Want to Be an Equity-Centered Educator? Look at Classroom Design

teacher in a hijab in a classroom smiling at students below the words "Want to Be an Equity-Centered Educator? Look at Classroom Design"

Would you be surprised to hear that equity is more than curriculum or policy? It also lives in the physical spaces we create. It matters how a classroom is designed. Classroom design is a way to communicate values. For equity-centered educators, classroom design can be a way to either reinforce or disrupt systems of exclusion. In this article, we invite educators to reflect upon what their classrooms say about who belongs and who is being left out.

Exploring the Meaning

Educators should keep in mind the fact that classroom design is a pedagogical tool. It shapes how students feel, move, and engage themselves in the learning process. In culturally responsive classrooms, the classrooms reflect the voice, identities, and histories of all students, not only a select few. Flexible classroom environments support diverse student needs and reduce barriers between students and educators. When students have a voice in classroom design, their stories are more visible and students are more likely to feel valued and included.

belle hooks talked about classrooms becoming sites of radical possibility. Equity-centered educators should welcome the notion of their classrooms being places where radical possibilities are present. Part of the idea of radical possibility can be addressed by finding ways to add Indigenous and Afrocentric models of learning spaces to the classroom. This may include things like circle groups, creating community, and looking for ways to foster and strengthen relationships between students and between students and educators.

Classroom Applications

There are many ways in which educators can use equity-centered classroom design to make classrooms more equitable and better for students. Some of these ways include:

Visual Representation – The use of student work, culturally affirming images, and multi-lingual signage can help all students feel as if they and their voices have a place in the classroom. When students see themselves in the classroom, they are more likely to feel comfortable and have better educational outcomes.
Flexible Seating – When students have a choice in how and where they sit in the classroom they have choice and agency. To make this work, educators can rearrange desks or allow students to change seats on a regular basis.
Ritual Spaces – Providing classroom space for reflection, journaling, affirmation, or quiet self-reflection also serves to give students agency and sense of belonging. Having these spaces in a classroom helps

In elementary school classrooms, it is easier for educators to do creative things like labeled visuals, comfy seating, and identity-based book displays. In secondary classroom spaces, students can be part of the design process for bulletin boards. These older students can also help create classroom agreements. Even educators in virtual spaces can create equity-centered classrooms. They can do things like create digital backgrounds, collaborative whiteboards, and institute personalized check-in rituals.

Real World Impact

In the real world, equity in classroom design looks like teachers rearranging desks into a circle so that students are in equitable power positions and their voices have the power to be increased. It may look like a school administrator working to redesign hallways so that student art and affirmations are given prime placement. This type of work may lead to increased engagement.

Click here, to download our “Equity-Centered Classroom Design Checklist” and use it in your classroom.

Conclusion

Always remember that equity lives in the details. When designing your classroom, design with intention. Make sure that every space in your classroom whispers to students, “You belong here.” Use the attached “Equity-Centered Classroom Design Checklist” to help you create an equity-centered classroom. As you use the checklist think about what is working in your classroom and what is missing. Use this time to think about the possibilities available to you and your students. After doing all of this work, journal about what your classroom design says about your values. Ask what you could do to make your class more inclusive. Use the comment section here to share stories about how your equity-centered classroom designs shifted focus in your classroom.

References

Hooks, B. (2014). Teaching to transgress. Routledge.

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.