Our school systems have wrestled with how to ensure effective learning environments and successful outcomes for students regardless of their race, ethnicity, or background. However, as currently designed, K-12 education systems are perfectly designed to get the results they get. Equitable outcomes cannot be achieved when the current structures and systems are designed to disadvantage students of different identities, especially students of color, and particularly black and brown students. It is not enough to allow access to our public schools; we must question whether the opportunities, supports, and resources provided to students are what they need and set them up for success.

The culture and mindsets of the district and school also shape how practices and policies are conceived and implemented. Without a strong culture of learning, inclusivity, and empowerment, dynamics of institutional inequity that have been built into education systems are likely to persist, perpetuating inequitable outcomes. Today we need to ask ourselves how are we creating diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning environments where every student can succeed no matter how they identify by race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, national origin, sexual orientation, family status, socioeconomic status, religion, ability status, or geography.