When did ‘equity’ become such a dirty word? It’s time to bring equity back to its real meaning! Equity means fair. Is it fair when an education system isn’t inclusive of all learners? Is it fair when our school improvement process doesn’t demand high expectations for every student, regardless of circumstances?

I think not. Equity is about outcomes and giving students with different learning needs the resources to be successful. Our current school improvement process has long been broken into fragments, disorganized and disconnected by outdated policy, structure, and practice. During the pandemic, we saw unprecedented fragmentation in education processes and siloed systems increase exponentially. Unless daring action is taken, the trajectory of those gaps may result in catastrophic effects for generations of students.

Let’s not take that gamble. We need to change the course of this dangerous trajectory, starting right now. Shifting the school improvement process from siloed structures to a comprehensive approach that intentionally situates students at the center of every decision and action—from the boardroom to the classroom— is vital to improving futures for deserving students at every level.

Daring action begins by improving the organizational structures and conditions so that every decision and every action is aligned to the student. There’s a saying that, ‘What gets focused on gets attention,’ and the same is true about ensuring equity. When fair practices are intentionally embedded into the district improvement process and every school improvement plan, all levels benefit from becoming interdependent in a system that enhances efficiency, effectiveness, and ultimately result in better outcomes for students. This is what ‘fair’ looks like.

At the district level, a highly effective improvement process must have a clearly communicated vision of ambitious goals, balanced by a reality that’s based on data. Education practices should be comprised of tightly coordinated, unified processes across organizations, departments, and schools. The improvement process should cascade into each school with shared expectations and structures so that every classroom can benefit. Finally, there must be shared accountability throughout the organization so that everyone sees themselves as integral to this dynamic process.

Equity is achieved when people work together and support each other’s participation in the practice and the process. When student-centered discussions take place at every level, and when evidence is consistently used to determine if students are learning what they are meant to learn, that’s equity and that’s fair.