Collective Equity: A Movement for Creating Communities Where We All Can Breathe

It’s time for a new beginning

As we transition through very uncertain and challenging times, we have a chance to start again―and do better as a Collective. With newfound acknowledgment of the damage done by structural inequities, systemic racism, and implicit bias, we are ready to create communities that value and support everyone.

In education, that means challenging and dismantling systems that have harmed historically marginalized children and families for generations. Here you’ll find a powerful model for using relational trust, cultural humility, and appreciation of diverse perspectives to build learning communities that collectively uplift all students and all members of the learning community. Features include

• An original Collective Equity Framework for creating transformative equitable learning environments
• Protocols for enacting cultural humility, vulnerability, and mutuality dispositions leveraged to create culturally sustaining learning communities
• Strategies and tools for organizational analyses to guide conversations that support the implementation of culturally fortifying practices at organizational, curricular, programmatic, and instructional levels
• A behavioral-outcome measurement tool for charting the progress of the members of the Collective towards developing culturally conscious actions and equity focused outcomes.
• Vignettes and case studies from district and school leaders reflecting examples of how the collective members of their organizations work towards creating transformative equitable learning environments

Positive outcomes always take work. When we build relational trust, value and validate the dimensions of identities for all members in the learning community as a Collective, we are able to create Equity Pathways and Equity Pavers to chart a new course where we can ALL Breathe and achieve our shared objective: educational equity for all.

Sonja Hollins-Alexander, EdD, is a Senior Consultant and Best-Selling Author for Corwin Publishing. During her 9 years at Corwin, she has served as the Director of Professional Learning, Associate Vice President of Global Professional Learning Services and Associate Vice President, Content Advisor and Scholar. She has been in the field of education and publishing for thirty years with sixteen of those being in educational leadership at the school, district, and higher education levels, and 11 of those being in educational consulting and publishing. During this time, she has served as a school social worker, teacher, assistant principal, principal, coordinator, director of professional learning, and chief of staff, serving in two Metro Atlanta, Georgia, school districts.

Through her professional journey, she has had experiences in strategic planning, policy development, stakeholder communication and engagement, instruction and curriculum design, facilitation of adult learning strategy, executive leadership coaching, conference facilitation and design, and has served on numerous quality assurance teams with Cognia (formerly SACS CASI) school accreditation and certification organization and United Way Non-Profit boards. She is a Corwin co-author of two best-selling publications consisting of the following: Mindframes for Belonging, Identities and Equity: Fortifying Cultural Bridges, and Collective Equity: A Movement for Creating Communities Where We Can All Breathe. She is also the author of Online Professional Development through Virtual Learning Communities.

Sonja holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in social work, a teaching certificate in middle grades language arts, a specialist’s degree in educational administration and leadership, and a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction. She is committed to partner engagement and implementation of evidence-informed sustained professional learning services that positively impact teaching and learning―not by chance but by design.

Her email is Sonja.HollinsAlexander@corwin.com

Nicole Law, PhD, is a Senior Consultant and Best-Selling Author for Corwin Publishing. She presents in the areas of leadership, professional learning communities, culturally responsive pedagogy, educating multilingual learners, and multidimensional aspects for Visible Learning. In addition, she has served as a curriculum coordinator for English language learners, cultural responsivity, AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination), district equity, and mathematics and science instruction in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township in Indianapolis, Indiana. In this position, Nicole created multilayered and multifaceted professional learning for teachers and administrators covering all aspects of directed programs and curricular areas.

In 2008, Nicole received the National Milken Award from the state of Indiana. Prior to her leadership role, Nicole was a science teacher, administrator, and a building principal. She has an MEd in elementary administration and supervision from Butler University and a PhD from Indiana State University.

Nicole is the coauthor of multiple best-selling publications including: Mindframes for Belonging, Identities and Equity: Fortifying Cultural Bridges, Collective Equity: A Movement for Creating Communities Where We Can All Breathe and Comprehension: The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading. She is also the coauthor of The Reflective Leader: Implementing a Multidimensional Leadership Performance System.

Her email is Nicole.Law@corwin.com