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failure or mediocrity. As diversity grows in rapidly transitioning schoo! districts, demographic gaps
<br />become increasingly apparent.
<br />In phase thrEe, educators directfy confront the current and historical inequities that affect
<br />educat9on. The central purpose of this phase is to construct a compelking narrative of social justice
<br />that will inform, inspire, and sustain educators in their work, without falling into the rhetoric of
<br />shame and blame. School leaders and teachers engage in a lively conversation about race, class,
<br />gender, sexual orientation, immigration, and other dimensions of diversity and social dominance.
<br />David Koyama, principal of a diversity-enhanced eEementary school outside Seattle, said, "One of
<br />my most important functions as a school leader is to transform politica! jargon like'no child left
<br />behind` into a moral imperative that inspires teachers to work toward justice; not mere
<br />campliance."
<br />Unraveling socia{ dominance takes caurage—the kind of courage shown by the tentraf office and
<br />school leadership team in the Rosevifle Area School Distri�t outside the twin cities of Minneapolis
<br />and St. Paul. Roseville is in the midst of a rapid demographic shift. As we approached this phase of
<br />the work, I asked Raseville leaders to examine how issues of privilege, power, and dominance might
<br />be functioning in their schools to shape educators' assumptions and beliefs about students and
<br />create inequitable outcomes.
<br />One of the warkshop activities engaged participants in a forced-cY�oice simuiation requiri�g them
<br />to choose which aspects of their identity they would give up or deny for the sake of personal
<br />surv+val in a hostile environrrzent. Choosing from such identities as race, ethnicity, ianguage,
<br />relig9on, values, and vocation, many white educators were quick to give up race. Among the
<br />Roseville administrative team, which is 95 percent white, the one white principal who chose to keep
<br />his racial identity during the simufation said during the debriefing discussion, "I seriously
<br />challenge my white colleagues who so easily gave up their race. I think 9f we are honest with
<br />ourselves, few would choose to lase the privilege and power that come with being white in the
<br />Un9ted States."
<br />As an outgrowth of the authentic and sometimes contentious �onversations that emerged from
<br />this and other activities, several core leaders and the superintendent identified a need to craft a
<br />strong Equity Vision statement for the district. The Equity Vision now headlines all
<br />opening-of-school events each year and is publ9cly displayed in districC offices and schools. it
<br />reads,
<br />Roseville Area. Schools is committed to ensuring an equitable and respectFul educational
<br />experience for every student, family, and staff inember, regardless of race, gender,
<br />sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, ability, home or first language, religion,
<br />national origin, or age.
<br />As a resuit of the increased consciousness about issues of dominance and social justice, several
<br />schoofs have formed Equity Teams of teachers and students, ancf an Equity Parent Group has
<br />begun to meet. The district is looking seriously at how many students from dominant and
<br />subordinate groups are in its gifted and AP classes and is conscientiously working for more
<br />balance.
<br />Like Roseville, other diversity-enhanced districts must establish clear public markers that
<br />unambiguously state, "This is who we are, this is what we believe, and this is what we will do." Any
<br />approach to sthool reform that does not honestly engage issues of power, privilege, and social
<br />dominance is naive, ungrounded in history, and unlikely to yield the deep changes needed to make
<br />schools more inclus9ve and equitable.
<br />Phase 4: Transforming Instructionaf Practices
<br />In this phase, schools assess and, where necessary, transform the way tF�ey carry out instruction
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