“Within an organization such as High Tech High that intentionally integrates its student population, these conversations and safe spaces become even more important, as integration without understanding can tend towards increased feelings of isolation by members of non-dominant groups, as well as general conflict between groups. Therefore, I chose to focus my Action Research on working to encourage consistent, constructive, and explicit discourse about issues of equity among staff and students across HTH sites. This work consisted largely of individual interviews and conversations with staff and students across multiple HTH sites, as well as facilitating large-group workshops and conversations with all faculty at High Tech Middle School, and a select group of students at High Tech High International. Based on participant feedback, I was successful in creating safe spaces in my own workshops and helped teachers and students feel more aware and motivated to increase the level of equity conversations in their own classrooms.

“Learning” and “play” are synonymous. We learn best by getting our hands dirty and pushing through valuable failures to success. Ideas and thoughts are meant to be held up to the light and tossed around like a ball before they become worn enough to feel like our own. Students should get to play with different, real-life work, so that they can better decide what fits them best. When I lead, I always look for the best questions to push thinking and allow someone to solve their own problems before I consider suggesting what somebody should do. “