The Impact of Equity Literacy in Understanding, Creating, and Sustaining an Equitable School Climate

There is an extraordinary culturally and linguistically diverse student population in America today; however, there is an overwhelmingly homogenous representation in educators, being predominantly White, middle-class, female, and monolingual (Howard, 2020; Tanase, 2020). The racial disparity between educators and students has serious consequences for marginalized students leaving many students undereducated and unprepared to compete in the world today (Howard, 2020). hooks (1994) claimed that educators are poorly prepared to confront diversity and we must focus on diversity and inclusion if we want to be more equitable and close the achievement gap. This qualitative action research study was centered around the idea that many educators lack the critical skills necessary for working with culturally and linguistically diverse students. It focused on the need to establish equity literacy within the school climate and personal praxis by examining implicit biases of educators at the research site. In doing so, educators gained an increased awareness of racism and diversity in order to promote a culturally responsive school climate through equity literacy. Equity literacy is critical as it provides a framework for educators to see the world through an equity lens and to open our eyes to subtle biases and inequities in order to equip us in matters of diversity and social justice issues (Gorski & Pothini, 2018).