About the Book
Creating Schools That Work for All of Us: A Guide to Empowered Stewardship is your invitation to lead with purpose, nurture intergenerational collaboration, and cultivate a school culture where equity is both a value and daily practice.
This guidebook is grounded in decades of equity-centered practice and liberatory design aligned to the Seven Commitments of Stewardship. It brings together research-informed frameworks, guiding metaphors, and concrete strategies to help educators take action with courage, clarity, and care. This guide offers accessible entry points to know yourself, know your students, know your practice as a leader, teacher, student, community member, or any other role you may fill.
Use it to lead professional learning, deepen your own practice, or co-create conditions for empowered learning with your students and colleagues.
Integrates personal, professional, and organizational inquiry into a coherent framework for school transformation
Anchors each phase of the journey in equity, joy, and intergenerational learning
Includes 40+ adaptable strategies for collaborative teams, leadership development, and classroom practice
Aligned with design thinking, culturally responsive pedagogy, and systems-level change
Includes vivid visual tools and reflection routines that support sustainable implementation
This is not just a professional learning guide; it's a roadmap for cultivating a more just and joyful future, one community at a time.
About the Author :
Founder of Teaching Equity Network, Patricia McDonald (Tmac) is a culturally sustaining practitioner, consultant, educator, leader, and community member dedicated to dismantling the oppressive structure of traditional education-acting for a world where all students feel seen, valued, and listened to in their classrooms. Informed by 28 years in the classroom, Patricia champions learning communities and cultural responsiveness by engaging educators in critical conversations that deepen their knowledge of self and awareness of impact on educational environments.Partnering with educational organizations that drive the recruitment and retention of teachers of color, Patricia currently supports the Education program at Highline College; a testament to the work she does cultivating non-traditional pathways for students in the college system. She is recently energized about the idea of providing coaching to support BIPOC educators as they navigate the often toxic education systems in service of student success. Meet The AuthorsHoward-B-w-Blue-Gradient.pngBenjie HowardBenjie Howard is an author, poet, touring musician, educator, wilderness guide and consultant. He is the Co-founder of Youth Empowered Stewardship, a nationally recognized intergenerational education program focused on growing partnerships for equity, inclusion, and stewardship in schools. He is a managing Equity Stewardship Consultant with The Core Collaborative. He is the co-author of Youth Equity Stewardship, Corwin Press, 2018, Separation Point - The Edge of Wildness, Laguna Wilderness press, 2021, Equity Stewardship - A Professional Learners Field Guide, Mimi and Todd Press, 2024, and Youth Equity Stewardship - Creating Intergenerational Partnerships Together, Mimi and Todd Press, 2024.McDonald-w-Blue-Gradient.pngPatricia McDonaldFounder of Teaching Equity Network, Patricia McDonald (Tmac) is a culturally sustaining practitioner, consultant, educator, leader, and community member dedicated to dismantling the oppressive structure of traditional education-acting for a world where all students feel seen, valued, and listened to in their classrooms. Informed by 28 years in the classroom, Patricia champions learning communities and cultural responsiveness by engaging educators in critical conversations that deepen their knowledge of self and awareness of impact on educational environments.Howard-G-w-Blue-Gradient.pngGary R. HowardGary R. Howard has more than 40 years of experience working with issues of civil rights, social justice, equity, education, and diversity, including 25 years as the Founder of the REACH Center for Multicultural Education. He is a key-note speaker, writer, and workshop leader who has traveled extensively throughout the United States and Australia. Mr. Howard completed his undergraduate work in Cultural Anthropology and Social Psychology at Yale University and did graduate work in ethics and social justice at Yale Divinity School. He has served as an Adjunct Professor at both Western Washington University and Seattle University.
