DESIGNED FOR EQUITY

Teaching and Learning with Equity, Access, and Cultural Fluency at Its Core

Administrators and faculty have been working to challenge and disrupt traditional assessments, grading practices, and learning objectives, all long-lasting educational structures that have perpetuated inequity in education.

Marin Academy competencies are grounded in equity-centered research. We know that diversity empowers students to learn and lead in a globally interconnected world, and we believe that competency-based models and learning systems should have as their central purpose the work of building student competence, connection, and agency.

The competency design process included questioning our assumptions and diversifying the research we were relying upon in and of itself, making sure BIPOC experts were found and heard. We committed ourselves to the thoughtful investigation of how students’ lived experiences, cultural backgrounds, and included/excluded identities could impact their leadership and collaboration styles and ultimate educational outcomes.

Through this iterative process, we honed in on cross-cutting skills and capacities, creating learning environments where students have voice and choice in their educational journeys and expectations don’t force learners to assimilate.

While designing for equity is important, implementing the competencies with equity is just as critical. Because of this, alongside our work with competencies, administrators and faculty have also been working to challenge and disrupt traditional assessments, grading practices, and learning objectives, all longlasting educational structures that have perpetuated inequity in education. Like any MA student will know, everything is a question, and the question is only the beginning.

We committed ourselves to the thoughtful investigation of how students’ lived experiences, cultural backgrounds, and included/ excluded identities could impact their leadership and collaboration styles and ultimate educational outcomes.

Marin Academy competencies were designed for equity. They are grounded in equity-centered research and represent a diversity of perspectives.