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1. How is this content meaningful to all students? How can I teach this lesson in a way that all students understand how it is relevant to each student's lived experience?

2. Who might object to what I'm teaching? How do I protect my students who may have strong feelings regarding certain topics? How can I enhance and strengthen my students' social emotional competence and regulation?

3. How can I teach so my entire class benefits? How can I utilize what I know about my various students' learning styles and backgrounds to be certain all students benefit in an equitable fashion?

4. What are my reflective teaching disciplines? How do my unconscious biases come out in the way I teach? What can I change to become a more culturally responsive educator?

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National Association for Multicultural Education

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© 2020 The National Association for Multicultural Education

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1. Who is the source? Does this curriculum highlight voices from a variety of backgrounds, not just those of the educator or students?

2. How are minority heroes represented? Do lesson plans incorporate contributions to society from disadvantaged and under-represented people groups?

3. How do I facilitate equitable dialogue? Do students of color and other minority groups feel comfortable contributing to classroom communication? Am I listening to all of my students equitably? How do I encouraged silenced voices to speak?

4. Are various forms of creative expression included? Do I include and celebrate contributions from Black, Latinx, LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented artists?

5. What can I change? How am I regularly reflecting on my teaching style to remove unconscious bias from curriculum choice and implementation?

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Morning Meetings are an excellent time to make all students feel welcome:

1. Begin each day with a community-building activity, such as a classroom community chant or question of the day.

2. Use visuals to give English Language Learners and students with communicative challenges a chance to contribute.

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C- Communicate through visuals for English Language Learners and students with processing difficulties.

U- Understand student background and cultural norms.

L- Learn about and incorporate a variety of learning styles.

T- Test students equitably. Advocate for unbiased assessment methods.

U- Unconscious biases lead to inequitable teaching. Face yours.

R- Reflect upon teaching practices often and with humility.

E- Empathize with students whose experiences differ from your own.

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Educators must have high expectations across the board for students, regardless of background or culture. Teaching students to believe in themselves is a vital responsibility and starts with letting go of implicit and explicit biases. Current and future teachers might start with implicit bias tests and trainings, such as those offered by https://www.nonprofitready.org/unconscious-bias-training

or https://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/implicit-bias-module-series

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Free Unconscious Bias Training | NonprofitReady

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These short, engaging courses explain how to train your brain to slow down and stop unconscious bias from leading to unintended negative consequences.

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1. How is my classroom environment diverse, equitable, and inclusive? Do decorations, books, toys, seating arrangements, and classroom flow reflect the backgrounds, abilities, and needs of all of my students?

2. Is my classroom welcoming to all students? Do I utilize social-emotional learning tools that aid students of all abilities and backgrounds? Have I mastered simple words and greetings in the home languages of my English Language Learners?

3. Have I consulted my students? Do I ask my students for input regarding classroom design that best fits their needs? Is my classroom environment student-centric?

4. How can I make things less busy? What do I need to include and what do I need to take down so my classroom environment is intentional without being chaotic?

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KISS the Rules (Keep it simple, sweetie)

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KISS the Rules (Keep it simple, sweetie)

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Just like classroom decor, student expectations should be reasonable, clear, and kept to a minimum. Guidance:

No more than 3-4. Example: We keep our friends safe, we keep our things safe, we keep our bodies safe.

Language is clear, non-judgmental, and positively phrased. Example: Gentle touches, kind words, calm body, walking feet.

Give grace and opportunity to mend. Everyone makes mistakes; teach rather than punish.

Don't force children to say they're sorry. This teaches two things: 1- It's ok to lie. 2- Any behavior is ok as long as you say you're sorry.

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Select Stories and literature that reflect diverse cultures and backgrounds:

ECE:

We Are Grateful by Cherokee author Traci Sorell explores Cherokee celebrations and experiences through the lens of otsaliheliga, a Cherokee word for expressions of gratitude..

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox details the differences and common experiences of children all over the world.

The All Are Welcome four-book series by Alexandra Penfold celebrates and welcomes children of all cultures and abilities into the classroom family:

"In our classroom safe and sound/ Fears are lost and hope is found."

Elementary:

Save Me a Seat by Gita Varadarajan shares the story of Joe and Ravi, two boys from different backgrounds who become friends through a common challenge: the school bully.

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long follows the memorable title character as she reconciles her American experience with her Chinese culture and family.

The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a literary account of the childhood of celebrated Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.

Young Adult/ Teens:

A Step From Heaven, as described by author An Na, "grew from a need to express some of the longings and frustrations that I felt as an immigrant growing up in America." (Na, n.d.)

Brown Girl Dreaming is a poetic recanting of African American author Jacqueline Wilson's coming-of-age experience during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume tackles common teen struggles of divorce, puberty, faith, and fitting in through the memorable title character.

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American history is complicated, but educators have a responsibility to rebel against the common trope of telling the story through the lens of the winners. Minority historical heroes such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King Jr. should be studied year-round, alongside contemporary change-makers and ceiling- shatterers, including Barack Obama, Sonia Sotomayer, and Lin Manuel-Miranda.

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Educators looking to inspire non-white and female scientists and mathematicians can look to:

Marie Curie, Nobel-Prize winning Polish-French physicist and chemist whose work with radioactivity eventually claimed her life, but contributed to countless lives saved through X-ray technology and cancer treatments.

Katherine Johnson, female African American mathematician whose contributions to NASA propelled early space exploration.

Santiago Ramón y Cajal, Hispanic scientist and pathologist whose neuron theory forms the basis for modern neuroscience.

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1. How do I reassure families that their student will receive an equitable education?

2. What methods do I use to communicate with families? Are they equitable? Accessible? Culturally responsive?

3. How do I welcome families? Am I greeting family members by their preferred names? Do I know simple greetings in their home language?

4. Do I have unconscious bias against certain types of families, such as LGBTQ+? How do I treat these families with dignity?

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A study by Carnegie Melon University (2014) concluded that "less is more" when it comes to learning environments. Classroom decor should be intentional but not so busy that it distracts learners. Examples include:

Posters and decorations that represent a variety of cultures and abilities.

Child-created art and documentation of learning prominently displayed.

Inclusive and diverse toys and dolls.

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Communication Apps for English Language Learners

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Communication Apps for English Language Learners

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Family engagement can be enhanced by applications that assist with dialogue by translating teacher-caregiver communication! Some I have found helpful include:

1. https://seesaw.com SeeSaw is an application that posts photos, journal entries, and dialogue between parents, educators, and students.

2. https://talkingpts.org Founded by a Korean immigrant, Talking Points is an AI powered and embeds best-practices into this accessible application. It can be initially pricey, but many school districts justify the cost due to its data-driven results.

3. https://translate.google.com/ Google Translate is a free, somewhat-limited application that translates words, phrases, emails, and documents.

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1. Linnie O. Greenlees, Denise N. Lara, Delia Carrizales, & Whitney Beach. (2024). Teacher candidates’ culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy and attributional development: A multi-methods study. Teacher Educators’ Journal, 17, 126–152.

2. Madalina Tanase, & Dilek Kayaalp. (2024). From theory to practice: Dos of culturally responsive teaching in teacher education programs. Journal of Education, 204(4), 790–802. https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1177/00220574231221164

3. The National Association for Muticultural Educators (NAME) is "a collective voice that advances and advocates for social justice and educational equity through multicultural education. NAME is a 501 (c)3 non-profit organization supported by the volunteer efforts of its members." Visit https://www.nameorg.org/about_name.php

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About NAME - National Association for Multicultural Education

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NAME is a non-profit organization that advances and advocates for equity and social justice through multicultural education.

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For further reflection, see:

Carnegie Mellon University. (2014). Disruptive decorations. http://www.cmu.edu/homepage/society/2014/spring/disruptive-decorations.shtml As quoted in:

Dillon, R., Gilpin, B., Juliani, A., & Klein, E. (2016). Leading change through classroom learning-space design. Redesigning Learning Spaces (pp. 3-10). Corwin, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781506318295

Howe, W. & Lisi, P. (2024) Becoming a Multicultural Educator: Fourth Edition. Sage

LeeKeenan, D., Nimmo, J. & McKinney, F. (2021) Reflecting on anti-bias education in action: The early years. (film) Anti-bias Leaders. Retrieved from https://www.antibiasleadersece.com/the-film-reflecting-on-anti-bias-education-in-action/

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The film, Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years (48 minutes), produced by Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo, features vignettes of anti-bias strategies in early childhood classrooms interspersed with teachers reflecting on their practice. Debbie and John partnered with filmmaker Filiz Efe McKinney of Brave Sprout Productions to create a film that shifts the focus away from the talking heads of experts and on to the voices of teachers committed to equity on a daily basis. By taking viewers into diverse early childhood classrooms, the film seeks to demonstrate the importance of teacher reflection on identity, context, and practice in anti-bias education and provides a much-needed resource for teacher education and professional development.

The film has received numerous awards including the Silver Prize for Documentary Feature (2021) in the Social Justice Film Festival and a nomination for Northwest Regional Emmy® (2022) in the category of diversity, equity, and inclusion - long form content.

The film can be streamed at the screen image above at no charge for professional development and educational purposes. Please review information about the use of the film. The film has closed captions in English, Spanish, and Chinese (simplified characters) which can be turned on by clicking on the CC button to the bottom right of the screen. A Guidebook (available in Spanish and English) provides additional background and resources, and poses provocations and questions for reflection about each vignette in the film. The Official Trailer (3 minutes) is available for promotional purposes.

There is no "one way" to implement anti-bias education. The four anti-bias goals help guide the work. This approach involves critical thinking and a deep understanding of the complexity of the issues and the context of your community. The film is a provocation to generate dialogue about how to bring this approach into your practice.

Louise Derman-Sparks is the film's senior advisor. The film's theoretical and research framework is based on her co-authored books, Anti-Bias Education for Our Children and Ourselves (with Julie Olsen-Edwards and Catherin Goins ) and Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs: A Guide for Change (with Debbie LeeKeenan and John Nimmo).

Read the latest news about the film
See Awards and Festivals

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Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years

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The Film: Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years

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1. Invite families to share about cultural celebrations and traditions during class.

2. Host a multi-cultural fair and invite families and community members to share food, traditional clothing, music, etc.

3. Facilitate parent workshops on English, technology, community resources, and navigating the school system. Ask families to contribute.

4. Send out a parent survey at the beginning of the year, preferably in that family's home language.

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Culturally-inclusive classrooms include:

1. A parent-communication board with events, resources, and classroom schedules with visual aids to support families with limited English abilities.

2. Interpreter apps that assist parents with communication.

3. Culturally-reflective art and photos, including family photos.

4. Culturally sensitive celebrations that honor all family structures. For example,

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Celebrations should be inclusive and respect all cultures and family structures. For example:

1. "Cupcakes with Caregivers" rather than "Donuts with Dads" or "Muffins with Moms."

2. Invite families from all faith practices to share their celebrations. Do not ignore western Judeo-Christian celebrations but stay respectful and do not force families and students to participate.

3. Secular celebrations abound, including 100th Day of School, National Ice Cream Day, National Donut Day, Week of the Young Child, etc.

4. Cultural Heritage Months include:

February: Black History Month

March: Women's History Month

April: Arab American Heritage Month

May: American Pacific Islander and Asian American Heritage Month

September: LatinX Heritage Month

October: LGBTQ+ History Month

November: Native American History Month

(source: Harvard Office for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging https://edib.harvard.edu/heritage-months)

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Heritage Months and Identity Recognitions

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1. The Pyramid Plus website has a variety of free family-engagement resources, including printables in a variety of languages, webinars, and blogs. Visit https://challengingbehavior.org

2. Weist, M. D., Garbacz, S. A., Lane, K. L., & Kincaid, D. (2017). Aligning and integrating family engagement in Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS): Concepts and strategies for families and schools in key contexts. Center for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (funded by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education). University of Oregon Press. Retrieved from https://www.pbis.org/resource/aligning-and-integrating-family-engagement-in-pbis

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For further reflection:

1. Apple, M. W. (2014). Official knowledge: Democratic education in a conservative age. New York: Routledge.

2. Aryee-Price, A., Fernandez, M., & Rogers, C. (2019) Teacher 2 Teacher: Making black lives matter at school. Education for Liberation Network. Obtained at https://www.edliberation.org/our-work/planning-to-change-world/#

3. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2018, 2012, 2008) Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education, seventh edition. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

4. Gayà Morlà, C., & Ferré-Pavia, C. (2024). Disney princesses and romantic love: A narrative that perpetuates patriarchal domination. Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10509208.2024.2406968

5. Scholastic Parents Staff (2021). Multicultural books for kids. Scholastic Inc. Retrieved from https://www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-lists-and-recommendations/life-experiences-values/multicultural-books-kids-ages-6-10.html

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Check out these multicultural books for kids that express incredibly diverse viewpoints.