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Social Justice Standards: Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Framework

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Social Justice Standards: Teaching Tolerance Anti-Bias Framework

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Middletown City Schools Ohio: Rising for Change

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Middletown City Schools Ohio: Rising for Change

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Rising for Change: Equity and Racism in Schools with Marlon Styles

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Andrea Gribble - Mastering Social Media for Schools

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Rising for Change: Equity and Racism in Schools with Marlon Styles

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Toward Transformative Social and Emotional Learning: Using an Equity Lens 

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Toward Transformative Social and Emotional Learning: Using an Equity Lens 

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5 Steps for Liberating Public Education From Its Deep Racial Bias

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5 Steps for Liberating Public Education From Its Deep Racial Bias

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In order for social-emotional learning to advance educational equity, we must be prepared to talk about race.

Recent incidents of racially motivated violence and discrimination have prompted widespread media attention. Last year's attacks by white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., the ongoing detainment and separation of children and families immigrating from Mexico and Central America, police shootings of unarmed African-American people, and the recent examples of white people calling the police on African-Americans for unfounded suspicions all serve as a backdrop for the racial inequities students experience and observe in their schools every day. If we don't acknowledge this context, students are left to assume that we think these conditions are acceptable, that we are unaware of the impact of these harmful policies and practices on students and their families, or, worse, that we don't care. To support our students' social and emotional well-being authentically, we must acknowledge and confront the legacy of racism and exclusion in our schools and communities-and its continued impact on all our students.

Research confirms that the context of learning and how students feel about that context matter. In the United States, that context has always been racialized. Although race is a socially constructed category, our race affects our access to opportunities, how we experience the world, and whether our identity is accepted or derided. From the beginning, schools in the United States were designed to benefit and affirm the values and culture of the white people in power. Over time, this white dominant culture shaped the educational structures and policies that articulate how children are expected to behave, communicate, and interact.

Today, how learning is organized and evaluated is still rooted in an acceptance of whiteness as "natural" and "normal." The presumption that students from a culture outside this "norm" come to school with deficits-in their intelligence, families, culture, or communities-is built into the DNA of public education.

Most educators value fairness and equality and want the best for all their students. However, we cannot underestimate the power of the unconscious to lead us to take actions, both at the individual and institutional levels, that undermine students' sense of belonging and unintentionally contribute to educational inequities. Research has shown that belonging in schools has a direct impact on academic performance; belonging defines who benefits from caring relationships and who has access to rigorous content and engaging instruction.

Students of color often must attempt to learn in an atmosphere that feels unwelcoming and sometimes hostile to them and their families. This experience of hostility undermines their sense of belonging and can interfere with their cognitive performance. As educators committed to equity, we must be aware of the impact of social threats on our students of color and other stigmatized groups, and actively work to mitigate the effects of institutionalized bias in our schools.

We also need to avoid framing social-emotional learning either tacitly or explicitly as an intervention to address the perceived deficits of students of color or students living in poverty. Doing so can reinforce harmful stereotypes and lead to an overemphasis on developing individual self-management and self-regulation skills while ignoring the impact of inequities in our systems. Instead, we can use social-emotional practices to build on students' strengths and develop student agency to lead positive change in their own communities.

Through the National Equity Project's more than 20 years of work partnering with schools and districts, we've seen how educators committed to equity have used social-emotional learning to help students and adults heal from the effects of systemic oppression, build empathy, strengthen cross-race relationships, and create inclusive learning environments. Our recommendations for educators seeking to advance educational equity include:

* Invest time in professional learning. Educators need regular opportunities to increase their self-awareness about how their various social identities, including their race, have shaped their own education experiences and inform their interpretations of student behavior.

* Identify and eliminate biases in student placement and discipline. School leaders and teachers should re-examine the policies and practices that determine who gets access to honors and Advanced Placement classes, as well as student-leadership roles and extracurricular activities. They also need to take a hard look at who gets disciplined and how.

* Elevate narratives that promote the intellectual achievements of students of color. Research has shown that teachers can mitigate the effects of "stereotype threat" by implementing well-timed reflection activities in which students write about values that are important to them and their families. This practice counters the effects of pervasive racial stereotypes and reduces stress in students of color. The reflections reassure students about who they are and protect their sense of academic belonging, which ultimately leads to greater engagement and higher grades.

* Develop a repertoire of approaches for building trust, especially across race, class, and culture. Trusting relationships between students and teachers prepare the brain for learning by reducing stress and releasing oxytocin, a hormone that promotes social interaction. Educators should work to learn about the passions and interests of individual students of color and apply what they learn to inform instructional strategies.

* Utilize social-emotional-learning practices to engage in productive dialogue about race. Building "racial literacy" is a critical dimension of both self- and social-awareness for all students. Teachers should engage all students in deep listening and reflection on complex issues and current events surrounding race, racism, and exclusion. This provides students the opportunity to develop SEL competencies, including communication and relationship skills, self-management, and responsible decisionmaking.

* Access the Aspen Institute's recent Call to Action. These examples of evidence-based practices and policies will help educators learn how to apply a racial equity lens to ensure that equity and SEL are mutually reinforcing.

Ultimately, all learning is social and emotional. Learning is mediated by relationships that sit in a sociopolitical, racialized context-for all children, not just those who are black, brown, or poor. We must be willing to locate the problem we are trying to solve not in our students, but also in our collective response to the current context and conditions of their learning. Together, we can create learning environments in our schools that are rigorous, liberating, and joyful for all our students.

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5 Steps for Liberating Public Education From Its Deep Racial Bias (Opinion)

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In order for social-emotional learning to advance educational equity, we must be prepared to talk about race. Recent incidents of racially motivated violence and discrimination have prompted widespread media attention.

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The National Equity Project is a nonprofit, social impact organization committed to increasing the capacity of people to achieve thriving, self-determining, educated and just communities.

Our mission is to transform the experiences, outcomes, and life options for children and families who have been historically underserved by our institutions and systems.

Our approach focuses on systemic change through leadership development. We support leaders across systems to build culture, conditions, and competencies for excellence and equity in school districts, organizations, foundations, and communities.

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Through consulting and coaching, National Equity Project supports leaders in transforming their systems into equitable, resilient, and liberating environments.

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What Anti-racist Teachers Do Differently

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What Anti-racist Teachers Do Differently

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They view the success of black students as central to the success of their own teaching.

Editor's Note: In 1988, a teacher most commonly had 15 years of experience. In recent years, that number is closer to just three years leading a classroom. The "On Teaching" series focuses on the wisdom of veteran teachers.
Ask black students who their favorite teacher is, and they will joyfully tell you. Ask them what it is about their favorite teacher, and most will say some version of this: They know how to work with me. So much is in that statement. It means that these students want to work, that they see their teachers as partners in the learning process, and that they know the teacher-student relationship is one in which they both have power. In other words, black students know that they bring intellect to the classroom, and they know when they are seen-and not seen.

As the principal of San Francisco's Mission High School and an anti-racist educator for more than 30 years, I have witnessed countless black students thrive in classrooms where teachers see them accurately and show that they are happy to have them there. In these classes, students choose to sit in the front of the class, take careful notes, shoot their hands up in discussions, and ask unexpected questions that cause the teacher and other classmates to stop and think. Given the chance, they email, text, and call the teachers who believe in them. In short, these students are everything their families and community members have raised and supported them to be.

I have seen some of these very same students walk into another teacher's classroom, go to the last row of desks, and put their head down. I have seen them sit frozen in their seat, staring at an assignment-when earlier I had heard them make jokes, talk excitedly about the content of their history class, celebrate solving a vexing algebra equation, or shake a test tube with authority, waiting for a result. Their report cards often reveal this disparity in classroom experiences: A's and B's in classes where they feel valued and C's, D's, or even F's in classes where they don't.

When black students' academic strengths are overlooked, black students are marginalized. They are kept out of advanced courses, given bad grades, and sent to the dean's office. Over the years, the power that they initially bring to school is siphoned off by educators at every level of the educational system who do not respect, and in some cases do not wish to respect, the intellectual contributions of black students.

Anti-racist teachers take black students seriously. They create a curriculum with black students in mind, and they carefully read students' work to understand what they are expressing. This might sound fairly standard, but making black students feel valued goes beyond general "good teaching." It requires educators to view the success of black students as central to the success of their own teaching. This is a paradigm shift: Instead of only asking black students who are not doing well in class to start identifying with school, we also ask teachers whose black students are not doing well in their classes to start identifying with those students.

I spent the majority of my career in the classroom, and I loved it because-to do it well-it required that I call on all aspects of my humanity. Standing in front of my black students, I knew that it was my responsibility to invite them into the classroom and then to see, push, and protect them once they were there. Over the years, collaborating with other anti-racist educators, I co-developed an approach that was successful-and it showed in the students' attendance, grades, and quality of work.

We read articles and books, and we attend workshops centered around black pedagogy. That helps us examine cultural differences in discourse styles, so we can better understand black students' analytical approaches in essays. We learn how to integrate oral language into our curriculum, such as adding a debate unit or a poetry-recitation assignment, and to provide ample opportunities for students to work together. And we learn that nothing goes without saying and that praise and direction should be plentiful. In essence, we do what works for black students, which also works for all students.

Educators who are committed to black students use evidence in their own classrooms to find ways to improve. They analyze the assignments handed in, identifying ways in which their teaching reached-and didn't reach-all of their students. They recognize the brilliance of a black student's contribution to a class discussion and seize on it. They disaggregate data such as grades and attendance by ethnicity, look for patterns, and problematize their own practice-rather than assume that their students weren't motivated or sufficiently prepared to engage with challenging material. They ask themselves: Why did Taylor get a C on the final when he earned an A or a B on all of his other assignments, many of them equally demanding? Why is Vince silent in his group? What inspired Hile to write multiple drafts of her essay, each time asking for more detailed feedback? They seek support from colleagues who are effective teachers for all of their students, including black students, because they know that the changes they make to their teaching practice will have an impact on their students' achievement. All of this makes them better educators.

Teachers who do not value black students will shift the discussion away from their own practice when they see that black students are not succeeding in their classes. They will create bonds that eventually turn into factions with fellow educators who are also unwilling to change their approach.

To fight against systemic racism means to buck norms. Educators at every level must be willing to be uncomfortable in their struggle for black students, recognizing students' power and feeding it by honoring their many contributions to our schools. Teachers need to insist on using their own power to consistently reveal and examine their practice, and seek input from black stakeholders; they must invite black parents to the table, listen to their concerns and ideas, and act on them. Principals must clearly and consistently communicate the anti-racist vision for their school, create professional-development opportunities for staff, recognize teachers who successfully teach all of their students, and intervene when they see problems. District-level administrators must more firmly root their anti-racist messaging in black students' school experiences, making expectations for educators clear. And school-board members need to listen to educators who have shown efficacy in educating black students. They must enact policies that hold us all accountable to our black families. We must make demands of ourselves and work together in our communities.

The only measure of our anti-racist teaching will be the academic success of all of our students, including our black students.
This article is part of our project "On Teaching," which is supported by grants from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Spencer Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Panta Rhea Foundation.

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What Anti-racist Teachers Do Differently

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They view the success of black students as central to the success of their own teaching. Editor's Note: In 1988, a teacher most commonly had 15 years of experience. In recent years, that number is closer to just three years leading a classroom. The "On Teaching" series focuses on the wisdom of veteran teachers.

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SEL can be a powerful lever for creating caring, just, inclusive, and healthy communities that support all individuals in reaching their fullest potential.

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Over the weekend, intense protests fueled by the killing of an African-American man by a white police officer in Minneapolis took place around the world. No matter how much we want to shield our children from these upsetting images, kids will likely be overhearing conversations about race, racial differences, and racism-and asking questions. Experts say that how you answer could shape your children's feelings about race for years to come.

"This moment in time provides people with an opportunity," says Candra Flanagan, director of teaching and learning for the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC). "Adults might want to turn off the TV or be silent. But kids are getting their information and understanding from other places. It makes it that much more important to have these conversations so they aren't getting outside messages different from what [parents] want them to have."

For some parents, the protests taking place after the death of George Floyd will result in their children's first questions about race and racism. Those initial conversations can be unnerving, but educators urge parents not to shy away from them, even if the children are young. Underestimating their ability to comprehend issues around race and injustice would be a mistake, says Caryn Park, a professor at Antioch University in Seattle, whose research focuses on children's understanding of race and ethnicity.

"Children as young as three years old are aware of race and skin color, and they aren't afraid to ask questions," Park says. "Their identities really matter to them, and racial identity is a significant part of their total identity. They also understand the power in talking about race and racism, and that when they bring those things up, they can get the attention of grown-ups and other children."

Race is relatively simple to address when a young child notices skin color for the first time. Racism is understandably harder to talk about. Few parents would consider themselves or their children racist, with its connotations of intentional, angry, or mean behavior against different groups of people. But according to Ibram X. Kendi, executive director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University in Washington, D.C., intention isn't always part of racism.

What that means, Kendi says, is though most people don't intend any harm, they're still making judgments based on race. And according to Maggie Beneke, assistant professor of education at the University of Washington, often those judgments come from implicit racial bias, something we might internalize through everyday interactions and social messaging, resulting in beliefs that we might not even realize we have but can still cause unintentional racist behavior. "For instance, after viewing movies with mostly white princesses, a child might say something like, 'I only like princesses who look like Elsa, and I don't like Moana's brown hair and skin,'" says Beneke, who studies equity in education.

The goal, Kendi says, is to raise children who are antiracist. "As parents," says Kendi, author of the upcoming Antiracist Baby board book and co-author with Jason Reynolds of the young adult book, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You, "we should raise children who can express notions of racial equality, who can see racial disparities as a problem, and who can do their own small part to challenge this big problem of racism." And that means recognizing racist ideas kids might have internalized-unintentionally or not-and steering them toward antiracist behavior.

Developing empathy, compassion, and a sense of justice at an early age helps kids grow into adults who want to help make the world a better place. For parents, that often means taking a deep breath and having those tough conversations about race and racism. "Regardless of how the conversation begins, parents should be sending the signal that it's OK and important to talk about it," Beneke says. Here's what the experts had to say about raising an antiracist child.

Be prepared to talk about race-based events and the emotions that they bring out

If the recent uprisings prompt your children to ask questions about race and protest, use the moment as a starting point for a broader conversation, Flanagan says. Part of those conversations will require some deep thinking by adults.

"It's not just about the child but the work that the adult needs to be doing," says Anna Hindley, director of early education at the NAAMHC. Understanding the history of race relations in the country and the variety of ways that demonstrations can take place will make it easier to discuss these subjects with kids. (Check out these articles for children about African-American heroes, including Martin Luther King, Jr.)

For instance the NAAMHC recently launched Talking About Race, a web portal with resources to help parents and teachers navigate the discussion with concrete tools. It introduces the idea of oppression as "a combination of prejudice and institutional power that creates a system that regularly and severely discriminates against some groups and benefits other groups." It's a good prompt to have kids think about what might have led to these global protests beyond the death of one man: that African-Americans are disproportionately poorer than other groups of Americans, that this group has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 because of access to healthcare and other reasons, and that Black people are killed ("hurt," if you have younger children) by police officers at a much higher rate than white people.

Both Hindley and Beneke suggest that withholding that information from children might hurt their ability to process issues around race and oppression.

"We know that children are capable [of understanding], but they might need some support given all the messages that they're receiving about themselves and others," Beneke says.

However, Flanagan reminds parents that children-just like adults-are being impacted emotionally by events like the death of George Floyd and the subsequent protests. Conversations should keep those feelings in mind.

"We respond in emotional ways to many of the injustices we see across time and all over the world," she says. "Give space to kids for their own emotional journeys and their own emotional unpacking."

Watch for statements that link race with value judgments

If your child says, "That lady is brown!" and she is, then just agree with her. "It's not racist to notice someone's race," Park says. "An unwillingness to acknowledge her observation might send the wrong message to the child."

What parents do need to listen for are any value judgments kids may be unknowingly placing on those differences, and then gently correct them. "Respond with open, non-judgmental questions to understand why your child might be making that assumption," Beneke says. "Simple questions like 'Why do you think that?' or 'What makes you say that?' can help get the conversation started." You can then explain what stereotypes are, and then work with your child to think about examples that show how these stereotypes aren't actually true.

Help your kids recognize the harm of a racist idea

If you hear your child expressing an idea about a group of people that they don't realize is prejudicial, engage them in an age-appropriate conversation about it. For younger children, you might center the conversation around why the words are hurtful and how they might make someone feel. And though most older kids have been socialized not to make blatantly racist comments, they can crop up. Park encourages parents to help children examine both the statement's intent and its unintended impact. For instance, your child saying that "People of color can also be racist," is an invitation for a conversation. "Ask the child if something happened to make them feel that way, and talk about what they were feeling when they made that comment," Park says. "Who benefits and who loses from such a comment? Listen supportively for hurt feelings of rejection or exclusion, and think about a plan to reconcile those feelings."

The older the child, the more sophisticated the conversation can be. "But we should never shy away from pointing out racist ideas to our children," Kendi says. "And we should never shy away from protecting our children with antiracist ideas."

Update your home library

Take a hard look at the books, movies, and TV shows your child is consuming, and you'll likely notice a pattern about which groups are represented the most. Consider introducing your family to media that reboots notions around what a hero, neighbor, or friend might look like.

"We know that the majority of picture books centers around white characters, and that Black and brown human characters are even less represented than animals and other cartoon characters," Beneke says. Look for books that feature Black, brown, and indigenous characters in normal situations, not only the ones that focus on enslavement or injustice.

Look for books with illustrations and stories that celebrate diversity and expose your child to different perspectives. Find something great? Buy an extra copy and donate it to your school's library.

Introduce diversity to different aspects of your life

In order for kids to embrace antiracist ideals, they need to be exposed to people who are different from them. If their friend group looks a little too similar, it might be time to encourage a little diversity at those playdates.

It can also be an opportunity for parents to bring more diversity into their everyday lives as well. Manka Varghese, a University of Washington professor who specializes in multilingual education, suggests expanding your own social network to include race, gender, ability, and religion. This models antiracist behavior to your children and provides an opportunity to talk about the value of difference. "It has a trickle-down effect for children because you're suggesting that different is good," Park says. "It gives children access to a range of perspectives, foods, stories, and points of view."

Of course, the goal isn't to simply run out and make a friend simply because the person is a different race. Instead, examine what you might be doing unconsciously that limits who your family interacts with. "Think about where you as a parent or family are investing time and resources," Beneke says. Consider trying out an extracurricular activity in a new-to-you neighborhood, or exploring beyond your normal weekend activities to allow for relationships to develop naturally.

Look for other activities that will expose your children to different perspectives. Try attending events at your local library, visiting museum exhibits that touch on race, or stopping in at cultural events at local community centers year-round. Exposure can help broaden the idea of inclusiveness.

Don't make talking about race a one-time event

You don't have to set up a time to have a "race talk." Conversations can naturally occur if you're paying attention to your child's statements and staying aware of ways that unconscious bias can slip in.

For instance, if your child notices a commercial that lacks cultural diversity, chat with him about how the ad could be more inclusive. If your tween is wondering why there aren't any Black people on Friends, engage with her on what might make the show more representative. "Encourage critical thinking and invite tweens into conversation about what they notice," Park says. The conversation could lead to a "diversity audit" of the media you both consume to track people of color in leading, supportive, authority figure, hero, and villain roles. Then come back together to compare notes. Based on what you find, you might want to make changes to your media diet.

You can also look for ways that you as a parent can naturally call out disparities too. If your child points out that most professional basketball players are African American, it's OK to also bring up that most of the team owners are white, and to ask what your child thinks that means. Varghese suggests engaging your child with questions like "What do you notice here? Why do you think that is? Who benefits from the situation? What can we do about it?" The answers can lead to fruitful discussions about privilege, race, and inequality-and help your child develop antiracist ideals.

Don't pretend to have all the answers

Above all, remember that there's no one "right" way to have these conversations. Just like other important and uncomfortable conversations, you might find yourself wishing you'd answered a question differently in retrospect. Own it.

"This takes practice," Beneke says. "Model that even though you're a grown-up, you're still thinking through these ideas as an adult. Show them that these are hard conversations to have, but also important ones."

A version of this article was published in February 2020 and has been updated to reflect recent events.

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Over the weekend, intense protests fueled by the killing of an African-American man by a white police officer in Minneapolis took place around the world. No matter how much we want to shield our children from these upsetting images, kids will likely be overhearing conversations about race, racial differences, and racism-and asking questions.

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We lead with the heart and courageously work to address racial injustice in education, embodying Black joy, confronting anti-Blackness, and building authentic partnerships with all who support creating equitable school communities across the nation.

​In September 2016, DeShawn Jackson, along with Black Men Uniting to Change The Narrative, planned a day of encouragement. The previous school year, another local elementary school had more than 200 Black men show up to greet students as they arrived at school. The men wore their uniforms, regalia, and Sunday best in hopes of disrupting the inaccurate imagery students have of Black men. Black men make up only 3% of teachers in k-12 education.​

DeShawn had taught at the school for six years and even attended the elementary school as a child. He wanted students to see Black men in a positive light, not like they often are portrayed in media. A bomb threat was called into the school on the day of the event, so school leadership officially canceled it. Yet, after the threat was investigated, nothing was found, and the school remained open. So, DeShawn personally greeted students and about fifty others joined him.

When students arrived at John Muir Elementary School, they were greeted with cheers and high-fives while drums played in the background. Black men showed up because they wanted to counter the perception students have about education and race. Inside the school, staff wore shirts that said "Black Lives Matter We Stand Together."Julie Trout, the art teacher, designed the shirts. Teachers' lessons for the day were focused on racial justice.

​Social Equality Educators (SEE), a group within the Seattle teachers union, decided October 19th would be "Black Lives Matter At School Day." They'd wear Black Lives Matter shirts to school, created a second design with "#Say Her Name," and educators picked from several options. Parent Teacher Associations made buttons and stickers for teachers and students to wear. This attracted national news, which spread to Philadelphia, where the Racial Justice & Organizing Committee of the Caucus of Working Educators was inspired to plan a similar action.

We envision a nation in which we live in authentic and conscious relationship with ourselves, each other, and the lands we occupy with the least amount of harm and violence, in which we are unapologetically Black and collectively love and care for one another as extended intergenerational families. To achieve safety, equity, and liberation for all Black lives, we attend to systems and networks of care to make the domination, erasure, and dehumanization of Black life obsolete. ​

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National coalition organizing for racial justice in education.

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A Social Justice Checklist for Online Instruction

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A Social Justice Checklist for Online Instruction

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As we transition to digital learning models, due to COVID-19, it's important to remember that students with disabilities, those without access to the internet, and other under-represented populations are at higher risk of experiencing school closures more intensely.

To help ensure equity for all students, ask yourself the following questions when planning digital instruction:

CLARIFYING YOUR GOALS

What kind of decision is under consideration (e.g., policy, program, budget)?

Do all my students have access to the internet? If not, who does? Who does not?

Should I assign digital work to students if I don't know whether they have internet access? How much flexibility should be built into digital learning experiences and assignments?

How do I ensure my students with disabilities are properly accommodated?

What results or changes am I seeking that advance racial/social justice?

ENGAGING NECESSARY STAKEHOLDERS

Who is most directly impacted (think: those who are marginalized or under-represented, e.g., educators or students of color, students with disabilities, rural students, lowest-paid workers)?

How can they be meaningfully engaged and empowered in this process?

ANALYZING DATA

What is the relevant history and current context?

What data do we have, and what do we need? Is it disaggregated by race?

Who benefits, and who is most burdened? How are different racial/ethnic groups affected differently?

What are the root causes of the problem? Are there intersecting dynamics?

GENERATING OPTIONS

What proposed solutions can address the root causes, remedy existing negative impacts, and change systems?

How will this proposal advance racial and social justice, equity, and inclusion?

ASSESSING IMPACTS

What are the positive and negative impacts on different racial communities?

How will marginalized groups and communities of color benefit from each option?

How can this help counteract dominant patterns of white supremacy?

What positive values, norms, and narratives can we affirm and project?

How does this align with our values, vision, mission, and priorities?

DECIDING A SOLUTION

What are the pros and cons of each option?

Are there ways to revise the options to prevent adverse consequences?

Which option best advances equity?

DEVELOPING AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

What strategies, staffing, and funding are needed to ensure success?

What is the implementation plan and timetable? Who will move it forward?

How will we document and measure progress? What are the success indicators?

How can we ensure ample communication, participation, and accountability?

OPERATIONALIZING EQUITABLE CHANGE

How can we operationalize equity practices to sustain success?

How do we institute these changes, so they become ongoing practices, protocols, and habits, i.e., a part of our organizational culture?

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A Social Justice Checklist for Online Instruction | NEA

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As we transition to digital learning models, due to COVID-19, it's important to remember that students with disabilities, those without access to the internet, and other under-represented populations are at higher risk of experiencing school closures more intensely.

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Author Interview: ‘No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching’

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Author Interview: ‘No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching’

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In this first post of a two-part interview, Mariana Souto-Manning answers questions about the book she co-authored, . Mariana Souto-Manning is a professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City.
LF: How would you define culturally relevant teaching? Do you consider it the same as or different from what others call culturally responsive teaching or culturally sustaining pedagogy? Mariana Souto-Manning:
Culturally relevant teaching was developed by Gloria Ladson-Billings ( here's an interview where she explains her concept). It has three tenets: high expectations combined with high levels of support; cultural competence (the ability to develop deep knowledge of one's own culture and history as well as the culture and history of at least another cultural group); and critical consciousness (critical meta-awareness--an awareness of issues of injustice in schooling in society and their historical and racial roots, as well as a commitment to interrupting injustice and fostering justice).

These serve as compasses to orient curriculum and teaching, while accounting for the situated and contextual nature of teaching. Importantly, culturally relevant teachers regard their students capably--as persons from whom they can and should learn. As Ladson-Billings underscored, you have to teach as if the next Martin Luther King Jr., Toni Morrison, César Chávez are in your class--because they just might be. Ethically, culturally relevant teaching demands that teachers have high expectations for their students and work to ensure that their brilliance is able to shine. Morally, culturally relevant teachers know that Black, Indigenous, and children of color are geniuses.

As such, they refuse to orient to whiteness or center whiteness in their practices. Culturally responsive teaching is a concept developed by Geneva Gay, focusing specifically on curriculum and teaching. Gay explained that there are five essential elements to culturally responsive teaching: (1) developing knowledge about cultural diversities, (2) including ethnic and cultural diversity in the curriculum, (3) building learning communities, (4) communicating with diverse students, and (5) addressing ethnic diversity in teaching.

Culturally responsive teaching is a filter which affords better learning outcomes for Black, Indigenous, and students of color. As Geneva Gay (2002) wrote: "Culturally responsive teaching is defined as using the cultural characteristics, experiences, and perspectives of ethnically diverse students as conduits for teaching them more effectively" (p. 106). Culturally responsive teaching focuses on adding diversity to the existing curriculum, on expanding the teaching in place, instead of rethinking and fundamentally transforming the curriculum to center the lives, voices, legacies, images, practices, values, families, and communities of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color ( BIPOC) in curriculum and teaching. As such, it does not fully afford liberation, freedom, and justice in and through education.

Whether intentionally or not, culturally responsive teaching and culturally relevant pedagogy (also referred to as culturally relevant teaching) have been misread by educators in the U.S. and throughout the world. That is, culturally relevant does not mean relevant to the immediate context and students who comprise a class. It encodes three key tenets. Likewise, culturally responsive does not mean that one is responding to the culture of students in a classroom of a school. Instead, both concepts demand a proactive positioning of teachers--so that they plan to teach for justice instead of taking reactive approaches to address issues of harm and injustice after the fact, after they take place.

Seeking to counter such misreadings, which served as tools to protect whiteness in curriculum and teaching, Django Paris and H. Samy Alim developed culturally sustaining pedagogy to reclaim the key commitments forwarded by culturally relevant teaching, deepening some commitments while expanding its scope. In fact, Ladson-Billings has explained that culturally sustaining pedagogy is the remix of culturally relevant pedagogy, or culturally relevant pedagogy 2.0. The concept of culturally sustaining pedagogy is firmly anchored on culturally relevant pedagogy.

Importantly, Django Paris (2012) explained that culturally sustaining pedagogy orients and commits to valuing and maintaining the rich languages, literacies, and cultural practices of children and youths in "our increasingly multiethnic and multilingual society" (p. 94). Culturally sustaining pedagogy demands moving away from the performance of "White middle-class norms" in favor of exploring, critically problematizing, honoring, and extending the histories, legacies, and practices of BIPOC. In particular, it commits to a participatory and emancipatory approach whereby students and communities are positioned as agents who can and do offer input to (re)design teaching and learning expansively.

All three are assets-based pedagogies that seek to right wrongs inflicted onto BIPOC communities in and through education, but their scope and aims--albeit related--are distinct. Because we believe that BIPOC children do not need remediation--they are not broken! Rather, curriculum, teaching, schooling, and society do need remediation, and we regard culturally relevant teaching, culturally responsive teaching, and culturally sustaining pedagogies as antidotes or counterstories to culturally irrelevant teaching. In our book No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching, we actually draw on all three frameworks.

LF: You write about R. S. Bishop's research on the importance of "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors." Could you talk about what you think it means, and what it can look like in the classroom? Mariana Souto-Manning:
Back in 1990, Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop developed the concept of mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors to press on the importance of having books that reflect children's lived realities (mirrors where children can see themselves represented), that offer windows into other realities and experiences (allowing children to reflect on their cultural location), and that allow children to enter new worlds, thereby developing important and expansive learnings.

In our book No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching, we employ this framework to curriculum and teaching--attending to how the formal curriculum (lesson plans anchored in standards), symbolic curriculum (images, bulletin boards, symbols, artifacts used for teaching), and societal curriculum (stories, myths, ideas, beliefs about people and groups of people propagated in society--via social media, mainstream media, etc.). This is important regardless of the racial and ethnic composition of the class. It's not only children who are Black, Indigenous, and of Color who benefit from a curriculum that centers their ways of knowing; so do white children who have the opportunity to interrupt the exaggerated sense of themselves and their importance in the world, a building block of white supremacy (the belief that whiteness reigns supreme).

It is important to understand that having a handful of "multicultural" or "diverse" books is not enough. As Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop suggested, classrooms need to have books that serve as mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors. Often, teachers have the idea that they have diverse books, but it is important to engage in a thorough assessment--not only of the books you have in your classroom library, that you read aloud, and that are featured in the curriculum.

As you seek to assess the books, depending on the age of the students you teach, you can engage them in research, reading the books in the classroom--in terms of who is featured in them, who authored the book, what story they tell (ensuring that stories about BIPOC characters don't simply reify stereotypes and portray trauma and oppression but are about humanity and joy as well), and more. The data collected can inform the teaching and learning of mathematics, for example.

You may be wondering .. .what exactly does this mean? Can you give an example? Sure! So, instead of solely or primarily having books about Black characters amidst the struggle for civil rights and the Jim Crow era--e.g., and by Carole Boston Weatherford, and by Jacqueline Woodson--ensure that you have books and other texts about Black joy and Black childhoods--e.g., I Am Every Good Thing, Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cu t, by Derrick Barnes, and the short by Matthew A. Cherry. The #WeNeedDiverseBooks and #OwnVoices campaigns as well as #buildyourstack and #disrupttexts can orient you toward valuable resources.

It is also important that we acknowledge that we teach within a societal context that reifies microaggressions each and every day ( what's this?)--that societal curriculum needs to be taken into consideration in our classrooms. This is visible, for example, in how microaggressions are pervasive in our daily lives via interactions, thoughts, beliefs, and actions. These tend to be reproduced in classrooms. As such, teachers can invite students through sliding glass doors by teaching against the societal curriculum permeated by microaggressions. Two examples follow.
Your name is too hard to say
Ensuring that your classroom community communicates belonging to all of your students is imperative. This means that we cannot sort students' names into "normal" or "easy" names and "strange" or "difficult." Taking a proactive stance to interrupt such microaggression, which is pervasive in society, may mean reading a book such as (Thompkins-Bigelow, 2020), then watching its author pronounce the names used in the book. Or reading a book such as ( here's an interview with the author, Juana Martinez-Neal). After reading books addressing names, invite students to interview family and/or community members about the story of their name.

In addition to engaging students in primary-source research, you will be educating your students and yourself about the importance of pronouncing community members' names, understanding their beauty and uniqueness. This is because the story of one's name is also a story of identity, personhood, and origins--of where we come from. In Part III of , kindergarten teacher Carmen Lugo Llerena shares how she engaged her kindergartners in primary-source research and authoring a book about the story of their names while also communicating the importance of getting to know each community member's name, its history and pronunciation. If you want to know more about the importance of names or about how mispronouncing someone's name is a microaggression, read this piece.
Where are you from? But--where are you really from? Where are you really, really from?
These are questions that stand for "you don't belong here." To teach against societal discourses that communicate that some children belong and others do not you may want to read by Yamile Saied Méndez, illustrated by Jaime Kim, and invite students to author I Am From poems, turning these oft-voiced microaggressions masked as questions into sites for learning and building community; these can be done individually or collectively. Here's an example: Poet Kwame Alexander reads his own poem crafted from over 1,400 submissions inspired by Where I'm From by Appalachian poet George Ella Lyon. There are also I Am From poems amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, located within the context of quarantines here. Also, if you want to learn more about being asked "Where are you from?," click here.

Ultimately, we believe that ensuring that there are "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors" in our curriculum and teaching entails suspending the harm enacted by the overwhelming whiteness of curriculum, teaching, and schooling in the U.S. and designing educational spaces where BIPOC students feel, see, and experience belonging.
Look for Part Two of this interview in a few days!

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Author Interview: 'No More Culturally Irrelevant Teaching' (Opinion)

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In this first post of a two-part interview, Mariana Souto-Manning answers questions about the book she co-authored, . Mariana Souto-Manning is a professor of education at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York City. LF: How would you define culturally relevant teaching?

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Antiracism in Social-Emotional Learning: Why It’s Not Enough to Talk the Talk

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Antiracism in Social-Emotional Learning: Why It’s Not Enough to Talk the Talk

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If there's one thing Americans are doing right now, it's talking. Talking even more than usual when schools are out and many are still working from home. Every day, new stories of discrimination and violence emerge that prompt new conversations.

The moment our country faces weighs heavily on the mind of an adult. But one must wonder: What does it do to the mind of a child?

Black students around the country are faced with a reality where they are isolated due to COVID-19, of which Black Americans disproportionately account for 60 percent of deaths. Then forced to adapt to technology-based distance learning-only to watch the same technology used to spread images of people who look like them being assaulted, brutalized and killed by police.

As the harsh reality of racism in the United States is thrust to the forefront, many households, boardrooms and families are talking about it openly for the first time. Some are going further. In the last two weeks, over $250 million of corporate funding have been dedicated to diversity initiatives. Large, influential organizations that have actively avoided speaking about race such as the NFL are retracting their positions, and companies like Starbucks have completely shifted their previous stances on Black Lives Matter.

To the average observer, the current cultural focus on racism may feel like a new beginning. However, for Black people, these conversations aren't new. At a young age I vividly remember my parents sitting me down to have "The Talk." Unlike what most non-Black families associate the term with, this talk is a painful but vital set of directions to give you the best chance of returning home safely if you encounter the police. "The Talk" is different from family to family, but core tenets of it are the same.

Stay calm, don't make any sudden moves.

Even if provoked, don't get angry, be respectful.

Regardless of how they treat you, remember you have worth.

Do what it takes to get back home.

The content of these conversations feel eerily similar to some of education's favorite social-emotional learning (SEL) slogans: mindfulness, resilience and grit. Mindfulness implores students to remain calm, and take 10 deep breaths when they feel themselves getting angry. Resilience encourages students to hold their heads high despite mistreatment. Grit tells students to persevere in the face of obstacles.

Some educators believe that mastery of these traits can guarantee a student's success. But what they overlook is something that every Black parent is painfully aware of: A Black child can do every single one of these things perfectly, and still not make it home.

The tragedy of The "Talk" is that parents know no matter what they tell their kids to do, there's still a chance they won't see them again. It's an act of defense, a last resort hoping that their child will be seen as human enough to be treated with basic dignities. When Black parents use these tactics, they're doing their best to equip their kids for success in a system pitted against them.

However, when school systems use ambiguous slogans as the foundation of their social-emotional learning pedagogy, they're adopting ineffective solutions for a problem they are in part responsible for.

We can't tell Black kids to take 10 deep breaths when people who look like them are dying because they can't breathe.

There is no amount of grit that can prepare a Black girl to live in a world where she can be shot eight times while sleeping in her bed and months later no arrest will be made.

There is no amount of resilience that can prepare Black boys to live a life where they can't even bird watch without fear of the police being weaponized against them by someone who deems their existence as a threat.

To create the impact they desire, schools must face a clear reality. It is not possible for a person to be racist and socially emotionally well. If schools acknowledge the systemic bias in our country, they have a unique opportunity to use social emotional learning as a tool for social justice and racial equity.

According to CASEL, a popular provider of social-emotional learning curriculum, the five core SEL competencies are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision-making. But it is not possible for students to master these concepts without an understanding of systemic racism and the role it plays in their everyday social interactions.

Though they are well intentioned, catch-all phrases like grit and resilience place the responsibility on students to endure an unjust system. And though the reality for Black students is that they may very well have to fight that fight their whole lives, that's even more reason for schools to take a stronger role in making that fight easier. In the words of Angela Davis: "In a racist society, it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be antiracist."

When my parents sat me down to have "The Talk," they knew that I still may not survive a police encounter. As people awaken to the reality Black people have lived their whole lives to condemn racism, their words are still, not enough.

Talking wasn't enough then, and it's not enough now. If the education system truly wants to serve its students, it's got a lot of work to do.

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Antiracism in Social-Emotional Learning: Why It's Not Enough to Talk the Talk - EdSurge News

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If there's one thing Americans are doing right now, it's talking. Talking even more than usual when schools are out and many are still working from home. Every day, new stories of discrimination and violence emerge that prompt new conversations. The moment our country faces weighs heavily on the mind of an adult.

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Anti-Racist Work in Schools: Are You in it for the Long Haul?

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Anti-Racist Work in Schools: Are You in it for the Long Haul?

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Last year I received a consultation request from a school after two students posted pictures in blackface on social media. When I asked what time and resources they were committing to this issue, they said they had set aside forty-five minutes of their upcoming staff meeting to address bias and racism. They were not interested in investing beyond that session.

Being called in reactively to support teachers and staff after a racist incident has never sat well with me. But now, as Black Lives Matter protests have swelled throughout the world, our entire country is reacting to centuries of white supremacy and violence experienced by the Black community.

As an anti-bias anti-racist (ABAR) facilitator and educator-in-progress, I've had the opportunity to partner with public, charter and independent schools across the United States and can tell you firsthand that there is no "one size fits all" approach to this work. There are, however, a number of things schools should consider as they create objectives for the short and long term.

ABAR is trending in mainstream spaces, and more schools are recognizing its importance and reaching out for resources and training. I do believe that it's better late than never, but schools must be intentional and thoughtful as they begin this life-long commitment.

While there is urgency in ABAR work, urgency cannot be prioritized over relationships or centering the voices and opinions of marginalized community members. Without careful thought and planning, schools risk alienating Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) stakeholders, reinforcing white saviorism and derailing the possibility of future efforts. Standards and skills can always be retaught, but school culture is too important to get wrong. Your north star is always centering your most marginalized and under-resourced students.

As schools and organizations plan for professional development in the weeks, months, and years ahead, consider the following thinking points and questions:

If this is the first time your school has focused on ABAR, why is it a priority now?

ABAR must begin with an honest evaluation of current practices. Recognizing how-and why-this work has been deprioritized in the past can help your school identify and plan for potential roadblocks in the work to come.

If your school has remained silent or limited work to surface-level diversity initiatives in the past, how, when and why did that happen? Remember that celebrating diversity and multiculturalism is not the same as anti-racism or dismantling white supremacy. Check out Paul Gorski's Avoiding Racial Equity Detours for examples of school practices that are often mistaken for ABAR.

How will you ensure ABAR is not just a box to check, and that no one is able to opt out?

While diversity directors or committees are important, ABAR cannot be compartmentalized within one or a few individuals. Oppressive practices exist at every level of schools, and people who work in every department and in every role have a stake in this work.

School leaders have immense power in creating a culture that values and supports ABAR. I have often heard from hesitant principals and administrators that they're concerned certain staff members of the community are resistant and unwilling. I'd ask them to remember this phrase: "What you permit, you promote." Every choice we make either upholds white supremacy or seeks to dismantle it.

To fully embrace ABAR education, schools must be willing to dive deep into their culture, policies, curriculum and the individual mindsets of all stakeholders. If you are truly dedicated to anti-racism, are you willing to let go of members of the community who are working against these goals?

How will BIPOC be centered in this work?

Consider who is directing ABAR at your school, who decides the priorities and determines if objectives are met. This work must center the voices of staff, families, caregivers and students of the global majority. Even if you have a racially and ethnically diverse staff, ABAR work is still necessary and important. Anti-Blackness and colorism are issues in every community, and these biases must be addressed.

Many schools are currently selecting books and resources for summer and fall professional development. But leaders should be careful. Particularly in predominantly white institutions, a focus on consuming and intellectualizing stories and histories of racial trauma can further perpetuate a savior mentality, inspiring pity rather than encouraging people to understand one another and work as accomplices and co-conspirators against racism. If books that center whiteness (such as Robin DiAngelo's White Fragility) are on the summer reading list, what else is being offered? There must be a balance of centering BIPOC history and narratives while also learning about culture, identity and joy.

At the end of the day, no matter how many books, podcasts, and documentaries your staff reads, an intellectualized account of racism will never outweigh the voices and lived experiences of BIPOC.

How will BIPOC be supported in this work?

There is a fine line between centering BIPOC and expecting them to do the work for others. While BIPOC should have the opportunity to lead this work, schools cannot expect or demand they expend more emotional labor in both experiencing racism, and having to educate others about it.

If you're asking BIPOC on your faculty and staff to lead ABAR training, how are you ensuring they are additionally compensated? If books and resources are being assigned that center racial trauma, what trauma-informed practices will you use with staff members of color?

How are you working to create long-lasting change in your community?

Having a person or a group that drives ABAR work forward is important (especially if these people have the power to hold the community accountable), but the goal is to embed ABAR within the culture of your school.

If this person left the position or the committee disbanded, how would you ensure all focus wouldn't disappear? ABAR is a lens that must be applied to school policies, curriculum, pedagogy, and interpersonal relationships. It is not just a teaching strategy.

Pay attention to the significant institutional support needed by those leading ABAR work. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and those who are the most active are likely to face emotional fatigue.

Despite being framed amidst the violence targeting the Black community, anti-racism work is often glamorized in the mainstream media, and some people do enter from a place of saviorism and expect recognition, which can lead to burnout for those who have been committed far before the latest media cycle.

The truth of the matter is, when you commit yourself to ABAR, you're in it for the long uphill battle. Prioritizing ABAR is not comfortable. Mistakes will be made. Parents and caregivers may complain. Some staff members may leave. It is unrealistic to expect that your school will get it right at the first try. At the end of the day, it is our job to center our students, and that means improving ourselves to set the example for the world they will inherit.

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Anti-Racist Work in Schools: Are You in it for the Long Haul?

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Last year I received a consultation request from a school after two students posted pictures in blackface on social media. When I asked what time and resources they were committing to this issue, they said they had set aside forty-five minutes of their upcoming staff meeting to address bias and racism.

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The books we read, the movies we watch, the friends we make, the doctors we visit and the conversations we have at home all shape our children's views of race.

Amber Coleman-Mortley, left, with daughter Garvey Mortley and mother Jessica Coleman at the Women's March on Washington in 2017. Credit... Ben C. Solomon/The New York Times

When kids on the gaming site Roblox were darkening the skin color of their avatars to support Black Lives Matter, 12-year-old Garvey Mortley decided to speak up. She created a video explaining the offensive history of blackface, and offered viewers more appropriate ways they could show support.

"Changing your skin tone to a darker skin color in Roblox or any game is essentially painting your face with shoe polish," she explained in the video. "It's like you're putting on blackface." A better way to show virtual support, she suggested, would be to dress the character in a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.

It was one child's small step against racism, based on lessons she had learned at home. Her mother, Amber Coleman-Mortley, is the director of social engagement at iCivics, a nonprofit founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to improve civics education using games and digital resources. Ms. Coleman-Mortley has marched with her daughters and mother in the 2017 Women's March in Washington and created podcasts with her children during quarantine. Even a conversation about a favorite singer ("Cardi B is the greatest ever!") was an opportunity to talk about other greats, like the poet and civil rights activist Audre Lorde or Oprah.

"People are overwhelmed and think, 'I can't tackle that. I'm one person,'" said Ms. Coleman-Mortley, who writes about social justice on her blog, MomofAllCapes. "But there are spaces where we address racism in our lives - even if you live in a homogeneous community, you can address and attack racism."

We're all in the midst of a global civics lesson right now, and we don't have to be marching in the streets to take small steps toward changing ourselves and raising socially conscious, anti-racist children, she said. Join your P.T.A., go to school board meetings, learn more about the curriculum. Demand accurate history lessons about race. Supplement your child's education with books and documentaries, and don't shy away from conversations about race.

"When a child says 'that kid is Black or Asian,' I think a lot of white parents shush their child," said Ms. Coleman-Mortley. "You don't want to shush your child. It creates a negative connotation in that child's mind, and they think, 'Wait, there's something wrong with brown skin.' Just say, 'Great. Let's meet this child. What else did you learn about them?'"

Ibram X. Kendi, author of the best-selling book "How to Be an Antiracist," has compiled a reading list he calls a "step ladder to anti-racism." It's not enough to be "not racist," he says, because it's a claim "that signifies neutrality."

"Those who are striving to be anti-racist realize it's not an identity," said Dr. Kendi, who is the founding director of the Antiracist Research and Policy Center at American University. "It's something they're striving to be, to be sure in each moment they are expressing anti-racist ideas and anti-racist policies."

Credit... PenguinRandomHouse

Dr. Kendi recently published a children's book, "Antiracist Baby." The book, written in rhyme, offers nine steps, including seeing skin color, celebrating differences and growing up to be an antiracist. "Parents use books to teach about love or kindness or to potty train. Why not do the same for teaching our kids to be anti-racist," Dr. Kendi said. He notes that people who are uncomfortable talking about race often come from homes where it wasn't a topic of conversation.

"Our parents didn't want to talk to us about it in a controlled constructive environment," he said. "We didn't even learn to start having these conversations because we'd already been trained by our parents that this was something you don't talk about. There's a cycle."

Conversations about race had a huge impact on Winona Guo, now an undergraduate at Harvard, and Priya Vulchi, who attends Princeton. They remember the subtle and not so subtle ways racism influenced their own views of themselves as children and made them feel inferior. Ms. Vulchi, who is Indian-American, was told to bleach her skin. Ms. Guo remembers calling for a play date with a classmate who responded, "I don't play with Chinese girls."

The first time they recall a conversation about race at their high school, in New Jersey, was in 10th grade history class, when a teacher initiated a talk about the death of Eric Garner in 2014. The conversation inspired them to take a gap year traveling to all 50 states to talk to people about race, which became a book, "Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture & Identity." The duo also started a nonprofit called Choose, and the book, education guide and a workbook have been used by hundreds of educators around the country.

Credit... PenguinRandomHouse

"Schools are important because they enable us to reach every child, including white students mistakenly taught that race is irrelevant to their lives," said Ms. Guo.

"Don't frame anti-racist work as an extracurricular, but rather as an integral part of life - no matter what career you choose," said Ms. Vulchi. "Art, coding, policy, statistics - all of these can be harnessed for anti-racist work on a daily basis."

Parents can start conversations about race with books, documentaries or even movies like "Black Panther" or "Crazy Rich Asians," two box office hits that proved the power of diversity in movie making.

"Bring it into your house and say to your kids, 'Let's talk about why that movie was different than every other movie we've seen," said Julie Lythcott-Haims, whose books include "Real American," a memoir about her life as a black and biracial woman living in predominantly white spaces. "Don't ask leading questions. Let kids fill the space with their thoughts. They might not even mention race. Then tell them why it was different for you. After the movie is over, that's where you show up with your values."

Parents who live in homogeneous communities can find ways to make their children's lives more diverse. "Who are your kids' doctors and dentists and pharmacists and music teachers and tutors?" said Traci Baxley, a coach and educator who offers courses through Instagram and her website, SocialJusticeParenting.com.

"You can broaden how your children see black people," said Dr. Baxley, associate professor and coordinator of the multicultural education program at Florida Atlantic University. "I always hear moms tell me 'my whole area is white.' Then maybe drive an extra 20 minutes to get to a black dentist or drive a little further to go to a different grocery store. If you're serious about the practice, it may take a little extra effort."

A common mistake some parents make is to say they don't "see color" and they want to raise their children to be "colorblind."

"To say, 'I'm colorblind is to say 'I have the privilege of never having to worry about color,'" says Ms. Lythcott-Haims, a former corporate lawyer and Stanford dean. "Those of us who wear skin of brown don't have that luxury. The right approach is to recognize that humans come in innumerable varieties of color and hair texture and eye shape and noses and lips and height and weight. There are differences aplenty. The key is to teach our children that differences aren't bad."
Join me Wednesday, June 24, at 8 p.m. Eastern time for a conversation with Amber Coleman-Mortley about how to raise a socially conscious, anti-racist child. R.S.V.P. here.

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The books we read, the movies we watch, the friends we make, the doctors we visit and the conversations we have at home all shape our children's views of race. When kids on the gaming site Roblox were darkening the skin color of their avatars to support Black Lives Matter, 12-year-old Garvey Mortley decided to speak up.

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SEL is relevant for all students in all schools and affirms diverse cultures and backgrounds. All students bring to school their identities, strengths, values, lived experiences, and culture. SEL does not seek to have students conform to the values and preferences of the dominant culture but uplifts and promotes understanding of the assets of diverse individuals and communities.

What it looks like: Districts use SEL as a framework to examine the importance of the range of adult and student identities and assets, reflect on and appreciate diversity, and foster inclusive environments. Districts guide schools in adopting evidence-based programs and practices that are culturally-affirming and relevant to their communities and needs.

SEL is a strategy for systemic improvement, not just an intervention for at-risk students. While SEL reduces risky behaviors and improves mental health (Taylor et al, 2017), the impact is maximized when systemic SEL becomes a coordinating framework that transforms all aspects of schooling - from how the central office is organized to how classroom instruction is delivered.

What it looks like: The focus of implementation is on creating the conditions that promote social and emotional growth for all students, including building trusting relationships, welcoming learning environments, consistent routines, engaging teaching strategies, culturally-relevant practices and authentic family and community partnerships.

SEL is a way to uplift student voice and promote agency and civic engagement. The goal of SEL is to build skills and competencies that help students successfully navigate and meaningfully contribute to their schools, careers, families, relationships, and multicultural communities. This occurs when SEL goes beyond behavior management and positions young people "as experts in understanding and fashioning a world that is more just and equitable" (Jagers, 2016, p. 3).

What it looks like: All students have developmentally-appropriate opportunities to engage in discussions with each other, raise problems and identify solutions in their schools and communities, productively challenge the inequities that they see, have a voice in how the school district operates, and take on authentic leadership roles.

SEL supports adults in strengthening practices that promote equity. SEL also offers a way for districts to examine how their own policies and practices may impact equity, and acknowledge and address the larger impact that systemic and individual bias, racism or oppression may have on the lives of their students.

What it looks like: Adults reflect on their own identities, assets, and biases, and engage in culturally-responsive practices and conversations around equity. District staff examine disaggregated data, analyze root causes of disparities, and engage various stakeholders to co-develop policies and practices that support equity.

Districts must engage students, families, and communities as authentic partners in social and emotional development. The relationships between a district and school staff, students, families, and communities are at the core of systemic SEL. In order for SEL to affirm the assets of children from diverse backgrounds, schools need to understand the cultures, lived experiences, and values of families and communities, and all students need to feel ownership over their own social and emotional development.

What it looks like: Students, families and community partners are active partners in the planning and implementation of SEL and play a role in district decision-making. All students have frequent opportunities to share their perspectives and feedback.
In the CASEL District Framework, equity is woven throughout the approach to implementation. As you engage in systemic SEL implementation, we encourage you to continuously center this work around equity and leverage SEL to create communities where all students can use their talents and interests to realize their fullest potential.

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SEL as a Lever for Equity and Excellence - CASEL District Resource Guide

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Social and emotional learning (SEL) can be a powerful lever for creating caring, just, inclusive, and healthy communities that support all individuals in reaching their fullest potential.

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NEA has a vision for a Great Public School for Every Student. We know that institutional and structural racism are barriers to achieving our vision. We will leverage the power and collective voice or our members to end the systemic patterns of racial inequity and injustice that affect our Association, schools, students and education communities.

RACIAL JUSTICE IN EDUCATION FRAMEWORK PRINCIPLES

Our collective work promotes a vision for public education that advances inclusion, equity,
and racial and social justice in our schools, Association and society.

Our collective work must dismantle white supremacy, and ensure that bigotry and discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, disability or national origin are not part of our Association, classrooms, educational curricula, classroom management, school policies, and discipline practices.

Our Association and schools must be safe for all students, and free from state-sanctioned, racialized, and gender-based violence. Our work must actively divest from prison cultivation and invest in counselors and positive discipline practices.

Our work must result in action - programs, campaigns, policies, and capacity-building efforts for local NEA members that dismantle institutional racism now and into the future. Initiatives should create sustainable infrastructures that can continue to create systemic change and hold decision-makers, elected officials, and institutions accountable.

Our current governance leaders must recruit, engage, and promote leadership by educators of color to share the ladder of opportunity because we are stronger together.

Programs, campaigns, and projects must be driven by goals that are clearly outlined, tracked, and measured, and that have account- ability systems that explicitly promote racial justice.

Our work must promote education policies, professional practices and curricula which highlight and honor the histories and cultures of people of color and indigenous peoples.

We must work to ensure that all students have access to a safe and quality education, regardless of their country of origin or immigration status.

Our work must promote and support the engagement of students of color and LGBTQ students in shaping policies that directly impact their educational experience, and foster safe and inclusive schools.

We must work to dismantle discipline systems that create the School to Prison Pipeline and replace them with practices that encourage inclusion and are free from racial and ethnic bias.

APPLYING A RACIAL EQUITY LENS

Racial equity and justice in education is a critical element to achieving our mission and vision. It demands that we view our collective work through a Racial Equity Lens. Racial Equity Lens, when applied authentically, enhances choices, decision-making and allocation of resources.

Our ability to apply a Racial Equity Lens, means that we are:

effectively and more thoroughly analyzing what is not working around racial equity in public education;

identifying and actively supporting solutions that are working to increase racial equity and preventing racial injustice in public education;

shifting our choices and decision-making about racial equality in public schools;

transforming and healing ourselves, the structures within the public education system and our own institution.

EQUITY TO JUSTICE

Throughout our history, the NEA has joined in partnership to move policies that would address inequities in education, but we understand now that racial justice in education requires movement beyond racial equity which is where we find ourselves; at the precipice of doing a lot with limited ability to sustain it.

That movement will require that:

We have a deep understanding of racial history and the trauma caused and are able to acknowledge its presence throughout systems, cultural norms, practices and policies.

We focus on solutions that will build power (political, economic, civic, community) for the most sharply impacted communities and people.

We effectively use racial impact assessment tools and develop racial justice action plans

We shift and share power, program, and resources

We adopt anti-racist and racial justice protocols & practices

Culture and narrative shift

Data is used to drive results/impacts

RACIAL JUSTICE IN EDUCATION FRAMEWORK

The NEA Racial Justice in Education Framework was developed in conjunction with the principles and concepts embedded in the "Wheel of Change" model. This framework centers and guides our systems change work, which includes our behaviors/practices, organizational culture and our strategies to impact the hearts and minds of the people. The framework also identifies the organizational "levers" that must be engaged to create transformational change to develop and build a more knowledgeable, more skilled racial analysis and a deeper commitment towards racial justice and equity.

Three Elements Of The Framework

AWARENESS

Goal: to develop and strengthen our collective awareness and understanding of the causes and impacts of systemic (institutional and structural) racism in education and the necessity for racial justice and the centrality of racial justice in achieving NEA's mission.

Build racial equity awareness and analytical capacity across our Association

Fostering understanding of key concepts such as systemic (institutional and structural) racism, implicit bias, racial equity and multiracial systemic solutions.

Develop shared knowledge and conceptual clarity that supports normalizing explicit and constructive conversations about race.

CAPACITY BUILDING

Goal: equip and prepare members and leaders with skills to use the strategies to take action to advance racial justice.

Equip members, leaders, staff and partners with the skills, tools, strategies, resources and relationships to be effective leaders and advocates in the fight for racial justice in education.

Develop tools and resources to support organizational and cultural change through policy, practice and behavior changes.

ACTION

Goal: to engage members and stakeholders to advocate, organize and mobilize to combat institutional racism and advance racial justice in education.

Engage and activate members, leaders and stakeholders in on-the-ground efforts to combat institutional racism and advance racial justice.

Support external organizing efforts to advance changes in our schools and communities

Support internal opportunities to implement equitable practices that positively impact the Association's work and promote culture change.

Analysis & Intervention: Identification & Implementation

WHEEL OF CHANGE

A systems approach to organizational change and impact.

Connecting Framework Elements

AWARENESS

Hearts & Minds:

Purpose/Vision

Values/Beliefs

Emotions/Feelings

Community Analysis

CAPACITY BUILDING

Behaviors:

ACTION

Structures:

Organizational Change and Impact Levers

ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE (OC): Shared values and beliefs (National, State and Local Affiliates)

LEARNING CLIMATE & ENVIRONMENT (LC&E): Development and investment in staff and leader capacity. (National and State Affiliates)

DATA, ASSESSMENT, EVALUATION & STRATEGIC RESEARCH: Comprehensive strategy to develop assumptions, test, assess and evaluate outcomes. (National)

SENIOR STAFF LEADERSHIP (SL): Individuals in formal staff leadership roles (NEA, State Affiliates and Local Affiliates)

GOVERNANCE-OFFICERS/EC/BOARD OF DIRECTORS/COMMITTEES, COUNCILS, CONSTITUENCIES & CAUCUSES (GOV): Governance structure of the organization (NEA, State Affiliates and Local Affiliates)

MANAGEMENT (MGMT): Staff that oversee the operationalizing of budgets, programs and teams. (NEA, State Affiliates and Local Affiliates)

MEMBERS (MEM): Association members, across all categories

COMMUNITY/PARTNERS/ALLIES (CPA): Education and community stakeholders (National, State and Local)

MEASURING IMPACT: ORGANIZATIONAL PROGRESS TO CHANGE

Based on the choices and decisions we make as an organization, we can measure and monitor how we move through phases of becoming a racial equity and justice focused organization. It should be

Equity-Silent/Colorblind

Ignores race, denies racism

Ignores equity

Marginalizes People of Color

Equity-Ineffective/Diversity-Inclusion Committed

Race is not centered or is watered down

Embraces diversity or DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) at least on paper - but all talk, no action

Reactive, not proactive, on race

Change happens at a turtle's pace

Equity-Centric/Racial Justice-Focused

Elevates and centers racial justice as a strategic priority and mission imperative

Prioritizes equity in internal and external work

Implements Racially Equitable Systems Change (visualize, normalize, organize and operationalize)

Organization-wide operations, program, and culture change

MEASURING IMPACT: ORGANIZATIONAL SYSTEMS CHANGE

Visualize

Agreements that racial justice is a strategic imperative

Normalize

Shared analysis, definitions and key concepts

Ongoing learning and capacity-building

Relevant and routine race-explicit conversation about daily core work

Organize

Develop internal equity infrastructure

Racial Equity Core Team

Authentic/active stakeholder engagement

Equity leadership development

Build external partnerships, allies

Commitment to racially equitable systems change

Mission, vision, and values address racial justice and equity

Operationalize

Racial Equity Action Plan

Use data to drive results/impacts

Use Racial Equity Tools

Adopts racial equity protocols and practices

Power, program, and resource shift

Culture and narrative shift

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Racial Justice in Education Framework | NEA

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NEA has a vision for a Great Public School for Every Student. We know that institutional and structural racism are barriers to achieving our vision. We will leverage the power and collective voice or our members to end the systemic patterns of racial inequity and injustice that affect our Association, schools, students and education communities.

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Social Emotional Learning and Equity

"The paradox of education is precisely this - that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which [they are] being educated."
- James Baldwin

The promise of social and emotional development as a lever for increasing educational equity rests on the capacity of educators to understand that all learning is social and emotional and all learning is mediated by relationships that sit in a sociopolitical, racialized context - for all children, not just those who are black and brown. Social emotional learning offers the possibility of acknowledging, addressing, and healing from the ways we have all been impacted by racism and systemic oppression and to create inclusive, liberatory learning environments in which students of color and students living in poverty experience a sense of belonging, agency to shape the content and process of their learning, and thrive. This potential will only be realized if we intentionally prioritize educational equity and belonging as a primary goal of social-emotional learning and strategically apply what we know from research on the effects of race and racism, the relationship between culture and learning, and the neuroscience of healthy brain development.

Implications for Professional Learning

To build equity consciousness and capacity, we need to create significant time for professional learning, reflection, and collaboration so that educators have regular opportunities to:

increase their own self-awareness of how their various social identities in terms of race, class, gender, language, etc. shaped their own educational experiences and shape their definitions of success and their interpretations of student behavior

build their knowledge of and reflect on the history of race, racism, and exclusion in the United States and build their skill for discussing this history with students in the context of lessons and class discussions

deconstruct, reflect on, and design lessons that support the active valuing, engagement, and development of the whole child

learn about the neuroscience of learning; those signals that trigger a "threat" response especially for students of color as well as strategies explicitly designed to decrease stress and generate a sense of calm and well-being

develop a repertoire of approaches for building trust, especially across race, class, and culture.

The table below highlights several pitfalls and recommendations for educators seeking to implement SEL to make progress on equity and inclusion:

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Social Emotional Learning and Equity - National Equity Project

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Social emotional learning (SEL) and equity consciousness requires educators to have significant time for professional learning, reflection, & collaboration.

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Brené Brown | Daring Classrooms | SXSWedu 2017

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Learning For Justice: Podcasts with an Educator and Equity Focus

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Learning For Justice: Podcasts with an Educator and Equity Focus

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Deepen your knowledge and improve your practice with Learning for Justice podcasts. Each episode explores an aspect of a Learning for Justice topic or framework and is produced with educators in mind. Use your commute, workout or meal-prep time to catch up on the latest thinking and scholarship that matter to you and your students.

You can subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify.
Take Our Podcast Listener Survey

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Deepen your knowledge and improve your practice with Learning for Justice podcasts. Each episode explores an aspect of a Learning for Justice topic or framework and is produced with educators in mind. Use your commute, workout or meal-prep time to catch up on the latest thinking and scholarship that matter to you and your students.

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Critical Race Theory: What do the kids think?

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Critical Race Theory: What do the kids think?

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Critical Race Theory: What do the kids think?

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We spoke to high school students across the country to hear what they have to say about the controversies surrounding Critical Race Theory.