Advocacy Action Plan
Generate a five-part advocacy plan to ensure that your community of learners is fully supported and
engaged in learning opportunities that meet their diverse, individual needs. This assignment includes the
following components
Introduction: Setting the Stage
Set the stage by introducing your advocacy plan components with your classroom/teaching/professional
context. This will include information on your learners� backgrounds (race, culture, SES, language,
special learning needs, etc.) as well as your geographic location. Also address any particularly �hot
button� issues or current events in your local community that have the potential to inform your
students� classroom experiences (e.g. you live in an area where police/community relations are
strained).
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Advocacy Action Plan
Introduction: Setting the Stage
Since my childhood years, I have always grown up without an idea that people can
discriminate against one another on the basis of ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, race,
nationality, socio-economic status, and disability status. I was born and raised in Almond, New
York City by a morally upright, caring, and loving family. My parents played a big role in
teaching me values, which have enabled me to stay in harmony with friends, neighbors, and
siblings. During my first year in high school, I witnessed my fellow students discriminate against
one another based on their countries of origin, skin color, ethnicity, and academic capabilities.
Since then, I have learned that people have very different thoughts and opinions concerning how
individuals from different cultures are supposed to relate in their social settings.
Since my class comprises of learners from different cultural backgrounds, I feel that there
is a great need for assisting them to be fully supported and engaged in creating learning
opportunities that will enable them to fulfill their diverse needs. My current school is located in
Austin, Texas and the main languages that are spoken by students are English, German, and
Spanish. After teaching in a number of schools outside New York, I have learned that students
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can acquire new knowledge from their social interactions, both at school and at home. In
addition, I have discovered that learning that occurs among students from different cultural
backgrounds are of great benefit to learners. The main idea that supports such an observation is
that when students are exposed to varied environments and people with diverse views, they get
an opportunity for personal development and to learn from life’s challenges which help to
improve their critical thinking skills (Szachowlcz, 2010; & Fullan, 2011).
References
Fullan, M. (2011). The path to equity: Whole system change. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, &
L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide
achievement for every student (pp. 45-54). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
& Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
Szachowlcz, S. (2010). Brockton High School, Brockton, Massachusetts. In A. M. Blankstein, P.
Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous
leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 31-43). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
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Part I: The Educator’s Impact
Section One
The teacher’s prior experiences as well as a personal worldview has an impact on how they
perceive and expect their students to behave and helps them to develop strategies that are aimed
at promoting positive behaviors among learners. In my teaching profession, I often base my
teaching approaches on what has been successful in the past and I try to make modifications in
those areas that did not work well in my previous classes. For instance, whenever I am
introducing a new topic in class, the main goal that I always try to achieve is to help students to
learn through equity. Additionally, I try to embrace the qualities of a good teacher by creating a
learning environment that gives all learners an opportunity to excel in their respective areas of
capabilities. Furthermore, I extensively apply a wide range of educational philosophies at the
beginning of every lesson to help students to relate concepts that are being taught in the
classroom with their social life experiences (Szachowlcz, 2010). These approaches to teaching
have been very effective in helping my students to achieve excellence.
This class is very similar to those that I have handled before, and I must strive to create a
learning environment that will be suitable for every learner by making improvements based on
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what I have learned from experience. In order to achieve this goal, I will first develop an
enthusiasm to teach a diverse group of learners. Secondly, I will select and implement classroom
activities that encourage learning in a diverse classroom environment. Third, I will choose and
utilize assessment strategies that motivate students to learn through experience. Fourth, I will
provide timely feedback to learners in order to establish a stable learning process that helps every
student to make improvements. Fifth, I will give every learner close attention in order to
encourage them to disclose their areas of weaknesses and that will be used to help them improve.
These approaches are in accordance with ideas of Szachowlcz (2010) in ‘Brockton High School,
Brockton, Massachusetts’ as well as the ideas of Newsome (2015).
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Reference
Newsome, M. J. (2015). A journey toward equity and excellence for all students in Chesterfield.
In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles
of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 239-258).
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-
4166-2250-5.
Szachowlcz, S. (2010). Brockton High School, Brockton, Massachusetts. In A. M. Blankstein, P.
Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous
leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 31-43). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
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Section Two
For teachers to develop effective teaching strategies that are suitable for diverse groups of
learners, they must be able to reflect on their areas of weaknesses and strengths and to identify
appropriate actions that they must take to enhance their understanding of classroom diversity.
This will help them to create relevant learning experiences for a community of learners. As a
teacher committed to promoting equity in the classroom, my greatest strength lies in my ability
to form direct and positive relationships with learners. This provides me with an opportunity to
solve their problems as a personal level and to help them to make improvements in their areas of
weaknesses (Szachowlcz, 2010). According to Beegle (2003), the teacher is charged with the
responsibility of helping learners to achieve their highest levels of expectations. In order to help
my students to achieve their expectations, I strive to form close relationships with them in order
to understand both school-related and non-school related factors, which have a direct impact on
their academic performance. I utilize this knowledge to influence the creation of policies that are
focused on helping students to excel both at home and at school (Szachowlcz, 2010).
However, there are two major areas in which I need to improve in order to effectively
meet the needs of students from various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Currently, I
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experience problems with helping students to learn their home languages while they are at
school. In need to improve on how to assist students in integrating their home language into the
learning process for an improved learning outcome. Although English might be the main
language used to deliver instruction in a number of schools, teachers should strive to assist
students to have a deeper understanding of their home language. This is because helping learners
to have a deep understanding of their home language helps them to create strong links between
their family lives and programs that they are being taught as school. As part of my efforts to
improve in this area, I will collaborate with students’ parents and families to help my students to
learn their home language better and to understand how they can integrate it into their learning
process in order to improve their academic performance (Fullan, 2011).
Furthermore, I still find it difficult to help my students to improve their non-cognitive
skills, which may help them to become useful people in the society. According to Beegle (2003),
as teachers struggle to improve the cognitive skills of their students, they should always work
hard to motivate them to learn and to educate them on matters related to self-control and
perseverance when they are faced with difficult situations in their daily lives. As a teacher, I
must learn to teach students issues related to perseverance, motivation, and self-control, as it is
required for a teacher who is committed to promoting equity in the classroom. In order to
improve in this area, I will involve parents and families in academic lives of their children in
order to find the best way through which I can approach my students in an attempt to help them
improve their non-cognitive skills (Harper, 2015).
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References
Beegle, D. M. (2003). Overcoming the silence of generational poverty. Talking Points, 15 (1):
11-20. Retrieved from http://www.ncte.org/journals/tp
Fullan, M. (2011). The path to equity: Whole system change. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, &
L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide
achievement for every student (pp. 45-54). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
& Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
Harper, L. (2015). The Voices and Hearts of Youth: Transformative Power of Equity in Action.
In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles
of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 73-96). Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-
5.
Szachowlcz, S. (2010). Brockton High School, Brockton, Massachusetts. In A. M. Blankstein, P.
Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous
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leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 31-43). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
Part II: Educational Norms/Professional Interactions
The teacher should have a comprehensive understanding of how communication in a
classroom setting can be affected by diversity, as this knowledge will assist him or her to design
strategies that may promote effective communication among groups of learners. One of the
challenges faced by today’s teachers is proper management of behavior especially in a classroom
that comprises of a diverse group of learners. This occurs due to the variations in values and
beliefs, which have been acquired by students from their parents and social settings. Since
students can only learn in a peaceful, quiet and organized environment, the teacher must develop
educational norms to guide their interaction with a community of learner for improved student
outcome (Fullan, 2011).
There are a number of norms for communication that the teacher can develop to
encourage corporation among learners. For instance, I will inform students in advance about
what defines an acceptable behavior in the classroom as well as those behaviors that are not
encouraged within a classroom setting. By doing so, students will know what is expected of them
and this will encourage them to avoid unacceptable behaviors. Moreover, I will inform students
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about the consequences of demonstrating any form of indiscipline in the classroom. This norm
will help to create peace in the class by influencing learners to engage only in acceptable
behavior. Furthermore, I will instruct all students to avoid using languages that may identify with
any cultural group. This norm will help students to avoid an occurrence of any conflicts that may
arise among themselves in the classroom. Personally, I will praise all students who will have
excelled in various subjects without any form of discrimination on the basis of race, nationality,
ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or sex (Littky, 2015).
These norms are very appropriate for the context described in the introduction section of
this advocacy action plan in the sense that, they will help to promote harmony in my classroom
that comprises of learners from different cultural backgrounds. According to Fullan (2011),
through setting norms in a classroom, the teacher finds an opportunity to enhance inclusivity in
the classroom and to create an environment in which all learners can voice their opinions. In this
manner, they get an opportunity for personal development and to learn the importance of
effective communication when interacting with colleagues from different cultural backgrounds
(Szachowlcz, 2010).
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References
Fullan, M. (2011). The path to equity: Whole system change. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, &
L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide
achievement for every student (pp. 45-54). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
& Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
Littky D. (2015). Who wants a standardized child anyway? Treat everyone the same-differently.
In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly (2016). Excellence through Equity: Five
principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 155-
162). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN:
978-1-4166-2250-5.
Szachowlcz, S. (2010). Brockton High School, Brockton, Massachusetts. In A. M. Blankstein, P.
Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous
leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 31-43). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
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Part III: Peer-to-Peer Relationships
Students have an important role to play in their own academic lives. Teachers must value
the role played by students in their personal academic life by encouraging them to develop
positive peer-to-peer relationships. Effective peer-to-peer relationships help to create an
environment, which is conducive for learning (Olivares-Orellana, 2016). Since I mainly teach
children, I will use varied forms of children literature to model and encourage meaningful peer-
to-peer relationships among students. Children literature contains interesting stories that can be
used to teach strategies that encourage acceptable relationships among a community of learners.
Specifically, I will use children stories to teach my students about collaborative learning as a
strategy that encourages effective peer-to-peer relationships (Cartledge and Kourea, 2008).
In order to effectively teach this strategy, I will focus on children literature that narrates
the benefits of learning through teamwork and the disadvantages of learning as an individual.
Based on the information presented on the chosen literature, I will encourage students to learn
through collaborative in order to form meaningful peer-to-peer relationships. As a teacher, I will
help students to form effective peer-to-peer relationships by asking them to perform class
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assignments in groups. This will promote active learning, which will translate into improved
learning outcomes for diverse learners (Zmuda, 2014; & Littky, 2015).
References
Cartledge, G. & Kourea, L. (2008). Culturally responsive classrooms for culturally diverse
students with and at risk of disabilities. Exceptional Children, 74: 351-371.
Littky D. (2015). Who wants a standardized child anyway? Treat everyone the same-differently.
In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly (2016). Excellence through Equity: Five
principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 155-
162). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN:
978-1-4166-2250-5.
Olivares-Orellana, E. (2016). Equitable ways to teach science to emergent bilinguals and
immigrant youths. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through
Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student
(pp. 163-181). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
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Zmuda, A. (2014). Personalized learning. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly.
Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide
achievement for every student (pp. 135-154). Alexandria, VA: Association for
Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
Part IV: Family/Student Support
Positive learning outcome for diverse learners is achieved if the teacher collaborates with
students and their families in identifying the teaching approaches that can best meet the needs of
learners. This section provides a recommendation to the school administration on the methods
that it should use to involve students’ families in the academic lives of their children. According
to Olivares-Orellana (2016), allowing families to take part in their children’s academic progress
is a good way of fostering collaborative relationships between the school and its stakeholders.
The most effective ways in which teachers can involve parents and families in their children’s
learning experiences include; allowing parents and families to attend presentations in which their
children are the main facilitators, giving parents an opportunity to go on academic trips with their
children, and allowing parents to reward students for excellent academic performance on price-
giving day (Olivares-Orellana, 2016). These three methods will provide an opportunity for
family engagement that is currently absent in the school. By allowing parents to attend
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presentations that are being facilitated by their children, they get an opportunity to know their
children’s strengths and weaknesses, which will help in the development of strategies that can
help them, improve. Again, parents who go on academic trips together with their children find an
opportunity to educate them on important issue observed in the field and that may be relevant to
their academics. Moreover, parents get a chance to motivate their children through rewards that
are offered during the prize giving days at school (Sichel and Bacon 2015; & Olivares-Orellana,
2016).
References
Olivares-Orellana, E. (2016). Equitable ways to teach science to emergent bilinguals and
immigrant youths. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through
Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student
(pp. 163-181). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
Sichel, A. F. & Bacon, A. H. (2015). Focusing on equity propelled us from good to great. In A.
M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of
courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 205-223). Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-
5.
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Part V: Identifying Role as an Educational Professional for Students
As a teacher, the best way through which I can take part in the implementation of
strategies that promote equity in the classroom is by acting as an advocate for students. An
advocate is a person who presents a case and influences implementation of an appropriate action
on behalf of another person (Szachowlcz, 2010). By acting as an advocate for students, I will
influence and facilitate the creation of learning environments that meet the needs of diverse
learners. After completing this course, I have learned that today’s classroom comprises of
learners from different cultural backgrounds. In order to create a learning environment that will
allow all students to benefit, relevant strategies and approaches must be identified and
implements.
Serving as the Head of Children’s Education Department and as an advocate for students,
I will influence the enactment of a policy that directs the Ministry of Education to develop a
multicultural curriculum that would be used in all academic institutions in the country. A
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multicultural curriculum will help all students in the country to build strong personal identities
while at school. This will result in improved academic performance among diverse groups of
learners (Fullan, 2011). Moreover, I will influence integration of foreign language education into
the curriculum to allow students to learn different languages that can help them to survive in the
real world even after school. Having a curriculum that integrates foreign language education will
help to usher students into a united community of learners who can interact freely without any
forms of communication barriers (Harper, 2015; & Samson and Collins, 2012).
References
Fullan, M. (2011). The path to equity: Whole system change. In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, &
L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous leadership to guide
achievement for every student (pp. 45-54). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision
& Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
Harper, L. (2015). The Voices and Hearts of Youth: Transformative Power of Equity in Action.
In A. M. Blankstein, P. Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles
of courageous leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 73-96). Alexandria,
VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-
5.
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Samson, J. F. & Collins, B. A. (2012). Preparing all teachers to meet the needs of English
language learners: Applying research to policy and practice for teacher effectiveness.
Center for American Progress: United States of America. Pp. 1-25.
Szachowlcz, S. (2010). Brockton High School, Brockton, Massachusetts. In A. M. Blankstein, P.
Noguera, & L. Kelly. Excellence through Equity: Five principles of courageous
leadership to guide achievement for every student (pp. 31-43). Alexandria, VA:
Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development. ISBN: 978-1-4166-2250-5.
