--Mirko Chardin and Katie Novak

When it comes to the hard work of reconstructing our schools into places where every student has the opportunity to succeed, Mirko Chardin and Katie Novak are absolutely convinced that teachers should serve as our primary architects. And by "teachers" they mean legions of teachers working in close collaboration. After all, it’s teachers who design students’ learning experiences, who build student relationships . . . who ultimately have the power to change the trajectory of our students’ lives.

Equity by Design is intended to serve as a blueprint for teachers to alter the all-too-predictable outcomes for our historically under-served students. A first of its kind resource, the book makes the critical link between social justice and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) so that we can equip students (and teachers, too) with the will, skill, and collective capacity to enact positive change.

Inside you’ll find:

• Concrete strategies for designing and delivering a culturally responsive, sustainable, and equitable framework for all students
• Rich examples, case studies, and implementation spotlights of educators, students (including Parkland survivors), and programs that have embraced a social justice imperative
• Evidence-based application of best practices for UDL to create more inclusive and equitable classrooms
• A flexible format to facilitate use with individual teachers, teacher teams, and as the basis for whole-school implementation

"Every student," Mirko and Katie insist, "deserves the opportunity to be successful regardless of their zip code, the color of their skin, the language they speak, their sexual and/or gender identity, and whether or not they have a disability." Consider Equity by Design a critical first step forward in providing that all-important opportunity.

Also From Corwin:

• Hammond/Culturally Responsive Teaching & the Brain: 9781483308012
• Moore/The Guide for White Women Who Teach Black Boys: 9781506351681
• France/Reclaiming Professional Learning: 9781544360669

The achievement gap remains a stubborn problem for educators of culturally and linguistically diverse students. With the introduction of the rigorous Common Core State Standards, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement and facilitating deeper learning

Culturally responsive pedagogy has shown great promise in meeting this need, but many educators still struggle with its implementation. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction.

The book includes:

• Information on how one’s culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships
• Ten "key moves" to build students’ learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners
• Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

With a firm understanding of these techniques and principles, teachers and instructional leaders will confidently reap the benefits of culturally responsive instruction.

"An essential, compelling, and practical examination of the relationship between culture and cognition that will forever transform how we think about our role facilitating the learning of other people’s children—and our own children!

—LaShawn Routé Chatmon, Executive Director

National Equity Project

"All students can and will learn at high levels when provided the type of instruction described in this book. This work calls us to action by mandating that we move beyond looking for student outcomes that rely heavily on the regurgitation of memorized facts to applying the information learned to new situations."

—Kendra Ferguson, Chief of Schools

Kipp Bay Area Schools, Oakland, CA