The Antiracist Roadmap to Educational Equity: A Systemwide Approach for All Stakeholders

A practical way forward for those who refuse to accept the status quo as the best we can do.

In 1966, the Coleman report assessed conditions in U.S. schools and identified barriers that prevented Black students from accessing high-quality education. Since that time—and despite federal efforts to close gaps in achievement between students who are Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) and their White peers—not much has changed. Racial gaps exist in almost every school-related outcome measure, from attendance and graduation rates, out-of-school suspensions, honors and Advanced Placement course enrollment and passing rates, identification for special education, and college enrollment and graduation.

In The Antiracist Roadmap to Educational Equity, award-winning school leaders Avis Williams and Brenda Elliott shine the spotlight on the education system's various stakeholders—teachers, school and district leaders, the central office team, and the wider community—and identify what the members of each group can do to replace the structures that hold back so many BIPOC students from academic success and overall well-being.

This is an essential book for anyone interested in, curious about, or committed to creating antiracist schools and school districts—ones where academic outcomes can't be predicted by race and students of color are seen, heard, and empowered to bring their whole selves into the classroom. Whether you are already a champion for equity or new to the work, you will find the practical guidance you need to make key changes to curriculum and instruction, navigate the expected roadblocks and objections, and accelerate your school or school system's progress toward educational equity.

Avis Williams, EdD, is the superintendent of NOLA Public Schools, the first woman to serve permanently in the role. She has been an elementary, middle, and high school principal; the executive director of curriculum and instruction in North Carolina; an assistant superintendent in Tuscaloosa City (Alabama) Schools; and the superintendent of Selma City (Alabama) Schools. A past president of the ASCD Board of Directors, Williams was a finalist for Alabama Superintendent of the Year, was named a National School Public Relations Association Superintendent to Watch, and received the University of Alabama's Dr. Harold Bishop Leadership Award and the AASA Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian Award.

Brenda Elliott, EdD, is Chief of Equity in DC Public Schools, where she led the development of the district's equity framework and oversaw the launch of Adelante, the district's first Latino/Latinx Leadership Summit, and the establishment of Anti-Racist Educator University (ARE-U). She serves as an adjunct professor in American University's Antiracist Administration, Supervision, and Leadership (ARASL) graduate certificate program. With 30 years of experience as a public school educator, Elliott works nationally to build and connect with equity leaders and to support women and people of color. Her awards include National Alliance of Black School Educators' Principal of the Year and the AASA Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian Award.