ACT
Inspirational Scholarship and Leadership
Inspirational Scholarship and Leadership
ACT, which administers the college readiness exam for high school students, provides fee waivers for qualifying students to take the national ACT test, and encourages first-generation students and students from low-income families to apply and submit at least one college application via the American College Application Campaign (ACAC) program. In addition, the ACT WorkKeys assessment allows career-ready high school students to secure an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), which demonstrates to an employer that the student is prepared for a particular position or opportunity in the employment sector.
ACT, which administers the college readiness exam for high school students, provides fee waivers for qualifying students to take the national ACT test, and encourages first-generation students and students from low-income families to apply and submit at least one college application via the American College Application Campaign (ACAC) program. In addition, the ACT WorkKeys assessment allows career-ready high school students to secure an ACT WorkKeys National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), which demonstrates to an employer that the student is prepared for a particular position or opportunity in the employment sector.
The work of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop and a Stanford Social Innovation Review article, “The Curb-Cut Effect” (Winter 2017), (https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_curb_cut_effect) inspired ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning and the ACT English Language Arts development team to identify and include an even broader range of diverse literature in the reading section of the ACT test. Internally, the project is called the “Windows and Mirrors Project.” It began with roundtable discussions with external leaders, “exploring how diverse representation in ACT reading passages can help support and engage students [because]... texts can serve as “windows" that permit views of other experiences and perspectives and “mirrors” that reflect the lived realities of the readers.”
The work of Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop and a Stanford Social Innovation Review article, “The Curb-Cut Effect” (Winter 2017), (https://ssir.org/articles/entry/the_curb_cut_effect) inspired ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning and the ACT English Language Arts development team to identify and include an even broader range of diverse literature in the reading section of the ACT test. Internally, the project is called the “Windows and Mirrors Project.” It began with roundtable discussions with external leaders, “exploring how diverse representation in ACT reading passages can help support and engage students [because]... texts can serve as “windows" that permit views of other experiences and perspectives and “mirrors” that reflect the lived realities of the readers.”
Dr. Tina Gridiron-Smith cites the leadership of ACT CEO Janet Godwin, as well as the organization’s North Star, as guideposts in their commitment to equity:
Dr. Tina Gridiron-Smith cites the leadership of ACT CEO Janet Godwin, as well as the organization’s North Star, as guideposts in their commitment to equity:
[H]er commitment to serving students from all walks of life, her commitment to ensuring that ACT was a collaborative resource for all learners as they navigate the education and workforce stages of life, her commitment to equity in the establishment of the North Star and in creating space [...] around equity, where ACT intentionally talks about Equity by Design. Our equity commitment really came out of Janet's leadership. You know it matters when there is a CEO that is also comfortable talking about the diverse populations that are in the education and workforce ecosystem where we serve, and who often articulates that as an organization we seek to do more to support and serve all students. Under Janet’s leadership we aim to be transparent, consistent, and effective in our equity efforts. And we expect the field, we expect our colleagues, we expect our internal team members to identify where we're not getting it right, so that we can improve daily. Janet models strong learning orientation, a very strong collaborative orientation, and a consistent commitment to serving all students well. As a learning organization that seeks to grow and improve, we look forward to helping students achieve their education and workforce goals and aspirations -- all that their hearts desire.
[H]er commitment to serving students from all walks of life, her commitment to ensuring that ACT was a collaborative resource for all learners as they navigate the education and workforce stages of life, her commitment to equity in the establishment of the North Star and in creating space [...] around equity, where ACT intentionally talks about Equity by Design. Our equity commitment really came out of Janet's leadership. You know it matters when there is a CEO that is also comfortable talking about the diverse populations that are in the education and workforce ecosystem where we serve, and who often articulates that as an organization we seek to do more to support and serve all students. Under Janet’s leadership we aim to be transparent, consistent, and effective in our equity efforts. And we expect the field, we expect our colleagues, we expect our internal team members to identify where we're not getting it right, so that we can improve daily. Janet models strong learning orientation, a very strong collaborative orientation, and a consistent commitment to serving all students well. As a learning organization that seeks to grow and improve, we look forward to helping students achieve their education and workforce goals and aspirations -- all that their hearts desire.
May this be so in all our work, that we have leaders who inspire and support us in similar ways!
May this be so in all our work, that we have leaders who inspire and support us in similar ways!