Working Toward Instructional Equity for All

In any given classroom, who is doing the meaningful thinking: the teacher, a few students, or everyone? And how can you tell? In Frederick County Public Schools in Maryland, educators are asking themselves these hard questions to help them move towards instructional equity.

“Instructional equity is every student having an opportunity to think deeply,” says Meg Lee, Frederick County's former director of organizational development. “It’s not just about participation—it’s how deeply students are being asked to think through an idea.”

Leaning on their training in the science of learning, Frederick educators have begun to identify strategies that make sure all students are engaged in effortful thinking. Teachers there have found ways to create more equitable classrooms—with surprisingly small tweaks to their current practice—that don’t just engage all learners, but also ensure they are thinking more critically about content.

One key approach is finding ways to activate prior knowledge. When teachers surface what students already know, they uncover the range of experiences students bring. Because those experiences can vary, teachers can then use that knowledge to build a shared foundation so all students can access the lesson. Middle school teacher Allison Marsh uses hexagonal thinking to help her students tap into prior knowledge, but there are many ways to do it.  

Making thinking visible is another powerful practice. High school math teacher Maggie Arnold uses vertical whiteboards so students can show their thinking in real time. This allows her to scan student work, identify misconceptions, and step in with support on the fly. Every student’s thinking is seen and valued, not just the few who jump in with answers first.  

Purposeful questioning also plays a critical role. When fourth-grade teacher Leah McGinnity uses strategic questions to guide students when they feel stuck, she’s helping them work through challenges without giving away answers. In time, this builds confidence and reinforces students’ ownership of their learning. 

By combining these strategies and other learning-science-backed approaches, educators across Frederick County are making small but meaningful shifts that elevate their classroom practice. And they are seeing results—their districtwide efforts to achieve instructional equity have led to a bump in the level of thinking for every student, which has narrowed achievement gaps for previously underserved populations of learners.  

To learn more about Frederick County’s implementation process, watch the video Making the Shift to Learning Science. To see videos showing some of the many teaching strategies based on the science of learning in action, visit our collection How Learning Happens: Instructional Shifts.