Equity Learning Communities: Leveraging Data to Transform Instruction in Higher Education

Concrete strategies for making higher education instruction more equitable via professional learning groups that use empirical classroom data to guide iterative, incremental changes In Equity Learning Communities, Daniel Reinholz recommends sustained, collaborative professional development group meetings as a launchpad for higher education instructors to enhance classroom equity and inclusivity. In Reinholz’s approach, community members make use of debrief sessions, collaborative problem solving, and empirical classroom data, such as participation data, to guide iterative, incremental changes in instruction that increase empathy and trust, improve instructor-student relationships, and build from student strengths. The book offers a comprehensive look at the process of professional learning via equity learning communities. Reinholz makes evident the tremendous benefits of such communities and community cultural wealth. He presents in-depth case studies of six instructors, diverse in terms of race, gender, disability, discipline, and professional experience, who made transformative changes to their mindset, perspective, and instruction as participants in such communities. This work gives instructors a host of explicit strategies and educational moves for becoming aware of and quashing inequities as they arise. It also provides a wealth of practical wisdom that faculty leaders, instructional coaches, and professional developers could apply to their own equity work. It serves as a blueprint for readers to create and sustain their own learning communities, from picking an appropriate measure to collecting data and organizing collaborative professional learning around those data.