For decades, the California Subject Matter Project has been a leader in developing inquiry-based teaching strategies and tools to advance equity and accessibility within the classroom. Beginning in June and running through October, the California Subject Matter Project collaborated with the 21st Century School Leadership Academy in an innovative two-day workshop series, “Inquiry: Why Now?” This fully-funded series provides educational leaders with the opportunity to delve into how inquiry intersects with equity and how to envision it in the classroom, the school campus, and the district.

Clarifying the link between inquiry-based learning and equity, the Inquiry: Why Now? investigates the process of inquiry as both a culture shift, teaching practice, and leadership style. Inquiry begins with curiosity, the pursuit of data informs an analysis, and the communication of conclusions produces new questions. Integrating aspects of Universal Design for Learning, Inquiry Based Learning offers flexible ways for students and educators to engage with questions, collect and analyze data, and interpret conclusions.  In the classroom, leaning in with inquiry rather than an expository has the power to ignite engagement. Sustaining investigative curiosity “offers the freedom,” as one participant at the UC Davis conference noted, “to have a really loud classroom” where authority of learning is given back to the students. Inquiry Based Learning moves the culture of the classroom from compliance to curiosity.

Meanwhile, at the site and district level, leaning in with inquiry has the power to increase access to improve access to educational success for historically marginalized and underserved student populations. Inquiry: Why Now helps leaders consider how to cultivate inquiry-mindedness within their teaching communities. Inquiry creates an impulse within teachers and leaders to get curious about their students and ask, “Who is stepping forward and who is stepping back? How can I meet them where they are while empowering them to meet their learning goals? How can I reimagine ways to assess expertise?” If you are an educator or educational leader, registration is still open for the final two sessions in Irvine, on September 14-15, and Fresno, on October 12-13.