Constructivist listening is an effective strategy for engaging in conversations that are both intellectually demanding and emotionally challenging. It is distinct from most forms of listening in that its purpose is for the benefit of the speaker, not the listener.

The promise of social and emotional development as a lever for increasing educational equity rests on the capacity of educators to understand that all learning is social and emotional and all learning is mediated by relationships that sit in a sociopolitical, racialized context – for all children, not just those who are Black and brown.

Negative experiences have a powerful impact on the human brain, which is wired to recognize threats more readily than rewards. Research in neuroscience has revealed that the brain responds to perceived social threats in the same manner as threats to survival. For marginalized students who are highly attuned to potential dangers, survival mechanisms can kick…

Each school has a “sphere of success,” a set of students for whom current practices are working to get on the path to college and career-readiness. Regardless of how successful a school is, not every child is within its sphere of success. In order to bring increasing numbers of young people into that sphere, educators…

Our Leading for Equity Framework provides a frame of reference that enables leaders to navigate the complex territory of equity challenges and to develop the capacity to engage in purposeful leadership action. In its simplest form, the Framework helps build habits of mind that are continually in practice. In its more elaborated form, it provides…

Liberatory Design is an approach to addressing equity challenges and change efforts in complex systems. It is a process and practice to: Create designs that help interrupt inequity and increase opportunity for those most impacted by oppression Transform power by shifting the relationships between those who hold power to design and those impacted by these…

The Canopy tags are a common language for describing 72 of the most common practices in innovative schools. These tags were designed collaboratively by 10+ organizations in an attempt to break down silos and make it easier to share information about innovative schools and learning environments. They are free and open source to use, adapt,…

The Canopy project is a repository of collective knowledge about a diverse set of 250+ innovative K-12 learning environments. Nominating organizations from across the country identified communities implementing equitable, student-centered learning models to be included in the Canopy. Many of those learning environments contributed data on their approaches, providing a picture of emerging innovative practices…

This tool, adapted from the ATLAS Looking at Data Protocol from the National School Reform Faculty Harmony Education Center (nsrfharmony.org), presents a structured reflection process for SEL teams and other school stakeholders to observe trends and discuss ideas for continuous improvement of SEL implementation. It emphasizes the importance of examining data with an equity lens…

Guidance to aid school teams in supporting students and adults during the pandemic and beyond.