Belief Statement

Equity Work Starts with Self-Interrogation

Educators, equity is not just a checklist of classroom strategies—it begins with us. Before we can dismantle inequities in our schools, we must first examine our own belief systems at the micro level.

That means asking ourselves:

• What assumptions do I carry about my students, families, and colleagues?
   
• Where did those beliefs come from—history, family, media, policies?
   
• How do these beliefs shape my daily decisions in ways I may not even notice?
   

This self-interrogation matters because people make policy, and policy makes practice. The rules, procedures, and “standard” ways of doing things in our schools are not neutral—they are born from human decisions, informed by values and biases. And once those policies are in place, they directly shape the lived experiences of students and families.

If we skip the internal work, we risk recreating inequities through well-intentioned actions. But when we interrogate our beliefs, we can disrupt deficit thinking, question harmful norms, and create policies and practices that are truly inclusive.

Equity work is not only about changing what we do; it’s about changing how and why we do it—starting from within.