Staff from the Medford, N.J., campus of Burlington County Institute of Technology assemble on School Culture and Climate Day. PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHANTI HOLLEY

“Dear Me,” the letter begins.

“Guess what? You do not realize it yet, but you are a champion. You are about to experience your most transformative year in education — not just for you, but for your teachers and their students as well.”

I knew all too well what to expect from the rest of the letter.

My signature sat at the bottom of the page. I wrote the note to myself a year prior when I became the assistant superintendent for equity and diversity for Burlington County Institute of Technology, which serves about 2,000 students in southern New Jersey. I had outlined some big goals for myself and those who worked in our school district:

»Start reflective conversations;

»Discuss equity and diversity perspectives, best practices and initiatives that would benefit the district with all stakeholders;

»Implement best practices focused on equity and diversity;

»Provide training on the ideas expressed in Courageous Conversations About Race, a book by Glenn Singleton that sparks explicit communication;

»Conduct data analysis on equity;

»Build equity-centered instructional leadership; and

»Initiate equity practices in the district.

The school district embraced these ambitious goals of mine, enabling me to meet and exceed them. Our district’s equity journey in the last year has affected how well we work together. More importantly, it has set the standard for transforming instruction and learning.

Community in Need

My superintendent, Christopher Nagy, has championed equity in schools and the need for societal change as the best way to improve student performance. With nearly a half-million residents, Burlington County is the largest county in New Jersey. According to Census Reporter, more than a third of our adult residents have a college degree, and only 5.8 percent of the population lives below the national poverty line. Nearly two-thirds of the population is white, 17 percent is Black, 8 percent is Hispanic, and 5 percent is Asian. So why would we be concerned about equity?

Our actions showed a harmful bias toward students.

Students at the Westampton, N.J., campus of Burlington County Institute join a group activity promoting cooperation on School Culture and Climate Day. PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHANTI HOLLEY

When looking at our data, as far back as the 2016-17 school year, the administration saw a concerning trend. Our district graduated a high percentage of students, and yet our standardized test scores indicated that our students were not reaching the appropriate levels of performance. In addition, we had a chronic absenteeism rate of 11 percent.

The data reinforced that we weren’t reaching all students. We were leaving some behind, and others felt left out. We had to change our approach or risk even higher absenteeism.

During the last two years, we focused on improving instruction and increasing attendance. Although still below the state standards in math and reading, our scores showed gains based on strategic targeted action. In 2018-19, chronic absenteeism fell to 4.6 percent, nearly half of what other districts across New Jersey (the statewide average was 10.6 percent) faced.

We were ready for a novel approach to teaching and learning by looking at bias and the need to eliminate instructional bias while focusing on creating equity for all students. The stage was set to look at the vertical and horizontal alignment.

Building Equity

Overcoming bias is not easy. It’s been woven throughout our educational system’s fabric for more than 100 years since the industrial revolution brought us the factory model of education. The 20th century witnessed incredible momentum toward providing students equal access to education. Every student got the same thing: curriculum, book and assigned seating. However, this remarkable sameness, the unwaveringly consistent approach to instruction, was wrong.

It wasn’t until the arrival of the 21st century that educators have witnessed a concerted effort that insists on equity and inclusion in our classrooms. As the assistant superintendent of equity and diversity, my job is to make sure we address our students’ cultural and emotional needs regardless of their background, orientation or ethnicity. We had to overcome implicit bias, unconscious and unintentional stereotyping in the classroom, by making people self-aware of their actions.

Making staff members more aware was paramount as it guides their attitudes and beliefs while working with students. My work centers on helping faculty provide relevant approaches to learning in an emotionally safe environment.

One of my first steps was to establish an Equity Action Council in September 2019. The council’s goal was to identify and recommend developing structures that would increase the understanding and implementation of inclusive practices throughout our district. Council members participated in the UPENN Educational Equity Consortium in preparation for the critical duties that lay ahead. The council would review and assess policies, regulations and school district climate, develop a culturally responsive rubric for our curriculum, and train educators and administrators to recognize practices that impact a school’s culture.

Equity in education is the notion that no one should be discriminated against due to sexual orientation, race, gender, socio-economic status, religious beliefs or ethnic origin. In our district, we provide additional support to help every child overcome any educational obstacle. Educational equity requires putting systems in place to ensure that every child has an equal opportunity for success. It means ensuring every student and staff member is represented and celebrated.

As assistant superintendent for equity and diversity in Westampton, N.J., Ashanti Holley says every administrative act is evaluated for its cultural impact on students. PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHANTI HOLLEY

Making an Impact

The impact we’re making in our district has come from:

»Working from a foundation of prior knowledge and experience.

Orientation and professional development are critical to the success of any initiative. We set out to read and discuss foundational research regarding diversity, equity and the best practices for ensuring both. Our common body of knowledge comes from Glenn Singleton’s Courageous Conversations, Randall Lindsey’s Cultural Proficiency: A Manual for School Leaders, Zaretta Hammond’s Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain and ongoing training at the University of Pennsylvania’s Coalition for Educational Equity.

»Building from cultural capital.

Diversity exists in our school and in our community. All we had to do was reach out to the people in our county. That meant persistently contacting businesses, churches and groups to collect insight and build partnerships with underrepresented groups, particularly racial minorities, women and the LGBTQ community.

»Inviting participants.

For authentic engagement in recognizing diversity and building equity, we had to invite everyone to the table — administrators, teachers, students and parents. We validated the different perspectives by listening to everyone and then acted.

»Creating an environment of diversity.

Our work has meant reviewing data for student subpopulations, revising our school mission statements, reviewing and revising our student codes of conduct and updating school board policy for transgender and gender nonconforming students.

Curricular Empowerment

To close learning gaps, the district committed to creating a welcoming environment for every student, regardless of race, religion, orientation or any other factor. We also began selecting curricular elements that would empower and inspire students rather than categorize and humiliate them. Teachers and administrators explored, analyzed and redefined the three C’s: climate, curriculum and continuity. The board and district goals for the past two years supported these efforts.
We re-invented our climate by evaluating every action in terms of cultural impact. We now hire and train for equity and cultural responsiveness. To deter deliberate academic programming that compromises learner well-being, the district’s English language arts department selected for student study Patron Saints of Nothing, Piecing Me Together, The Marrow Thieves, Purple Hibiscus, The Poet X, Counting Descent and Homegoing.

Finally, we identified what we call “equity champions,” the staff members and students who passionately lead and embrace the mission of promoting high achievement levels for all students.

Existing Perils

As we’ve begun our equity journey, we have discovered the path we’ve chosen isn’t without peril. Implementing the Equity Champions program during the COVID-19 pandemic kept me up at night. Equity and diversity discussions already are difficult and sensitive without making the work of overcoming implicit bias more stressful. Now the hardest challenge we face is planning for a constantly changing future.

ASHANTI HOLLEY is the assistant superintendent for equity and diversity for Burlington County Institute of Technology in Westampton, N.J. Twitter: @DrAHolley