Explicit Teaching Is a Tool for Equity

Education leaders play a crucial role in shaping instructional practices that meet the needs of all students. Such practices are often based on evidence-based teaching methods. For example, structured literacy strategies—grounded in research on how students learn to read—have become prevalent in education. And evidence-based practices can improve equity, especially for historically marginalized students.

For years, diversity, equity, and inclusion have been at the core of professional development aimed at closing the achievement gaps between marginalized students and their white peers. While culturally relevant practices help address these gaps, researchers say that it is essential to integrate them with explicit teaching.

To give all students a chance to succeed, assistant principals (APs) must address how systemic racism impacts students. What if we combined inclusive practices with explicit instruction to maximize teaching and minimize disproportionality?

Addressing Disproportionality

Disproportionality often arises from a “minimally articulated core curriculum and inconsistent support for teaching ability,” according to pedagogical theorist and educator Gloria Ladson-Billings. But many schools lack aligned curricula and consistent teaching strategies to meet the needs of diverse students.

In some classrooms, this is compounded by an unconscious bias that leads teachers to call on students who they think know the answer to a question more often than students who don’t. This imbalance affects the learning experience, particularly for students of color. It also distorts school data on engagement and achievement, making it appear as though these students are less involved or less capable.

Explicit instruction—in which goals are clear, content is manageable, and students are actively engaged—can promote equity by providing all students with an equal opportunity to participate and succeed. Research shows explicit instruction benefits all students and especially marginalized ones when used correctly. And so, educators can help students of all backgrounds excel by setting high expectations and using rigorous yet accessible teaching methods.

Leaders must actively monitor the classroom environment to ensure equity in participation, addressing issues in which certain students are unintentionally sidelined. For instance, replacing hand-raising with choral or partner responses can give all students, including students of color, more opportunities to contribute to class discussions.

Curriculum Alignment

When a curriculum doesn’t build upon itself, learning gaps emerge—especially for marginalized students who might not have had equal educational opportunities. APs and principals must ensure that K–12 core programs in reading and math are aligned to allow students to expand upon prior knowledge year after year. This requires collaboration across the K–12 system.

Research shows that well-structured, sequenced, and aligned curricula reduce achievement gaps and reduce disproportionality. Teacher collaboration across grade levels ensures smooth transitions for students and guarantees they have access to a comprehensive curriculum, preventing gaps that often disproportionately affect students of color.

Ongoing professional development supports teachers in this goal. Provide PD that builds teacher capacity in content knowledge and pedagogical skills, particularly in differentiated instruction, formative assessments, and culturally responsive teaching.

To ensure equitable teaching, also make teachers aware of how implicit biases might impact their behavior. Provide training on recognizing and overcoming these biases to ensure that all students, regardless of their race or background, are given equal opportunities to participate.

Set Expectations

When leadership sets clear expectations for teaching practices, it fosters collective efficacy—a shared belief among teachers that they can positively impact student outcomes. “Learning is not a spectator sport,” says educational consultant and author Anita Archer. Students should have multiple opportunities to engage with content, whether it’s through whiteboards, peer discussions, or partnered work.

Limiting responses to a single student at a time can reinforce disparities, especially among marginalized students who might lack confidence. APs and other education leaders must enforce expectations surrounding high-leverage teaching practices and point out when practices fail to enhance equity.

I have witnessed how limiting participation to one student at a time can contribute to disparities and instances when students of color hesitated to speak up due to a lack of encouragement. Encouraging multiple responses simultaneously through small groups or partner discussions helps increase engagement among all students.

A culture of collective efficacy in which teachers collaborate, share best practices, and hold each other accountable can significantly reduce disparities. Such a collaborative environment ensures that all students have the tools they need to succeed.

Cultural Relevance

A culturally relevant and sustaining pedagogy is also vital to reducing disproportionality. Educators must ensure that the curriculum reflects the lived experiences of marginalized students while encouraging them to engage with diverse perspectives. Rudine Sims Bishop’s concept of mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors captures these aims: Students should see themselves in the curriculum (mirrors), view the world through others’ perspectives (windows), and explore cultural contexts (sliding glass doors).

Together, culturally sustaining pedagogy and explicit instruction can create exceptional educational opportunities for all students. By combining these practices, educators ensure that students learn the content and skills needed to navigate a diverse world. A balance of academic rigor and cultural relevance helps make instruction challenging and meaningful for all students.

A multifaceted approach of explicit instruction, aligned curricula, ongoing teacher development, and culturally relevant practices can break down disproportionalities. To foster an environment with high expectations and equal opportunities for all students, educational leaders must:

• Set clear expectations;
• Ensure curricular alignment; and
• Support teachers in implementing inclusive, effective instruction.

Ensuring that all students—and especially those from marginalized communities—are given an equal opportunity to participate and succeed will contribute to a more equitable and inclusive education system.

Samuel González is an assistant principal with the Hatboro-Horsham School District in Horsham, Pennsylvania.