19. Redesigning School Systems to Close the Equity Gap with Linda Darling Hammond

transcript: https://tinyurl.com/elnepisode19

In this episode of Equity Leadership Now!, host Dr. Jabari Mahiri speaks with Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, founding President and current Chief Knowledge Officer of the Learning Policy Institute, about her new book, “District Leadership for Racial Equity: Lessons from School Systems that are Closing the Gap”, co-authored with Larkin Willis and Desiree Thomas. Dr. Darling-Hammond highlights that transforming educational systems requires both strategic leadership and systemic change. She emphasizes the need for integrated efforts beyond the school system to ensure that all children have access to high-quality education, regardless of their families’ income or zip code.  

Darling-Hammond underscores that educational transformation cannot occur in isolation but requires comprehensive, society-wide investments. Drawing on her experience founding a high school in East Palo Alto, she illustrates how reimagining schooling through project-based learning, strong advisory systems, and culturally responsive practices can improve student outcomes, especially in underserved communities. She highlights the success of this model, and how “from the first year of graduates in 2004…90% graduated and 90% went to college” due to the creation of “an environment that’s safe and supportive and deeply enabling,” serving as a stark contrast to “factory model” schools.

She centers on the stories and voices of four districts, including Dr. Freddie Williamson in Hope County, North Carolina, who assumed leadership of a struggling, racially divided district. Employing the inclusive motto "all means all," Dr. Williamson avoided overtly racialized rhetoric while unifying the community; educators, political leaders, and local businesses around a shared vision of educational equity. His leadership involved both cultural and structural reforms, including personnel changes aligned with an equity-centered belief system and professional development to build the necessary competencies among staff. These challenges, deeply rooted in historical injustices, persist into the present moment, where contemporary political and social contexts have intensified national resistance to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Ultimately, Darling-Hammond reflects on what keeps her hopeful amidst these uncertain times: the commitment of educators, the resilience of student-centered movements,  and the boundless potential of young people.

Equity Leadership Now! hosts conversations with equity-conscious leaders from Pre-K through university settings on educational research, policy, and practice. We complement the mission and goals of the 21st Century California School Leadership Academy, 21CSLA.