"Equity-centered capacity-building is a complex process coupling both structural and technical processes with those that are more social, cultural, and political" (Rimmer, 2016, February, Building the capacity, para. 2).

Ross & Berger's (2009) review of research literature on equity-focused leadership strategies revealed recurring themes that appear throughout the research literature on equity and leadership:

• A shared understanding of a vision and mission that prioritize equity beliefs: high achievement, access, and opportunities for all students, regardless of background, paired with a culture that understands openly discusses the impact of biases;
• Continuous and data-based monitoring of student progress and achievement to identify underperforming groups. Studying various sources of disaggregated data to monitor achievement and opportunity gaps is a core equity practice. It is paired with the use of inquiry and research-based practices to improve teaching and learning and the allocation of resources where they can best serve the students with the greatest need.
• A culture of collaboration and shared responsibility where educators work together to solve instructional problems and provide each student with appropriate supports and strategies based on their individual needs; and
• Community involvement that embraces diversity, avoids deficit thinking, and seeks ways to establish authentic relationships among culturally, linguistically, and economically diverse families and students.

How are these themes embedded in the 10 High-Leverage Leadership Practices for Equity?

While equity work is about improving outcomes for students, achieving the goal requires more than just instructional leadership. Mission, vision, and culture; instructional improvement; need-based resource allocation; and equity-focused scheduling, placement, hiring, retention, and capacity-building (systems and processes) work in concert to create the conditions for equity (Rimmer, 2016, February).

Leading for equity requires creating a school- and system-wide culture of equity. This represents a shift in the organizational culture for some organizations: "Embedded within each of the high-leverage practices is a paradigm shift in the kind of leadership that must take place for aspiring and practicing leaders to enact the practices in ways that lead to equity" (Galloway & Ishimaru, 2015, p. 385).

Core Practices

The first three practices are considered foundational. They must be in place in order for effective implementation of the remaining practices to occur. (Galloway & Ishimaru, 2015)

According to Rimmer (2016, February), "Unfortunately, some teachers can come to accept mediocre student performance or even failure as normal, inevitable and outside their control" (What is the work, para. 2). Leading for equity means counteracting this mindset by establishing a mission, vision, and culture of high expectations for all students and teachers, using a research-based framework and evidence-based practices for improving teaching and learning, and providing time and collaboration for improving teaching and learning through inquiry, the effective use of data, and need-based allocation of resources.