Good educators are able to maintain academic excellence and support marginalized voices at the same time. It is important for educators to understand that academic excellence and equity are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they are mutually reinforcing. All too often people who are outside of the education arena, try to tell educators that you cannot maintain academic rigor while being an equity-centered educator.
This could not be further from the truth. In fact, if an educator truly is equity-centered, she should work to make sure all students are in position to achieve academic excellence. In this article, we encourage educators to examine their own teaching practices to make sure they balance excellence with advocacy. By working to achieve this balance, educators can shape student outcomes and create a sense of belonging.
Exploring What it Means to Maintain Academic Excellence and Support Marginalized Voices
For the purposes of this article, a “good educator” is an educator who upholds high standards while amplifying marginalized voices. One of my favorite researchers on this topic is Gloria Ladson Billings. Thirty years ago she stated that teachers must maintain high expectations for their students while helping them achieve intellectual growth (Ladson-Billings, 1995a). According to Ladson-Billings, while it is important for students to affirm and appreciate their own cultural identities, students should become fluent and another culture and thus foster cross-cultural understanding (Ladson-Billings, 1995a). She further asserted that doing this would enable students to recognize and analyze social inequities which in turn would empower them to make change in their own communities and beyond (Ladson-Billings, 1995a).
Additionally, she argued that culturally relevant pedagogy was not a gimmick, but excellent teaching that was responsive to students’ lived experiences (Ladson-Billings, 1995b). Her work challenged educators to move beyond surface level multi-culturalism and instead embrace teaching methods that validated students’ cultural knowledge, encouraged real engagement with society structures, and foster learning in a deep way that connected with students’ lives (Ladson-Billings, 1995b).
Historically, many people have excluded academic excellence from the narratives of marginalized students. However, many marginalized students and their families prize education and seek out educational excellence for their children (Davis, 2025).
Application
There are many ways in which educators can maintain academic excellence while supporting marginalized voices. One way is to have students help create rubrics for class assignments. These rubrics could be designed for more robust was of showing excellence and mastery. Educators could also allow for the use of multimodal assessments which allow for visual expression, storytelling, and community relevance. By doing these things students get to show students that their ways of learning and showing what they learn are valid. This will encourage them to continue to participate in the educational process.
One example of this practice would be to allow students to create “Counter-Narrative Journals” that students could use to reflect on dominant narratives and their lived experiences. Educators could also make “Excellence Circles” part of students’ weekly work. In those circles, students would spend time on a weekly basis celebrating their wins and sharing affirmations. In elementary grades, educators can use picture books. Excellence circles could take place in literal circles on the floor. In middle and high school, educators can integrate social justice texts and inquiry-based projects. When it comes to higher education, educators can scaffold research assignments that center scholarship from historically marginalized voices.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to recognize that excellence and equity are not competing goals. Instead, they should be looked at as co-conspirators in the movement to help all children achieve academic excellence. Today, we encourage you to reflect upon where excellence can be seen in your educational practice. Look for places where marginalized voices can be seen and heard. To help you in this work, we encourage you to download our “Educator Reflection & Planning Worksheet.” In the comment section below, please share your stories. They may serve to encourage, inspire, and motivate fellow educators.
Click here to download our “Educator Reflection & Planning Worksheet.”
References
Davis, J. (2025). We love our kids too: Black parents supporting the academic success of their children in affluent, predominantly White school districts (Doctoral dissertation, West Chester University). West Chester University Open Commons. https://digitalcommons.wcupa.edu/all_doctoral/328/
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995a). But that’s just good teaching! Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 159–165. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405849509543675
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995b). Toward a theory of culturally relevant pedagogy. American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465–491. https://doi.org/10.3102/00028312032003465
Further Reading
The Best Educators Strive to Create Equity-Centered Classrooms
Unlock Your Doctoral Success: Coaching & Resources That Work
Unleash the Fire Within: Maya Angelou’s Lifegiving Wisdom for Educators
About the Author
Dr. Janeane Davis is Founder and Principal Consultant at Janeane Davis and Associates: Educational Consultants. She designs equity-centered strategies that speak to both heart and structure—supporting educators who refuse to leave justice at the classroom door. Her writing invites reflection, courage, and the kind of clarity that shifts culture.
Desk light on. Equity in focus. Always listening.
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