Embrace, Empower, Educate, and Include by Salandra Grice

True or false? The continued presence of the racial achievement gap is not merely an indication of how poorly individual students perform but more of an indication of a school's lack of effectiveness in teaching certain students. Depending on how one answers the previous question ultimately depends on one's understanding of the importance of equity-based and culturally responsive practices in the classroom. As K-12 schools continue to grow increasingly diverse, many teachers and schools struggle with supporting the academic, social, and emotional needs of the culturally and linguistically diverse students they serve. Much of this struggle comes from a lack of understanding of the goals and aims of equity in education. As misinformation mounts about the causes and implications of the continued inequities experienced by historically marginalized students, teachers and school leaders need sound, research-based, and practical knowledge about concepts and principles which reverse these tre