Perspectives · Press — Psychology Today (August 2018)
In August 2018, Psychology Today’s Jenny Grant Rankin, Ph.D. interviewed Gary D. Soto for the publication’s “Much More Than Common Core” blog. The conversation, “Effective School Leadership and Social Justice,” explored the intersection of the two: what school leaders must actually believe, and actually do, for equity to become something students experience rather than something districts announce.
Reading it today, what stands out is how little of it has needed revising. The themes Gary named in 2018 — leadership that starts with examining adult beliefs, real coaching in classrooms rather than drive-by professional development, and the conviction that all students can master rigorous standards — are the same principles Gary D. Soto Consulting practices with district and site leaders now. They were never trend positions; they are what the research on how students learn has said all along.
“We must examine our beliefs and affirm that all students can and deserve to succeed and master rigorous standards. Many conditions of school success are, in fact, under our control.”
— Gary D. Soto, Psychology Today, August 2018
The full interview covers far more — including the beliefs work behind school reform and what it takes to position educators as a driving force toward social justice for all students.