Coaching for Equity: Conversations That Change Practice

by Elena Aguilar

Overview

Your Guide to Creating Equitable Schools

If we hope to interrupt educational inequities and create schools in which every child thrives, we must open our hearts to purposeful conversation and hone our skills to make those conversations effective. With characteristic honesty and wisdom, Elena Aguilar inspires us to commit to transforming our classrooms, lays bare the hidden obstacles to equity, and helps us see how to overcome these obstacles, one conversation at a time.

Coaching for Equity is packed with the resources necessary to implement Transformational Coaching in any organization. In addition to an updated coaching framework and corresponding rubrics, a comprehensive set of coaching tools puts success in every coach’s hands. Extensive personal narratives demonstrate what coaching for equity looks like and help us see how we can make every conversation count towards building a more just and equitable world.

Coaching for Equity covers critical topics in the larger conversation about racial equity, and helps readers develop the knowledge, dispositions and skills to be able to:

• Talk productively about race,
• Build trust to support vulnerability,
• Unpack mental models and change someone’s mind,
• Observe classrooms and collect data to support equitable outcomes,
• Inspire others and deepen commitment,
• Evaluate and celebrate growth.

Perfect for teachers, teacher leaders, coaches and administrators, Coaching for Equity offers extensive strategies for talking about race, power, and systems of oppression. In framing the rationale for transformational conversations, Coaching for Equity gives us the context we need to enter into this work. In laying out the strategies, tools and models for critical conversations, it gives us the way forward.

Comprehensive, concrete, and deeply human, Coaching for Equity is the guide for those who choose to accept responsibility for interrupting inequities in schools. It is for all educators who know there is a better way.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781119592273
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	08/11/2020
Pages:	416
Sales rank:	58,705
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

ELENA AGUILAR is the founder and president of Bright Morning Consulting, an international education, coaching, and consulting firm that brings new learning practices to organizations. Elena has extensive experience working in diverse school environments as a classroom teacher, instructional coach, and leadership coach. She is the bestselling author of The Art of Coaching, The Art of Coaching Teams, and Onward.

Table of Contents

About the Author xi

Acknowledgments xiii

Introduction

A Couple of Notes 4

On Bridge-Building 4

Defining Equity 5

What Is in This Book 10

Who You Are-The Readers 13

Who I Am-The Author 15

How to Get the Most from this Book 19

Before You Go … 22

Interlude: Compassion 23

1 Transformational Coaching: A Model for Change 25

Structures to Span Chasms 25

Assumptions behind Transformational Coaching 29

Transformational Coaching 32

The Three Components of Transformational Coaching 34

The Four Phases of Transformational Coaching 40

The Five Principles of Transformational Coaching 45

Before You Go … 46

Interlude: Curiosity 48

2 Jumping into Coaching for Equity 49

Building Relationships and Surfacing Strengths 51

Low Expectations and a Deficit Mindset 54

The Undulating Landscape of Emotions 60

Turning Inward 66

A Conversation about Crying 69

"Do You Think I'm Racist?" 72

Before You Go … 73

Interlude: Connection 75

3 How to Understand Race, Racism, and White Supremacy 77

What Is White Supremacy? 79

What Is Racism? 84

How Racism Manifests in Schools 88

The Power of Words and the Language of Oppression 92

It's Time to Take Action 96

Before You Go … 98

Interlude: Courage 100

4 How to Talk About Race 101

Recognizing What Is and What Could Be 103

Attending to Myself 110

A Time of Growth 113

The Path to Racial Healing 117

Why Calling People Out Doesn't Work 121

Ten Ways to Respond to the Question, "Am I Racist?" 125

Before You Go … 126

Interlude: Purpose 128

5 What You Need to Know about Adult Learners 129

The Gaps between Current Ability and Desired Ability 130

How to Sequence Adult Learning 137

The Coach as Learner 139

Before You Go … 141

Interlude: Compassion 142

6 How to Change Someone's Mind 143

Addressing Beliefs and Behavior at the Same Time 144

Six Conditions in Which Beliefs Change 148

How to Build Trust 160

What to Say When You Hear Racist Comments 163

For People of Color Doing this Work 168

Before You Go … 172

Interlude: Curiosity 174

7 What You Need to Know about Emotions 175

Toward an Appreciation of Emotions 176

Exploring and Embracing Our Needs 179

Responding to Resistance 186

The Connection between Emotions and Justice 193

Looking at Emotions through an Identity Lens 194

Before You Go … 196

Interlude: Connection 197

8 What You Need to Know about Identity 199

The Social Construction of Identity 200

How to Facilitate Reflection 201

Addressing Racial Differences 205

Before You Go … 209

Interlude: Courage 210

9 Surfacing Current Reality 211

A Prequel 211

Beginning a Coaching Relationship 214

Planning a Coaching Conversation 223

A First Classroom Visit 229

Before You Go … 231

Interlude: Purpose 233

10 Recognizing Impact 235

Debriefing an Observation 235

A Pause to Look Inward 241

Fostering Patience 243

Analyzing and Interpreting Data 243

Coaching a Way of Being: The Legacy Question 247

Determining Next Steps 248

When to Talk about Race 250

Before You Go … 254

Interlude: Compassion 256

11 Exploring Emotions 257

When Anger and Doubt Arise 257

Gathering Student Experience Data 260

Debriefing the Data 262

Confronting Bias 264

Before You Go … 273

Interlude: Courage 274

12 Creating New Practices 275

Developing New Behaviors 276

Scaffolding Learning for Adults 277

Data That Reveals Beliefs and Ways of Being 280

Practice, Practice, Practice 286

Role-Play Practice 287

Evidence of Deepening Will and Commitment 288

The Ups and Downs of Learning 291

Reflection 294

Celebrating Growth 295

Before You Go … 298

Interlude: Purpose 300

Conclusion: Towards Liberty and Justice for All 301

Compassionate 301

Curious 302

Connected 302

Courageous 303

Purposeful 303

Appendix A The Phases of Transformational Coaching 305

Appendix B The Equity Rubric 311

Appendix C Transformational Coaching Rubric (TCR) 2.0 335

Appendix D Advocating for Systems Change 353

Appendix E The Core Emotions 359

Appendix F Resources for Further Learning 363

Glossary 371

References 377

Index 383