Running Head: REFLECTION POINT 615 1

Reflection Point 615

Madeline Albrittain

George Mason University

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Throughout this course, it is evident that I have grown as an educator. The course began
by highlighting the inequalities among school districts and while every student has access to an
education, but not every student has access to equal opportunity from that education. The
statistics from Spring (2012) helped me to understand the gravity of the differences. For
example, a Black girl in a city setting has access to a vastly different education that a Black male
in a suburban setting. The fact that parents move into better school districts, causing the better
teachers to want to teach in these areas is causing the middle and lower class to drift further and
further apart (Spring, 2012). This was important background information when examining the
significance of the equity study as it set the tone for the course. Engaging in the process of the
equity data was highlight of the course and most impacted my personal and professional growth
as an educator. In each step of the process, I was able to confidently examine my school’s
diversity and inequities but, also examine my role in supporting culturally responsive pedagogy.

At the beginning of the course, it was clear that I wasn’t sure how equitable my school or
classroom was. In fact, I put “unsure” for the majority of pre-course survey responses concerning
my knowledge of whether or not “x” was an equitable space. In addition, it was clear that I
lacked confidence as being an agent of change in my school. Here is a deeper look using my pre
and post survey results. For the question “I trust that my school’s policies are equitable,” my
pre-survey response was “unsure” while my post course response was “strongly disagree.” As
I’ve mentioned, I had an idea that policies were inequitable but I really wasn’t aware nor were
the policies and data transparent. I really had to dig and push administrators for answers in order
to find data for the data collection chart. Upon gathering the results, I was astonished as to the
levels of inequity among the student population and teacher population. With the current
situation at my school and recent incidents, the administration finally appears ready to examine
the school culture and taking initial steps toward change. Another answer seemed important to
me, “When I feel it is necessary, I will speak out and express my views to my colleagues, even
when my views are unpopular.” For the presurvey I marked “unsure” again and for the post,
“Strongly Agree.” After I saw the discrepancies in equity data, I was able to compare that my
classroom is above average in terms of racial diversity in my classroom. In other words, I have
more students of color in my classes. The exercises in teacher leadership helped me build
confidence to answer more confidently that “It is my job to help make my school more
equitable.”

I used to think a teacher’s job was to teach his/her students. The readings from
Hargreaves and Fullan helped guide me to realize that teacher leaders can have a voice among
administrators. In Chapter 3, Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) state, “sustainable improvement
can… never be done to or even for teachers. It can only be done by and with them” (p. 45). I
have more confidence using data as means to build social, and therefore human capital
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(Hargreaves & Fullan, 2012). Data is not only to be used by administrators, but I should use
informed data to “guide instructional improvement” (Datnow & Park, 2015, p. 53). My capacity
has grown in terms of confidence to be a teacher leader and an agent of change at my school. The
general trend in my pre-survey responses was “unsure.” After this class, many of my answers
regarding equity in my school turned to “disagree.” However, my role in creating greater equity
turned positive, many to “strongly agree.” I would say that the ASTL Learning Outcomes 4, 6,
and 7 were prominent because at the end of the course I was indeed able to examine my local
context related to access and equity, and my role as a change agent within my school.

Going forward, I hope to use all of the knowledge I’ve acquired and share with my
colleagues and administrators. After my graduate studies, I want to develop and act on the
tangible ways to grow social capital. They can be low-stakes such as sharing one or two ideas
from a conference or using planning time more efficiently to collaborate with colleagues.
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References

Datnow, A. & Park, V. (2015). Data use for equity. ​Educational Leadership​, 49-54.

Hargreaves, A., & Fullan, M. (2012). ​Professional capital: Transforming teaching in every
school​. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.

Spring, J. (2012). ​American Education​ (15th ed.). New York: NY: McGraw Hill.