ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors move forward and discuss how to best set the scene (school climate) and develop scripts (role expectations) that ensure successful role performance. Organizational practices ranging from the dress code to extracurricular options can either invite or reject students identities, implicitly communicating what and who is acceptable. Many schools choose to celebrate difference in superficial and performative ways that do not meaningfully affect organizational practices. Cultivating a school climate for equity requires careful attention to the creation of emotional, cognitive, and behavioral spaces throughout the school. But a school climate is dynamic, open to influence from a variety of sources so it must be consistently monitored and adjusted. Most importantly, because it is largely people who both shape and are shaped by the school climate, they too must be nurtured. Conversations about educational equity begin with policies because they determine what is and what is not allowed in schools.
