A leader’s equity journey

In the world of the superintendency, a lot of time and attention is rightfully paid to a smooth transition, a first-100 days plan, and a listening and learning tour. All of these are essential to getting started on a successful footing. But smart leaders know that they better have an exit strategy, too.

Implementing an equity agenda creates significant discomfort, and some people in power who gave lip-service support to changing the status quo may change their tune when things get rough. Kenny Rogers’ words ring true; “you gotta know when to hold ’em and know when to fold ’em.” For Teresa A. Lance, knowing when to fold ’em and walk away from her role as superintendent gave her a new leadership opportunity that she’s been getting the most out of. And all the hands she’s been dealt on her journey made her more effective in her current role as the assistant superintendent for equity and innovation in School District U-46 in Elgin, Illinois.

Recognizing inequities

When Teresa started her journey in public education more than 27 years ago, positions like her current role focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) didn’t exist. Such jobs have become more widespread in the past few years, perhaps as a response to increased public attention to issues of systemic racism. But in the mid-1990s, when Teresa was getting her start teaching in Baltimore City Public Schools, equity was only being talked about in a few circles, and DEI was not a well-known term.

Teresa’s journey mirrors that of many system leaders whose consciousness grew as they became increasingly aware of the inequities that plague our public school systems and ascended to positions where they could do something about it. As a teacher in Baltimore in the 1990s and early 2000s, she saw poverty, unequal distribution of resources, and multiple disjointed efforts to address issues of teaching and learning — none of which were unusual in urban districts at the time. Her eyes were opened more when she became the leader of a Baltimore City school for the visual arts that had no arts program. She realized that the school’s magnet designation, which may have garnered the district additional resources, was purely symbolic and that no one had fought to establish arts programs at the school.

Learning while leading

After a few years leading an alternative high school in Houston, Teresa jumped at the chance to move to Colorado and try her hand at leading at the system level. It was in Colorado that Teresa learned one of the most important tenets of being a systems-level leader of equity work: Find your people. It’s well-known that leadership is lonely. As the adage says, “Leaders eat lunch alone.” System leaders need to make unpopular decisions and expose difficult truths, especially when enacting an equity agenda. Not everyone welcomes that, and leaders can find themselves struggling in a void where they feel like the only one who gets it. But when leaders can establish a team of folks who understand the needs, great things can happen. For Teresa, going to Colorado and working for a superintendent who knew how to create such a team was an eye-opening and foundational experience.

Teresa’s superintendent, Andre Spencer, mentored, supported, and pushed her to develop leadership skills that she’s been using ever since. As one of only two Black school district leaders in the Colorado, he knew he had to be careful in how he pushed an equity agenda. But he also knew that sometimes you don’t need to say the words explicitly to do the work. Andre surrounded himself with a diverse team of like-minded people he helped shape and grow so they could do the work with him. Under his leadership, Teresa went from leading secondary schools to overseeing all schools, as well as the gifted, special education, and English learner programs. Although Teresa did not have formal experience in all these areas, Andre believed in her and provided the right level of pressure and support. He also made sure she had a network of supporters who could sustain her personally and professionally. This has been a crucial part of Teresa’s success.

Andre began pushing her to become a superintendent, so when a position at Thornton Fractional High School District 215 in Lansing, Illinois, opened up, she took the chance. A district of only about 3,500 students, it seemed like the right place for Teresa’s first superintendency. The board of education appeared to share Teresa’s values and understand that their approach to teaching and learning needed to be overhauled. Given her background and experience with secondary schools, Teresa knew she could help.

The underlying equity issues in District 215 were evident from the start. At first glance, one saw high graduation rates. However, a closer look revealed that although Black students were graduating at similar rates compared to non-Black peers, they were stuck in college remedial courses or low-entry jobs. Yet, after a year of making strong equity moves, such as opening access to high-level classes and supporting kids of color, specifically Black students, Teresa began to hear rumblings from the powers that be who were comfortable with the status quo. Some adults don’t want to change, and when they’re connected to board members, the writing for a new superintendent can be on the wall. So, after two years, Teresa decided it was indeed time to walk away. U46 proved to be the right landing spot.

Finding a place to make change

U46 is the second-largest district in Illinois, with almost 36,000 students, more than half of whom are Hispanic and about 40% of whom are eligible for free or reduced-price meals. The position of assistant superintendent of equity and innovation had been open for a year and a half, following the sudden death of the highly respected person who had previously held it. Like in many districts around the country, this leadership position hadn’t been clearly defined. As I wrote in my April 2020 column, too many boards and superintendents have created a lead DEI position without establishing responsibilities and commensurate resources (see also Rice-Boothe & Marshall, 2022). Leaders like Teresa have found that blank slate to be an opportunity.

In U46, Teresa has found that the key to moving an equity agenda forward has been finding allies and co-conspirators. Her position was initially in the superintendent’s executive cabinet, but then got moved to the instructional cabinet. Teresa reports up to the deputy superintendent, who’s been a champion of her work, and she has three directors working alongside her, so she has some resources. Yet, Teresa has had to find different entry points to get an equity agenda moving.

The first entry point came from her partnership with the head of human resources, who was Asian American. This leader recognized a need and saw that Teresa’s leadership could be a great benefit , so she asked Teresa for help in recruiting and retaining teachers of color. Together, they enacted a strategy to first understand the lived experiences of teachers of color in U46 and then start changing the situation. Teresa started informal focus groups with Black teachers and learned they felt disenfranchised, isolated, and unappreciated, and bore more burdens than white teachers. This echoes the experiences of teachers in other districts (Santoro, Hazel, & Morales, 2022; Stovall & Sullivan, 2022). Alongside the external strategy to recruit more teachers of color, Teresa also started affinity groups so that different groups of employees could find strength and sustenance through relationships. Leaders help others find their people.

Offering support to move forward

By creating affinity groups for African American, Latinx, LGBTQIA+, and Asian American teachers, and for white allies, U46 is being explicit about the need for educators to support each other as they promote an equity agenda. When people are behind any new policies and programs, they need support from each other to do the hard work of enacting and implementing those practices. Affinity groups provide both an organizational structure and the foundation for what John Kotter (2012) calls a “volunteer army.” These are the people who raise their hands when asked to help drive change. Leaders may eat lunch alone, but they need followers to help do the work. Teresa realized that leaders of color in particular need white allies.

Writing about the need for white allies can run the risk of yet again centering the actions of white people as critical to the success of equity initiatives, especially when a white man is the author. Yet, as Teresa describes and as I’ve heard from every leader of color who’s implemented an equity agenda, support from white people is crucial. An affinity group for white allies can create an opportunity for well-meaning people to learn how they can support their colleagues and play an appropriate role. Sometimes, white leaders need to step out in front and speak truth and show others the urgency of DEI work. Other times, white leaders need to take a back seat and support their colleagues of color. Teresa benefited from having a white principal call her when she first arrived in U46 to tell her that he was there to help. He has now taken a leadership role among his colleagues, and Teresa has been able to leverage his and others’ commitment in a larger community-wide equity initiative.

Post-pandemic, Teresa has been ramping up the equity work in U46. She has an equity committee of about 70 members; there’s an annual equity symposium that engages the community and educators over multiple days in exploring issues of equity; she publishes a regular newsletter to highlight both the good work that folks are doing and the need to do more.

Teresa Lance has learned from her trials. Like most good leaders, she knows that success isn’t linear; it comes in fits and starts. But being honest about the realities of your situation and knowing how to surround yourself with the right people are good places to begin.

 References

Kotter, J.P. (2012, November), Accelerate! Harvard Business Review.

Rice-Boothe, M. & Marshall, T.R. (2022). Defining, measuring, and supporting the success of equity officers. Phi Delta Kappan, 104 (3), 18-21.

Santoro, D.A., Hazel, J., & Morales, A. (2022). Cultivating anti-racist professional cultures that support teachers of color. Phi Delta Kappan, 104 (1), 22-27.

Starr, J.P. (2020). So you hired an equity leader. Now what? Phi Delta Kappan, 101 (7), 60-61.

Stovall, J.L. & Sullivan, T. (2022). ‘Grant us the sun’: What Black teachers need. Phi Delta Kappan, 104 (1), 18-21.

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This article appears in the February 2023 issue of Kappan, Vol. 104, No. 5, pp. 56-57.