Transform Your School and Your Classroom with these Best Practices in Equity
I invite you to join me on this journey to explore issues relating to educational equity.
Teaching is one of the hardest and most rewarding jobs. Transform your school and your classroom with these best practices in equity.
BUY THE BOOK
Baruti K. Kafele
Retired Principal, Education Consultant, Author
"Dr. Sheldon Eakins has written a masterpiece! The topic of equity is by far the hottest topic in education today. Countless educators are writing about equity inclusive of what it is and what it is not. In Leading Equity, Dr. Eakins has gone beyond theory. This book is introducing ten actionable steps that a teacher can implement in the classroom immediately. At the proverbial end of the day, this is what teachers are looking for – strategies and solutions that they can take immediate hold of."
Emily Affolter, Ph.D.
Prescott College Faculty in Sustainability Education
“Dr. Sheldon Eakins' Leading Equity book is the culturally responsive actionable guide that every teacher needs! Stemming from his impressive scholar/practitioner background, it engages critical topics like asset-based pedagogy, decolonizing the classroom, acknowledging privileges/biases and embracing humility and discomfort with lesson plans, case studies, and prompts for all to engage and apply. It is comprehensive in scope and relentlessly committed to more just classrooms, schools, and societies.”
Michael C. Dominguez, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies, San Diego State University
“Leading Equity is a must read for educators and school leaders. Amidst so much controversy and politicization, it's easy to forget how vital questions of identity are to ensuring equitable and positive schooling outcomes, yet Sheldon Eakins' text invites us in accessible, welcoming ways to consider how we can help students navigate the complicated terrain of race, identity and culture in classrooms, while supporting educators to reflect productively on our own identities and responsibilities in the classroom. This is a real contribution to how we approach our diverse classrooms in the present era.”
WHY NOW?
Our students need more equity-minded educators in their schools and community.
Imagine a classroom in which students are inspired to learn because the curriculum and instruction is relevant to their languages, literacies, and cultural practices. A classroom in which students can freely discuss social justice issues that affect them and their communities. You'll learn about:
- How our biases and privilege may impact our decisions in an unconscious manner.
- Ways to get to know students’ names, personalities, and cultural backgrounds to enhance your relationship development with your students.
- How we can build relationships through connecting with students outside school environments.
- How we accept language in our classrooms according to our threshold of what we allow to be said in class.
- Ways we can decolonize our classrooms.
- Seven commitments you can make now to adopt an advocacy mentality.
- How you can educate yourself by diving into culturally responsive practices.
- Ways that you can connect more with your students and the school community by being vulnerable.
- What it means to view the individuality of students and their talents as assets.
- How we, as educators, position ourselves to be equity advocates and equity brokers within educational settings.
It Starts With You!
We have the power to create a learning environment that embraces the identities, languages, and literacies of our students through culturally responsive and equitable praxis.
BUY THE BOOKTRANSFORM YOUR PRACTICE
Become the Best Educator That You Can Be
Leading Equity: Becoming an Advocate for All Students delivers an eye-opening and actionable discussion of how to transform a classroom or school into a more equitable place.
Through explorations of ten concrete steps that you can take right now, I offer you the skills, resources, and concepts you’ll need to address common equity deficiencies in education. This book includes:
- Lesson plan strategies
- Advocacy talking points
Jeff Gargas
COO/Co-Founder, Teach Better Team
“Dr. Eakins takes us on a profound journey of self-reflection and improvement, weaving together real-life stories and practical reflection activities to help us recognize and understand our privileges and biases. Sheldon guides us through the often uncomfortable admission that is necessary for us to embrace the challenge of self-reflection so we can better understand, connect with, and support our students, colleagues, and community members.”
Todd Nesloney
Director of Culture and Strategic Leadership at TEPSA, best selling author, international speaker
"When I think of people who are leading the way in the work of Equity, Sheldon Eakins immediately comes to mind. Leading Equity is the book I wish I would have had when I began my career in education. It is thought provoking, moving, and helps the reader grow into a better human and educator. This should be required reading for anyone working with kids."
Jorge Valenzuela
Education Coach, Author and Advocate
Leading Equity by Sheldon Eakins is an evergreen AND relevant book 'for the times' as it accomplishes inclusivity and access for all educators, including equity skeptics! In current troubling times, teaching teams need warm and truthful feedback—we also need to learn how to be inclusive and collegial to raise equity for vulnerable students. Through the powerful reflective activities found in this book, Sheldon expertly provides what schools need to begin and sustain equity efforts!
CHAPTER SUMMARIES
CHAPTER 1
Know Yourself and Recognize Your Position of Privilege as an Educator
This chapter discusses how our biases and privilege may impact our decisions in an unconscious manner. I’ll begin with sharing my experience with realizing how my excitement in my personal life illuminated a few of my privileges. Sometimes, we hear the word, “privilege,” we default to the popular term, “White privilege.” The reality is, we all have some form of privilege. We will move into discussing ways that we can assess our biases and privilege, build relationships, and ultimately address others when we witness bias at school.
CHAPTER 2
Get to Know Your Students
What are some of the first things you do to get to know your students? How do you learn who they are and what their needs are? This chapter discusses ways to get to know students’ names, personalities, and cultural backgrounds to enhance your relationship development with your students.
CHAPTER 3
Spend Time with Students Outside of School Settings
Students become experts in environments in which they are comfortable to be themselves. In this chapter, I talk about how we can build relationships through connecting with students outside school environments. I'll help you explore the importance of learning about cultural norms and bringing culture into your classroom.
CHAPTER 4
Check Your Current Language Practices
This chapter talks about the importance of relationships, and part of developing relationships with our students is the way that we communicate with them. That's part of how we connect with our students. You might be asking me, "Well, what do language practices have to do with equity?" I’ll start with discussing how we accept language in our classrooms according to our threshold of what we allow to be said in class. I then discuss how you can set classroom norms, mitigate microaggressions and stereotypes, and reduce stereotype threats.
CHAPTER 5
Promote A Decolonial Atmosphere
Our educational system today has established norms that have been in place since the Industrial Revolution. The original educational system wasn't created for folks like me. It wasn't created for women either. These norms were created by White men for White men, and we still hold onto a system that was designed to keep the elite in power and everyone else at the bottom. There's a lot of ideology from Western mindsets that has continued to perpetuate within our educational system. This chapter discusses ways we can decolonize our classrooms.
CHAPTER 6
Adopt An Advocacy Mentality
Advocacy is a long-term commitment to a way of existing and working within the world of education. It will require consistently setting high expectations for all students, fighting for representation in all aspects of curriculum and instruction, and adopting culturally sustaining teaching practices. It requires deep reflection, tough conversations, and a willingness to challenge traditional methods. This chapter outlines seven commitments you can make now to adopt an advocacy mentality.
CHAPTER 7
Educate Yourself
In this chapter, I discuss how you can educate yourself by diving into culturally responsive practices. Remember that culture extends beyond race. I discuss what it means to be a cultural insider versus a cultural outsider. Finally, I share some tips on how you can take control of your professional development opportunities.
CHAPTER 8
Model Vulnerability and Humility
This chapter discusses how to keep your energy up even when you are facing distractions at home and work. I discuss ways that you can connect more with your students and the school community by being vulnerable. Sometimes, being vulnerable is complex, and it may make us uncomfortable at times. However, we must show our human side while staying true to our values.
CHAPTER 9
Recognize How to Build on Students' Assets
This chapter is all about asset-based teaching. I discuss what it means to view the individuality of students and their talents as assets. Rather than focusing on students’ deficits such as lower reading scores, learning loss, and statistics, we can embrace students where they are and build from there. I also discuss teaching strategies for asset-based pedagogy.
CHAPTER 10
Use Social Justice as the Basis for Advocacy
What does it mean to be an advocate? An advocate is someone who acts by speaking in favor of someone, recommending, arguing for a cause, and supporting or defending a position on behalf of others. In education, advocacy may include supporting our students, families, communities, or our teachers and staff. This chapter discusses advocacy inside and outside school.
Invite Dr. Eakins to lead your next book study
Leading Equity: Becoming an Advocate for All Students Book Study delivers an eye-opening and actionable discussion of how to transform a classroom or school into a more equitable place.
Through explorations of ten concrete steps that you can take right now, I offer you the skills, resources, and concepts you’ll need to address common equity deficiencies in education. This book study includes:
- Lesson plan strategies
- Advocacy talking points
- Asynchronous video lessons
- Downloadable resources
- Suggested podcast episode to further your learning
- Certificate of completion
This Book Is For You If...
- You are looking for steps to become an equity-minded educator
- You recognize that we do not live in a just society
- You need strategies to address challenges at school
- You want to value and celebrate culture at school
- You want to be a culturally responsive educator and don't know where to start
NICE TO MEET YOU
I'm Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D.
Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D. is the Founder of the Leading Equity Center and host of the Leading Equity Podcast. He is also the author of Leading Equity: Becoming an Advocate for All Students. With over 11 years in education, he has served as a teacher, principal, and Director of Special Education.
Dr. Eakins has a passion for helping educators accomplish equitable practices in their schools. He has earned a B.S. degree in Social Science Education, an M.S. degree in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in K-12 Education.
Need To Purchase A Bulk Order?
Purchase a bulk order of 10 books or more and get time with me. Book Study Summary.
- 10 books = 1 hour with me and your group
- 20 books = 2 hours with me and your group
- 30 books = 3 hours with me and your group
- 40 books = 4 hours with me and your group
- 50 books = 5 hours with me and your group
I'll sign them all as well :) Please purchase the books from me and not an online vendor. Shoot me an email for details on how to order sheldon@