The Silence Between Us

Gervais, Alison. The Silence Between Us. 2019. 320p. ISBN 9780310766162. Available at FIC GER on the library shelves.

Maya is stressed. She has just moved across the country for her mother's new job. She's left her best friend behind. She's going to a new school mid year, sure to be the center of attention for a few days. And Maya is deaf, and this will be her first time in a "normal" high school. Since she became deaf when she was young, all of her schooling has been done in a non-hearing school. Returning to a school where people can hear makes her nervous.

At her new school, Maya is provided a sign language assistant that will help her translate what is being said. Maya is pretty good at reading lips, and because she could hear when she was a child, she speaks normally. Her classmates are therefore surprised she can't hear, and constantly forget. Beau Watson, president of the class and do-gooder extraordinaire, goes out of his way to make Maya feel welcome. She chalks it up to him being eager to burnish his credential, hey I helped a deaf girl college application, but when Beau begins learning American Sign Language and practice it with her, she notices that maybe Beau really is interested in her after all.

Being deaf brings on challenges, such as finding employment and navigating the treacherous waters of a high school social scene, but Maya is ready to confront and defy all expectations!

Maya and Beau are accurately portrayed and are often awkward with each other. The supporting cast of high schoolers is well integrated, while Maya's mother and the relationship between the two showcase a supportive parent who nevertheless does not want her daughter to pity herself or her circumstances. Fans of realistic fiction will appreciate hearing the world from the perspective of someone who can't. 

A Child of Fortune: A Correspondent's Report on the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution and Battle for a Bill of Rights

St. John, Jeffrey.  A Child of Fortune: A Correspondent's Report on the Ratification of the U.S. Constitution and Battle for a Bill of Rights. 1991. 392p. ISBN 9780915463565. Available at 342.73 on the library shelves.

The American Revolution was violent and divisive, pitting neighbor against neighbor and causing untold damages. The Revolution also represented a war of ideas, between self-governance and domination from aboard. With the victory at Yorktown cementing America's independence, however, self-governance was achieved. A massive task still remained in front of those who had signed their names on the Declaration of Independence. Winning the war did not mean establishing a successful government.

First came the Articles of Confederation, which provided for a very weak central government. The young nation was surrounded on three sides by enemies, with the British in Canada, Imperial Spain in Florida and on the Mississippi, and Native tribes actively opposed to settlers expanding westward, and lacked an army. It could not raise its own money, so both federal and state governments were at odds on how to finance services such as a navy or army. It delegated not enough authority to the federal government. State governments remained able to print their own money, leading to runaway inflation and bad credit for all.

As a result, a Constitutional Convention was called for in Philadelphia in 1787, and a new federal constitution for the 13 colonies was created in secret. It called for a strong federal government led by a president with the power of taxation, printing money, and courts that would supervise the laws passed by the new legislature, the House of Representatives and the Senate. 

The task of selling this new form of government fell on the federalists, people like James Madison, John Adams, and Alexander Hamilton, while those opposed, the anti-federalists, were primarily concerned with the lack of a Bill of Rights enshrined in the Constitution and with the secret negotiations that had taken place. George Washington was known to favor the federalists, but stayed above the fray, looking instead to become the first president of the United States.

Told from the perspective of a reporter who had access to all of the players in the colonies, as well as private correspondence, this crucial period of 18 months show that the new country could very well have been lost to a series of independent confederacies, altering the course of history. Fans of history will enjoy learning how founding fathers navigated the treacherous waters to create a unique document that created a balanced and equal co-branches of goverment to ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

To read more about the American Revolution, take a look at Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence or the graphic history Nathan Hale's History: One Dead Spy.

Nocturna

Motayne, Maya. Nocturna. Book 1 of the Forgery of Magic series 2019. 471p. ISBN 978-0-06-284273-2. Available at FIC MOT on the library shelves.

For centuries, the Castellans were dominated by the Englassians, who crushed their knowledge of magic. When they freed themselves, they restored their kindgom, but not all of the magic has returned. Most possess magical talents, a power that is unique and quirky. For everyday folks, these are useful. For Finn, it's the ability to disguise herself at will, literally taking on someone else's face. As a thief, Finn has had her share of deadly encounters, but the loss of a precious book in a gambling den puts her in the impossible position of having to break into the royal palace and steal an invisibility cloak for the mobster whose talent is to deprive other people of their talents.

Prince Alfehr is first in line for the throne when his father dies. His older brother's disappearance into a void a few years ago suddenly deprived Alfehr of his best friend and landed crushing new responsibilities on his shoulders. Since then, Alfehr has been looking for ways to explore the void and discover what happened to his brother, hoping against all hope to bring him back. If that means Alfehr has to tinker with dark magic, so be it.

Unfortunately, Alfehr's dabbling has dire consequences. An ancient evil has been locked for many years, and Alfehr broke the bonds that were holding it in its imprisoned state. With Alfehr and Finn thrown together through circumstances, they now have precious little time to figure out how to combat this evil, and in the process, they will need to face their own dark secrets.

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

Pink, Daniel H. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. 2009. 242p. ISBN 1594488843. Available at PROF 153.1 PIN on the library shelves.

What motivates people? Science has studies motivation for decades, trying to determine what moves people forward in good and bad times. Many studies have focused on money and how it can be used to increase motivation, but results have pointed out that rewards like money do enhance motivation, but only up to a point. 

Motivation, it turns out, is intrinsically connected to the human desire to accomplish something self-driven and meaningful. It can be broken into three separate yet connected pieces that all work together to motivate an individual: autonomy, mastery, and purpose. This desire guides learning and self-management to achieve a goal, which then builds on itself towards another goal. Even in a less than motivating environment, being able to guide one's own work provides a level of satisfaction that money and other extrinsic rewards cannot.

Motivation remains elusive, but this book provides an excellent foundation to understand how businesses and institutions can develop the means to empower their employees to reach autonomy, gain mastery, and work towards a meaningful purpose.

Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 12

Asagiri, Kafka. Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 12. 2019. 192p. ISBN 978-1-9753-0452-2. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

The appearance of a mysterious assassin bent on destroying the Armed Detective Agency and the Port Mafia has thrown both organizations at each other's throat in Bungo Stray Dogs, Vol. 11. The release of a cannibal virus continues towards its ineluctable countdown.

With their leaders grievously wounded, both sides deploy their forces, hoping to bring this conflict to a swift end in a full frontal assault that proves dangerous to all. Kunikida the Matchless Poet and Atsushi the Lion continue to search for the person who can solve the virus, but they are ambushed by children. Their death traumatizes Kunikida, and the capture of their source reveals they were set up. 

With the stakes rising, the president of the Armed Detective Agency and the head of the Port Mafia organize a secret meeting between the two of them, where they are met by the enigmatic Souseki Natsume, the last member of their trio who established the peace so many years ago ...

Monday's Not Coming

Jackson, Tifany D. Monday's Not Coming. 2018. 444p. ISBN 9780062422675. Available at FIC JAC on the library shelves.

Claudia and Monday are inseparable. They've been together since kindergarten, and the only time they don't spend together is when Claudia is at her grandmother's house for the summer. Imagine Claudia's surprise when she returns from vacation to find that Monday is not waiting for her at the airport with Claudia's mother. Her confusion increases when she doesn't get a phone call from her best friend, and calls to her home are unanswered. Confusion turns to distress when the new school year starts, and Monday does not show up.

Claudia relies on Monday to help her complete her homework. Claudia is very artistic, but reading is tough, especially since the letters seem to get mixed up when she tries to read. Monday lives on the wrong side of the tracks, and Claudia's mother has always insisted that Claudia should never go there as the neighborhood is too dangerous.

Everyone around her seem unconcerned that Monday is missing. Her mother doesn't seem worried. Teachers barely noticed. April, Monday's oldest sister, tells Claudia to mind her own business. With Monday gone, however, Claudia resolves to visit Monday's house and find out why her best friend is suddenly missing. Monday's mother threatens Claudia, and she flees back to her own house. Where did Monday go?

The more she digs, looking for clues into Monday's disappearance, the more confusing explanations seem to become, and the more unmoored Claudia feels, living live without Monday. Did Monday leave her behind because Claudia was holding her back and cramping her style, as April implies? Did she go live with her father, as Monday's mother yells at her? What happened to Monday? Finding the truth might save Monday, but it could very well destroy Claudia ...

Fans of psychological thrillers and unreliable characters will appreciate this story. Claudia's anguish is real, and the steps she takes to find Monday are appropriate for a teen. Those who enjoyed this book should consider reading Thirteen Reasons Why, Please Ignore Vera Dietz, If I Stay, Zoe Letting Go, Black Box, The Vanishing Season, or Kiss of Broken Glass. All of these books feature a tragedy and a voyage of self-discovery as the central element of the plot.

The Triangle Factory Fire

 Sherrow, Victoria. The Triangle Factory Fire. 1995. 64p. ISBN 9781-56294-572-6. Available at 363.37 SHE on the library shelves.

Prior to the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, the Triangle Fire was the largest workplace mass casualty. On March 25, 1911, a fire ravaged the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory located in the Asch building in the Lower East Side. The factory occupied the top 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of this building. There was one exterior staircase, and it was in poor condition. There were internal staircases, but the doors were locked so workers could not come in late or leave early. Hallways to be used in an emergency were stuffed with boxes and fabric scrap. When the fire started, it took no time to spread to the entire factory.

Ladders were not tall enough to reach the 8th floor. The women and girls who worked there, poor immigrants for the most part, were thus condemned. Many of them jumped, hoping to survive a deadly fall. Others were burned to death inside the building. By the time the fire was extinguished, 146 people had died. 

Public reaction was swift. New laws centered on workers' rights were imposed on companies. A new fire code mandated sprinklers, emergency exits, and fire drills. Unions grew stronger. Child labor laws prevented children from working in factories. The fire was tragic, but it led to several influential reforms that ended up improving the health and the safety of American workers, and of the American public.

For a deeper look in the lives of the people who worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company and the consequences of the Triangle fire, take a look at Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy.

School's Out -- Forever

Patterson, James. School's Out -- Forever. Book 2 of the Maximum Ride series. 2006. 409p. ISBN 978-0-316-06796-6. Available both as an ebook on Overdrive and at FIC PAT on the library shelves.

Maximum Ride and her family escaped the clutches of the laboratory where they were experimented on, but are confronted by flying Erasers. They escape, but Fang is hurt. In the hospital, Max is connected to Anne, an FBI agent who takes them home so they can enjoy a normal life. Max and her family go to school, and get plenty of opportunities to interact with normal kids and go through activities like dating. 

Agents return to threaten Max and the rest of the family, and the flock fights them off again. Iggy discovers that his birth family his nearby, and he escapes to join them, only to discover that all they want from him his money, and that they don't care about him as much as the rest of the flock does. When Max realizes that Anne has connections to the lab, the flock flees and heads to Florida.

There they stumble upon a plot by a company named Itex, which is somehow connected to the lab. Hoping to stop the plot, Max, Iggy, Fang, Angel and Gassy infiltrate the facility and are confronted by a a genetically identical clone of Max. The clone is intent on eliminating the real Max so she can take her place. Can the flock survive a battle between two Max?

Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence.

 O'Reilly, Bill. Killing England: The Brutal Struggle for Independence. Book 7 of the Killing series. 2017. 340p. ISBN 9781627790642. Available at 973.3 ORE on the library shelves.

The American Revolution is rightly seen as the foundational struggle that leads to the birth of the United States. When colonists revolted against the British crown, however, it was by no means assured that they would win their independence. The fighting which began in Boston in 1775 lasted until 1781 and cost lives, treasury, and divided communities. Above all, however, the American Revolution was a war of ideas, of a desire to form a more perfect union and seek life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 

Like most revolution, this one was seeded during the French and Indian Wars, when British troops were deployed to effect the conquest of Canada and settle the frontier to the Appalachians. Britain desired the Americans to pay for their defense, and applied several restrictive taxes to ensure that the large contingent of British soldiers left in the colonies would be supported locally, and not through monies from Britain. Colonists protested that they were being taxed without being represented.

On both sides people dug in. King George III wanted to teach the uppity Americans a lesson. Wealthy Americans sought to remove British interference in their internal affairs. Once started, the Revolution could only end in either total independence or impossible subjugation. Told through the large cast of characters who fought for and against independence, Killing England provides a comprehensive look at a period in history that is both well known and little understood. Fans of history will appreciate the detailed descriptions of battles and the biographies of the major players and how their personal views affected their participation in the war.

For more American Revolution, take a look at The Notorious Benedict Arnold and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tale: One Dead Spy.

Other books in this series include Killing the Rising Sun and Killing the SS.

Raid of No Return

 Hale, Nathan. Raid of No Return. Book 7 of the Hazardous Tales series. 2017. 128p. ISBN 9780606407182. Available at 940.54 HAL on the library shelves.

The surprise Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 shocked the United States and led to the country entering the Second World War. For years the Japanese had been expanding in the Pacific, attacking British, French and Dutch possessions and bombing Australia. Unable to directly strike back at Japan, American planners elaborated a daring attack plan. Bombers would take off from an aircraft carrier task force within striking range of Japan, and would bomb the industrial centers of Tokyo, Kyoto, and other targets. Bombers would then land in unoccupied China.

Colonel Doolittle was put in charge of training a volunteer force of 24 bomber crews. The short takeoff was thought to be impossible, but pilots quickly demonstrated that even bomb-laden heavy planes could take off with as little as 300 feet of flight deck. All unnecessary equipment was jettisoned, to make the planes lighter. 

The carrier task force took off from San Francisco, but as it neared its launching point it was spotted by a Japanese patrol boat, and bombers were forced to fly earlier than intended. Most of them hit their targets but did little damage. Some crew members were killed in action, while other were captured and executed or imprisoned in POW camps, but the vast majority of the crew members made it to China and eventually returned to the United States.

The damage inflicted was minimal, but the propaganda value and morale boost were invaluable to the war effort. For the first time since Pearl Harbor, the United States had shown it could strike at Japan.

Part of the Hazardous Tales graphic stories, this intriguing tale is beautifully illustrated and presents information in a concise and visually appealing way. 

Mexican WhiteBoy

De la Peña, Matt. Mexican WhiteBoy. 2008. 249p. ISBN 9780385733106. Available at FIC DEL on the library shelves.



Danny may look White, but he's half Mexican because of his father. His mother is blonde and has blue eyes. Every summer, he comes down to spend some time with his cousins in San Diego. Danny loves baseball, and throws a mean fastball consistently at 95 miles an hour. At his private school he is pretty quiet. He hopes to make the varsity baseball squad, but his half-Mexican status is all people see and judge him by. 

For his cousins and the people who live in the neighborhood, Danny is White, and it's even more obvious he's not one of them when they realize he can't speak Spanish. These two halves are often in conflict with each other, and Danny is sure that him being part White is what chased his father away back to Mexico when he left without saying goodbye.

At his cousin Sofia's house, he meets Uno, a baseball fanatic. The two of them start on the wrong foot but quickly develop a relationship that turns into friendship as Uno helps Danny work through his anger and his issues while developing his baseball skills even further. Uno, for his part, has a difficult family life and would like to go live with his father away from the neighborhood. Uno and Danny, over the course of the summer, will learn to accept that your parents don't make the person you are today, that they are in control of who they become. 

Fans of sports stories will appreciate Danny's struggles with his identity and his use of baseball to escape and eventually learn more about himself and his family.

Powell v. Alabama: The Scottsboro Boys and American Justice

 Horne, Gerald. Powell v. Alabama: The Scottsboro Boys and American Justice. 1997. 128p. ISBN 978-0-531-11314-0. Available at 345.73 HOR on the library shelves.

In 1931, nine African American youths were removed from a train in Alabama and accused of raping two white women. They were promptly arraigned, tried, and sentenced to death in the face of a hostile crowd and jury of all white men. In the rush to achieve what they saw as justice, however, a racist society's representatives committed several errors of law, which were twice appealed all the way to the Supreme Court, creating landmark rulings that still affect us today.

In Powell v. Alabama, the author reviews the trial cases that led to the condemnation of the boys. Their arrest, the trial, and the various appeals are described extensively. Prior to the Supreme Court decision in Powell v. Alabama, the right to a fair trial and independent and competent counsel varied widely from State to State and even from person to person. A White person brought up on capital punishment charges stood a better chance in a court of law than a Black person. They likely had better representation and did not have to fight organized and systemic racism.

Powell v. Alabama resulted in a decision that all criminal suspects had the right to counsel under the 6th Amendment. Horne describes how this was not a foregone conclusion, as this right did not exist in England before the American Revolution. Supreme Court justices, however, recognized the necessity for a fair and impartial justice system to provide the foundation of a democratic society. 

The second case that made it to the Supreme Court out of the Scottsboro Boys trial was Norris v. Alabama, which recognized that juries needed to include African Americans and other people to better represent society.

For more specific information about the Scottsboro Boys, read Accused! The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys: Lies, Prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment. Accused! The Trials of the Scottsboro Boys: Lies, Prejudice, and the Fourteenth Amendment.

Sky in the Deep

 Young, Adrienne. Sky in the Deep. 2018. 340p. ISBN 978-1-2501-6845-0. Available at FIC YOU on the library shelves.

Deep in the snows of the North, clans live in specific areas and fight one another for supremacy. The Aska, who live in the fjords by the sea, are mortal enemies with the Riki, who dwell in the mountains. Every five years, in a blood feud ritual as old as the world itself, warriors of the two clans meet and fight for honor and glory. Raids are also conducted, but these tend to be smaller affairs.

Eelyn first joined the field of battle when she was 12. At that age, Aska children serve in the rear-guard, dispatching wounded enemy fighters and learning the craft of war. Eelyn served as her brother Iri's support, but when she saw him being savagely slashed and then falling off a cliff, Eelyn lost a part of herself.

Five years on, Eelyn enters the battle against the Riki, this time as a full-fledged warrior. During the battle, Eelyn is injured by a Riki fighter, but as he's about to deliver the killing blow she swears she sees her dead brother coming to interfere. The Riki warrior leaves her on the battlefield. Convinced that Iri's spirit visited her, Eelyn rejoins the battle the next day, only to see Iri again. Following him into the woods, she is captured by the Riki, who take her back to their village where she becomes a slave in the house of her captor, Fiske. 

She is reunited with Iri, who did in fact survive what should have been a mortal wound, and who has joined Fiske's family and is slated to be wedded to a Riki girl. At first, all Eelyn wants to do is escape and return to the Aska, but as hours turn into days she slowly realize that Riki are more similar to Aska than she thought they would be. 

When another tribe raids both Riki and Aska, destroying villages and killing inhabitants, the two clans find themselves isolated and greatly diminished. Only an alliance will allow them to survive. Can the clans, like Eelyn, learn to live with a mortal enemy to fight a greater threat?

A nordic-inspired tale, this story features a strong female character who is driven to protect her family and her home. Fans of fantasy will appreciate the world building, despite the lack of magic.

Mark of the Raven

Busse, Morgan L. Mark of the Raven. Book 1 of the Ravenwood Saga. 2018. 352p. ISBN 9780764232824. Available at FIC BUS on the library shelves.

A hundred years ago, the seven Great Houses were forced to unite to defeat an invader. Each House possessed strange abilities like controlling waters, commanding fire, and detecting lies, and these powers were used to stop and repel the invader. Defeating the invaders, however, did not occur before most of House Ravenwood was destroyed, its family almost wiped out. Leaders of the Great Houses now believe Ravenwood to be powerless. Lady Selene, the heir to Ravenwood, know that this is not the case. The firstborn daughter of Ravenwood is entrusted with the secret that Ravenwoods continue to walk through other people's dreams, manipulating them, extracting information and causing death when necessary.

Lady Selene has trained her entire life to master this family inheritance. Her mother, a disciplined strategist and assassin, plans on restoring Ravenwood to its former glory by inflicting a terrible vengeance on the other Great Houses that abandoned Ravenwood in its time of need. To do that, she has recruited the invaders, who stand poised to return as allies of Ravenwood, throwing the continent in the fires of war.

Lady Selene is entrusted by her mother to kill Lord Damien, a Great House leader and the only one who could unite them against the impending threat of the invaders. When Selene realizes the role she must play in this stratagem, she faces a dilemma. On the one hand she wishes to protect her family and her secret. Killing Lord Damien means ascending to the title of Lady Ravenwood, and protecting her younger sisters from the taxing demands that dream walking require. On the other, her mother's plans will cause the destruction of everything she knows by bringing war back to the Great Houses. Not killing Lord Damien will spell the doom of Ravenwood. Selene is therefore faced with an impossible choice, with a price so high it may not be worth paying.

Fans of fantasy will appreciate the descriptive world-building and the tangled plot set in motion by Selene's mother.

My Hero Academia, Vol. 3

Horikoshi, Kohei. My Hero Academia, Vol. 3. 2016. 192p. ISBN 978-1-4215-8510-9. Available in the graphic novels section of the library.

At the end of My Hero Academia, Vol. 2, Hero Academy was under attack by a group of super villains, and the students of 1-A were outmatched. All Might is forced to intervene, but one of the supervillain's quirk is shock absorption, mixed in with regeneration, so All Might's strength is neutralized. The supervillains' plan all along was to trap All Might, and now that he's unable to deal with the enemy in front of him, their leader looks forward to a victory.

But All Might still has reserves of strength left, and he defeats his opponent in a flurry of activity so fast that he is unable to absorb all the impacts and regenerate. With one enemy defeated, All Might turns to the remaining two and goads them on. Izuku recognizes that All Might is truly depleted now, however, and couldn't defend himself. So our young hero jumps in and delivers an epic blow, but the villains escape.

With this incident behind them, security is boosted at the school, and the hero olympics are about to begin! In a series of events, each student will be able to showcase their quirks and secure valuable sponsorships and experience. Can Izuku turn in a convincing performance since he still doesn't master the One for All quirk?

Easy Prey

Lo, Catherine. Easy Prey. 2018. 352p. ISBN 9781419731907. Available at FIC LO on the library shelves.

Last year, a scandal rocked the high school. Jenna's topless pictures were posted on a social media. A junior at the time, Jenna bitterly complained to the school's principal and anyone else who would listen, but ultimately was told that it was her fault those pictures existed in the first place. She never got justice. The pictures came from her boyfriend Kyle's phone, but he says he didn't post it, so the two of them broke up.

Drew is Kyle's best friend, and one of the star basketball players at school. Unlike most of the other jocks, he also happens to be a good student, but won't need to rely on his smarts to get a full ride to university. An attractive guy and a smooth talker, Drew is suave and manipulative, and he often able to get nude pictures from girls at his school. Most of the boys on the team collect them and share them with the team in a twisted contest, but Drew is by far the champion. Until the Jenna incident, Drew had never been able to score naked pictures of her.

Mouse has been in love with Jenna forever. A computer nerd hoping to get into MIT on a scholarship so he can escape his overbearing father, he programmed a nifty database that allows the jocks at school to catalog all of the nude and topless pictures of girls they receive. In exchange, Mouse gets paid a decent amount of money, which will help him move out.

Now in the last semester of their senior year, all three of them are assigned to work on a project together in a law class where they will study the violation of privacy that happens when nude pictures are distributed. Jenna feels she's been punished. Mouse is thrilled to work with the girl he loves. Drew finds Jenna fair dating game, since she and Kyle are no longer together. 

While working on their project, they elaborate a plan to see if they can obtain nude pictures of their law teacher, to demonstrate how easy it is to get them. To their surprise, it doesn't take long before they get racy pictures. When those are also leaked, however, all three of them are hauled in the principal's office for conferences with the police. Who leaked the photos, and why?

Told from three different perspectives and moving back and forth in time, the story is confusing at first, but soon grows into a psychological thriller and mystery. Several hot topics are combined, including drug use, sexting, and exploitation. The characters are all realistic, and as the book careens towards the reveal, readers will be on the edge of their seats trying to figure out who's ultimately responsible.

Using Equity Audits to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools

 Skrla, Linda, Kathryn Bell McKenzie and James Joseph Scheurich. Using Equity Audits to Create Equitable and Excellent Schools. 2009. 132p. ISBN 978-1-4129-3932-4. Available at 379.26 SKR on the library shelves.

With the adoption of No Child Left Behind, there has been a movement to ensure that all schools can meet the needs of all students. Yet, decades later, institutional resistance remains in ensuring that all students are treated equitably. This is most glaringly reflected in lower graduation rates for students who require special education services, who are English Language Learners, and those from minority groups and lower socio-economic levels.

One  of the ways to begin the process of addressing these equity issues is knowing they even exist. An equity audit can be conducted to find the blind spots in a school district so that they can then be addressed. In order to improve awareness, Equity Audits proposes three areas where this process can be started. First, the quality of teachers is paramount, and studies have shown that a qualified teacher makes the most impact in a student's school year. However, due to structural directives like seniority and hiring practices, low-performing schools and students often get the new teachers, while better-performing schools are staffed with experienced and competent teachers. Equity requires that all students have the opportunity to be taught by quality teachers.

A second area to consider is program design. Is the proportion of special education students consistent among all ethnic groups? Among diverse language speakers? Are students consistently disciplined in the same way, regardless of race or ability? Answers to these questions provide fertile ground to investigate and audit.

Student achievement is the third area that can start this process. Are students from certain groups funneled in specific classes? Do all students have the opportunity to take advanced classes, or are those limited to a certain segment of the population? Are all students proportionally on track to graduate? Are dropout rates similar for all segments of student population? Once again, searching for the answer to these questions lead to a better understanding of the challenges facing a school or a district.

Understanding which areas require attention is only the first step. Providing a high quality education for every child in a school and in a district will translate into all teachers and staff working together to ensure that each individual has an equitable opportunity to participate in this high quality education.