Equity-centered teaching is a powerful and transformative approach that re-envisions what happens in the classroom using a lens of justice, belonging, and student voices. When an educator teaches in an equity-centered manner, she is kind, smart, and notices what each student needs to feel safe, seen, and successful. It shows up when teachers listen to students’ stories and ideas, use books and lessons that reflect more than one culture and heritage, and helping students learn in ways that feel comfortable and natural for them. Educators who are equity-centered in their teaching find ways to make sure each student gets what they need to succeed and shine in the classroom. Equity-centered teaching is particularly relevant in today’s educational climate because there are persistent disparities. Educators are called upon to be intentional and all-inclusive in their teaching practice. As educators read this article, they are invited to spend time reflecting on their own teaching philosophies and to think about how equity-centered teaching practices can increase the positive impact they have on their students.
Exploring the Meaning
The central idea when it comes to equity-centered teaching is that it is a pedagogical approach that prioritizes cultural responsiveness, dismantling systemic barriers, and fairness. It is important to distinguish equality and equity. When one teaches with an equality-centered approach, they concentrate on giving everyone the same things. This may sound good in theory, it seems to be a call for fairness. However, equity-centered teaching is a better approach. With equity-centered teaching, each student is given what they need to thrive in the classroom. In many cases, it means that students are each getting something different. They receive just what they need and thus they are set up to succeed.
Equity-centered teaching has been receiving a lot of teaching recently, but it has roots in the work of Freire who looked at critical pedagogy, Paris & Alim who looked at culturally sustaining pedagogy, and Love who looked at abolitionist teaching. Freire posited that education is never neutral it either serves to dismantle injustice or maintain it. According to Paris & Alim, educators should be concerned about not only helping students learn about their cultures, but also help keep those cultures alive and thriving by challenging systems that attempt to erase or devalue those cultures. When Love spoke of education she stated that schools should affirm the humanity of Black and Brown children and that teaching was about reimagining power and that teacher should be co-conspirators working to dismantle oppression in classrooms and schools.
Classroom Applications
There are many things educators can do in order to have equity centered classrooms. Two things that can easily be implemented in any class are identity maps and community agreements. An identity map is a poster or drawing about who a student is – name, family, culture, favorite things, what makes the student feel proud, and how the student learns best. Identity maps help students learn about themselves and feel important in their classes. These drawings help students feel as though their voices matter. Community agreements are rules that classes work together to create that guide how the class will function. These types of agreement allow students to feel as though they matter in their classrooms. Community agreements help students feel that they are part of the educational process. When they feel part of the process, they are more likely to participate and succeed on their educational journeys.
There are a few activities educators implement in their classrooms that will help the classroom be more equity-centered. The following are a few examples:
- Incorporate student-led inquiry and storytelling
- Design interdisciplinary projects that center historically marginalized voices
- Facilitate restorative circles
- Embed equity audits in curriculum planning
- Use case studies and narrative journaling
Conclusion
It is important for educators to understand that equity-centered teaching is a commitment to transformation, courage, and care for students. Educators who want to have equity centered learning spaces should be intentional about the work. Their stories matter and their examples are important for their peers to witness. These educators should journal using a prompts similar to the following:
- Whose stories are centered in my classroom and whose are missing?
- How do my various identities and experiences influence the way I teach?
- How do I make my students feel as if they belong in my classroom?
- What is an equity move I want to make in my classroom this month?
Educators should be encouraged to work to have equity-centered classrooms. It may be hard work, but the end results are well worth the effort.
References
Freire, P. (1996). Pedagogy of the oppressed (revised). New York: Continuum, 356, 357-358.
Love, B. L. (2019). We want to do more than survive: Abolitionist teaching and the pursuit of educational freedom. Beacon press.
Paris, D., & Alim, H. S. (2014). What are we seeking to sustain through culturally sustaining pedagogy? A loving critique forward. Harvard educational review, 84(1), 85-100.
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Reflection Tool
Now that we have explored the foundational ideas behind equity-centered pedagogy from Freire’s liberatory pedagogy, to Paris & Alim’s culturally sustaining way of thinking and Love’s abolitionist call to action, it is time to look inward. Below is a reflection tool designed to help personalize the insights discussed in this article. Use the reflection tool to personalize insights, examine your own teaching practices, and begin (or further develop) your own journey on the road to equity-centered teaching.
Click here for a downloadable PDF of this Equity-Centered Teaching Reflection Tool
🧭 Equity-Centered Teaching Reflection Tool
Format: One-page printable PDF (portrait layout)
Audience: K–12 and higher ed educators, instructional coaches, and equity-focused teams
Purpose: To guide educators through personal reflection and classroom integration of equity-centered teaching
✨ Title Section
Header:
EQUITY-CENTERED TEACHING: A Reflective Practice Tool
Subheader:
Use this tool to explore your teaching through the lens of equity, belonging, and student voice.
🪞 Section 1: Personal Reflection
Prompt:
- What does equity mean to me in the context of my classroom?
- Whose stories are centered in my curriculum—and whose are missing?
- How do my own identities and experiences shape the way I teach?
🖋 Space for journaling or bullet points (lined or blank area)
🧠 Section 2: Classroom Audit
Checklist (Yes / Not Yet / Needs Revision):
- ☐ My classroom norms are co-created with students
- ☐ I use materials that reflect diverse cultures, identities, and perspectives
- ☐ I regularly invite student voice into lesson design and assessment
- ☐ I adapt instruction based on students’ lived experiences and needs
- ☐ I address bias and systemic inequities in my subject area
🖋 Optional space for notes or action steps
🛠 Section 3: Equity Moves in Practice
Choose One to Try This Week:
- 🌱 Start class with a community-building ritual
- 📚 Introduce a text or resource from a historically marginalized voice
- 🗣 Facilitate a dialogue using restorative questions
- 🧭 Invite students to reflect on what equity looks like in your classroom
🖋 Space to write which move you’ll try and how you’ll adapt it
💬 Section 4: Share Your Story
Prompt:
- What did you notice?
- What shifted in your classroom or mindset?
- What questions are you still holding?
Further Reading
20 Tips for Educators: A Powerful and Informative Series
Phenomenal Woman: Four Poems Celebrating Women by Maya Angelou
The Complete Poetry by Maya Angelou
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. Most of her writing begins at a well-lit desk where strategy meets storytelling and systems take shape around real lives. Her consulting work centers families, scholars, and institutions committed to equity—and she writes to bring clarity to complex questions, especially those often left unasked.
Desk light on. Pages open. Always listening.