James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, once wrote “You do not rise to the level
of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems”. This is exactly why when I
see heated debates in school board meetings around the country discussing
the meaning of equity, diversity, and inclusion, I feel hopeful. That’s right:
hopeful.

Achieving a world that reflects equity, diversity, and inclusion is the goal, but we
won’t get there unless we leverage our creativity and build new systems to
support this unchartered space. New systems are not established overnight
so let’s be gentle on ourselves; recognizing shifts in practice like public
debates is a critical step, because actions such as this in its additive puts us
on a path to system level change in education.

Rebuilding a school system designed for all kids, requires us to move away
from historical practice and embrace creative solutions. Here’s how schools
and districts know they are primed and ready for change:

Vulnerability is the Definition of Courageous School/District Leadership
Researcher Dr. Brené Brown once said that “Vulnerability is not winning or
losing. It’s having the courage to show up when you can’t control the
outcome”. In a time where uncertainty still rules our current context,
courageous leadership is exactly what we need. But courageous leadership
doesn’t necessarily mean having all the answers – in fact, it’s just the
opposite. Before beginning with curriculum, instructional practice and/or a D&I
strategy, the impetus is on school + district leadership to create a context
where “I’m not sure”, “I don’t have all the answers”, and making mistakes over
perfectionism is absolutely okay. Creating a pathway where new and creative
ideas culled from a variety of stakeholders, both old and new, may be the
bravest step a leader can take.

Conditions for Creativity It’s true no blueprint exists for how to best manage
and create solutions to the challenges the pandemic has accelerated, but
returning to status quo practices will not create the systems we need to build
a school system anchored in diversity, inclusion, and equity. Asking students,
the parent community and the larger community that the school and/or
district serves to participate in, even drive, instructional and curricular
decisions going forward may be the most strategic course of action – these
respective groups are excellent decision-making bodies, capable of
articulating the educational needs and solutions of their community. But part
of their participation may counter traditional paradigms of learning and
leaders must have prepared a context ready to receive these creative
solutions. Some of the most impactful curricular experiences of minority
students in underestimated communities have resulted in the use of highly
rigorous, creative approaches to learning (e.g. Collatos, A., Morrell, M., Nuno,
A., & Lara, A., 2004; Choudhury, M. & Share, J., 2012; Lee, C.D., 1995; Tate, W.,
1995) vs. relying on big box curriculum.

Change is not easy, especially in this current context of the pandemic when
schools are forced to redirect their attention to public health. However,
leadership that sets a tone to enable creative decision-making is key to
change