues to use the material from Dr.
Hollie with his instructional coaches and equity team when they plan professional development
sessions. He and some other principals formed cohorts to study Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally
Responsive Teaching and the Brain and plan reading sessions and discussions rather than
traditional staff meetings:
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Ruthless Equity by Ken Williams is a book that I’m working off anchoring a lot of my
work here as well right now, so my team gets what it needs. We know there’s a lot of
work to do, and we are digging in on culturally responsive teaching practices. However,
we need to take care of the kids too. We need to understand if traumas are taking place,
identify them, and get involved. Standing on the sidelines isn’t an option. I talk to my
staff; I’m in their classrooms to support them.
While Mike used the data found in grades, attendance, and behavior as one measure, he
also looked at staff behavior as another: “I didn’t want this to be me droning on to them. It’s
turned into a little bit of me, but more ‘shout outs,’ what others see in walkthroughs, professional
health, what can we put into practice together.” Much like teachers want to shift lessons to
student-driven, Mike wants his staff to take the initiative in their equity-driven professional
development and how they implement it together.
Metro West: Trying to Add “More District”
Sam hopes to implement a professional development system that fulfills Metro West’s
Equity Promise that offers the potential to give buildings the type of resources Mike receives.
The Equity Promise’s goal pledges parity in the quality of education across the district,
regardless of demographics, building site, or other circumstances. Anna’s struggles and Mike’s
successes connect to building-level leadership. Clare reported discrepancies in her experiences
from those Tom described at his building. Sam already stepped towards creating a common
language, moving to standardize the relationship between the Equity Department and all
buildings and district personnel, and the first standardized training for everyone in the district.
Even with these early steps, he understands what lies ahead:
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I return to this often, but it’s about speaking a common language when discussing equity.
We need to start our program by building a foundation that enables us to create a system
where we say the same thing when we say equity. Divisiveness comes when getting into
the work, and folks need a common understanding of what equity is about.
Sam recognizes the need for “more district, some building,” as opposed to what Anna
faces on the other side of the Twin Cities in Metro East. Clare shared some elements of Anna’s
experiences. While she received equity-related professional development, she felt it lacked
follow-through and did little to improve educational excellence for Black students: “We did
almost a year on how to be anti-racist, but we never learned how to apply it to help students. It
was more personal acceptance. Then, on to the new PD. Where’s the action plan?” In previous
years, Clare discussed how professional development focused on the behavioral data between
Black and White students:
We talked about and underwent training on implicit biases and restorative practices; they
designed SEL groups to target students with high referral rates. However, I need to see
the same strategies with giving those students academic help. If we want to close those
educational gaps between White and Black students, we need to look at instructional
strategies, too, don’t we?
Sam’s systemic changes offer the opportunity to bring the support and stability Clare seeks
across the district. However, she raised frustrations that she felt the district made such sweeping
reforms without teacher or building input.
Sam is aware of the skepticism and realizes to achieve educational excellence and racial
equity across the district through cohesive professional development requires a unified approach.
He explained how he intended to approach the task:
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Our training is designed to give you some knowledge. Then it’s designed to help you
convert this knowledge into skill. I’m giving them the tools so they can do this work.
This mindset is powerful because it means I have to differentiate between each student in
their education. I need to differentiate between each position group, between each
teacher, and between each building in the district to get them what they need based on
where they are. If they need more knowledge and skill, I will give them more knowledge
and skill.
While Sam prepares to engage the personnel across the district, implementing systemic changes
requires accountability. As Sam described, the staff must understand that the new system design
is not the “one and done” type of equity professional development:
Now, where the accountability comes into place through our professional level is the
mouth of the person with the most power within the school district. If we put out
something about equity, yes, the director of educational equity’s name should be on that
document. However, the superintendent’s name must also be on that document. This
work all came from the superintendent. Our superintendent went all in on this; the first
face everyone saw when we started our meeting was his.
Whether Sam’s willingness to engage staff at the individual level alleviates Clare’s
concerns requires time and more data. Tom offers a different perspective, and his building sees
the new focus as a means to start creating some bridges for his Black students: “We are a
predominantly White staff, and so our Black students literally tell us, ‘I’m so sick of this White
school.’ Their teachers don’t look like them, and we place this value on quiet, compliant
classrooms.” Now, he feels supported by the district to provide his staff with the type of
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professional development to help reach out to those students through training dedicated to
promoting student voice and choice.
Each suburban district indicated a level of separation in their professional development in
their efforts to promote racial equity and improve academic outcomes for Black students. In
Metro East, Mike explained he experienced a “some district, more building” approach to
accessing resources for professional development. However, he provides experienced leadership,
an efficiently managed SIP, and existing resources and training to assist his staff. Anna’s site
lacks leadership, leaving her without such resources. On the other side of the Twin Cities, Metro
West just started its efforts to launch a focused effort to fulfill its Equity Promise. For the first
time, it held a formal training for all district employees and defined the term equity. The Equity
Promise pledges that all students receive the same quality education, regardless of demographics.
As Director of Equity Education, Sam is working to establish a system to deliver what every
staff member or building needs to complete that mission.
Metro Central: Working to Maintain Consistency
Unlike the suburban districts, Metro Central has established a consistent system for
delivering professional development to promote educational excellence and racial equity. Nicole
worked with building the foundation for equity work at her site as an instructional coach with
teachers and continues in a larger capacity as Curriculum Supervisor. She is currently a level
three anti-racism educator and anti-racist classroom cohort with the work of Dr. Ellie Michael.
In collaboration with the Equity Team, she completed Beyond Diversity training to prepare for
her role and researched Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. She
primarily uses Courageous Conversation's training and the compass at her current schools. She’s
drawn from Elena Aguilar’s work recently on interrupting inequitable systems to supplement her
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sessions. When Nicole looks at the effectiveness of the work she does with administrators, she
primarily asks, “Is it changing behavior, beliefs, and actions? Can you actually see people using
that awareness with that work? Are they making decisions based on that awareness? Cause you
can say all the right things, but is it actually happening?” Even with recent leadership changes,
Nicole maintained her dedication to delivering equity-driven professional development so site
leaders continue to receive consistent materials to deliver to their staff.
Gretchen agreed with the effectiveness and singled out courageous conversations as key
to helping her staff open up about racial conversations and connecting with Black students. The
training provided protocols on how to put it into practice, which she felt equity-based
professional development often needs to improve. She is receiving anti-racist leadership training
to help hold herself accountable on equity issues, and she looks at how she treats Black students
for tardies or other behaviors.
However, from Harley’s point of view, effectiveness sometimes deviates from
consistency. COVID even challenged consistency. As Harley reflected, “A lot of the work isn’t
as explicit as it was.” She noted the same programs as discussed by Gretchen and Nicole but
highlighted the difficulty with working with Black and White disparities when they struggled to
get the students back into a sense of routine: “Many students are struggling with mental health
needs. We are still working hard to have conversations about equity, but those needs come first
right now, and we don’t have the staff to address them.” Mental health poses an equity issue on
its own. Data from the MDE Report Card, and district website, along with comments from one of
the participants, indicated that most Black students lack access to mental health services outside
of school.
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Nicole agreed with Harley’s assessment that delivering equity-related professional
development has struggled the past few years. She cited the main reasons for the teacher
shortage, random substitute teachers for the students, and many still in COVID recovery:
It’s not as bad as last year, but there is a lingering ‘survival mode’ for many. It is worse
for our Black students who were hit harder and now deal with delays in our equity work
getting back to full strength.
Metro Central faces some additional circumstances differing from the other districts
beyond the scope and confidentiality of the study. The district still contends with staffing
instability. Its size and different demographics across the district make establishing cohesive
professional development to address educational gaps difficult. Still, it recently established
cohorts for all principals to attend as a unit and assistant principals to attend as another. People
like Nicole continue to work within cohorts to develop equity-related professional development
to take to the administrators and buildings, hoping to reignite equity programs as COVID
continues to subside.
Omar: Views Across the Metro
The variations continued within and between districts to deliver professional
development to improve educational excellence and racial equity. Omar received, created, and
presented professional development sessions across the Metro. Along with Beyond Diversity,
they credited Courageous Conversation and Pacific Education Group as their starting point and
expressed how it set them on their path.
It’s part of who I am today … the best training that I experienced and opened my eyes to
everything from the systemic historical context of this country to the personal work that I
need to do for the Indigenous community and Black and Brown people in this country.
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Omar understands that the work goes beyond receiving the training and developing their
mindset. They needed to shift that mindset into their practice to make a difference in students’
lives and improve racial equity. They continued,
It opened my eyes, and I continued to embody Courageous Conversation. I talk in the
protocol, and I use protocol. So, I’ve learned it; I’ve embodied it. Now it’s part of how I
do professional development. I’m constantly using the Compass. I’m constantly checking
the agreements, leaning in, and naming the discomfort. All of the tenets of the
Courageous Conversation are how I show up in the work.
Omar pointed out an equity-related theme vital to understanding Minnesota’s nature that
no one mentioned. Minnesotans often use the term “Minnesota nice” to avoid conflict with
others. For many in the state, this often translates into a passive-aggressive nature when
confronted with topics that create a feeling of discomfort, such as challenging the state’s
historical White culture. I experienced this from parents after learning about my teachings on the
U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, the concentration camp in Fort Snelling, and the mass executions in
Mankato. The topic fascinated their students. However, they struggled with how to confront the
topic, but many shared ideas that “those types of things happened to Native Americans in other
places, not here.” After the Star Tribune published several stories on the events during the 150th
commemoration of the executions in 2012, I rarely received any questions.
Omar frequently addresses these patterns while delivering professional development.
They understand it involves balancing the importance of promoting racial equity and remaining
mindful of the participants. They work on “being an active listener to what is said and not said,
asking about body language. I see what makes people uncomfortable. I love when facilitators
make staff feel a little discomfort. They’re going to go home and be just fine.”
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The discomfort eventually paves the way to dialogue, including engaging students as part
of the conversation. Omar remains open to several outlets for equity-driven professional
development work as long as it remains sustained and equity centered. Students sense when
educators are genuinely interested in them and actively engaged. Omar helps educators
understand and make those connections, noting, “I need to help them practice and coach them to
be authentic and sincere in their actual story.” From there, Omar actively asks for their feedback
and nurtures growth for those needing it.
Omar provided closure to the examination on professional development, given the range
and depth of how they approach the topic. They reiterated the importance of creating sustained
equity-driven professional development rather than “one-and-done” that receives little support or
follow-through. Professional development marks the last section divided by district. The
remaining sections focus more on examining the topics of teacher diversity and discipline
through an individual lens. While districts established policies, practices, and strategies in both
areas, the responses grew more distinct to the participants. The level of depth started to vary
considerably as well.
Part Four: Teacher Diversity
Professional development offers potential avenues to generate tools to improve
educational excellence and racial equity. Still, creating the physical presence of a diverse
teaching staff sets an example that benefits students of color and White students by providing
positive role models and individuals to create cross-cultural social bonding (Bond et al., 2015;
Ingersoll et al., 2019). Alaina commented on the importance of convincing “Mr. D.” to follow
her from her previous district to Metro Charter: “He is a larger-than-life, extremely caring Black
male. But, when you first see him, he is an imposing figure. However, the students learn right
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away that Mr. D. is the go-to guy to take care of you.” The presence of a strong, Black male
devoted to student care reinforces the ideas that define the importance of an increased presence
of Black and other teachers of color or Indigenous teachers in the classroom regardless of the
race of the student. Kelly followed up on their efforts to recruit internationally to bring native
speakers as part of their immersion program and teachers of color or Indigenous teachers: “It’s
easier for us to recruit internationally. Honestly, the community isn’t exactly attractive to a
teacher of color. We are so lucky to have Mr. D.” Deuces at Metro Exurb expressed the same
frustrations: “With the thought processes of some of the residents here, I understand the
reluctance of a young, Black teacher to look at my school for their first job when they have so
many other choices.”
However, the teacher shortage across Minnesota currently impacts 84% of school
districts. Across the state, teachers of color or Indigenous teachers represent only around 4%, and
the Twin Cities Metro around 9.68%. Given that the study focuses on the Metro, 9.68%
compares to 50.15% of the students reported as students of color or Indigenous students from the
Twin Cities Metro area (Williams, 2023). Sam commented on his views on the issue of the
system’s lack of teachers of color or Indigenous teachers:
In the state of Minnesota, their data for teachers of color is about 4%. What does it tell
me? Jeffrey Duncan [Andrade] was giving a talk. He told this story about a woman
teacher. She bought this house, and in front of this house were these two plant boxes. One
had dirt in it, and one did not. And so, what she did was she went to her garden store and
bought new soil for the empty plant box. She bought seeds for both plant boxes and
planted them. And what she found is that a month later that plant box that she put the new
soil in, tons of flowers grew, and in that other plant, only a few flowers grew, let’s say,
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how about 4% of those flowers grew? I think that we are all at a place where if we don’t
change anything about our educational system, we’re always going to have 4%. Because
that’s those folks that made it through our system. You know, those roses growing in the
concrete, as Tupac would call them, are within our system. If we don’t change our system
to a system where students feel like they belong, why would you get teachers that want to
be a part of this?
Again, Sam views the problem through a systemic approach. His view encompasses a broader
perspective than most. In order to solve the individual problems of bringing teachers of color or
Indigenous teachers into the schools, the school system needs to demonstrate progress toward
achieving racial equity.
One effort to address the problem Sam described stems from attempts to break the
connection between potentially harmful experiences and a possible future in the profession.
Several participants described how their schools engage actively in the “Grow Your Own
Teacher” programs offered by the state. Metro East, Metro West, Metro Central, and Metro
Charter all engaged in the program in some form. Omar held such programs in high regard: “I
love Grow Your Own. … If we can get high school kids to join educator groups and make those
connections early, we can provide them with incentives and opportunities. Those have been
really helpful.” Kelly said their work only started recently, but she remains hopeful: “I know it is
a challenging community for our Black students to return to, especially when many don’t live
here already and commute in. But I hope they see how much we value them.”
Tom commented on a connection his district set up with a Twin Cities private college
that allows students of color or Indigenous students to attend for free. The students then receive
placement back in the district to student teach and receive mentorship, with guaranteed positions
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upon graduation. Nicole described a similar program with a different college. While they also
participate in the Grow Your Own, this partnership focuses more on accelerated recruitment,
preparation, and retention of highly qualified teachers. She reported 32% of all newly hired
teachers in 2022-23 as teachers of color or Indigenous, compared to 23% last year.
Still, Harley brought up problems all the districts mentioned regarding recruiting teachers
of color:
That needs to start at the college level and how we get more people from different
backgrounds in education. Because it’s not a very welcoming or desirable place, right?
Unless you are a White person that is heard and listened to.
Ray added, “are there efforts to recruit teachers of color to areas such as ours? Absolutely? The
question is how to convince them to help us lead the charge while trying to get the staff on board
that diversity is coming.” Metro Exurb’s staff remains around 95% White, despite the increase in
the non-White student population.
Perspectives on Retention
College connections and job fairs also remain consistent as a means to recruit teachers of
color or Indigenous. Retention creates an entirely separate issue. Black teachers left schools
higher than their White counterparts, and the ones who left in the first 2 years failed to return to
teaching. (Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019; Jones, 2019). Jones (2019) shared several
participants’ sentiments about possible social isolation and limited voice within the school. A
number of participants also shared the ideas of creating affinity groups and other means to
generate the safe spaces Jones advocated for to allow diverse educators to collaborate.
Many participants shared stories like Anna:
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I’ve worked with Black teachers who have said they felt like it was hostile even with all
the work that they did, all the work that we do, and the money St. Paul poured into anti-
racist, PD, and curriculum. They found that their voice was not as respected because I’m
thinking specifically in our PLCs, how they would talk about something and bring their
perspective, and the consensus of the group would be different from them. And they felt
like it was coming from a racial perspective. They were bringing that to the table, but
since the consensus of the whole group, just naturally not in a way that was intentionally
racist, but more systemically racist.
Anna indicated a failure of her site to develop a culture or system that valued the voices of all
staff, not just her White colleagues. She viewed her coworker’s treatment as something more
profound than simple racist behavior but a systemic failure.
Mike commented in another school in the same district, “it’s about the culture of
certainty, inclusion, and a welcoming environment for everyone.” The difference demonstrates
the importance of developing solid SIPs and carrying them out to build a positive culture for staff
and students. Mike noted, “I need to create an equitable environment for whoever is sitting in
front of me; that is the lens I need to have.” He views his ability to retain staff through building a
culture very different from the one Anna experiences. Whereas her building struggles to retain
staff, he views culture as a means to retain them.
Tom continued to add details to the barriers keeping Black teachers. He described
situations over the past few years where teachers struggled to collaborate due to their
entrenchment with White teachers:
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I value our teacher development process, collaborating, sharing ideas, and helping each
other learn how better to teach; it also can become a barrier for teachers of color with
different approaches or … [who] maybe don’t feel like a valued member of that team.
Tom again argued about a lack of voice and a sense of belonging within the culture of the
building.
A common thread among the participants circled the use of affinity groups. Affinity
groups offer supportive spaces for Black teachers within schools to collaborate and build
relationships, as Jones (2019) suggested. Tom employed these as a response to his staff’s
problems with their isolation. He discussed working within the district to hire and place the staff
of color in one building to form an affinity group, “which I feel would help them to talk about
and process the microaggressions that their colleagues might be engaged in.” Sam struggled with
the idea, asking, “couldn’t we go talk to each of them and see what it is that they need?” While
he opted not to dismiss the idea entirely, Sam saw an opportunity to take a more personalized
and direct approach to the problem.
Nicole, Gretchen, and Harley commented on obstacles from Metro Central in the
retention process. Years ago, Minnesota faced cuts in several districts, which meant the tenure
system operated under the “last in, first out” premise. The concept forced many new teachers out
of their positions. Unfortunately, teachers of color who leave early in their careers typically leave
the profession (Jones, 2019). More recently, shortages caused involuntary transfers that displaced
staff members to fill pressing needs in other buildings. These moves cost Gretchen and Harley
several colleagues from their building. According to Nicole, many teachers of color needed the
support systems they built schools like Gretchen’s. The involuntary transfers took away their
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existing support systems. Without them, a large number of Black teachers left the district,
especially after COVID.
Despite these issues, Gretchen follows the kind of policy Sam wants for Metro West. She
admits she lacks the ability to deal with district roadblocks. Despite that, she still found ways to
develop her community:
But I think it’s more important than just them staying here. It’s listening to them as the
people of color say, ‘I feel like an important member of this community. I feel like I can
authentically show up as a Black female here, speak my voice and not be told that I’m
angry. I can show up as a Black male in this school and speak my mind and not be told
that I’m an angry Black male.’ I mean, there’s those stereotypes that often people of color
will feel within a system that’s embedded in whiteness where you don’t hear people of
color say that. Within my school building, they are safe, heard, and belong.
Building a school climate that fosters an inclusive environment focused on equity requires a clear
vision from a leader committed to its implementation (Kennedy, 2019; Roegman et al., 2020).
Gretchen opens the floor to create a system willing to embrace conversations inviting
collaboration and a genuine feeling of “being seen.”
Harley closed her thoughts on teacher retention by stating “there’s plenty of issues across
the district, and we have our share too. But I think we try. I see an effort to retain Black teachers
here, maybe not in the district, but in this building.” Metro Central faces similar issues to other
core districts in the Twin Cities, with declining enrollment and unfilled positions. Maintaining a
substantive presence of highly qualified Black teachers with whom 25% of the student
population identifies offers an avenue to foster relationships and generate positive outcomes.
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Omar added that their experience in the districts involved active administrators who
consistently met with new teachers of color and Indigenous students. They discussed the need to
build teacher cohorts, engage in active feedback, and build relationships. However, they
addressed that the administrators needed to move beyond the superficial and “acknowledge their
brilliance. That is what’s missing is the tapping into the brilliance of Black and Brown people.
And it’s not just social and being friendly.” Recognizing their voices and ideas prove essential to
retaining Black teachers (Ingersoll et al., 2019). Finding parity with their White peers
demonstrates the opportunity to excel in their environment.
Part Five: School Discipline
Whereas the participants universally agreed on the benefits increased numbers of Black
teachers provided for Black students, they also agreed on the disproportionate discipline gap
between Black and White students. Connections between unfair stereotypes and harsh
disciplinary measures for Black students remain common in schools (Okonofua & Eberhardt,
2015). The participants reported employing their districts attempting various mixes of restorative
justice, social-emotional learning (SEL), and positive behavioral intervention strategies (PBIS),
in their discipline practices. Participants from two districts described attempts to move to “zero-
suspension” policies. Specifically, Tom discussed both in-school suspensions and a replacement
school and remote learning rather than formal suspension.
All the participants reported observing the disproportionate discipline gap between Black
and White students either at their current district or a past one. The third question in the
interview protocol asks each participant to “describe an example of inequality you’ve
experienced or witnessed.” A few shared more than one story that highlighted some of their
traumas. The educators of color shared some personal experiences and ones they addressed as
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parents and educators. Two participants have mixed-race children and shared stories of educators
confused by how to handle a White parent appearing at a meeting about a “Black student.” One
discussed addressing how administrators treated her adopted Black daughter until they found out
she was also a White educator: “The tone of the phone call was very different from how the
meetings went when I came into the office in my suit with my ‘I’m sending you to detention
look.’”
Conversely, a substantial number of the participants furnished accounts of incidents
involving at least one Black student receiving harsh treatment by White educators. These actions
often transpired in response to similar behaviors exhibited by White students. The behavior of
the White students often went unnoticed or received minor, if any, consequences. The pattern
aligns with how systems or beliefs remain in place that perpetuate inequities against Black
students. The resulting punishments cause further academic loss due to missed class time,
enhancing the existing gaps with their White peers (Gregory et al., 2021; Okonofua & Eberhardt,
2015).
All participants believed their peers supported the idea of reforming school discipline to
improve racial equity and ultimately assist in building educational excellence. For Black students
to grow as learners, they need access to the same educational resources and office referrals, and
suspensions interrupt the process. On the other hand, my question asked the participants to
engage their “sense” about the level of support in changing their beliefs regarding discipline.
Constructing the realities of their buildings or districts or thinking about past experiences made
their view of the willingness of their fellow staff members to shift how they address discipline
more difficult. Anna commented, “for many of my colleagues, I don’t know if they know what
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support looks like without students being removed from class or being suspended. They want to
improve student outcome, but still want that quiet classroom.”
By their accounts, many recalled experiences that created increased concerns associated
with believing their abilities to improve educator buy-in to change attitudes about discipline. As
Harley described, “it’s frustrating at times. It feels kind of helpless, and I have just to backpedal
myself. I can’t fix the entire system … I think there’s some guilt sometimes around not knowing
what to do about it.” Part of the frustration reflects the type of actions Harley and other
participants described. In some cases, the actions they witnessed Black students experience
appear minor but, over time, inflict numerous microaggressions. The Librarian provided one
such example of an incident early in her career involving typical hallway behavior for fifth
graders, one White and one Black student: “Two kiddos behaving in the exact same way, and the
only child getting reprimanded was the kid of color. The language used towards that child was
different from the counterpart.”
Progressing into more serious microaggressions, Omar described the experience many
Black girls face: “It’s one where they misinterpret culturally. It happens to Black girls all the
time because of how they talk. They talk loudly; they project voices. They get very excited, and
the White teacher checks them in front of the class.” Dress code violations tend to impact Black
students more than White students. The misconceptions and stereotypes associated with how
Black students dress or speak and their behavior remain deeply entrenched in the mindsets of
many White educators. Altering the behavior of the educators, though, provides a powerful
instrument for improving the treatment and emotional health of Black girls.
Too often, the impulse remains to rule such behavior as disruptive and assign a
consequence. Rick spent much of his early career working in the Indigenous alternative schools
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in the Twin Cities. He still struggles with teachers he describes as “having quick triggers” over
removing Black students from class or writing referrals: “If I spend 2 weeks not even talking
about math, but sitting with them, playing games, doing ice breakers, just talking with them.
Then we build our rituals and routines together; you don’t have discipline problems.” He
acknowledged that much of the current system needs more resources and patience to allow
teachers the luxury of devoting the amount of time he takes before moving into the curriculum:
“I might be the only person who asks about their day and wants to know the answer. What helps
them achieve more in life, knowing an adult cared about them or an equation I made them do?”
Rick never specifically identifies using or significant professional development in PBIS
or SEL practices. Still, he spent his career working with “at-risk” student populations across the
Twin Cities, including the past few years at the alternative school in Metro Exurb. Working
outside the traditional system allows him the flexibility to spend additional time building
relationships that minimize discipline issues. As Rick pointed out, issues frequently impact the
building, and they adapt and respond. He works in an environment built on changing outcomes.
The idea of the “environment” compared sharply with the recurring theme from Sam’s
interview about changing the system or the environment. Sam views the system as incomplete
because educators tend to treat the behaviors. He frequently spoke about how often he sees
interventions used only to be replaced by new interventions: “We don’t address the environment
at all. Then our behavior interventions become incomplete, and that’s when we start to lose
support.” As such, he believes schools need the ability to suspend students and have tools to hold
them accountable so teachers feel supported. Conversely, he sees crafting an equitable learning
environment that creates choices and options as an alternative atmosphere to start reducing the
behaviors themselves.
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Ultimately, Alaina’s discussion on discipline issues with Black boys connected themes
closely aligned with Sam and Omar’s thoughts on Black girls. She made similar points about
Black boys being active and their tendency to get excited and expressive when talking. She said
they often overlap with others, but teachers called it blurting: “Which made me crazy because
that’s such a negative connotation. But how can we reframe it from blurting to overlapping, and
then it doesn’t feel negative? It’s just a different way of communicating.” She faced a district
that wanted to reduce referrals for Black students by holding principals accountable. Many
principals moved to keep students in the class to reduce referrals, which led to teachers feeling
unsupported.
Alaina worked to change the environment where she could, working to help her teachers
adjust their mindsets and supporting them with training and professional development. She saw
that the formalized structures often failed to support either the students in one area or the
teachers in another. She brought that experience to Metro Charter and worked to create the kind
of system Sam discusses: “Every situation might need something different for the kids. Teachers
must understand that equity means everyone gets what they need, not the same thing. We need to
have accountability, but we also need support.” She trains her staff to understand the different
ways of communicating and that some kids need “movement breaks” to succeed. She also
worked with Kelly to build culturally relevant training to decrease the number of referrals given
to Black students due to behaviors White staff often stereotype as disruptive.
Still, some attempts at reforms cause as much concern over unintended consequences.
One of the administrators, who wanted to remain anonymous, described a move by their district
to document office discipline referrals. The stated rationale is that it saves lost instruction time as
the teacher must complete a discipline referral which is documented in the district data record
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system. The district wants a referral logged any time a teacher requests office help or anytime the
student is outside the classroom, regardless of what type of intervention system the school set up.
The goal is to keep the student in the classroom, regardless of the behavioral situation. The
administrator noted:
We all know that there’s going to be a percentage of students who are going to struggle to
be in the classroom and maintain for a variety of reasons. But it doesn’t mean that it has
to be something that is filled out on an office discipline referral where they would have to
go see an administrator, be entered into a campus system, and then be on their record. I
feel like that’s criminalizing students.
Black students already face higher rates of special education referrals and a disproportionate
discipline gap. We quickly move to new interventions when the previous ones fail to yield the
desired results. As such, the administrator’s concerns over the potential for tracking and labeling
deserve consideration.
Omar’s leadership positions in multiple districts across the Twin Cities allowed them to
gain perspective on the discipline issue. The language used to construct most of the policies
remains punitive, as Omar described:
We are moving our practice to more restorative ways of being, but our policies and code
of conduct do not match. That’s why our teachers and administrators continue to create
punitive punishments and consequences for our Black and Brown students.
As we work to improve racial equity in our discipline practices, finding a unified language and
improved communication emerges as a necessary starting point. Gregory et al. (2021) described
the problems with the underlining systems and the need for increased cultural responsiveness.
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Some participants needed more depth in reforming discipline to improve equitable practices to
improve educational excellence. Nevertheless, several noted the importance of creating new
environments and understanding to move towards removing the obstacles preventing equitable
results for our students.
Conclusion
Research Question 1 examined the reforms focusing on educational practices Twin Cities
schools pursued to improve educational excellence and racial equity. It focused on policies,
practices, and strategies, teacher evaluation and performance, professional development, teacher
diversity, and school discipline. I attempted to construct the findings of RQ1 through a narrative
driven by the participants to remain genuine in their voices. As expected, the participants
revealed a considerable divide in how their districts addressed each area.
The exurb area provided two contrasting districts in Metro Exurb and Metro Charter.
Each district’s area is experiencing the fastest growth in the Twin Cities and increased
diversification. However, the districts remain primarily conservative. Despite the growing
diversity, Metro Exurb’s participants reported that the district remained relatively slow to enact
equity-related policies and practices. Conversely, Metro Charter acts more progressively
regarding equity-related policies and practices.
In the suburban districts, the participants revealed more gaps within districts than
expected. The suburban districts provided the best examples of these differences. Metro East’s
differences appear primarily due to leadership. Mike provides consistent leadership at his site
through an organized SIP and established procedures to allow his site to function successfully
with “less district, more building” resources. Meanwhile, Anna’s site needs to establish
leadership.
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On the other side of the Twin Cities, Sam is in the early phases of system-wide changes
in Metro West to implement a unified effort to fulfill the district’s Equity Promise. The Equity
Promise existed before Sam began these efforts and pledged to provide every district student
with the same quality education regardless of demographics or building. Tom believed that the
district progressed in working towards this goal over the past few years. Clare felt her side of the
district needed more resources and remained skeptical about the new plan changing that.
Metro Central is one of the state’s largest and most diverse districts. They have the most
complex and developed equity-related policies and practices of any district in the study. Metro
Central still faces issues with staffing and declining enrollment following COVID. As such, the
district is still finalizing its Strategic Action Plan, but the participants mostly responded
favorably to their experiences within the system. Research Question 2 explored the challenges
the participants described in depth throughout the interview.
Results: Research Question 2
While the first research question looked at the reform efforts, Research Question 2 asked:
What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on educational
practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity? Participants shared their
perceptions about challenges, difficulties, and obstacles throughout the interview. During the
midpoint of each interview, I offered the participants an opportunity to reflect following their
responses to the Professional Development section. I asked them to consider the first part of the
interview and contemplate their successes and challenges to that point. As a follow-up, I asked if
any obstacles remained. Twin Cities’ educators’ efforts demonstrated tremendous variance
between and even within districts. The perceived challenges ranged from minor struggles to
substantial obstacles, and several different issues appeared throughout the interviews.
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Nevertheless, the undercurrent of racism, racial disparities, biases, and White privilege surfaced
and proved nearly universal in some form.
Systemic Issues
The bulk of the challenges and obstacles the participants reported to their efforts to
improve educational excellence and racial equity involved systemic issues. The participants who
addressed the topic split the problem between the system and their colleagues. A few paired the
two together. The meaning of the term system varied somewhat, depending on the participant,
but essentially entailed policies, practices, and strategies designed to promote racial equity.
It's Not Me; It’s the System
The Librarian shared a story of a recurring problem at many sessions attempting to
improve racial equity. Frequently, at least one participant shares how they “aren’t part of the
problem” or “it’s just the system.” They described how the individual joined the group. “The
teacher started the conversation by saying, ‘I know it’s not me. I’m here, so I'll do the work, but I
don't need to change anything. I just wanted to hear what everyone was saying.’” Sam summed
up where the problem often begins, “Too many times, equity appears, and it is seen as an option
versus a part of the system.” Nicole continued taking Sam’s initial thoughts deeper with the
difficulties they face enforcing equity policies:
A big chunk of new teachers might not have foundational equity work like Beyond
Diversity. Now, it’s optional; It shouldn't be. Obviously, with building leaders, the anti-
racist educator, and anti-racist cohorts, they don’t get the option, but how do we mandate
the schools? Without the backing of a state statute or a requirement, it’s a suggestion. If
we say, ‘no, the district policy says we expect you to do this.’ If it doesn’t fit their
mindset, they can find another district, and someone will hire them in this market.
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Across the literature reviewed in Chapter 2, the need for staff buy-in marked a recurring
theme in accepting new equity-minded policies and practices, reforming performance and
evaluation, building equity-focused professional development or PLCs, and reforms to school
discipline. Sam, Tom, and Clare want to achieve educational excellence and racial equity for
their students. However, the divide between the regions of Metro West appears broad, based on
Clare’s comments. Tom works on “that side of the district,” as she referred to the more affluent
side. Clare demonstrated the rift between the two sides when assessing the pending changes:
It just feels like we teach different students, and there was no recognition of that. We are
in the trenches doing this work and loving on our children. And you are making us go
back through the years and treating us as if we don’t know anything, just like the teachers
on the other side of the district.
Conversely, Clare concedes that while her building thrives on meeting the SEL needs of
its students, the educational debt remains. However, Sam only started to implement his district-
wide equity program. Based on what Sam and I discussed, the program leaves the system the
same on how Clare’s site develops and nurtures its relationships with its students. It focuses on
establishing a common language for equity, framing equitable mindsets among staff, and
removing barriers to progress. Clare’s sensemaking remains locked into her established situation.
She admits she “doesn’t see how Sam’s program will address the educational debt when it seems
concerned about teacher perceptions of students.” Many of her colleagues share Clare’s
sensemaking process, potentially complicating Sam’s plans to fulfill the Equity Promise.
Still, sometimes even when educators work to establish a solid foundation to improve
equitable results for their students, the system provides additional obstacles. Gretchen told me
about a frustrating conversation between her and one of her Black teachers with family members
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struggling at the high schools in Metro Central. The conversation details how nothing guarantees
that the reforms educators make at one site create lasting effects at different sites:
She effectively told me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you do here, they’re going to go to high
school, and the way that the system is set up right now is there, they’re going to fail.
They're not going to have the supports we’ve put in place here to help them navigate the
system and not be oppressed.’ Our system is set up, and a student fails only to return to
high school. They go back to the system that failed them the first time. So, it feels like
we’re a hamster in a wheel going around and around.
White Fragility and Racial Discrimination
Perhaps no response struck a more assertive tone in this section of the study than Omar’s
response, “White fragility.” The concept originated with Dr. Robin DiAngelo (2018), and an
article by Legg and Caporuscio (2020) detailed some primary causes and their damage. They
noted that White people often experience White fragility when faced with explanations about
racist behavioral patterns, other White colleagues not agreeing with their perspective on race,
and feeling discomfort over discussions of racial justice or inequality. However, Legg and
Caporusico also cited that having a person of color discuss their racial experiences or failing to
protect a White person’s feelings regarding racism also triggers White fragility. White fragility
perpetuates racial issues by shutting down conversations about equity. Some individuals grow
defensive enough to turn the situation around, placing a person of color in a position where they
feel the need to console the White individual (Legg & Caporusico, 2020).
Omar described how it impacts their attempts to improve racial equity for students:
I hear it. The pushback, the resistance … and it’s like understanding that you need to
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create space for others so that they can also be successful … and so when we say that we
create space for their humanity to be seen doesn’t negate that your life does not matter. It
just means that their lives matter too. That’s the part dealing with White fragility that is
hard. It slows the process down because there is already a sense of urgency.
Their comments reminded me of the attempts by local White educators to replace the
students’ use of Black Lives Matter slogans with All Lives Matter in the fall after the Philando
Castile killing in 2016. Each time, it derailed the potential to hold a meaningful conversation
with the students about racism and undermined the context of the violence that led to the
movement. By comparison, the participants at Metro Charter described students at their school
organizing Black Lives Matter protests following the killings of George Floyd in 2020 and
Daunte Wright in 2021. The staff opted to support them despite the conservative community and
potential fallout. Kelly said some parents chose to withdraw their students from Metro Charter as
a result of the decision.
The concept of White fragility undercuts the spaces of educators of color and Indigenous
educators in efforts to contribute to a number of aspects of educational reforms to improve
equitable outcomes. Omar described the absence of those voices for long periods in equity
policy, curriculum or instructional changes, or other efforts to make systemic changes: “When
we do, you’ll have one Black or Brown person, and they’re tokenized … their opinions are not
valued enough to create change because they cause discomfort.” The stories and experiences of
Black educators, community members, or students force White administrators or other
policymakers to confront the racism within their system. While facing the potential racism in
their system creates uneasiness among Whites, silence perpetuates the marginalization of Black
students.
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Harley also spoke of struggling to gain the support of some of her White colleagues
involving equity work: “We try to have conversations about how they show up in spaces of
Black students, how to engage them. Immediately, it shifts to, ‘why are you telling me this? I’m
not the one with the problem.’ They grow so defensive.” Harley’s efforts make her a change
agent, even if the progress remains slow and she fails to see it. She creates openings to cause
discomfort for staff members and the possibility that they partake in self-reflection. Through
continued engagement, her colleagues potentially gain racial stamina to change their behavior
and continue more difficult conversations (Legg & Caporuscio, 2020). She also demonstrates the
availability of an ally to the student.
Tom felt his experiences with some staff members started to blur the lines between White
fragility and more traditional barriers of racial discrimination inhibiting positive educational
outcomes. He raised the topic of discussions among the staff of implicit bias and the concept of
anti-racism. As he shared his own story and commitments with them, he noted the discomfort it
caused a number of the staff members: “That makes many of them not want to continue doing
the job. But we have to be honest about how our bias plays out in a classroom.”
He thought his staff’s behavior shifted into a racially discriminatory nature because of
feedback from students and his observations and walkthroughs:
Our kids feel the difference in how certain teachers respond when Black students are late.
I see those things when I do walkthroughs and evaluations, which have to be pointed out.
They may be subconscious, but if a Black student is sent out of class or repeatedly
spoken to a certain way, and a White student receives different treatment, our staff
contributes to the problem, and I will address that.
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As Sam thought about the system at Metro West, he brought up an opponent to the
proposed changes he was bringing ins his position as Director of Educational Equity: “The
opponent said something to the effect of, ‘I don’t want to have anti-racist schools. I want to have
STEAM schools.’ I was like, okay, I understand; why can’t we have both?” He described that his
experiences in similar situations taught him that some White parents hear “anti-racist” and
assume the system offers nothing to their students: “And I tell them I want to create a system
around understanding the human purpose of each of you and getting you what you need.” He
said not everyone leaves the conversations invested in the program, but he believes they
understand its purpose is not shaming White students.
Privilege: Transportation and Technology
Privilege emerged as one theme challenge preventing educational excellence and racial
equity. Kelly discussed the problem of transportation as one such barrier. Most of Metro
Charter’s local student population is White. It attempts to draw students from the Metro area.
Metro Charter is a Pre-K −12 school, which based on demographic information from the MDE
Report Card, likely means that most students of color require bussing to attend the Lower School
and younger years of the Upper School. As Kelly noted:
We would love to get more students of color here and give them access to our immersion
and IB programs, but there needs to be mass transit to this area. Students from St. Paul or
Minneapolis can only get here if they have a ride. A lack of transportation creates
inequity in educational opportunities and extracurricular activities. You name it. It isn’t
just for us, either. It is all over the Twin Cities. How many students of color can’t attend
the schools they want because we lack adequate transportation for them?
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She sighed momentarily and continued, “Don’t even get me started on the technology
problems … but that’s another issue. You do your best for the students. Especially those who
have the least, right?” Motivated by their financial constraints, she writes grant proposals every
fall and spring to expand Metro Charter’s budget. Her priority is increased salaries for her staff
and improved technology for students. Beyond that, she hopes to expand the professional
development of her staff and find ways to expand enrichment programs for students by
overcoming the transportation hurdles they face: "If not this year, we try next year … and keep
trying the state.” Kelly views her challenges as boosting the school’s overall financial health to
allow her staff to focus on supporting the students who need help achieve equitable results.
Rick’s story covered less depth but touched upon how transportation adds to the burden
of students facing economic hardships while struggling to keep pace in school:
From when I worked at Native America charters to now, nearly every student of color I
taught worked as many hours as they went to school to help the family. If your family
doesn’t have money for transportation, if they have a car and it breaks down, even if there
is a problem with a bus and then you can’t make it or you’re late, suddenly, according to
a point system, then you don’t have a job. Now you have to explain why you lost that job
on your next application. You can turn that situation into different outcomes based on
how that student looks, where they live, and who their parents are. All that stress on 16-
year-olds, and then we make them worry about how they will be treated at school if they
don’t get their math done.
Rick added that the disparities in transportation issues fell hardest on his students of color over
the years. They tended to rely more on public transportation or share vehicles than their White
students.
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Given her experience in online teaching, Anna potentially understands the technology
issues related to racial equity better than any of the other participants. She constantly advocates
on behalf of her student’s ability to access technology outside of school and complete
assignments:
Most of my Black students arrived here pre-COVID, but their community was hit hard.
Almost all are on free-or-reduced. Yes, they get a district device, but they need reliable
internet. Many of them don’t have that at home. You still have teachers with the deadline
is a deadline mindset, even though the district has set out guidelines saying the opposite.
Are they supposed to jump on their bike at 8:00 p.m. when Mom gets home and head to
Caribou or the library to find Wi-Fi? I still get the ‘what are they doing all day?’ from
half their teachers. I’m trying to get them to a fourth-grade reading level. I have to print
and rewrite all the assignments off Apex for them because the language is too advanced.
Anna faces a similar situation discussed by Allen and Penuel (2015) on the constraints
placed on sensemaking in isolation. She remains devoted to her students and engaged in finding
new ways to help them understand the material. On the other hand, she works in conditions filled
with ambiguity and lacks support. While Allen and Penuel focused on the need for collaboration
on professional development and implementing new standards, they noted consequences for
teachers left in isolation. The teacher in the study left alone developed a narrow sensemaking
view of her situation, leaving concerns about the possibilities of handling uncertainties. Most of
Anna’s interview consisted of falling back on experiences at her previous districts while
indicating she operated in a constant state of survival mode attempting to get the best results for
her students.
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Lost Experience: Starting Over
Alaina viewed the budgetary constraints as an impediment to improving racial equity
from another perspective. The limited funds mean Metro Charter’s salary scale starts to fall
behind the district public schools as teachers reach veteran status or acquire higher degrees. She
described the struggles of maintaining a staff well-versed in equity policies or her equity training
with the turnover:
We lose amazing teachers because they can’t afford to buy a house or raise a family.
Then we have to bring the community back together. True, it comes with an infusion of
new ideas, but it brings us back to square one with so much of our equity work with a
quarter, maybe half of our staff every couple of years. What budget we get to do our
equity-related professional development is difficult to sustain, especially when you need
to take a step back. We rely on local teachers who don’t have the expertise and the
programs I develop. However, I don’t feel qualified to lead this level of professional
development.
Alaina’s background and training suggest otherwise on her capabilities to lead equity-
based professional development. She demonstrates a retrospective form of sensemaking to
address the problem. She repeatedly responds to the instability of their situation and intervenes,
understanding the need to foster stability in their equity work (Weick, 1995). However, she
views her identity through the lens of a building administrator rather than the “external” expert
she frequently referenced as a necessary component for high-quality equity work.
At one point or another, all the administrators mentioned turnover as an obstacle to
helping improve racial equity. As stated, Metro Charter salaries often failed to keep pace with
neighboring districts with access to union contracts and local funding. Metro East’s staffing
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pressures had impacted them heavily since COVID. With the influx of new staff, Mike
commented on having to “do some turbo catchup” at the start of every year to get the staff on a
unified equity plan. Early-year equity meetings involved grading policies, expectations, goal
setting, and extra walkthroughs. However, turnover at the district level causes delays similar to
getting his people hired and starting on building plans. As Mike described,
Sometimes, they don’t have the people in HR to get candidates in for teaching positions.
Last year, I didn’t have one of my assistant principals until August. Teaching and
learning always have massive turnover, leading to delays when the district wants specific
professional development done. After COVID, they wanted a set PD on culture. Almost a
third of the staff was new, so we needed that on Day 1 to get through it, and we didn’t
have it. Every time these things happen, it takes away from time that we should be
focusing on our equity plans since that is what drives our building.
Get Rid of Grades
Deuces targeted grades as “one of the most inequitable educational practices.” He viewed
the “F” as a label, especially since it tied into factors that typically impacted Black students more
than White ones in previous positions: “What student gets sent out for what a White teacher
perceives as disruptive behavior? The Black student is now out of class and is missing
instruction. Then we have the slippery slope to the F.”
He suggested a “NY” for not yet, to give students time to meet standards, but found the
A, B, and C acceptable. He referred to the 100% scale as “mathematically irrational. I can’t
believe we’ve done it this long. The ‘0’ is as bad as F for a kid.” Deuces realizes grading is a
losing battle and refers to it as the bridge he “tried to die on. I really did. They wouldn’t let me;
they wouldn’t cross the bridge on how we communicate feedback to kids.” He believes the
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alternative that avoids grades provides students a better path to success, especially Black students
who need guidance and feedback:
We always talk about achievement gaps, then hang an ‘F’ on a kid, a label that says they
failed. Our Black students spend most of their time in school labeled already. Look at the
Special Education or discipline numbers and compare the Black students, especially the
boys, to the White students. Now, we add that academic label. We say, ‘you have nine
missing assignments; get them done!’ We might lose them. We have a system that makes
it tougher for that kid to get help because they have to ride the bus home and can’t get a
ride from mom or dad. Why can’t we sit with them and say, ‘Here is where we are. This
is what we are going to do. Let's get you there.’ We start giving these kids meaningful
attention and feedback; then, we can look at data about the achievement gap. Until then,
the deck is stacked against them.
Deuces also pointed out that most schools he worked for, including Metro Exurb, cut funds to
provide bussing for after-school programs, eliminating the ability for many students to receive
help from teachers outside of class.
Conclusion
Research Question 2 asked the participants to describe what they viewed as the
challenges they faced in improving educational excellence and racial equity in Twin Cities
schools. As part of the interview, I also asked them to consider what obstacles they faced to
achieve equitable results for their students. Systemic issues posed the most significant hurdle for
most of the participants. While some noted problems within the policies and practices of their
districts, they tied the issues to staff behaviors.
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The literature reviewed in Chapter 2 frequently discussed the need for staff buy-in for
equity-related policies, practices, and strategies to create lasting changes for students. Sam
described a problem common to equity work when he stated, “too many times, equity appears,
and it is seen as an option versus a part of the system.” The Librarian and Nicole highlighted
how many teachers share this view. The training “doesn’t apply to them.” Their mindset tunes
out the message. Metro West further demonstrates the importance of teacher buy-in as Sam
begins to craft a district-wide equity program. Tom and Clare share differing views on the
program’s potential benefits, creating potential obstacles for future equity work. The concept of
White fragility also posed a problem. Omar described a tendency of White educators to push
back against confronting systemic racism in their practices. Other participants described the
difficulties in addressing staff behaviors with the inconsistent treatment of Black students,
especially in disciplinary issues.
Still, other participants noted problems associated with logistical problems associated
more with privilege or equity issues caused by staffing problems or grades. Kelly and Rick
framed the transportation issues of the Twin Cities as an equity problem for students. From
Kelly’s perspective, the lack of transportation deprived students of color of opportunities to
attend schools of their choosing or enrichment programs. Rick commented on how transportation
issues added an economic burden that disproportionately impacted his students of color. The
economic pressures only placed further stress on students already struggling to graduate.
Both Alaina and Mike highlighted turnover as disruptions to equity-related work.
Replacing and retraining new staff caused both to exert the energy and time they felt they needed
to move forward with new training or equity-related professional development. Deuces focused
on grading as an equity issue that placed unfair labels disproportionately on Black students.
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Rather than providing valuable feedback to help students grow as learners, he asserted that the
system pushed students further back with failed classes. Research Question 3 addresses the
successes the participants experienced in their efforts to improve educational excellence and
racial equity.
Results: Research Question 3
Research Question 2 asked the participants to assess the challenges they faced in their
efforts to help students achieve equitable results. Conversely, Research Question 3 sought to
answer the following: What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms
focused on educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity? They
permitted the participants to create a sense of meaning on the impact they played in the lives of
their students, but many struggled at times to tie those successes to equity. In some cases, RQ3
often proved more difficult for the participants to discuss.
Finding Success
Rick was an exception and immediately answered with a proud smile that completely
shifted the calm, stoic nature he maintained through most of the interview:
Spending most of my career in alternative settings and being handed a group of kids told,
‘You won’t graduate.’ or ‘If you do, you’re going to graduate late.’ or even ‘Do your best
not to be a burden on society.’ The successes that I look at are the number of graduates,
whether on time or not, the intellectual maturity growth in the students, and even the
perseverance. Students of color enter an alternative setting, and most people assume it’s
the end of the road for them, a dumping ground when their school doesn’t want them, or
the system fails them.
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Rick built his career on relationships. He initiates and cultivates them over time until he
witnesses “his kids” finally reach success. Equitable outcomes for him meant a career of
ensuring the student of color that entered his room found a pathway to success:
In every school I’ve worked at, a Black student needed to get a door opened. They always
had a few more credits missing and more suspensions or behavioral issues on their
records. The math on the paper never really added up to the person I met. But I know the
situations they come from. I knew it when I started at the Native American schools; it is
the same now. When I can play a small part in helping them put some of what held them
back behind and help them move forward, help them see what they can do. I’m probably
not closing the achievement gap, but I hope to help make their next step easier.
Ray’s idea of success aligned with Rick’s: “Any chance to hear they found success or
something they wanted out of life. I want to hear that more than anything. I wish we could
guarantee that, especially with some of the trials I know what they face here.” Ray understands
the environment his students live in. He knows the need to build up the equity program in Metro
Exurb ahead of the increase in diversity. Unfortunately for the students, Ray’s superiors choose
to ignore his voice on equity and diversity in the district.
Personal Growth
Most participants required more reflection than Rick on what they regarded as a success
in their efforts to improve equitable outcomes for their students. Ultimately, most participants
viewed their personal growth and increased racial awareness as their greatest success. Nicole
highlighted the awareness she gained and the drive to make the curriculum more student-
centered. She discussed the change in her mindset about looking at the problem Black students
face in achieving and “putting ourselves in their shoes, cultivating empathy for the students. We
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learned to listen to the data from the state rather than making excuses and putting everything on
the kids.”
Anna felt she needed a better response to the question from the standpoint of
accomplishing something of greater significance: “I’m still on my journey towards becoming
anti-racist. However, drops of knowledge alter your worldview, and I’ve grown in my racial
awareness. I only hope I’m making the lives of Black students better.”
However, Anna undersells her increased awareness’s value in her students’ lives. When
asked to define her role in helping her students achieve educational excellence, she described
going the extra step to make connections for one of her students whose family moved from
Liberia. When discussing slavery in class, the student knew a connection existed between her
country and slavery in the United States. The teacher ignored her question, but Anna researched
the answer for her. She brought the information back to the teacher to provide to the class. When
the district conducted a Veterans Day project to honor a family veteran, Anna ensured her
Hmong students included their relatives that fought along with American soldiers in the Vietnam
War. She knew her voice as a White woman carried enough influence to help her students have
their cultures seen by others.
Anna’s story provides an example of how increasing the racial awareness of teachers
presents an opportunity for them to apply their knowledge on their student’s behalf. Three
teachers spoke about how their increased cultural awareness motivated them to act as change
agents. Alaina and Kelly made systemic changes, while Clare described a more personal story.
As highlighted earlier, Alaina and Kelly eliminated the dress code and put interventions and
support teams at Metro Charter to educate staff and support Black students. Their actions created
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a more culturally accepting environment while reducing behavior and special education referrals
for Black students.
Clare finally asked one of her Black students why she disrupted her quiet classroom. The
girl responded, “Why do all you White teachers think I’m yelling at you? This is how I talk.” She
paused momentarily and continued, “I just assumed her intent. I apologized, and we built a great
relationship. I have fewer moments like that now. That’s my moment of success, and I share it
with our staff to build from.” Clare turned a potentially harmful situation with a student into an
opportunity to enlighten her colleagues about how their behavior can impact their Black students.
The System Changers
Most of the participants identified successes of a personal nature that improved their
practice and positively impacted the lives of the students they worked with. Neither Sam nor
Omar considers themselves system changers. However, their actions and dedication to equity-
driven work provide essential components for systemic changes.
Sam views his actions as the foundation for someone else to pick up: “I’m not going to
change the system. I’m too old to change the system.” Sam laughed as he told me about the 22-
year-old he hired to “take over the reins.” Sam asserts that his work establishes the framework,
so his replacement has a solid foundation to continue building capacity:
I can help put the structures in place. If I won the lottery and, like, I’m out of here? They
wouldn’t have to start over from square one. They’re starting from square 10. That has
me feeling successful. I’m not doing the work; I’m just building the capacity in each
individual to do this work.
Sam recognized his mindset shift as a critical success. He experienced many Black
males’ negative feelings in the educational system but grew to understand he “wasn’t dealing
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with bad people. I’m dealing with folks that don’t have knowledge. We need the compassion and
understanding to meet folks where they are.” The shift in Sam’s mindset provided a path to his
current work. He altered his understanding of a system that mistreated him in a manner that
allowed him to transform into a sensegiver for others committed to equity work.
Omar thrives as a storyteller and community builder. They celebrated a list of stories
about the accomplishments of others without acknowledging their role. Omar talked about how
much they “loved seeing” the creation of affinity spaces and multicultural diversity added to
district-related events and PTO meetings. They also highlighted the importance of school
districts across the state creating land acknowledgments with the Indigenous people in their
community.
Additionally, Omar described the joy of “seeing” educational leaders who center equity
by modeling and coaching anti-racist behavior to their staff. However, they placed themselves
outside the experience, despite the importance of their role. Like Sam, Omar is building a
framework. The difference is that Omar’s extends to several districts across the Metro.
For Omar, the role they take matters less than the result. They celebrate the joy of seeing
educators succeed because students receive what they need:
It’s about the students. I make sure they have their voice heard and that they see the
actions. I always told the students, ‘I’m not going just to sit here and hear you. I’m going
to take what you say and make it happen.’ So, it’s getting more leaders to recognize that
it’s my job, as a leader, to make sure students are getting what they need, and I feel
responsible for making sure that they get what they need, which is the best educator that
loves them. Because I work with many adults, if I can help influence the mindsets and
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beliefs of White educators, I’m helping one student at a time. I’m helping one class at a
time. I’m helping one school district at a time.
Like Sam, Omar works as a sensegiver to the educators they work with. They provide knowledge
from professional development and data on what students need. Omar’s view of success lies in
the work others achieve. However, Omar establishes the success others enjoy through their
commitment to racial equity.
Conclusion
Research Question 3 asked the participants to describe what they viewed as the successes
they achieved in improving educational excellence and racial equity in Twin Cities schools. In
some cases, the participants responded with successes irrelevant to equity work, such as retaining
staff after COVID. However, throughout the interviews, most participants centered their
successes around personal growth and increased racial awareness. Their awareness typically led
to action that benefited their students directly or indirectly by influencing policy or other staff
members. Omar and Sam stood out from the rest to the degree that I labeled them “system
changers.” Their actions in equity work create multiple frameworks to build future systems to
benefit educators and students.
Summary of Findings
Chapter 4 presented the findings from the Qualitative semi-structured interviews. The
sample included five schools from different parts of the Twin Cities Metro selected to achieve
maximum variance. Metro Central provided one of the state’s largest, most diverse districts and
filled the same role in the study. It presents a complex system of equity policies designed to help
its Black students successfully navigate Metro Central. Metro West and Metro East represented
the suburbs. Like many suburban districts, both Metro West and Metro East contained elements
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of the division. Suburban districts across the Twin Cities appear increasingly segregated by race,
socioeconomics, and the perceptions over the number of resources one side of the district
receives or the method the side runs its schools. The exurbs represented the areas on the outer
ring of the Metro and the areas growing the fastest. (Buchta & Webster, 2022). The growth
comes with increasing diversification. One district, Metro Exurb, must respond faster to the
shifting demographics. However, Metro Charter welcomes the changes, engaging in progressive
action to prioritize equity. The interviews allowed the participants to delve deeply into each area,
allowing me to craft a detailed narrative to encapsulate their responses.
The primary areas I asked the participants about emerged from the literature and focused
on their perceptions of race, policies, teacher performance, professional development, teacher
diversity, and discipline impacted efforts to improve educational reforms and racial equity. For
many questions, sensemaking provided a lens to examine how participants processed
uncertainty, identified with their roles or situations, or considered why they acted. I developed
the lens for each individual through an ongoing process. The idea that we never get the complete
story at once, which evolves as we gather more information, is a core facet of sensemaking
(Weick et al., 2005). Questions 2, 3, 7, 12, and 13 and some probing questions helped establish
my sensemaking lens. Chapter 5 discusses the findings, the study’s implications,
recommendations, the limitations I discovered, and prospects for future research.
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Chapter Five: Discussion
Chapter 5 discusses the findings and the implications of the study to inform the practice
of current and future educators. The key findings and recommendations for practice focus on
facilitating educational excellence and racial equity by allowing educators to examine the
experiences, challenges, and successes of peers efforts to improve the outcomes for Black
students. The chapter also examines additional limitations the study revealed, along with
recommendations for future research.
My study sought to create a narrative-driven examination of the efforts of educators to
improve educational excellence and racial equity for Black students in the Twin Cities. It looked
at reform efforts in the policies, practices, and strategies they employ to improve equitable
practices, if any. In constructing the narrative, I used qualitative, semi-structured interview
protocols to gather the perceptions and experiences of 14 educators from five districts across the
Metro and one who worked in leadership roles with multiple districts. To examine the reforms, I
established three research questions to guide the study:
1. What reforms in educational practices are Twin Cities schools pursuing to improve
educational excellence and racial equity?
2. What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
3. What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on
educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity?
Discussion of Findings
Minnesota continues to face one of the widest education gaps between White and Black
students in the country based upon pre-COVID proficiency data on the Minnesota
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Comprehensive Assessments, suspension rates, and on-time graduation rates for Black students
(Crann et al., 2019; Shockman, 2019; Minnesota Compass, 2022). The continued existence of the
gap indicates the need for more consistent policies, practices, and strategies for educators across
the Twin Cities Metro.
Research Question 1
Research Question 1 examined the reforms educators pursue to improve educational
excellence and racial equity. Based on the literature, I reviewed teacher performance and
evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity, and school discipline with the
participants. Each district faces unique needs and challenges. As such, I expected to find the
variations that emerged in the policies, practices, and strategies described by the participants
from different districts. However, as the results illustrated, different perspectives emerged on
equity issues within the districts, with the most significant division appearing in the suburban
districts.
With teacher performance and evaluation, district systems centered on growth models.
Administrators tended to place a higher value on their evaluation framework to create equitable
results than the teachers I interviewed. In Metro Exurb’s case, the rubric caused the issue. A
combination of the number of elements in Marzano and the district’s focus on two or three each
year limits its ability to place equity as a critical element in its observation cycle or professional
growth plans. The other four teachers reported either their site or administrator failed to provide
at least one of the essential elements to ensure the development of a successful performance and
evaluation system: well-trained administrators, ongoing and clear communication, meaningful
feedback, consistency, a clearly defined rubric and expectations (Alexander et al., 2017;
Neumerski et al., 2018; Song et al., 2021). With critical components missing in their growth
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process, it remains difficult to continue to improve their ability to check implicit bias or improve
their cultural competency.
Professional development offers an avenue to strengthen evaluation and performance
systems. However, the exurb districts face questions over accessibility, sustainability, and
commitment. While the suburban districts possess access to successful, equity-related
professional development tools, Metro East and Metro West participants reported troubling
inconsistencies. Darling-Hammond et al. (2017) state that effective professional development
requires sustainability and collaboration. The issues reported in the districts indicate potential
difficulties in engaging in long-term equity-minded professional development until stable
systems are implemented. Metro Exurb requires a commitment to equity-related professional
development and moving away from “one and done” sessions. Metro Charter needs the resources
to sustain its equity-related professional development.
Increasing teacher diversity creates a particular issue in a state where 84% of districts are
experiencing teacher shortages (Williams, 2023). However, Kelly and Alaina described the
impact Mr. D. had on their students. He provided a positive role model and offered academic and
emotional support but maintained high academic and behavioral expectations for all students.
His example fits the benefits described in the literature that Black teachers provide Black and
White students (Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019; Rosen, 2018).
Sam described the need to break the connection between the harmful experiences many
Black students face in schools to help convince them to become educators. Educators like Sam,
Omar, or Mr. D. provide individuals with similar experiences and can help them address implicit
bias and stereotypes (Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019). However, despite positive role
models and access to the profession through programs like “Grow Your Own Teacher,” the
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system still needs to change to retain Black teachers. Black teachers are less likely than White
teachers to stay in public education after 2 years (Jones, 2019). The literature confirms the
presence of harmful elements in the system. It identified that most Black educators leave the
profession due to limited influence and autonomy, trust issues, disconnection from peers, and
lack of emotionally safe spaces (Alexander et al., 2017; Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019;
Jones, 2019). Increasing the number of Black teachers in schools offers a chance to reduce the
Metro’s belief gap. Still, it worsens it if Black students see their teachers quickly leaving the
system.
School discipline evoked personal responses from several participants, including
educators and parents, who highlighted the trauma and microaggressions experienced by Black
students. Two White participants shared stories of dealing with school officials whose demeanor
rapidly shifted when they realized a White parent, with “insider knowledge,” had arrived to
discuss their Black son or daughter’s perceived behavior. Several others reported their
frustrations over a lack of support on how to make changes to help their Black students in a
system that disproportionately targets their behavior, despite claims of reform.
Omar indicated the problem of why the reform claims remain problematic. While Metro
educators look more at restorative practices, policies remain rooted in punitive language.
Gregory et al. (2021) described how restorative practices (RP), including policy, require a
transformation in school culture. RP also empowers students and staff to engage in conversations
about implicit bias and racial issues. It requires consistent training from a dedicated staff to close
the disciplinary gap between White and Black students.
The suburban districts merit their own discussion on efforts to implement equity-related
policies. The severity of the educational gap between Black and White students in the Twin
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Cities extends beyond academic achievement. The belief gap between attending college and
gaining better economic prospects remains prevalent for Black students (Crann et al., 2019). The
literature describes the need for districts to establish equity-centered policies. Building solid
programs involves establishing robust evaluation systems, equity-centered PLCs, and
professional development around establishing routines and strategies. Allowing staff to create a
shared curriculum, time for setting goals, and applying their work to student learning facilitates
increased opportunities for student success (Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019; Lieberman &
Miller, 2011).
Regardless of the cause, the differences in participant experiences from the same district
create concern. Metro East’s issues are related to site leadership. However, Mike indicated high
turnover at the district office in its teaching and learning and equity departments. The turnover
often translates into delays in training and professional development materials. Anna’s site
lacked consistent leadership. Ultimately, the disruption translates into an environment that could
disproportionately negatively impact Black students, a problem that Anna commented on during
her interview.
Leadership issues have the potential to stabilize. Lacking a district representative from
Metro East limited my ability to ask about possible plans to address Anna’s reported problems.
Metro West’s issues stem from an internal conflict over demographics and concerns over
implementing district-wide equity policies. Metro West’s superintendent tasked Sam with
fulfilling the Equity Promise’s commitment to delivering the same quality of education to every
student in the district regardless of race, ethnicity, or location. Close et al. (2020) highlighted the
importance of the language of new policies. Creating a common language to define equity across
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the district offers a chance to provide engaging interaction between its educators and to launch
unified conversations and training for the first time.
Lieberman and Miller (2011) stated that creating a culture of educators committed to
working collaboratively with one another takes dedication and effort. Sam realizes he is
establishing a framework for a long-term investment in the district’s students, not a quick-fix
intervention. However, attempting to implement common professional development created
concern for Clare and others at her site. They fear disregarding their previous work and
autonomy, despite Sam only starting the position. Their uncertainty and skepticism of the
changes entrenched their reality in the status quo of their equity work with students (Allen &
Penuel, 2014; Weick et al., 2005).
Nevertheless, the Black students at Clare’s site struggle to make academic progress. In an
area where Black students continue to face educational gaps with their White peers, Sam offers a
new chance for Metro West’s students to close that gap. For the good of the students, the staff
needs to work on closing their own gap and make an effort to accept the resources offered to
fulfill the Equity Promise.
Research Question 2
Research Question 2 examined the challenges participants described in their efforts to
improve educational excellence and racial equity. Systemic issues emerged as the predominant
theme. The struggle to change a system that contains obstacles preventing equitable results starts
at an individual level. The Librarian identified a frequent difficulty associated with equity-related
work with educators that need to see themselves as part of the problem: “It’s not me; it’s the
system.” Sam took a step further by assessing how often educators and districts treat equity as an
optional add-on component to the curriculum rather than a required part of their system. While
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the literature consistently underscores the need for educator buy-in, mindsets must also shift and
connect to the value of their equity-related work (Schmidt & Datnow, 2005).
Clare’s sensemaking provided a unique example of the struggle to change mindsets
providing a barrier to making equitable reforms. From her perspective, Sam’s efforts to bring a
uniform system that delivers a common language, professional development, and resources to
fulfill the district’s Equity Promise potentially disregard her site’s work. She identifies her site’s
work as meaningful and appropriate for the students in that part of the district. However, despite
its social-emotional success, she admits her site struggles to make academic progress. Schmidt
and Datnow (2005) described teachers’ difficulty understanding significant changes without
connecting to the reforms’ purpose. Many teachers at Clare’s site remain locked in this mindset,
unable to accept that Sam intends to make specific changes while maintaining their strengths.
However, Omar raised two complex challenges when pushing White educators to
improve student racial equity. The first lies in the challenge of dealing with the “Minnesota
Nice” cultural factor, and its associated passive-aggressive nature to avoid uncomfortable or
confrontational topics. Closing the educational gap between Black and White students in the
Twin Cities requires educators to face their implicit biases, increase their cultural competencies,
and open themselves up to culturally responsive strategies (Gregory et al., 2021; Kennedy,
2019). Omar understands the importance of balancing promoting racial equity and remaining
mindful of participants. They described the need for discomfort and severe reflection to create
meaningful changes to the educator’s classroom behavior. “Students see when we are genuine.”
However, Omar saw a second and potentially more damaging obstacle in the concept of
White Fragility, developed by Dr. Robin DiAngelo (2018). With White Fragility, discomfort
shifts to resistance and defensiveness. Several White educators grew triggered when presented
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with conversations about the need to allow people of color to grow or confront their own biases.
Omar elaborated that some White educators “fail to understand the need to create a space for
others to be successful and grow defensive over the prospect that race plays an issue in blocking
that space.” Sam described similar experiences with parents at school board meetings that
expressed opposition to building anti-racist schools. He found that some concerns revolved
around the misconception that anti-racist schools involve shaming White students rather than
empowering all students.
Research Question 3
Research Question 3 explored the successes the educators described in their efforts to
improve educational excellence and racial equity. Personal growth emerged as the primary theme
among the participants. Conversely, Omar and Sam created a unique secondary theme, as they
stood out from their peers as system changers.
As rampant as the educational gap between Black and White students is in the Twin
Cities, no policy, practice, or strategy will solve the problem for the districts examined in my
study. As a result, the successes predominately stemmed from their personal growth on their
equity-related journeys through professional development or experiences with students. They
discussed increased racial awareness and cultural competencies. Several White educators
commented on their reflections on White privilege and implicit bias. However, Anna and Clare
shared specific stories that stood out for their vulnerability and ability to connect to others.
Throughout her narrative, Anna consistently undervalued her role in the equity journey.
However, her racial awareness gave her an understanding of the influence her voice as a White
woman carried among her White colleagues in Metro East. It allows her to advocate for her
students of color and ensure their teachers hear their voices. It also helped her students have their
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cultures seen by others across the district. Each year, Metro East creates a district-wide Veterans
Day project. Anna used her position to assure that families of her Hmong students, who served
alongside the American soldiers in the Vietnam War, were included in the project. Metro East
honored the Hmong soldiers in its community for the first time due to Anna’s personal growth.
Clare’s story transformed a potentially harmful microaggression into an opportunity to
enlighten her colleagues. After several episodes of perceived disruptive behavior, Clare asked the
student why she acted how she did. She learned she mislabeled the behavior, which was how the
student spoke. The literature confirms that White teachers often misinterpret the behavior of
Black students as disruptive and disproportionately assign consequences (Gregory et al., 2021;
Okonofua & Eberhardt, 2015). Clare’s conversation with the student improved her racial
awareness and created a teachable moment to guide her coworkers about how their behavior can
impact Black students. While neither story closes the Metro’s educational gap, it demonstrates
how important improving an educator’s racial awareness can be in Black students’ lives.
Neither Sam nor Omar considers themselves “system changers.” Both view their work as
the foundation for someone else and minimize their role in the process. Yet they act as
sensegivers, mediating and shaping the day-to-day policies and practices of others in their
systems in an attempt to improve racial equity for Black students (Goffin et al., 2022). Sam’s
role currently sits within Metro West, while Omar extended their influence across several
districts throughout the Metro.
Franco et al. (2011) explained that educational leaders remove the obstacles and
structural barriers that prevent learners from achieving the best results. They provide the support
required to improve each situation. Sam perceives his role in Metro West as creating the
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framework for the uniform system to fulfill the Equity Promise by letting his successor start at
“square 10, instead of square one.” He views his true success as his personal mindset shift.
Still, Sam’s mindset shift led to his role as a sensegiver to others. He grew up mistreated
by the system. However, his perception of himself and the potential of education continued to
evolve until he saw it as a means to address the equities he experienced (Allen & Penuel, 2014;
Goffin et al., 2022; Weick et al., 2005). Sam understands that he needs to offer compassion and
meet people wherever they are on their equity journey. He knows pushing too hard or shaming
White educators to jump into action likely sends them away from the goal of promoting unity. “I
just have the tools, though; the educators do the real work. I’m just here to provide a little
knowledge when they are ready.”
Omar thrives as a storyteller and a community builder. They celebrate the story of others
while removing their own role in their successes, whether it is developing equity policies in
communities or seeing cultural changes. What stands out with Omar is how they acknowledge
their goal to model and coach anti-racist behavior to educators. The statement that reflects their
work best is how they “help influence the mindsets and beliefs of White educators; I’m helping
one student at a time. I’m helping one class at a time. I’m helping one school district at a time.”
However, the story’s context is one of “influence” rather than instruction or guidance. Like Sam,
Omar views their role as one that “just has the tools.”
The literature suggests their roles are more significant. For equity-related programs to
succeed, educators require a level of structure, guidance, and meaningful feedback to grow.
Professional development must be coordinated and sustained, with a culture committed to
working collaboratively (Carter Andrews & Richmond, 2019; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017;
Leonard & Woodland, 2022). These factors require guidance and active involvement.
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Limitations
In Chapter 1, I identified the sample size as a limitation that impacted generalization.
Under the area defined by the U.S. Department of Education, the Twin Cities contains 44 school
districts. The list excludes charter schools, and exurban districts counted as part of the Twin
Cities Metro by the U.S. Management and Budget. My study contained five districts, and I
interviewed three participants from each district. Thus, the number of districts and participants
from each district creates a small sample compared to the size of the Twin Cities.
Another limitation arose from Metro East. Mike made several attempts to connect with a
district-level administrator and reported no success. I also contacted several administrators in
their Teaching Learning and Equity Departments but received no response. As a result, Metro
East lacked district-level participation. The absence appeared most noticeable when comparing
Mike and Anna’s experiences with professional development and the teacher evaluation process.
Additionally, the study is narrative-driven and depends on the participant’s responses.
Their responses create possible limitations depending upon their integrity or depth. Many
participants frequently referred to “students of color” or “Black and Brown” rather than
explicitly Black students throughout their interviews. In its simplest form, sensemaking as a
theoretical framework entails the participant’s perception shaped by social factors. Some event or
disturbance takes place. It then causes some action: a recognition of a situation or response.
Following its resolution, the individual typically attempts to construct new meaning or evolve
their understanding of similar events.
During the interviews, situations arose where some participants expressed frustration
when such chains ended incompletely. They received equity training. It increased their awareness
of the problems their students faced. Then they gained no further insight on how to use this
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knowledge or future training, ending the cycle. Their desire to continue to create new perceptions
or to act on a problem remained, but they lost the ability to implement their work thoroughly and
consider why it matters (Weick et al., 2005). Some participants offered little reflection in
particular areas, but especially School Discipline.
Implications
My study aims to provide educators with a narrative-driven examination of the reform
efforts of educators in Twin Cities schools attempting to improve educational excellence and
racial equity. I also focused on the challenges and successes they faced as they worked to
improve equitable outcomes between Black and White students in schools across the Metro. The
study presented the perspectives of a district-level administrator, a building administrator, and a
teacher. I looked at different policies, practices, and strategies used by these individuals to try to
improve racial equity. I designed a rich narrative of how they viewed their efforts and why they
made their decisions. In some cases, the participants took no action or had no options provided
by their districts.
Based on the purpose of my study, it gives educators a chance to review the experiences
of their peers to implement equity-related reforms to policies, practices, and strategies, if any.
The narratives offer educators a chance to consider the participants’ thoughts on improving
educational excellence and racial equity in teacher performance and evaluation, professional
development, teacher diversity, and school discipline. They can also consider what their fellow
educators view as working to improve racial equity in these critical areas. The study highlights
the differences between districts in handling their equity policies, teacher performance and
evaluation plans, and professional development.
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Fullan and Quinn (2016) described the two required components of change as the quality
of the idea and the quality of the process. All participants acknowledged the need to bolster their
district policies, practices, and strategies to improve educational excellence and racial equity.
However, when examining the participant narratives, none of the districts reached a consensus
on both components. Metro Charter and Metro Central’s participants come the closest but
contain slight deviations to break up the quality of the process. For example, the Librarian and
Harley reported needing more equity-related feedback during their performance evaluations.
The study offers educators the opportunity to examine how the Librarian and Harley’s
district failed to combine both the quality of the idea and the quality of the process to enact
equity-related changes and inform their practice based on the discrepancies. Educators can
consider implementing professional development for administrators by linking walkthroughs to
performance evaluations to provide equity-related feedback. They can use the time to track
microaggressions or provide examples to other teachers to celebrate what works well (Kennedy,
2019). The staff can also work to develop professional development to address their
microaggressions or other inequitable behaviors based on the observations.
I hope current and future educators use the narratives to find potential gaps in their
practice based on the challenges and successes described by the participants about their
experiences and districts. For example, most participants reported continued struggles with
disparities between Black and White students in school discipline. While they expressed a belief
in the willingness of their colleagues to make changes, Omar pointed out that our system remains
rooted in punitive language. According to several participants, mindsets remain locked in
discipline practices that subconsciously punish Black students differently than White students.
Alaina offers some positive notes, and the struggles of the other participants present the chance
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for educators to explore other options. For example, they might consider discipline audits to
search for racial disparities over tardies or find methods to track microaggressions during
walkthroughs (Kennedy, 2019). The study allows educators to engage in their sensemaking
process and create meaning from the experiences of others’ challenges and successes in critical
areas to improve racial equity for students.
As such, consider where several participants highlighted the success they experienced
when working with community stakeholders to form equity-related policies. Sam provided a
model with Metro West’s partnership with its community to form a district equity council
(DEC). The DEC provides input and oversight from the community as the district works to fulfill
the Equity Promise. Omar also described the importance of involving the community, including
the students, in designing equity-related policies. Like Sam, Omar emphasized how community
involvement creates ownership and accountability as the district directly partners with its
stakeholders.
Moving beyond the study’s implications, participants provided data that offers
opportunities to create recommendations to assist educators in improving racial equity. The
recommendations came from participants perspectives and derived from common themes
throughout their narratives. Given the demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds of the
districts represented, three recommendations emerged as areas that districts could employ even
facing limited resources and with substantial support based upon the data. The recommendations
included establishing a required equity policy, equity-related evaluations, and participation in the
“Grow Your Own” programs to encourage more Black teachers to enter the schools.
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Recommendations
Recommendation 1: Establish a Required Equity Policy
Sam offered a critical assessment of equity for this study. For equity to work, it is
necessary to create a required system. However, he commented on remembering that equity
work requires patience. “It’s not like a light switch we flip on. We need to understand and meet
people where they are. People in education are good people; I guarantee you, when we give them
the skills, it will improve.” Desimone (2006) reinforces the value Sam places on skills. She
described that the new policies required specificity, support, materials, and professional
development to increase accessibility. Developing equity-minded PLCs to allow teachers to
collaborate, share resources, and engage with one another in safe spaces provides an
environment to help the new equity policy.
However, the literature throughout Chapter 2 consistently underscores the importance of
educator buy-in for equity-related reforms and policies to work. Roegman et al. (2020) expressed
concern over how invested educators are when something is mandatory. They described the need
to build a culture of trust to encourage involvement. Kennedy (2019) discussed creating a school
that fostered buy-in by recognizing fellow educators’ work and actively involving the staff in
developing the equity policy. Still, as Gretchen noted, hiring remains critical, and bringing in
equity-minded educators ensures the continued development of solid equity policy (Kennedy,
2019).
Recommendation 2: Develop Equity-Centered Formative Evaluations
As expressed earlier, the Librarian and Harley provide examples of how their districts
failed to meet Fullan and Quinn’s required components of change (2009) in their teacher
performance and evaluation systems. The components consist of the idea’s quality and the
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process’s quality. Metro Charter and Metro Central include equity-related elements in their
evaluation system. Still, each teacher reported issues and felt they failed to receive meaningful
feedback from their administrators, indicating a lack of the necessary trust to fully engage in the
system (Schmidt & Datnow, 2005).
The ability of an administrator to provide teachers with specific, evidence-based feedback
on their practice is crucial to growth. It also requires clear, understandable rubrics and
administrators to identify equity-related teaching practices, strengths, and weaknesses
(Alexander et al., 2017; Kennedy, 2019; Neumerski et al., 2018; Roegman et al., 2020).
Regardless of the teacher performance and evaluation model selected by the district, developing
a robust, equity-center component offers a vital tool for educators to improve racial outcomes.
The value of the system lies in its totality, however. Rooting the evaluation system in equity
must encompass the entire process, from formal observations to walkthroughs. Administrators
and teachers need to follow every walkthrough with meaningful conversations (Roegman et al
2020). As Omar stated, the process must be ongoing and consistent. “It can’t be one and only
one.”
Recommendation 3: Participate in the “Grow Your Own Teacher” Program and Change
the School Culture
All districts in the study except Metro Exurb participated in some form of the “Grow
Your Own Teacher” program with local colleges and universities in the Twin Cities. The
program offers Black students the opportunity to find a future in education by earning their
degree with a guaranteed placement in their community. Sam noted that one hurdle these
programs must overcome is the harmful experiences of a system that left many Black students
feeling isolated or traumatized. However, the culture must also change to keep Black educators
158
in the system once they return to their community. As Omar stated, districts must recognize the
voices of their Black educators, foster relationships, and “acknowledge their brilliance.”
The presence of Black educators provides benefits to students regardless of their
demographic background. The literature noted improved academic performance, enhanced post-
secondary outcomes, and a reduced focus on perceived behaviors. They also provide Black
students with a role model that possesses “insider knowledge” of implicit biases or shared
cultural backgrounds. However, Black educators also facilitate cross-cultural social bonding and
reduce stereotypes between White and Black students (Bond et al., 2015; Ingersoll et al., 2019;
Rosen, 2018). The “Grow Your Own Teacher” program provides students with a role model and
skilled Black educator who knows their community.
However, districts also need to develop and strengthen programs that reduce implicit bias
and improve cultural competency among its existing staff (Jones, 2019). These efforts benefit
Black educators and students by creating more inclusive school cultures. Likewise, while
promoting collaboration with White colleagues is essential, Black educators deserve emotionally
safe spaces to build relationships with teachers from diverse backgrounds (Jones, 2019). Finally,
I recommend developing a robust mentorship program with well-trained educators in equity-
driven professional development and cultural competency.
Future Research
With the limited number of educators involved in the qualitative interviews, designing a
mixed-methods study that includes quantitative data, such as surveys, offers a means to expand
the findings. One possible alteration involves using the explanatory sequential design described
by Lochmiller and Lester (2017). The design would allow me to prepare my semi-structured
qualitative interviews after collecting and interpreting the survey data from each site. Ideally, I
159
would send the survey to multiple sites and district-level personnel. For example, the data offers
the chance to alter the questions to “X percentage of the district teachers stated they received no
equity-related feedback throughout the evaluation system” and then frame a question based on
the information.
The second area for future research entails expanding the study to cover all students of
color and Indigenous students. In particular, the exurban regions demonstrate faster growth for
Hispanic/Latino and Asian students than Black students. Many participants initially answered
questions addressing students of color in general. In some cases, I needed responses specifically
for Black students and followed up for clarification. The educational and opportunity debts owed
to our students of color and Indigenous students require affording educators the same forum to
discuss their efforts. From a sensemaking stance, it provides the opportunity to ask if
perspectives change when variables associated with race change.
A natural limitation of any dissertation is time. Given the opportunity, I would extend the
study into more districts across the Metro. One district of interest stands out as a highly
successful equity program, and examining its model to compare it to others presents an ideal
candidate. Likewise, purposefully sampling more affluent districts, districts notably struggling,
and other charter schools would increase sample variance across the Twin Cities.
A final potential variation emerged stemming from the size of the study. The research
questions opened my study to several directions to explore racial equity in the Twin Cities.
Selecting the number of policies and practices I used made the study quite broad. One change is
to alter the research question and work with a specific district in the Twin Cities to construct a
detailed narrative or case study. Another change involves focusing on how specific policies or
practices work in certain areas. For example, given the increasing growth and diversification of
160
the exurbs, examine the efforts of different exurban districts to implement equity-based
professional development and the challenges and successes of their educators.
Conclusion
The educators who participated in this study understand the educational gap between
Black and White students across the Twin Cities. Each one attempts to meet the needs of their
students while also working to improve racial equity and reconciling their own thoughts and
feelings on the matter. Individually, these educators define their own successes and the
challenges they face while working to improve racial equity and educational excellence in Metro
schools. Ultimately, they require a system of equity-minded policies, practices, and strategies
with a shared vision within their districts to remove the obstacles preventing their students from
succeeding.
Like Omar, I am a storyteller. I created this study to share the collective experiences of
15 educators from different regions of the Metro who share a common goal: to remove the
obstacles that prevent their students from achieving equitable outcomes. These educators work to
improve racial equity and create anti-racist schools in an increasingly hostile political
environment. Sam described challenges from parents who believed that STEAM schools, not
anti-racist schools, were the solution, assuming that one was mutually exclusive of the other. A
school board member from the state’s largest school district won his seat with promises to reject
Critical Race Theory, even though it’s not taught in Minnesota districts. He argued that he
supported inspiring students from all backgrounds and downplayed the need for equity programs
in a manner that underscored “colorblindness.” He further made vague promises to focus on
American values without defining the statement’s meaning.
161
Much like Sam, I am too old to change the system and the mindset of individuals
opposed to anti-racist ideals who strive to influence the state’s largest district. Nevertheless, the
work to help Minnesota’s students achieve educational excellence and racial equity remains
paramount. Along with educators like Sam and Omar, my task is to meet others where they are
and offer them the tools and skills needed to build a foundation to improve equitable results for
their students. I provide the narrative for 15 educators, along with their challenges and successes,
as a framework to offer other educators the chance to start at square 10, as Sam says, rather than
square one.
162
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Appendix A: Administrator Interview Protocol
The following reflects the interview protocol for administrators.
Demographics Section
Let’s start off by getting taking a little time to get to know a little bit about your
background.
1. Tell me about your position? What keeps you engaged and motivated to stick with it?
Now I'd like to look at your background and experiences with race.
2. When you think about your own identity, how do you describe yourself?
Experiences With Black and White Student Inequity
Before we explore the academic aspect of the issue, I want to look at your perspectives
and with inequity.
3. Could you describe an example of inequality you've experienced or witnessed
personally?
• What was it like seeing/experiencing this?
• What about in a school district you worked for?
Addressing Equity Policies
For the rest of the interview, I am trying to understand local policy and practices to close
the educational gaps between Black and White students. So, I will ask a series of questions about
different efforts some districts use to address those gaps.
4. Let’s get a sense of where your district is overall. What policies is your district
currently using to close the educational gap between Black and White students?
Performance and Evaluation
Now, let's cover teacher performance and evaluations.
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5. How does the “evaluation system” work in your district in general?
• Could you describe how the system addresses issues related to equity and the
closing disparities between Black and White students, if at all?
What’s working well?
What, if anything, would you do differently?
Professional Development
Now let's transition over to professional development.
6. Let’s start specifically with equity. Can you describe what, if any, professional
development have you engaged in to address educational disparities between Black
and White Students?
7. How, if at all, did you measure the impact of your professional development?
• When you reflect your role influencing the areas of the evaluation systems and
professional development you’ve experienced, what successes have you
enjoyed most over the years?
• When you think about those same areas, what difficulties stand out when your
school/district tries to address disparities between Black and White students?
Could you give me some examples of the obstacles you still face?
Teacher Diversity
I’d like to talk briefly about efforts to improve teacher diversity
8. Are there currently any efforts to recruit more teachers of color?
9. Have you had any difficulties recruiting/retaining qualified teachers of color?
• If yes: What factors contribute to that from your perspective?
• If no: How are you able to retain them when other districts struggle?
176
School Discipline
Let’s shift to addressing the educational debt between Black and White students
involving student discipline.
10. Do you think you have a problem with a disproportionate discipline gap between
Black and White students in your schools? If so, what policies, if any, have been
undertaken to address it?
11. What is your sense of the level of support your staff has about changing their beliefs
about discipline?
Additional Sensemaking
12. At the end of the day, how do you define your role in helping our students achieve
educational excellence?
13. How do you connect that with the day-to-day responsibilities you face?
Closing Interview
Finally, addressing racial equity in schools has recently become politically controversial.
We’ve seen a push against exposing and combating racial inequities. What would you say, given
a chance to talk to individuals expressing these views?
177
Appendix B: Teacher Interview Protocol
The following reflects the interview protocol for administrators.
Demographics Section
Let’s start off by getting taking a little time to get to know a little bit about your
background.
1. Tell me about your position? What keeps you engaged and motivated to stick with it?
Now I’d like to look at your background and experiences with race.
2. When you think about your own identity, how do you describe yourself?
Experiences With Black and White Student Inequity
Before we explore the academic aspect of the issue, I want to look at your perspectives
and with inequity.
3. Could you describe an example of inequality you’ve experienced or witnessed
personally?
• What was it like seeing/experiencing this?
• What about in a school district you worked for?
Addressing Equity Policies
For the rest of the interview, I am trying to understand local policy and practices to close
the educational gaps between Black and White students. So, I will ask a series of questions about
different efforts some districts use to address those gaps.
4. Let’s get a sense of where your district is overall. Has the district provided you with
strategies you are using to close the educational gap between Black and White
students?
• If so, what?
178
• If not, what sorts of things (if any) are you doing on your own?
Performance and Evaluation
Now, let’s cover teacher performance and evaluations.
5. How does the “evaluation system” work in your district in general?
• Does your system address issues relate to equity and the closing disparities
between Black and White students? (If so, how?)
• What's working well?
• What, if anything, would you do differently?
Professional Development
Now let’s transition over to professional development.
6. Let’s start specifically with equity. Can you describe what, if any, professional
development you have engaged in to address educational disparities between Black
and White Students?
7. How, if at all, has your school measured the impact of your professional
development?
• When you reflect on the impact of the professional development and
evaluation, what successes have you enjoyed most over the years?
• When you think about those same areas, what difficulties stand out when your
school/district tries to address disparities between Black and White students?
o What obstacles do you still face in your classrooms?
Teacher Diversity
I’d like to talk briefly about efforts to improve teacher diversity
179
8. Are you aware of any efforts to recruit more teachers of color in your school? Do you
think this is an important goal for schools attempting to improve equity?
9. Have you witnessed any difficulties recruiting/retaining qualified teachers of color?
• If yes: What factors contribute to that from your perspective?
• If no: What factors would you say contributed to their choices to remain when
other districts struggle?
School Discipline
Let’s shift to addressing the educational debt between Black and White students involving
student discipline.
10. Do you think your school has a problem with a disproportionate discipline gap
between Black and White students? If so, what policies, if any, have been undertaken
to address it?
11. What is your sense of the level of support among other staff members about changing
their beliefs about discipline?
Additional Sensemaking
12. At the end of the day, how do you define your role in helping our students achieve
educational excellence?
13. How do you connect that with the day-to-day responsibilities you face?
Closing Interview
Finally, addressing racial equity in schools has recently become politically controversial.
We’ve seen a push against exposing and combating racial inequities. What would you say, given
a chance to talk to individuals expressing these views?
180
Appendix C: Study Information Sheet
181
Appendix D: Metro Central Strategic Action Plan: Objectives and Initiatives
182
Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Despite a solid academic record, Minnesota faces one of the worst educational gaps between its Black and White students. It ranks worst in college readiness gaps along racial and income lines, and 50th in the nation for Black students who graduate on time. Suspensions for Black students exceeded national averages and occurred at five times the rate for White students. The state attempted different strategies to address the problem over the years. However, these efforts failed to find results, including its alternative compensation (Q-Comp) program, which attempted to incentivize performance goals through additional pay. The present qualitative study produced a narrative-driven examination of the perspectives of 15 educators in the Twin Cities to help close the educational gaps Black students face. The study addressed three research questions: What reforms in educational practices are Twin Cities’ schools pursuing to improve educational excellence and racial equity? What challenges do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity? What successes do educators describe in their efforts to make reforms focused on educational practices to improve educational excellence and racial equity? The study used purposeful sampling from five districts representing different demographic areas of the Twin Cities. The sample included a district official, building administrator, and teacher to represent each district. Selected districts included one of the state’s largest and most diverse districts; two suburban districts from different parts of the Metro; two exurban districts; one slightly more rural; and one charter school. I use sensemaking as a theoretical framework to highlight meanings, perspectives, and interpretations of participant narrativesespecially their beliefs about their successes and challenges. The study asked participants about their experiences in equity-based reforms, focusing on five critical areas identified in the literature review: policies, teacher performance and evaluation, professional development, teacher diversity (recruitment and retention), and school discipline.
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Lien, Erik Richard
(author)
Core Title
Racial equity and educational excellence: challenges and successes in Twin Cities educational reforms
School
Rossier School of Education
Degree
Doctor of Education
Degree Program
Educational Leadership (On Line)
Degree Conferral Date
2023-05
Publication Date
05/15/2023
Defense Date
05/12/2023
Publisher
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Tag
educational excellence,Minnesota,OAI-PMH Harvest,Policy,professional development,racial equity,school discipline,school reform,sensemaking,teacher diversity,teacher performance and evaluation,Twin Cities
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Tags
educational excellence
professional development
racial equity
school discipline
school reform
sensemaking
teacher diversity
teacher performance and evaluation