REFLECTING ON EQUITY IN SUBURBAN NEIGHBORHOODS 1

Reflecting on Equity in Suburban Neighborhoods

Christine Haley

EDUA 561: Analyzing Data to Inform School Improvement and Promote Equity

30 May 2021

Professor Curt Visca

Concordia University Irvine

School of Education
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Reflecting on Equity in Suburban Neighborhoods

On Saturday, May 15, 2021, Concordia University Irvine, School of Education hosted an

education symposium for a variety of education stakeholders. The symposium was led by Dr.

Deborah Collins, a full-time professor at Concordia University that has had a wide variety of

educational experiences. Focused on equity vs. equality in education, Dr. Deborah Collins,

provided educational stakeholders opportunities to learn about the challenges of our diverse

learners, learn the language used to discuss equity in education, and hear from a variety of

educators highlighting the multiple perspectives needed to effectively discuss equity issues in

education.

The Language Inclusivity

The effectiveness of how educators discuss and reflect on equity in the school system is

dependent on the language used in reflective discourse. Dr. Collins grounded her lecture on

creating common language to ensure common understanding. Concepts like “equity vs.

equality,” “implicit bias,” “deficit thinking,” and “dialogue” were used to create a foundation for

discussing inclusion (Collins, 2021). In her lecture, Collins utilized a variety of speakers to

exemplify the practical application of these foundational concepts. For example, Dr. Luca

Tirapelle described his dissertation’s focus on the high percentage of Black, male students

designated with emotional/behavioral disturbance and the “implicit biases” that can come from

race and gender in the special education setting.

Dr. Collins also focused her lecture on the types of leaders needed to make positive

changes to combat equity gaps. Collins focuses on “servant leadership” and “transformative

leadership,” and makes a case for the importance of both of these types of leaders in supporting
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this type of work. Servant leadership focuses on a commitment to growth through the use of

empathy, listening, and stewardship in an effort to empower individuals to see out their own

vision and/or reflective path. On the other hand, transformative leadership focuses on the

positive impacts the distribution of power has on others. Regardless of the leadership style we

engage in or are led by, Collins reminds us all that strong leadership will require “courageous

conversations” in an effort to close the equity gap for our marginalized student subgroups

(Collins, 2021).

Personal Connections

Dr. Collins started her lecture with a powerful anecdote from her early teaching career.

She described a young English Language Learner (ELL) in her class that she couldn’t support;

she felt she didn’t have the background or the context to facilitate successful learning for this

student in her class so she regretfully made a recommendation to special education (Collins,

2021). The power of this story stems from its relatability. I can relate to not recognizing a

language barrier versus a cognitive deficit. I can relate to inadvertently neglecting a student’s

needs because I did not understand their background or culture. I can relate to unintentionally

having an “implicit bias” because of a student’s racial or ethnic background. I can relate to it but

feel empowered to continuously grow and strive for inclusion and equity at my school site.

This year has forced me to think about equity gaps in my teaching and my classroom. Not

just race and ethnicity, but socioeconomics, culture, religion, and more. Because of that I have

attended optional professional development of social justice in education and become an integral

part of our school site’s equity team. This lecture by Dr. Collins was another opportunity to
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remind me why growth and understanding of equity and social justice is so crucial to our public

schools.

Bringing All Together

Dr. Deborah Collins left us in the afternoon with a call to action to all stakeholders

present. First, she charged us to read something new. Then, she empowered us to “see somebody

differently” (Collins, 2021). Lastly, she encouraged us to be a part of the dialogue at our school

sites. This call to action seems simple; three simple steps from a transformative leader with a

goal for each of us to be a part of the transformation of our school sites. I look forward to

accepting this call to action and being a part of the change of inclusion and equity needed to

ensure that all of our students are successful.

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References

Collins, Deborah. (2021, May). Equity vs. equality in education: A new call to action for

educational leaders. Lecture conducted from Concordia University Irvine, United States.