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Facing History and Ourselves Community Matters: 9th-10th Grade Advisory Curriculum

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Facing History and Ourselves Community Matters: 9th-10th Grade Advisory Curriculum

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Introduction to Advisory Lessons from We Do It for the Culture

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Introduction to Advisory Lessons from We Do It for the Culture

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Be Good People Google Site: SEL Curriculum for 9th-12

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Be Good People Google Site: SEL Curriculum for 9th-12

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This site is organized by SEL competency and includes customizable slides.
At the secondary level, Be Good People instruction nearly always occurs once a week during a 20-25 minute advisory block. The Lessons, Extension Activities, and Community Building activities in Be Good People's Core Edition are all designed to take 15-25 minutes to deliver. Secondary schools typically design schedules that rotate between these three types of activities.

The top 3 pieces of advice we hear from secondary teachers are:

1. "You don’t need to be the expert (even though, as a functional adult, you really kinda are!)"

2. "The more you can talk about how the topic relates to your own experiences, the better (e.g., 'Let me tell ya, I had a boss at Burger King I did not get along with…')."

3. "You don’t need to do whole group the whole time (Think-Pair-Share is your best friend!)"

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Social Emotional Learning - 9-12 Core Edition

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Implementation Resources
Check out resources for scope and sequence planning, training, and communication!

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Tool: Activities to Start the School Year from Morningside Center

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Tool: Activities to Start the School Year from Morningside Center

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What we do in our classrooms during the first days and weeks of school can help us establish a caring and inclusive classroom community that can sustain us and our students, even and especially in hard times. The K-12 classroom activities in this 54-page pdf include everything from getting-to-know-you activities and games to self-care strategies and creating community agreements.

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Tool: Culturally Responsive SEL Curriculum for 6th-12th Grade

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Tool: Culturally Responsive SEL Curriculum for 6th-12th Grade

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A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING CURRICULUM GROUNDED IN THE ELEMENTS OF HIP-HOP FOR GRADES 6-12. Currently being used at some Noble School Campuses

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MC'ING (EMCEE)

The art of MC'ing is a form of self-awareness and social awareness. MCs have the ability to use storytelling as a tool for community building. An MC "moves the crowd" thereby promoting student voice and allows for students to speak their truth unapologetically.

BREAKING

Movement is life. The unique styles that are displayed within the expression of dance and varied forms of movement are critical to creating spaces of freedom and vulnerability for our students. Movement is also present in the way we interact with others and the impact of our presence; try to release any negative emotions through deep breathing or movement as you enter the learning space. Breaking requires self-awareness of mind, body and spirit.

DJ'ING

The DJ creates the rhythm and the vibe within a space where students come together. The DJ uses responsible decision making to ensure that the music being played is aligned with the culture and vibe of the audience. Using music within your learning space sets the tone for the time spent in community.

GRAFFITI

Visual art is a form of a creative signature style. It promotes authenticity, self-expression and pride within our students. Art allows all of the SEL competencies to be integrated in creative ways.

KNOWLEDGE OF SELF

When students know their heritage; their ancestors' contributions to the world and their personal self-worth, they become adults who confidently walk into their purpose. This fifth element of hip-hop is the most critical for liberating minds. Knowledge of self is synonymous with self-awareness, without this critical element, learning cannot take place.

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A ONE-OF-A-KIND SEL CURRICULUM - We Do It For The Culture

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The art of MC'ing is a form of self-awareness and social awareness. MCs have the ability to use storytelling as a tool for community building. An MC "moves the crowd" thereby promoting student voice and allows for students to speak their truth unapologetically. Movement is life.

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Have students complete the worksheet then have everyone (5 mins) Then ask everyone to stand up. Read each statement and ask students go to the side of the room that corresponds with each of their responses. Ask for a couple of volunteers on each side to talk about their reasons. This demonstrates self awareness and decision making skills.

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Would-You-Rather-High.pdf-Write then do a stand up activity.pdf

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SEL Day: Energizers and Teambuilders from Praxis Institute Chicago

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SEL Day: Energizers and Teambuilders from Praxis Institute Chicago

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Copy of Praxis Institute Energizers & TeamBuilders.docx

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This video walks you through an activity of exploring identities with self-portraits

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Exploring Perceptions About Identity Through Self-Portraits

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Gratitude for Tweens and Teens | Greater Good In Education

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Lesson: Love, Art, Justice and Dr. King from Morning Side Center

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Lesson: Love, Art, Justice and Dr. King from Morning Side Center

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Hank Willis Thomas' sculpture The Embrace will be unveiled in Boston Commons on MLK Day 2023.

Share with students King's quote:

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

Invite students to spend a few minutes journaling about what matters to them.

Afterwards, invite students to share out in a circle go-round a portion of what they wrote.

Options for Circle Activities

1. The Embrace

On Martin Luther King Day on January 16, 2023, a new sculpture by artist Hank Willis Thomas titled The Embrace will be unveiled in Boston Commons, the oldest city park in the United States. The sculpture was created in honor of a photograph of an embrace by MLK and his wife, Coretta Scott King. The photo was taken in 1965, after Dr. King learned he had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Look at the image of the embrace between MLK and his wife, Coretta Scott King. Ask students:

What do you see in in this picture?

What do you feel about the picture?

Watch this 6-minute CBS Sunday Morning video interview with the artist, Hank Willis Thomas, and learn about how the photo inspired him and his winning design. Afterwards, invite students to share:

What most struck you in the video?

What strikes you about Hank Willis Thomas's story, the artwork itself, or how the sculpture came to Boston Commons?

2. Less Familiar Quotes

While many of King's quotes have become famous and are most commonly used to honor his life and legacy, other lesser-known quotes are also powerful, and very relevant to both King's time and our own.

Invite students to select one of these quotes. Then ask them to share in a go-round (either in the whole group or in a small group):

Why did you choose this quote? Why does it resonate with you?

3. On the Side of Justice

Ask student to consider Dr. King's sixth principle of nonviolence:

"The universe is on the side of justice."

Engage students in a circle go-round:

What does this quote mean to you?

Then, through journaling or a circle go-round, encourage students to share:

What are your personal commitments to justice? Or,

What might those commitments be?

Share the MLK quote:

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'what are you doing for others?'"

Invite students to journal privately about this quote, and to share out, if they feel inclined to.
What Does This Mean to You?
Encourage students to discuss in pairs what the following quote means to them and how it can be applied to their own lives:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Invite students to come up with examples of this quote from recent events in the news and/or social media.

Language of the Unheard
In pairs or groups, allow students to share reflections and connections (verbal, artistic or otherwise) to their own lives using the following King quote:

"But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear?... It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity."
- MLK from his speech "The Other America (1968)"

Triple Evils & Nonviolence

Additional Resources

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Share with students King's quote: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." Invite students to spend a few minutes journaling about what matters to them. Afterwards, invite students to share out in a circle go-round a portion of what they wrote. 1.

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Some activities for teaching on Indgenous History and Culture.

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Resources for Teaching on Indigenous History & Culture | Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

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The Osage Tribe – and American History – in the News
November is Native American Heritage Month. In this activity, students examine a small portion of the history of the Wahzhazhe people, known as the Osage, by delving into two recent news stories.

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In this activity, students will experience how a range of Latinx illustrators touch on language, identity, and self-expression through their comics - including an exploration of the meaning and significance of terms such as Latinx, Hispanic, Latino, and Latina.

This exploration isn't simple. We might pose such questions as, Why do we have to label our racial/cultural/ethnic identity to begin with? Who is this labeling done for? Do people see me in the way I choose to identify myself? Identity is complex, and so are labels.

Before 1970 in the United States, the government labeled people from Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico (the three largest groups of Latin Americans in the U.S. at the time) as white. Latin Americans (who can be a mix of Indigenous, African, white, or other ancestries) were often clumped together, despite their varying cultures and dialects or languages. This wasn't working for the government or the people, so the term Hispanic was born. The word Hispanic has its critics, as do the words Latino/a and Latinx.

Mural in Buffalo, NY, by artist/educator Betsy Casañas celebrating the contributions of the region's Latinx communities. Photo: Carol M. Highsmith, LOC

Check in with the class. Ask:

Who can share their understanding of the terms: Latino/ Latina, Hispanic, and Latinx?

Share with students this short clip, in which Netflix actor Isabella Gomez and friends break it down: https://www.instagram.com/netflix/p/Bot2r-ojDzO/

After viewing the clip, ask students:

Do we have a better understanding of the terms: Latino/ Latina, Hispanic, and Latinx?

Share with students the illustration below by comic book artist Terry Blas. In it, he shares his understanding of the terms Latino and Hispanic.
https://www.vox.com/2015/8/19/9173457/hispanic-latino-comic
Ask students:

What are your thoughts or observations about this comic?

What questions do you have?

Terry Blas also created a comic about the word Latinx. Share it with students:
https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/10/15/20914347/latin-latina-latino-latinx-means
Ask students:

What are your thoughts or observations about this illustration?

What questions do you have?

Comics: Small & Large Group Discussion

Before class, look at the comics below, which are shared by The Latinx Project at New York University. Consider which comic(s) will be appropriate for and resonate with your students and your classroom environment.

You will have students work in small groups to consider and discuss one or all of these comics using a set of questions, below. (Please add or adapt questions according to your students and the classroom culture.)

Small groups might be structured in several ways, depending on your class:

Share the comic(s) you have selected on the whiteboard. Have a few students come up to the board and volunteer to read the text to the class. Then have students discuss in pairs or small groups using the questions above.

Print each comic for small groups (3 or 4 students). Have them experience the comics together and transition to discussion in the same groups, using the questions above.

Print one of each comic and create four groups. Have each group start with one comic. All comics will get passed around until each group has experienced each comic. Have them stay in their groups for discussion, using the questions above.

Small Group Discussion

Share with students that because art can be a vehicle for the expression of all of our identities, we're going to take a look at other artists who chose comics as a form of self-expression.

Tell the class that we will be looking at the works of these artists (or whichever artists you have selected):

Stephanie Rodriguez is a Bronx-born comic book artist and illustrator

Breena Nuñez is an Afro-Guatemalan-Salvadoran cartoonist living in San Francisco, CA

Sharon Lee De La Cruz is a multi-disciplinary artist and activist from New York City

Explain your process for small group discussion.

Tell students that once their group or pair has had a few minutes to read and reflect on their comic, they will discuss the the comic using the following questions.

1. Can I relate to what the artist is expressing?

2. How does what the artist is expressing translate in my culture or community?

3. What parts of my true identity are visible to others?

4. What is my preferred creative outlet for self-expression?

5. What would I choose to share using my preferred creative outlet for self expression?

Large Group Discussion

Invite students to share gratitude to the other members of their group for the sharing they have just experienced.

Ask the class to come back together into one group.

If time permits, have a go-around. Ask each student to share:

What is your biggest takeaway from today's class?

If there isn't enough time for a go-around, invite a few voices into the space to share their takeaways with the entire class. If you (teacher) identify as a Latino/ Latina, Hispanic, or Latinx, please take a moment to share your experience with today's class as well.

Let's invite each other to celebrate the self-expression of these Latinx artists and of each other, embracing all of our identities and building connections beyond labels.

Additional Resource: For students who are interested in exploring the history of terms such as Latinx or Hispanic, or the history of Hispanic Heritage Month, consider sharing this episode of NPR's Codeswitch podcast: https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/

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Latinx? Hispanic? Exploring Identity through Art

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In this activity, students will experience how a range of Latinx illustrators touch on language, identity, and self-expression through their comics - including an exploration of the meaning and significance of terms such as Latinx, Hispanic, Latino, and Latina. This exploration isn't simple.

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Tools: Honoring Feelings During the Holidays

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Tools: Honoring Feelings During the Holidays

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Kwanzaa Celebration. Reginald James

Before engaging in this activity, if possible, survey students to find out which holidays they celebrate in their communities. You can use this information to further personalize the lesson.

Introduction

Share with students that today, as we enter one of the busiest holiday seasons of the year, we'll take some time together to share our holiday traditions and experiences, and acknowledge the range of emotions that accompany the season.

Circle Activity

Form a circle. (If you are new to the circle process, see this Introduction to Circles.)

Share suggested community agreements or norms for the circle, or arrive at them together within the circle. Some to consider might be:

Speak and listen from the heart

Lessons leave, personal stories stay (honor confidentiality)

Honor the right to pass (participants can choose not to speak when the talking piece comes to them)

Consider the impact of what we are saying and care for each other

Share this quote with students:

"The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each other's burdens, easing each other's loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays." - W. C. Jones

Using a talking piece or speaking order, invite each person in the circle (including yourself) to respond to this prompt:

What connections do you have with the quote? Did anything about it resonate for you? For example: Who brightens your life? Whose life do you brighten, and how? Whose burdens would you like to ease? What gifts of generosity have filled your heart?

Holiday Traditions in Our Lives
Again using a talking piece or speaking order, invite each person in the circle (including yourself) to respond in turn to some or all of these prompts:

What is your favorite holiday? Why?

During the holiday season, which traditions from your family and/or culture do you value and hold onto?

Which traditions, if any, no longer suit you (or never did suit you)? Have you outgrown them? Do they no longer fit into your life?

What would make this holiday season easier/better for you? What can you do that is within your control? What might others do to make it easier or better for you?

Have you started any new traditions - or are there new traditions you would like to start? For instance, new traditions to honor family members and/or friends who are no longer with you?

Closing

As a closing, share the following quote:

"This holiday season give yourself the gift of self-love and self-acceptance. Your season will bloom into ultimate bliss."― Amy Leigh Mercree

Additionally, or as an alternate closing, invite students to share a word or phrase about how they're feeling at the close of the circle.

What do you bring? Ask students to consider the idea that "Everyone is needed for what they bring." Invite them to think about a particular friend or family member. What does that person bring to holiday gatherings or to the holiday season (physically, emotionally, etc.)? Then consider: What is your role? What do you bring?

Holiday Favorites: Invite students to share about a favorite song, TV special, movie, food, etc. that they enjoy during a holiday they celebrate.

Holiday Display: Consider a way to honor each holiday that is celebrated and represented in your classroom community. Perhaps you can create a holidays wall, or a classroom-created photo album or souvenir book.

Holiday Resources: Create a classroom list of learning resources based on the holidays that are celebrated by all within the class.

Holiday Playlist: Create a classroom holiday playlist where each student contributes a song. Play one selection daily during a transition or other appropriate time.

Video: What is Kwanzaa? Kwanzaa History from Oprah Daily Kwanzaa Traditions
Kwanzaa is cultural, non-religious holiday that is observed from December 26 through January 1. It is a celebration of African roots, observed by people of all faith backgrounds. For more information, see:

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Before engaging in this activity, if possible, survey students to find out which holidays they celebrate in their communities. You can use this information to further personalize the lesson. Share with students that today, as we enter one of the busiest holiday seasons of the year, we'll take some time together to share our holiday traditions and experiences, and acknowledge the range of emotions that accompany the season.

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Tools: Zinn Project Teaching Materials by Themes

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Tools: Zinn Project Teaching Materials by Themes

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The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people’s history in classrooms across the country. Since 2008, the Zinn Education Project has introduced students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula.

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Explore by Theme | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

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Dozens of downloadable teaching activities, books, films, and websites that you can explore by theme.

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Digital Resource Tools: National Indian Education Association  (NIEA) Resources

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Digital Resource Tools: National Indian Education Association  (NIEA) Resources

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NIEA has partnered with IllumiNative to create and disseminate digital education tools, lesson plans, and resources for more than 1 million students and families. Resources will be available for free and downloadable.

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Grades 6-12 Student-Centered Digital Learning Activities - National Indian Education Association

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Who We Are Our Programs Our Advocacy Work Resources Events Get Involved Other Ways to Give Come Work for Us Teach.NIEA.org Job Board Other Positions in Native Education Log Into Your Member Record Contact Your Senator Contact Your Representative Annual Events 2022 Hill Week 2022 Convention and Trade Show NIEA

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Tools: Common Sense Media Free Learning Resources for Latinx Heritage Month (6th-12th grade need the end of the post)

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Tools: Common Sense Media Free Learning Resources for Latinx Heritage Month (6th-12th grade need the end of the post)

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Though backgrounds, cultures, and histories are a part of our classrooms every day, September 15-October 15 is officially National Hispanic American Heritage Month. Teachers can use this opportunity to shine a light on the critical contributions, rich culture, and long history of Hispanic and Latino Americans. With these resources, students can read, listen, watch, and go off-screen for activities that will give them a window into the enormous impact that Hispanic and Latino people have had on our world.

Below, we've broken our list down into grade bands, and by activity type, so you can check out the resources most relevant to your classes first. But be sure to check out all of the resources, since there's plenty of overlap between grade levels!

Resources for Preschool to Second Grade

The offline activities here will get kids making and coloring crafts from Hispanic and Latino cultures. They can also watch videos that highlight traditional music and illustrate how Spanish is a language spoken in many countries. Make sure to give kids space to talk about their own related knowledge and experiences.

Videos:

Hands-on activities:

If you want an activity that's more open-ended, have kids use the directions from Kid World Citizen to make some Ecuadorian clay -- migajón -- and create something.

These coloring pages from Education.com can open up a great discussion about each famous person's contributions.

Explore ancient history by talking about -- and then making -- Taíno petroglyphs using this resource from Kid World Citizen.

Work together as a class or in groups to make your own piñatas with guidance from HITN.

Play "Mar y Tierra" (Sea and Land) by placing a line or long piece of tape on the floor. Tell students which side is mar/sea and which side is tierra/land. One student calls out "Mar!" or "Tierra!" and the others jump to that side. Increase the speed until there are only two students left!

Resources for Third to Fifth Grade

Third through fifth graders can watch musicians play traditional instruments, learn about prominent Latino and Hispanic people from the present day and the past, read stories about immigration experiences, and more.

Videos:

Texts:

Hands-on activities:

Resources for Sixth to Eighth Grade

Explore ancient civilizations and fine art, or learn about leaders like Cesar Chavez. Tackle the appropriation of the taco, or read literature from Latino authors. And you can explore lessons like this one about Maria Moreno at PBS LearningMedia, or these at Zinn Education Project, too.

Videos:

Paired with reflection questions you can use for discussion or written response, this video from Re-Imagining Migration features Latino people talking about their perceptions of race. After viewing, students can produce their own videos.

This video from NBC offers a profile of a Latina woman working in STEM. She's an electrical engineer who also mentors young girls. Talk about the importance of diversity in these highly technical fields.

Watch this video about Cesar Chavez from TeachWithMovies.org to find out why he's a critical figure in the labor movement. Pair with some history or a short story about similar issues, or do some math around how much migrant farmworkers are typically paid.

This short YouTube video from In This Together profiles one man's experience as a farmworker, and could be a great companion to the video above.

From this nine-minute video from PBS, we learn about Ynés Mexía, a Mexican-American botanist who made important contributions to science.

Texts:

Interactives:

Resources for Ninth to Twelfth Grade

From the ancient Aztec empire to the fabulous Frida Kahlo, high school students can jump into the art, literature, and representation of Hispanic and Latino people.

Videos:

Watch this short introduction to Frida Kahlo from TED-Ed (via YouTube) and then, to explore further, jump over to Google Arts & Culture to learn more and see her art. Have students determine what pieces of her life they see reflected in her art.

Though it's hosted on YouTube, this audio-only podcast from the Fall of Civilizations is about the Aztec empire. In its entirety, it would span several class periods, so it's probably best in shorter segments. Listening is a great opportunity for students to practice their note-taking skills.

Texts:

Interactives:

Click through this Google Arts & Culture collection of Latino musicians with embedded audio of interviews and music. Have students share some of their favorite Latino and Hispanic artists and bands.

Pair this feature on the Library of Congress website with actual texts, and students can hear Hispanic and Latino authors reading their work to make it come alive.

Image courtesy of Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for American Education: Images of Teachers and Students in Action.

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Free Learning Resources for Hispanic Heritage Month | Common Sense Education

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Use these videos, articles, and activities to bring the achievements of Hispanic and Latino people into your classroom.

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Tool: Overview of Activities for the First Days of School from Facing History & Ourselves

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Tool: Overview of Activities for the First Days of School from Facing History & Ourselves

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This collection is designed for you to pick and choose activities from each section to help you welcome back your students, get to know each other, and start building a community that centers relationships and care. You may want to coordinate with teachers in other departments to ensure that students are not doing the same activities or readings multiple times. After completing the activities in Section 3, you should work with your students to create a classroom contract that establishes norms and expectations for your classroom community.

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Overview of Activites for the First Days of School

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Following such tragic events as the school shootings at Robb Elementary in Texas, which had left 18 children and two adults dead at the time of writing, our world has been shaken yet again by violence. This slide deck provides some guiding questions with embedded articles and a video

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Student Processing of a Crisis Guide-start.pptx

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Teaching in the Wake of Violence from Facing History and Ourselves

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Teaching in the Wake of Violence from Facing History and Ourselves

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Violent attacks that target people because of their identities happen around the world with disturbing frequency. What can educators do to help students reflect on and understand these attacks?

This Teaching Idea is a guide for teachers to navigate conversations with their students after news of a mass shooting, terrorist attack, or other violent event. Such conversations are difficult. Yet when we don't address the violence in the classroom, we risk normalizing it. We recommend coordinating with colleagues and ensuring that students have space to emotionally process the events. Afterwards, you may want to help students explore the nature and impact of hate crimes, and consider ways that communities respond to hate and violence. Finally, we offer recommendations to help students engage with ongoing news coverage in a responsible way.

1. Start with Yourself

Self-reflection is important preparation for facilitating conversations about troubling current events. As educators, we have to make time to process our own feelings and become aware of the way our own identities and experiences shape the perspectives we hold. Read the "Start with Yourself" section on page 2 of our Fostering Civil Discourse guide. Then reflect on the following questions:

What emotions does news of this event raise for you? What questions are you grappling with?

What perspectives will you bring to your reflection on this event with your students?

What emotions might your students bring to your discussion? How can you respond to these emotions?

As the news develops, how will you continue to learn alongside your students?

2. Coordinate with Colleagues
Before you discuss a violent event with your class, it may be helpful to reach out to your colleagues in order to coordinate your response as a school.

Talk to other teachers in your school about how they plan to respond to the event. This can ensure that students have space to reflect on the event, while also helping to avoid repeating the same conversations with students throughout the day.

Reach out to your wellness staff to learn more about how you can provide emotional support to your students after traumatic events and to learn when you should refer students directly to wellness staff.

3. Initial Classroom Response

After a traumatic event, it can be beneficial to focus first on emotional processing, addressing the "heart" before the "head." Give yourself and your students space to reflect on your emotional responses to the event.

The following ideas may be helpful as you consider how to discuss the event in your classroom:

Let your students know that your classroom is a safe space. Begin with a brief Contracting activity if you have not already forged that safe space. Then follow with an acknowledgement of the event and its emotional impact. This is not the moment to move directly into cognitive work.

Share a summary of the event from a trusted news source to dispel rumors or misinformation.

Ask students to reflect, first in their journals and then as a class, using the following prompts from our Head, Heart, Conscience teaching strategy:
Head:

What information do you know about this event?

What information is confirmed? What remains uncertain? Are there any facts that are contested?

What additional information would you like to have to help you understand the event better?

Heart:

What emotions does this event raise for you?

Are there particular moments, images, or stories that stand out to you? If so, why?

Conscience:

What questions about fairness, equity, or justice does this event raise for you?

What choices did key figures make, and what values may have guided those choices?

How were people impacted by this event? Are there people who should be held accountable? If so, how?

4. Consider the Factors That Contribute to Hate Crimes

When perpetrators of violence are motivated by bias, their actions are often classified as hate crimes. Many countries around the world have laws that impose heavier penalties for hate crimes than for similar offenses not motivated by bias. It may be helpful to explore the nature of hate crimes with your class, and the impact they can have on communities.

Share with students the definition of a hate crime under US federal law:

A crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability

Then discuss the following questions:

Based on what you know about this event, does it meet the definition of a hate crime?

How do hate crimes impact individuals in the targeted groups? How do they impact people who haven't been directly targeted? How do they impact whole communities?

Why do you think hate crimes are punished more severely than other assaults?

Have you seen examples in your own community of hate or exclusion targeting people because of their identity or group membership?

How do small acts of hate-slurs, name-calling, graffiti-fracture communities? Do they make it more likely that more violent acts will occur?

What other factors contribute to a climate in which perpetrators of hate crimes feel emboldened? How do we understand the connection between ideas, rhetoric, and actions?

5. Explore Community Responses

Hate crimes are designed to leave certain groups of people feeling vulnerable. Consider who may be affected by this violence and the positive ways in which individuals and communities can respond, for example, by denouncing hate, offering support to those who have been targeted, and asserting inclusive norms and values.

Discuss the following with your students:

Ask your students to research positive ways in which communities have responded after the violent attack and to share stories they find with the class.

What can we do if we ourselves are feeling vulnerable as a result of this attack?

How can we stand with and support others who are feeling vulnerable?

What are some meaningful actions we can take, even if only in our own home, neighborhood, or school?

6. Strategies for Following the News

After you have given students time to reflect and process their initial responses to the event, you may decide to guide your students through strategies for engaging with news coverage of the event in a responsible way.

News coverage of breaking news is often incomplete and may include information that is later discounted. Students should understand that initial reports may change as new information comes to light. Established news sources are less likely to spread misinformation, since they have processes for vetting stories before publishing.

The following ideas may be helpful to guide a discussion:

Begin by asking your students the following questions:

How can you stay informed about the event while at the same time ensuring that you are taking care of yourself and your peers?

What questions should you consider before sharing news on social media or with friends?

Do you have any strategies to make sure that the news you follow is reliable?

Read the Time article Is It Bad for You to Read the News Constantly?, which claims that news has the potential to be stressful or harmful to people if they consume it too frequently or if the news they follow is intense and graphic. Discuss with your students:

How often do you check the news? Do you have news alerts set up on your phone?

What are the potential benefits of following the news regularly?

Do you ever come across news sources that are graphic, intense, or upsetting? Are there some types of news coverage you think people should avoid?

How can people find a good balance between being informed and being overwhelmed by the news?

Share the News Literacy Project's Ten Questions for Fake News Detection with your students to help them find reliable sources.

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Violent attacks that target people because of their identities happen around the world with disturbing frequency. What can educators do to help students reflect on and understand these attacks? This Teaching Idea is a guide for teachers to navigate conversations with their students after news of a mass shooting, terrorist attack, or other violent event.

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Ideas for Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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Ideas for Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

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Ideas for Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month | Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

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What Does Asian American Pacific Islander Really Mean?
These maps, definitions, and links to additional resources provide an introduction to the AAPI community and AAPI issues.

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Processing Racialized Violence by LiberatED

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Processing Racialized Violence by LiberatED

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LiberatED Resource_Processing the Violence of Buffalo, NY with Students.pdf

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Actionable: SEL framing to Discussing Putin's Invasion of Ukraine

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Actionable: SEL framing to Discussing Putin's Invasion of Ukraine

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This resource from LiberatED provides guiding questions and activities to address Putin's invasion of Ukraine with students.

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LiberatED Resource_Discussing Putin's Invasion of Ukraine with Students.pdf

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Article: Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways

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Article: Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways

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As Black History Month kicked off, I was reflecting on my time as a student. My experience all those years ago was similar to that of most Black children today: mostly White teachers teaching Black history primarily in February.

I was told of Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass. I heard very little of Malcolm X, the FBI's campaign against civil rights leaders, the Rainbow Coalition put together by the Black Panther Party's Fred Hampton, or Hampton's assassination. I learned about the struggles of my enslaved ancestors, but not about Gabriel Prosser, Denmark Vesey, or Nat Turner.

I was taught about the marches and firehoses in Alabama, but I had to teach myself about the acts of terrorism committed against Black people in Rosewood, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Wilmington, North Carolina.

Today, teachers continue that tradition, telling students about Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé, and LeBron James, as well as King, Tubman, Douglass, and other inspirational figures. These folks are to be honored for their accomplishments-but we should not ignore lessons that explore the impact of racism in the Black experience. It's imperative that teachers not reinforce a milquetoast version of Black history that is anti-Black because of its erasure of painful truths.

No matter what subject you teach, there are ways you can infuse Black history into your daily lessons in a way that is prophetic and purposeful.

Black History Is American History

Infuse Black history into the curriculum year-round: Tom Joyner, the recently retired syndicated radio host, used the phrase "Black history 365 days a year" to mean that Black history isn't a gimmick meant for one month out of the year, with a student assembly or a potluck dinner with traditional Black foods. Black history is American history. Students should learn throughout the year and throughout all disciplines about the accomplishments, experiences, and perspectives of Black people.

How can teachers infuse Black history into their teaching? Here are some simple examples for core content areas:

English: Provide students with texts-poetry and fiction, and nonfiction as well-written by Black people. Teach students about the Africanisms in American English when discussing or teaching grammar.

Mathematics and science: Refer students to famous Black scientists and mathematicians throughout your course. Discuss how Black people showed an understanding of agricultural science in how they used soil in both West Africa and South Carolina to grow rice. Also, you can study the mathematical patterns of African art, and reference the rich history of math in sub-Saharan Africa in the areas of geometry, graphs, and numerical systems-you can engage students by playing African games like mancala that have a strong math component.

Social studies: Incorporate primary and secondary source documents by or about Black people into student reading lists. Create an assignment in which students interview Black history scholars to discuss the Black experience in America throughout a social studies course.

Use texts by Black authors, in every discipline: In history class, I learned from textbooks written by White scholars. I read the works of Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and William Shakespeare in English class, but never Langston Hughes, Maya Angelou, or Toni Morrison. According to a recent report, more than eight of every 10 books that New York City students are likely to see in class from preschool to eighth grade are written by White authors. Students should be introduced to texts by Black authors that speak to Black experiences, Black perspectives, and Black accomplishments. These authors remind children and adults that Black excellence is not confined to athletics and entertainment. How can we promote the academic excellence of Black children without introducing them to Black intellectuals-individuals they can see themselves someday becoming?

Teach students about important Black figures-especially local ones: Teaching about Obama and King is a good start, but you can introduce students to hidden figures as you work through your content during the school year.

If you're a middle school science teacher and your students are interested in cultivating a community food garden, teach them about scientists like George Washington Carver, who developed methods to prevent soil depletion. If you're an elementary teacher teaching students how to tell time, introduce them to Benjamin Banneker, who created the first American clock. Teaching students about important people is a great thing-even better is doing it in the context of your lessons, rather than in a set-aside month.

And if you teach students about the history of slavery in America, remember to include two topics in particular: the economics of slavery, and acts of resistance and rebellion by Black people. The enslavement of Africans built this nation's economic foundation, and the entire nation benefited, so resistance and rebellion were met with brute force. Nevertheless, enslaved Africans and their enslaved descendants resisted through sabotage, running away, and outright rebellion and revolt- hundreds of revolts happened during African enslavement. Communities of formerly enslaved Black people along the East Coast fought to maintain their freedom and to free other enslaved people.

One task of teachers in the classroom is to acknowledge and honor students' humanity-and that means acknowledging and honoring Black humanity. That starts with acknowledging the good, the bad, and the ugly of our history as a nation.

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Teaching Black History in Culturally Responsive Ways

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Black history is American history and should be taught throughout the year across the curriculum-not confined to a single month.

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Actionable Lessons: Responding to Students’ Histories, Identities, Literacy & Liberation Lesson Plans from Dr. Muhammad 

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Actionable Lessons: Responding to Students’ Histories, Identities, Literacy & Liberation Lesson Plans from Dr. Muhammad 

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© Copyright HILL Pedagogies - All Rights Reserved. Share HILL Pedagogies with your network!

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On demand webinar for school staff: Student Mental Health Matters

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On demand webinar for school staff: Student Mental Health Matters

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Join Learning for Justice for a webinar about student mental health—and why it matters. Cohosted by Dr. Charles Barrett, Chair for the National Association of School Psychologists Multicultural Affairs Committee, this webinar will focus on challenges students face regarding mental health, including how those challenges can vary depending on their intersecting identities. We will also share examples of what schools and districts are doing to address these challenges. Finally, you will learn about tools and strategies for your own classroom and school community.

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Cohosted by Dr. Charles Barrett, Chair for the National Association of School Psychologists Multicultural Affairs Committee, this webinar focuses on challenges students face regarding mental health, including how those challenges can vary.

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Values and Choices. This is not an activity for judment, but one to build awareness in student on what is important to them and why.

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Actionable lesson: We Got Love from We Do It 4 the Culture

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Actionable lesson: We Got Love from We Do It 4 the Culture

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This lesson is interactive and highlights the ways we define love. Centers self-awareness and relationship skills

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What does love mean to you? How does it show up in your life everyday? Be prepared to share personal examples of love and any emotions that connect to love as a dominant emotion. For example, love is the dominant emotion that connects to joy, gratitude and enthusiasm.

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Best of Martin Luther King Jr. Resources from Learning for Justice

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Best of Martin Luther King Jr. Resources from Learning for Justice

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As we prepare to commemorate the life and life’s work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we hope teachers take this opportunity to do the same in their classrooms, offering lessons that dive deeper into the many causes and good works Dr. King championed.

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The Best of Our Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Resources

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Supplement your lessons on Dr. King’s words and actions with these resources.

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Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate: Info for Educators and Caregivers from ADL

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Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate: Info for Educators and Caregivers from ADL

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Hoy día, suceden tragedias locales, nacionales o internacionales con tanta frecuencia que casi pueden parecer algo común. Cuando ocurre un crimen de odio, un tiroteo masivo, un acto de terrorismo u otros acontecimientos terribles e inspirados por el odio, una de las primeras preguntas que se hace mucha gente es ¿qué debemos decirle a los niños? ¿Cómo explicarles lo que ha sucedido?

A pesar de nuestros mejores esfuerzos para proteger a la juventud de los detalles de los acontecimientos motivados por el odio, nunca debemos asumir que no son conscientes de lo que está sucediendo a su alrededor. A través de Internet, las redes sociales y las comunicaciones móviles, los jóvenes -e incluso niños muy pequeños- se enteran rápidamente de los acontecimientos significativos en su comunidad y en el mundo, y necesitan oportunidades para procesar sus sentimientos y compartir sus miedos de manera sensible y apropiada para su edad.

Los sentimientos de miedo, impotencia y vulnerabilidad son experiencias comunes que todos comparten cuando ocurren actos de odio, terrorismo o matanzas masivas, y los sentimientos son especialmente complicados cuando los autores del crimen atacan a un grupo específico de personas con el cual nos podemos identificar. Los niños y adolescentes no son inmunes a estos sentimientos, pero los adultos pueden ayudarles proporcionándoles información que responda a sus preguntas, dándoles oportunidades para expresar cómo se sienten, asegurándoles que los adultos en sus vidas están trabajando para que ellos estén seguros y ayudándoles a canalizar sus sentimientos en acciones positivas para ellos mismos y sus comunidades.

Antes de comenzar cualquier discusión, es importante hacer lo necesario para crear un ambiente en el que los niños se sientan cómodos expresando sus sentimientos y opiniones. Las estrategias y herramientas de " Crear un ambiente de aprendizaje contra el prejuicio " constituyen un recurso útil.

Conversaciones en amilia sobre incidentes de odio, terrorismo y violencia motivada por prejuicios

El desarrollo de cada niño sigue un ritmo variado y único, y las habilidades necesarias para dialogar efectivamente con ellos evolucionan a medida que crecen. Cuando ocurren incidentes de odio, actos de terrorismo y actos de violencia motivada por prejuicios en su comunidad o en la sociedad en general, los niños y adolescentes inevitablemente sienten preocupación y miedo. Tenga en cuenta las necesidades, retos y personalidades individuales de los jóvenes antes de decidir cómo abordar la conversación. Y, al comenzar las conversaciones, tómese unos minutos para que el joven piense en algunas reglas que le ayudarán a sentirse seguro, especialmente cuando desee hablar sobre asuntos que pueden producirle miedo o ser poco familiares para él. A medida que haga sugerencias, usted podría anotarlas.

Reglas básicas para la discusión

Antes de iniciar una discusión sobre las ideas y sentimientos de los jóvenes respecto a un incidente reciente de violencia u odio, es conveniente establecer reglas básicas que promuevan una atmósfera segura y de apoyo, donde los jóvenes se sientan cómodos y sientan que sus ideas y sentimientos son aceptados y valorados. Como miembro de familia que se involucra en estas conversaciones, usted no necesitará "reglas básicas" formales, pero es importante fijar un tono de seguridad, respeto y confidencialidad.

Algunas consideraciones

A continuación presentamos algunas recomendaciones adicionales para guiar las conversaciones con niños y adolescentes:

Antes de hablar con los niños o adolescentes, cerciórese de estar preparado para discutir el incidente y/o el tema.

Trate todas las preguntas de los jóvenes con respeto y seriedad.

Conteste las preguntas tan clara y honestamente como pueda, y utilice un lenguaje simple, que ellos puedan entender.

A menudo los jóvenes tienen problemas para entender por qué ocurren estos incidentes y qué motiva a la gente a cometer esos crímenes.

Esté pendiente de las señales de angustia en los niños.

Pregúntele a los jóvenes qué han escuchado sobre el tema de sus amigos, compañeros de escuela y en las redes sociales.

Siempre es muy útil destacar a las personas que ayudaron a las víctimas y a sus familias durante estos incidentes, así como a las que los apoyaron posteriormente.

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Empowering Young People in the Aftermath of Hate

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Hoy día, suceden tragedias locales, nacionales o internacionales con tanta frecuencia que casi pueden parecer algo común. Cuando ocurre un crimen de odio, un tiroteo masivo, un acto de terrorismo u otros acontecimientos terribles e inspirados por el odio, una de las primeras preguntas que se hace mucha gente es ¿qué debemos decirle a los niños?

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Videos with relaxing instrumental music

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In this article, we first share our revised definition of SEL and our focus on identity, agency, belonging, collaborative problem solving, and curiosity

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Imagine a school community in which: All children and youth have equal opportunities to thrive. Social and cultural markers no longer negatively predict young people's academic, social, and emotional outcomes or their life chances. Adults honor and elevate a broad range of perspectives and experiences by engaging young people as leaders, problem solvers, and decision makers. Youth and adults engage in an ongoing process of cultivating, practicing, and reflecting on their social and emotional competencies. Learning environments are supportive, culturally responsive, and focused on building relationships and community. And families, school staff, and out-of-school-time staff have regular, meaningful opportunities to build authentic partnerships and collaboratively support young people's social, emotional, and academic development, while continuing to deepen their own social and emotional competencies.

This is the community we aspire to build-and we ask you to join us on this journey. In 2019, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), long known to many educators as a leading research center and advocate for social and emotional learning (SEL), adopted an ambitious three-year strategic plan that prioritized advancing SEL in service of equity and excellence, elevating the criticality of SEL for adults, and ensuring integration of SEL throughout the instructional process. The pandemic brought our society's systemic racism and economic inequity into sharper relief and further energized our work. As some return to a "normal" that we find unacceptable, we remain committed to this journey.

We are striving to identify and contribute to the types of educational experiences that foster personal and collective growth and well-being for young people, especially those our society has long underserved. These are typically, but not only, Black, brown, and Indigenous youth and those from under-resourced communities. It is increasingly evident that addressing these inequities and related challenges also necessitates attending to the social and emotional learning of young people and adults who are white and/or reside in better-resourced communities as well. Many of us in the field understand that we are at an inflection point. We have an opportunity to invest in viable strategies to reimagine the purpose of education and to more fully appreciate the nature of learning, where and how it occurs, and its relevance to a more equitable and vibrant civil society. ¹

Our commitment and contribution to supporting meaningful, sustained change in the US education system is rooted in recent revisions to our definition of SEL, as well as to our tools and resources.* We have also launched a research-practice partnership strategy allowing our teams to work more systematically and collaboratively with a subset of our district and school partners. Our work necessarily focuses on both youth and adult SEL in school and community contexts, and on how to fully integrate academic, social, and emotional instruction.

In this article, we first share our revised definition of SEL and our focus on identity, agency, belonging, collaborative problem solving, and curiosity. We then describe some considerations and directions for ongoing action research with some partnering school communities. These include co-constructing equitable learning environments via project-based learning and SEL for adults. We conclude with some thoughts about next steps in our ongoing research-practice partnership efforts.

Our Evolving Definition Supports Transformative SEL

In order to achieve the conceptual expansion necessary to center equity and excellence, CASEL's revised definition of SEL places greater emphasis on affirming the strengths, experiences, and identities of all students-most especially those who have been marginalized and minoritized by our society:

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions.

SEL advances educational equity and excellence through authentic school-family-community partnerships to establish learning environments and experiences that feature trusting and collaborative relationships, rigorous and meaningful curriculum and instruction, and ongoing evaluation. SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools and contribute to safe, healthy, and just communities. ²

This new definition sets a vision for what high-quality systemic SEL is and how it might be achieved. CASEL is also refining a specific form of SEL implementation that concentrates SEL practice on transforming inequitable settings and systems, and promoting justice-oriented civic engagement-we are calling this transformative SEL. This form of SEL is aimed at redistributing power to promote social justice through increased engagement in school and civic life. It intentionally points to competencies and highlights relational and contextual factors that help promote equitable learning environments and foster desirable personal and collective outcomes. Transformative SEL is a process whereby young people and adults build strong and respectful relationships that facilitate co-learning to critically examine root causes of inequity and to develop collaborative solutions that lead to personal, communal, and societal well-being. This form of SEL is necessary to meet the growing political, economic, and health challenges we face in the United States and around the world.

Many educators are familiar with CASEL's long-standing, overlapping domains of competence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making. As we center equity, we are highlighting the importance of identity, agency, belonging, collaborative problem solving, and curiosity. These focal constructs are most germane to well-being and promoting thriving among diverse groups in a raced, classed, and gendered society.

Identity implies understandings and sensibilities associated with multifaceted personal and social group statuses (often discussed in terms of intersectionality and positionality). It suggests self-reflection and self-respect.

Agency confers the wherewithal to impact positively on this psychological and social reality. It reflects hope and self-direction.

Belonging suggests the sense of connectedness and trust needed to engage in co-constructing an equitable, thriving local community and vibrant civil society. It enhances self-worth.

Collaborative problem solving acknowledges and helps realize the collective rights and responsibilities of full citizenship in local, national, and global community contexts. It is a critical feature of efforts to pursue equity and excellence.

Curiosity reflects the deep need to continuously surface and curate information about oneself in relation to others and the physical world. It prioritizes informed decision making based on open-minded investigation that sparks self-development and careful social analysis.

Focal Constructs for Transformative SEL: A Closer Look at the Keys to Equity

Each of our focal constructs has a strong foundation in research and practice, which we summarize below. Like the domains of competence in which they are nested, they are related and potentially mutually reinforcing. For example, in many respects, collaborative problem solving can provide a context for leveraging and cultivating identity, agency, belonging, and curiosity among young people and adults.

Identity is focal among self-awareness competencies and refers to how students (and adults) view themselves. Identity is multidimensional (e.g., race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, religion, values, interests, etc.), with each dimension having a level of importance and emotional tenor (positive/negative) that may change over time. These dimensions also intersect with each other (e.g., Latina teacher dedicated to a chronically under-resourced school, Indigenous transgender boy leading his school's yearbook club). Having a healthy sense of identity is important developmentally across the lifespan ³ because it buffers against negative or traumatic experiences (e.g., stereotype threat or discrimination) and contributes to positive academic, social, and emotional outcomes. ⁴

Agency is focal among self-management competencies and signifies perceived and actual capacity to effect change through purposeful action. This may include having voice and making choices about learning and career goals to pursue, overcoming personal challenges, and engaging in collaborative problem solving. Agency is key to young adults' success, allowing them to take intentional actions to shape the course of their lives. Agency also includes collective efficacy, which has been shown to improve teachers' abilities to improve school outcomes for students from under-resourced communities and to increase coordinated actions among adolescents and adults that contribute positively to civic life. ⁵

Belonging is focal among social awareness competencies and connotes experiences of acceptance, respect, and inclusion within a group or community. It implies not only feeling recognized but also being fully involved in relationship-building and co-creating learning spaces. Having a sense of belonging is critical to students' and adults' cognitive, social, and emotional well-being, as well as school and work satisfaction and academic motivation and achievement. ⁶

Collaborative problem solving is focal among relationship skills competencies and reflects a complex skill set in high demand in our increasingly multifaceted local, national, and global contexts. Distinct from collaborative learning and collaborative decision making, ⁷ collaborative problem solving is defined as the capacity of an individual to effectively engage in a process whereby two or more people attempt to solve a problem by sharing the understanding and effort required to come to a solution and pooling their knowledge, skills, and efforts to reach that solution. Despite its recognized importance as a developmental imperative, international studies of adolescents indicate that only one-third of 15-year-olds are proficient at collaborative problem solving-but students in racially and culturally diverse schools and those participating in group-based extracurricular activities (e.g., sports teams, band) are more likely to be proficient than their peers. ⁸

Curiosity is focal among responsible decision-making competencies and can animate critical self- and social analysis and action. Curiosity has both cognitive and affective elements that contribute to an enduring tendency to pursue knowledge and new experiences. As such, it appears to be essential to attention, engagement, and learning. A recent study of Black and Latinx adolescents found a positive association between the growth over time in curiosity and increased societal analysis and involvement. ⁹

Co-Constructing Equitable Learning Environments

CASEL's SEL framework includes classrooms, schools, families, and communities as learning contexts that can support the types of human growth and development we envision. Our work engages states, districts, and schools in the process of implementing systemic SEL by (1) building foundational support and planning, (2) strengthening adult SEL competencies and capacities, (3) promoting SEL for students, and (4) practicing continuous improvement. While presented separately, these four areas are overlapping and interrelated. For example, the planning team should include education leaders, students, families, and community stakeholders. Similarly, continuous improvement is intentionally featured in the initial effort to build foundational support and plan so that all stakeholders are actively learning and adjusting throughout the implementation process.

This interest in collaboratively and continuously improving the learning environment is an essential feature of our emerging work that is not unique to CASEL. Recent research points to a movement in education away from adopting "best practices" and toward addressing local challenges by adapting evidence-based strategies and practitioners' promising practices. ¹⁰ Across the country, continuous improvement is being pursued through a range of approaches that share the following characteristics:

Grounding improvements in local problems or needs

Empowering practitioners to take an active role in improvement research

Engaging in a cyclical process of action, assessment, reflection, and adjustment

Striving to stimulate change in individual classrooms as well as across schools and systems

Historically, our work has focused primarily on supporting and tracking the efforts of key state and district administrators to enact organizational improvements, with less attention given to schools' communities. To realize the principles and goals of transformative SEL, we are now also pursuing opportunities for collaborative inquiry with local practitioners (e.g., teachers and youth workers), families, and youth. We have framed our emerging work primarily in terms of research-practice partnerships, with a particular focus on design-based implementation research. This will allow us to honor, leverage, and blend the expertise of local stakeholders with what we have learned over the years.

The Promise of Project-Based Learning as a Driver of Transformative SEL

A key implication of our commitment to transformative SEL and what students, families, and educators require has to do with recommendations for the selection of school- and classroom- based SEL programs. Instead of creating our own program or curriculum, CASEL serves as a neutral body in the field, evaluating programs for pre-K through high school against our rigorous criteria to determine which are high quality and evidence-based. As part of revising all of our resources to support implementation of transformative SEL, we continue to update our inclusion criteria for programs and approaches. ¹¹

We believe that key features of culturally responsive education and youth-guided approaches-like project-based learning and youth participatory action research-are essential for transformative SEL. ¹² We have particular interest in student-led project-based learning, ¹³ since these programs and practices tend to feature collaborative problem solving and thus effectively integrate academic, social, and emotional learning. Students learn through the co-construction of knowledge that is actively applied to address an identified concern and evaluated for its effectiveness; adults serve as coaches or facilitators, thereby increasing students' agency in their own inquiry and reflection.

Project-based learning (PBL) can range from packaged curricula to teacher-designed approaches (giving educators opportunities to be agentic). The goal is to help students work together to develop knowledge and understanding that can be applied to solve real-world problems. Essential design elements include

1. a challenging problem or question that is important to students;

2. sustained inquiry that is active, in-depth, and iterative;

3. authentic relevance for students;

4. student ownership reflected in their voice and choice;

5. student and teacher reflection on what, how, and why they are learning throughout the project;

6. critique and revision such that students are taught how to give and receive constructive feedback on processes and products; and

7. a public product that demonstrates learning and offers a solution to a problem or an answer to a driving question.

A review of the literature reveals PBL contributes to increased attendance and positive attitudes toward diverse classmates, more positive attitudes toward learning, reduced gender disparities in science achievement, and reduced disparities by race and socioeconomic status in math achievement. ¹⁴ Recently, a series of experimental studies demonstrated that PBL improves academic outcomes across a range of grade levels, content areas, and student populations. ¹⁵

Further, there is some evidence that PBL promotes important SEL outcomes such as identity, agency, and collaboration. For example, the use of PBL in high school science courses allowed students to leverage prior experiences, begin to see themselves as scientists, and thereby increase their engagement in disciplinary practices. ¹⁶ Similarly, a study with third-graders learning science found that PBL students placed greater value on reflection and collaboration and also increased their science achievement. ¹⁷ This was true regardless of students' demographic backgrounds or current reading abilities. While PBL is often reserved for students in better-resourced school settings, these findings point to the need to further interrogate its promise for advancing transformative SEL in schools with large populations of students who have been marginalized throughout our nation's history.

Similar to project-based learning, youth participatory action research (YPAR) is also a potential driver of transformative SEL (though the effects of YPAR have yet to be extensively examined in studies using comparison groups). YPAR is a youth-centered form of community-based participatory research, which includes engaging youth in learning and practicing action research skills, thinking strategically, and developing strategies for influencing change on a youth-identified topic. The approach has been valuable with young people in elementary, middle, and high schools and in out-of-school-time settings. Young people and adults develop group cohesion and collaborate to conduct iterative cycles of problem identification, analysis, design, action, and reflection. This relies heavily on adults (teachers, youth workers) engaging as co-learners and facilitators rather than experts or primary decision makers. ¹⁸

YPAR positions youth as experts-critical consumers and producers of knowledge-about their lived experiences and the ways to bring about desired changes. Research shows that young people see and will seek to address a range of issues relevant to their sense of personal and community well-being, including food access, community violence, and juvenile justice reforms. Projects also focus on educational issues, including school governance, curricular options, student supports, and in-school food services. ¹⁹ As such, it's important that districts and schools are increasingly using YPAR in their school improvement efforts. However, YPAR teams are usually small groups of young people, so the selection of participants and limited adult capacity can present challenges to these efforts being adequately inclusive. Additionally, there are several potential barriers to youth-led efforts effectively enacting change, including the deficit assumptions that some adults make regarding young people (e.g., ageism, racism), the complexity of gathering adequate data (e.g., quality, rigor), and the difficulty of holding decision makers accountable. ²⁰

Despite the challenges, we see benefits in supporting PBL, YPAR, and other student-driven approaches that feature collaborative problem solving, and also leverage and scaffold academic content, to examine issues of interest to young people. To catalyze transformative SEL, we hope to learn more about the levels of curiosity fostered, connections to aspects of current and prospective identities, how agentic participants become, and the sense of belonging that might ensue.

Transformative SEL for Adults

Our revised definition of SEL highlights family-school-community partnerships. So, in order for transformative SEL to become systemic-to fully take root in schools and other learning environments-we see a need to prioritize adults' learning about and critical reflection on their own social, emotional, and cultural competencies. After all, this pursuit of equity and excellence cannot be done to students-it can only be accomplished through collective youth and adult action. There are several entry points for this work: adults in schools, families, and communities.

Adults in Schools

Although all of the adults in a school matter, we begin with principals because of the power they have to shape the learning environment. Principals are largely white, and the extent of their professional experience has declined, especially in under-resourced schools. Thus, there are growing representation and experience gaps that are most likely to have a detrimental impact on students of color.

Principals can build an equitable climate by hiring more teachers of color, working with teachers to support the implementation of culturally responsive education, and managing student discipline in a supportive manner, especially with students of color. But anti-racist, equity-focused educational leaders are often challenged by district, teacher, and family stakeholders seeking to maintain the structures and practices that perpetuate the status quo. Currently, such work is more likely to be taken up by principals of color than white principals. ²¹

The hiring of teachers of color may make an especially important contribution to a school climate that advances equity and excellence. For example, compared with their white colleagues, teachers of color are preferred by students from all backgrounds. ²² Further, there is evidence that having more Black male teachers is predictive of more positive educational outcomes for Black boys. ²³ However, it would be naive to conclude that racial group membership and race-matching are sufficient to improve educational experiences and outcomes. We know, for example, that Black people vary greatly in their racial identities (e.g., the degree to which they view being Black as important and positive or their preferred ways of engaging in US society). As such, the key, likely, is not racial group membership alone, but also the competencies and practices Black educators commonly use to produce these positive relationships and student outcomes. We imagine our focal constructs (identity, agency, belonging, collaborative problem solving, and curiosity) are relevant in this connection.

Regardless of their own backgrounds, essential actions for adults in schools include replacing deficit-oriented perceptions with more affirming views of students as change agents, respecting and striving to learn about families' and communities' funds of knowledge, understanding one's own culture, and approaching learning about others' cultures and communities with curiosity and humility. Additionally, educators have a responsibility to conduct (and administrators have a responsibility to support) a critical analysis of their textbooks and other materials to ensure they are rigorous, are relevant to and respectful of their students, and engage students in high-level practices. ²⁴

The vast majority of classroom teachers are white (and primarily women). And there is a substantial literature on racial bias (implicit and explicit) that indicates that we as a country have a long way to go in addressing teacher attitudes and practices that have negative effects on the school outcomes of students of color. ²⁵ Such attitudes and practices are inconsistent with culturally responsive education and student-led project-based learning. As such, we are interested in surfacing effective ways to mitigate racially biased mindsets and practices, and to promote anti-oppressive educational practices as part of advancing transformative SEL.

Some scholars have suggested that book clubs, curriculum labs, and professional learning communities provide means to develop a constructive white racial identity, reducing microaggressions and enacting greater cultural, ethnic, and racial literacy. ²⁶ Research indicates, however, that relying solely on beliefs-focused professional development has no appreciable, sustained impact on teaching practices; worse, it could foster resentment among some white teachers. ²⁷ Fortunately, moving from beliefs to actions is effective. For example, research indicates that active co-learning opportunities-like community walks, project-based learning, and youth participatory action research-improve teachers' attitudes and instructional practices with students from diverse backgrounds. ²⁸

There are, of course, additional struggles faced by teachers who try to launch and sustain this or any other type of transformative educational work. These include structural challenges associated with an overemphasis on testing and administrators' discomfort with students' critiques of schooling. Teachers also have reported instructional challenges such as vulnerability and loss of power, student apathy, and discomfort with discussions of race. Based on this research, teachers interested in pursuing this type of work are advised to develop allies among colleagues and community stakeholders and to experiment with the practices to adapt and improve applications to the local context. ²⁹ Implied here is the critical need for teacher identity work and for communities of practice that support collaborative problem solving and the sense of personal and collective agency teachers need and deserve to advance transformative SEL.

Adults in Families

The pandemic has raised our awareness of the various places and ways in which learning happens-the developmental ecosystem for children, adolescents, and adults. CASEL has long asserted that family-school-community partnerships are essential to realizing the potential of systemic SEL. ³⁰ With our revisions and transformative SEL, we now separate families from communities as distinct contexts for SEL. This provides for a more focused and nuanced approach to our work in the family context. Families play an integral role in the social, emotional, and academic development of children and youth and are essential to creating, informing, and sustaining educational equity initiatives-including transformative SEL. Parents and other primary caregivers value the development of these life skills and view the home as the first place SEL occurs. However, it is clear that most families of color require modifications in the learning environments typically provided by districts and schools. ³¹

The family context can function as a safe and open environment where children and youth can be themselves while practicing social and emotional norms, cues, and skills needed to effectively navigate and contribute to a range of social interactions and settings. As such, the ways in which families socialize children and youth about emotions (i.e., their messaging and modeling) often intersect with racial pride. In fact, one question we are exploring is the heightened importance of civic activism socialization in fostering transformative SEL as young people develop. ³²

Fostering more authentic family-school partnerships is a priority in our collaboration with districts, schools, and practitioners. We anchored this work in a framework ³³ that outlines the need for family-school partnerships to surface challenges, establish essential conditions (organizational and procedural), and pursue policy and program goals that foster capabilities (skills and knowledge), connections (networks), cognitions (shifts in beliefs and values), and confidence (self-efficacy). The model views this as a recipe for dual capacity building for authentic partnering and constructive collaboration.

Educators develop the capacity to: Families develop the capacity to:

Engage with families as co-creators

Connect family engagement to learning and development

Honor families' funds of knowledge

Create welcoming cultures

Engage with educators as co-creators

Be supporters and encouragers

Serve as monitors

Shape the work as advocates and models

Toward this end, we have engaged in collaborative work to facilitate a discussion series among educators and caregivers. ³⁴ An initial pilot study with a community organization serving Latinx families found the discussion series informative; families used their new insights to become active participants on schools' SEL advisory committees.

Adults in Communities

Communities have always represented an important context for the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children, youth, and adults. ³⁵ The ongoing national crises-from quashing the pandemic to reckoning with racism to addressing climate change-have made it even more evident that families, schools, and communities must work together to ensure collective well-being and thriving. For transformative SEL, key community partners include a range of youth-serving organizations that offer structured learning opportunities.

These organizations, the programs they offer, and youth workers who staff them are typically overlooked in conversations about how and where to best promote academic, social, and emotional growth among young people. ³⁶ But they are crucial for achieving our vision of SEL in the service of equity and excellence. Several studies have found positive outcomes among Black and Latinx youth from low- and middle-income families. ³⁷ A meta-analysis of SEL implemented in afterschool settings revealed that programs that are well-designed and well-implemented can have a positive impact in an array of academic, social, and emotional competencies. ³⁸

Community-based youth-serving organizations often feature culturally relevant education and other affirming, youth-centered strategies. ³⁹ As such, we are particularly interested in the degree to which they foster ethnic and racial identity development, voice, and autonomy-especially through youth participatory action research.

The majority of these organizations' workers are people of color; their professional development (and that of organization leaders) could prove informative. While community-based educational spaces offer a fertile context for culturally and developmentally appropriate relationships and locally grounded learning experiences, there is typically no formal infrastructure for staff recruitment and training. ⁴⁰ Understanding whether and in what ways youth workers come to understand and enact engaging, transformative practices might be instructive for school personnel and the field (which is yet another avenue we are exploring with some of our partner schools and districts).

We certainly want to illuminate and learn from the bright spots in classroom, family, and community settings where adults and young people are thriving. Our work with adults will benefit from formative data to help us understand the contributions of adult competencies and supports (e.g., professional development and caregiver discussions) that make this so. In the school context, this includes separate but related work with administrators and teachers. We are especially interested in how school staff, parents, and youth workers can align their efforts to maximize opportunities for the academic, social, and emotional growth and well-being of children and youth.

Some Concluding Thoughts

We committed a few years ago to a program of work aimed at advancing SEL in the service of equity and excellence. As we engage in this work, we maintain an abiding interest in organizational improvements, so we will examine the roles that state policies and education agencies can play in framing and enabling work in school districts. We also have narrowed our focus to a subset of districts for deeper work on transformative SEL, as we quickly recognized how intensive this effort needs to be. As a result, we are paying greater attention to district readiness to commit leaders from key divisions to this work in a sustained way and are streamlining the onboarding process. Finally, we have created space to co-learn and co-design, with districts, models of transformative SEL that best support systemic and sustainable implementation to impact student outcomes.

Looking ahead, we realize that much more needs to be understood about what happens in school communities. Our revised definition has encouraged us to also pursue opportunities for collaborative inquiry with local practitioners, families, and youth. This requires hard-earned relational trust, but it is well worth the effort because it has the potential to make the focal problems and practices more germane to those closest to the work. We hope this will result in greater interest in, facility with, and use of co-generated data. ⁴¹

One of our primary goals is to identify programs, approaches, modules, and practices consistent with the promotion of equity-focused social and emotional competencies, especially identity, agency, belonging, collaborative problem solving, and curiosity. Together, with youth, families, practitioners, and communities, we look forward to collaborating to advance transformative SEL.

Robert J. Jagers is the vice president of research with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). Previously, he was a faculty member in the Combined Program in Education and Psychology at the University of Michigan and the founding director of a university-sponsored diversity pipeline program for qualified secondary school students. Alexandra Skoog-Hoffman is CASEL's director of research-practice partnerships. Bloodine Barthelus is CASEL's director of practice innovations. Justina Schlund is CASEL's senior director of content and field learning.

*See here and here. ( return to article)
†For details, see here. ( return to article)

Endnotes

1. M. De Royston and S. Vossoughi, "Fixating on Pandemic 'Learning Loss' Undermines the Need to Transform Education," Truthout, January 18, 2021; and Education Trust, "COVID-19 Education Equity Guides," edtrust.org/covid-19-education-equity-guides.
2. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, "SEL Is...," casel.org/what-is-sel.
3. J. Nagaoka et al., Foundation for Young Adult Success: A Developmental Framework (Chicago: University of Chicago Consortium on School Research, 2015); and National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, The Promise of Adolescence: Realizing Opportunity for All Youth (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2019).
4. D. Rivas-Drake et al., "Ethnic and Racial Identity in Adolescence: Implications for Psychosocial, Academic, and Health Outcomes," Child Development 85, no. 1 (2014): 40-57.
5. Nagaoka et al., Foundation for Young Adult Success.
6. C. Stroman, "Structures for Belonging: A Synthesis of Research on Belonging-Supportive Learning Environments," Student Experience Research Network Blog, Student Experience Research Network, March 1, 2021.
7. A. Graesser et al., "Advancing the Science of Collaborative Problem Solving," Psychological Science in the Public Interest 19, no. 2 (2018): 59-92.
8. Graesser et al., "Advancing the Science"; and C. Sun et al., "Towards a Generalized Competency Model of Collaborative Problem Solving," Computers and Education 143 (2020), 103672.
9. S. Clark and S. Seider, "The Role of Curiosity in the Sociopolitical Development of Black and Latinx Adolescents," Journal of Research on Adolescence 30 (2020): 189-202.
10. M. Yurkofsky et al., "Research on Continuous Improvement: Exploring the Complexities of Managing Educational Change," Review of Research in Education 44 (2020): 403-33.
11. For our free program guide, visit casel.org/guide.
12. R. Jagers, D. Rivas-Drake, and B. Williams, "Transformative Social and Emotional Learning (SEL): Toward SEL in Service of Educational Equity and Excellence," Educational Psychologist 54, no. 3 (2019): 162-84.
13. Buck Institute for Education, "Gold Standard PBL: Essential Project Design Elements," 2015, cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/wp.wpi.edu/dist/e/220/files/2018/06/Gold-Standard-PBL.pdf.
14. B. Condliffe et al., Project-Based Learning: A Literature Review, working paper (New York: MDRC, 2017).
15. Lucas Education Research, "Project-Based Learning Improves Student Performance Significantly According to Breakthrough Research," February 21, 2021.
16. K. Van Horne and P. Bell, "Youth Disciplinary Identification During Participation in Contemporary Project-Based Science Investigations in School," Journal of the Learning Sciences 26, no. 3 (2017): 437-76.
17. J. Krajcik et al., "Project-Based Learning Increases Science Achievement in Elementary School and Advances Social and Emotional Learning," Lucas Education Research, 2021.
18. E. Ozer et al., "Use of Research Evidence Generated by Youth: Conceptualization and Applications in Diverse U.S. K-12 Educational Settings," American Journal of Community Psychology 66 (2020): 81-93.
19. E. Ozer, "Youth-Led Participatory Action Research: Developmental and Equity Perspectives," in Equity and Justice in Developmental Sciences: Theoretical and Methodological Issues, ed. S. Horn, M. Ruck, and L. Liben (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016).
20. Ozer et al., "Use of Research Evidence."
21. J. Grissom, A. Egalite, and C. Lindsay, How Principals Affect Students and Schools: A Systematic Synthesis of Two Decades of Research (New York: Wallace Foundation, 2021); and A. Welton, S. Diem, and B. Carpenter, "Negotiating the Politics of Antiracist Leadership: The Challenges of Leading Under the Predominance of Whiteness," Urban Education 54, no. 5 (2018): 627-30.
22. H. Cherng and P. Halpin, "The Importance of Minority Teachers: Student Perceptions of Minority Versus White Teachers," Educational Researcher 45, no. 7 (2016): 407-20.
23. S. Gershenson et al., "The Long-Run Impacts of Same-Race Teachers," NBER Working Paper No. 25254, National Bureau of Economic Research, November 2018, revised February 2021.
24. G. Gay, Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice, 2nd ed. (New York: Teachers College Press, 2010); and J. Duncan-Andrade, "Gangstas, Wankstas, and Ridas: Defining, Developing, and Supporting Effective Teachers in Urban Schools," International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education 20 (2007): 617-38.
25. M. Chin et al., "Bias in the Air: A Nationwide Exploration of Teachers' Implicit Racial Attitudes, Aggregate Bias, and Student Outcomes," Educational Researcher 49 (2020): 566-78.
26. J. Utt and S. Tochluk, "White Teacher, Know Thyself: Improving Anti-Racist Praxis Through Racial Identity Development," Urban Education 55, no. 1 (2020): 125-52.
27. S. Sparks, "Training Bias Out of Teachers: Research Shows Little Promise So Far," Education Week, November 25, 2020.
28. Jagers, Rivas-Drake, and Williams, "Transformative Social and Emotional Learning."
29. B. Kirschner, Youth Activism in an Era of Education Inequality (New York: New York University Press, 2015).
30. J. Mahoney et al., "Systemic Social and Emotional Learning: Promoting Educational Success for All Preschool to High School Students," American Psychologist, October 8, 2020, advance online publication.
31. N. Duchesneau, Social, Emotional, and Academic Development Through an Equity Lens (Washington, DC: Education Trust, 2020).
32. F. Lozada et al., "Prosocial Behaviors of Black Adolescent Boys: An Application of a Sociopolitical Development Theory," Journal of Black Psychology 43, no. 5 (2017): 493-516.
33. K. Mapp and E. Bergman, "The Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2)," Dual Capacity.
34. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, SEL Discussion Series for Parents and Caregivers: Supporting Parents and Caregivers Through Social and Emotional Learning, October 21, 2020, schoolguide.casel.org/uploads/sites/2/2019/05/2020.10.21_SEL-Discussion-Series-for-Parents-and-Caregivers-English.pdf.
35. Mahoney et al., "Systemic Social and Emotional Learning."
36. K. Pittman et al., Why Narrow Definitions of How, Where, and When Learning Happens Undermine Equity: How OST Leaders Can Help, forthcoming publication.
37. B. Baldridge, "The Youthwork Paradox: A Case for Studying the Complexity of Community-Based Youth Work in Education Research," Educational Researcher 49 (2020): 618-25.
38. J. Durlak, R. Weissberg, and M. Pachan, "A Meta-Analysis of After-School Programs That Seek to Promote Personal and Social Skills in Children and Adolescents," American Journal of Community Psychology 45 (2010): 294-309.
39. Baldridge, "The Youthwork Paradox."
40. Baldridge, "The Youthwork Paradox."
41. Ozer et al., "Use of Research Evidence."

[illustrations by Gaby D'Alessandro]

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Transformative Social and Emotional Learning

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Imagine a school community in which: All children and youth have equal opportunities to thrive. Social and cultural markers no longer negatively predict young people's academic, social, and emotional outcomes or their life chances. Adults honor and elevate a broad range of perspectives and experiences by engaging young people as leaders, problem solvers, and decision makers.

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Guide/Actionable Lessons: Let's Talk Resource to Support Conversations about January 6th Capitol Riot

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Guide/Actionable Lessons: Let's Talk Resource to Support Conversations about January 6th Capitol Riot

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This resource from Learning for Justice can be used with a variety of topics, including the January 6th Capitol Riots.

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This guide provides classroom activities that will help get to know your students. Page 25 is the start of 6-12 grade level activities.

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Tips for Talking with Children about Violence

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Tips for Talking with Children about Violence

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Here are some tips for getting started, as well as additional recommended resources for speaking with your children about violence. English and Spanish

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When children have questions about violence, many adults have questions about how to help children cope with the tragedy. Some adults may wonder how much information children should be exposed to, or what to say to their children about their safety. Others may look for ideas on what to say when children ask why this tragedy happened or how they can help people who have been affected.

Organizations around the country have pulled together their resources to provide some guidance and many of these organizations are publishing materials in multiple languages. Here are some tips for getting started, as well as additional recommended resources. The original article is also available as a PDF in English and Spanish.

Note: Many of these suggestions originally appeared in Fred Rogers Talks About Tragic Events in the News.

Talking with Children About Tragedy in the News

First, find out what your child or student knows about the event. Even if you haven't yet discussed it together, the child may have heard the news from media sources or classmates. The child's perception of what has happened may be very different from the reality.

Assure the child that it is ok to talk about sad or scary events. It is also ok to admit to feeling sad, scared, or angry and to acknowledge that you are having those feelings too. In an interview with Good Morning America, expert Willow Bay advises, "Establish that there is no question too scary for your child to talk about." Likewise, Mr. Rogers writes, "If we don't let children know it's okay to feel sad and scared, they may think something is wrong with them when they do feel that way."

Encourage questions, both now and in the future. David Schonfeld, MD, writes, "Like adults, children are better able to cope with a crisis if they feel they understand it. Question-and-answer exchanges provide you with the opportunity to offer support as your child begins to understand the crisis and the response to it."

Reassure the child that many people are working to keep them safe. When a child has questions such as, "Why did this happen?" or "Am I safe?", Ms. Bay encourages parents to talk about the many people who work every day to keep kids safe.

In sharing information, be honest, but be mindful of the child's age. The National Association of School Psychologists offers these helpful guidelines in its tips for talking with children about violence (available in multiple languages below). Examples related to school shootings are included with the tips:

Early elementary school children need brief, simple information that should be balanced with reassurances that their school and homes are safe and that adults are there to protect them. Give simple examples of school safety like reminding children about exterior doors being locked, child monitoring efforts on the playground, and emergency drills practiced during the school day.

Upper elementary and early middle school children will be more vocal in asking questions about whether they truly are safe and what is being done at their school. Some students may need assistance separating reality from fantasy. Discuss efforts of school and community leaders to provide safe schools.

Upper middle school and high school students will have strong and varying opinions about the causes of violence in schools and society. They will share concrete suggestions about how to make school safer and how to prevent tragedies in society. Emphasize the role that students have in maintaining safe schools by following school safety guidelines (e.g. not providing building access to strangers, reporting strangers on campus, reporting threats to the school safety made by students or community members, etc.), communicating any personal safety issues to school administrators, and accessing support for emotional needs.

Remember that it is ok to admit that you don't have all of the answers. Mr. Rogers offers the following: "If the answer is 'I don't know,' then the simplest reply might be something like, 'I'm sad about the news, and I'm worried. But I love you, and I'm here to care for you.'"

Be patient. If the child doesn't have much to say yet, give him some time and let him know he can come back with more questions or to talk about the events when he is ready. If he shows signs of depression and anxiety over time, speak with the child's pediatrician or a school counselor for guidance.

Other important steps

Turn off the news. Media images can add to the trauma of a tragedy, particularly for young children. Images on the television, in video, and on the Internet can be confusing and disorienting as dramatic images are repeated over and over again. Mr. Rogers notes that "Someone who has died turns up alive and then dies again and again," while Dr. Elaine Ducharme explains that this can lead children to believe that the tragedy has happened many times. In addition, the live coverage and the closeness of the TV images can add to the sense of danger. If the child does see these images, help her understand that she is far away from where the news has happened.

Look for "kid-friendly" sources of information. These might include children's books, magazines and websites for children who want to learn more. For more information about using children's literature, see After the Crisis: Using Storybooks to Help Children Cope. Websites about current events for kids are listed below.

Encourage the child to express feelings and ideas through familiar activities. Professor Bonnie Rubenstein recommends writing, painting, and singing. Play may also be helpful, but Mr. Rogers encourages adults to help children come up with "safe" make-believe scenarios such as helping someone at a hospital rather than reenacting the tragedy.

Talk about people who are helping. Mr. Rogers notes that whenever his family learned about bad news, his mother encouraged him to "look for the helpers." These may include first responders, volunteers, doctors, or community members. Let your child know that even though bad things happen, the world has many good people who want to help.

Ask the child for ideas on how to help. This might include fundraising, collecting donations, or being pen pals, as well as ways to make a difference closer to home through a community project. Mr. Rogers also suggests talking about ways that adults can help, such as making a donation or writing a letter to an elected official.

Keep up your routine. Normalcy will help the child deal with difficult feelings, as will doing fun things that you both enjoy. Remember that kids still need to be kids!

Stay calm. OneToughJob.com emphasizes how important it is for adults to manage their own stress so that they can be the best caregivers possible - and also to remember that children may be listening to adult conversations.

Get close! A final tip from Mr. Rogers: "Give your child extra comfort and physical affection, like hugs or snuggling up together with a favorite book. Physical comfort goes a long way towards providing inner security. That closeness can nourish you, too."

Talking to Children About Violence: Multilingual Tips for Parents and Teachers

The National Association of School Psychologists recommends a number of helping tips in how to talk to children about violence and safety in this tip sheet, also available in multiple languages.

Responding to Racism and Bias

This updated resource collection provides a number of tools for addressing bullying and bias, as well as related lesson plans and booklists.

Recommended Resources

News websites for kids

How kids can help

Talking about & preventing violence

Talking about tough topics

Talking about tough topics: Multilingual resources

Spanish language

Other languages

School safety

From the Archives

Parkland, FL school shootings

Talking about the Sandy Hook shooting

About the Author

Lydia Breiseth is the Director of Colorín Colorado, which is a part of the Learning Media Department of public broadcasting affiliate WETA. In this capacity, Ms. Breiseth manages content, web production, outreach, and partnerships on behalf of the project.

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15 Tips for Talking with Children About Violence

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When children have questions about violence, many adults have questions about how to help children cope with the tragedy. Some adults may wonder how much information children should be exposed to, or what to say to their children about their safety.

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Activity: Practicing Skills to Avoid Hurtful Assumptions

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Activity: Practicing Skills to Avoid Hurtful Assumptions

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Students consider how the assumptions that we make about other people can be hurtful, and practice curiosity to help them understand another person’s experience.

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Practicing Skills to Avoid Hurtful Assumptions | Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility

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Racial microaggressions are defined as everyday slights and put-downs, communicated verbally or nonverbally, that marginalized people experience in their day-to-day interactions. They sometimes seem like compliments, but are actually insults to a group. Racism is full of microaggressions.

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Website Resource list: POC Online Classroom

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Website Resource list: POC Online Classroom

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This resource contains readings on the importance of self care, mental health care, and healing for people of color and within activist movements. Please email poconlineclassroom@gmail.com if you have any suggestions on resources to add.

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Self care

This section contains readings on the importance of self care, mental health care, and healing for people of color and within activist movements. Please email poconlineclassroom@gmail.com if you have any suggestions on resources to add.

READINGS

RESOURCES

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This section contains readings on the importance of self care, mental health care, and healing for people of color and within activist movements. Please email poconlineclassroom@gmail.com if you have any suggestions on resources to add.

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Guide: Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom from National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) 

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Guide: Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom from National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) 

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This professional learning tool defines key terms, describes developmental differences in how children may be affected by racial trauma, and offers recommendations for creating a more trauma-informed classroom

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Brief 1 Workplace Self-Care.pdf

Brief 1 Workplace Self-Care.pdf

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Article: Why We Can't Afford Whitewashed Social-Emotional Learning by Dr. Dena Simmons

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Article: Why We Can't Afford Whitewashed Social-Emotional Learning by Dr. Dena Simmons

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“Many popular SEL approaches do not explicitly confront these forms of violence or other social inequities. Recoiling from topics that divide us—when SEL skills could help us get along better—diminishes SEL's promise. Why teach relationship skills if the lessons do not reflect on the interpersonal conflicts that result from racism? Why discuss self- and social awareness without considering power and privilege, even if that means examining controversial topics like white supremacy?”

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Infographic: 6 Things Educators Can Do to Build Relationships With Students

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Infographic: 6 Things Educators Can Do to Build Relationships With Students

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FINAL 6 Things Teachers Postcard WEB.pdf

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Young people do best when they experience strong, positive relationships in all parts of their lives.

The Search Institute has researched and identified five element—expressed in 20 specific actions—that make relationships powerful in young people’s lives. We refer to this as the developmental relationships framework.

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This survey from the Search Institute is based on establishing developmental relationships. Answer questions then tools based on your scores are provided.

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We've detected that Javascript is not enabled. It is required for an optimal survey taking experience.
Please check your browser's settings and make sure Javascript is turned on. Learn how to enable Javascript.

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I just completed Search Institute's Relationships Check to reflect on my relationships with young people during the Coronavirus crisis. For a snapshot of your relationships and ways you can strengthen them, click here.

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Article: Antiracism in Social-Emotional Learning: Why It’s Not Enough to Talk the Talk by Tony Weaver, Jr

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Article: Antiracism in Social-Emotional Learning: Why It’s Not Enough to Talk the Talk by Tony Weaver, Jr

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It is not possible for students to master SEL concepts without an understanding of systemic racism and the role it plays in their everyday social interactions. This article centers the conversation on this important distinction.

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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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Guide: Dimensions of Culturally Responsive Teaching Goals

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Guide: Dimensions of Culturally Responsive Teaching Goals

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Four Domains Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Competencies-Ready for Rigor Framework

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Four Domains Of Culturally Responsive Teaching Competencies-Ready for Rigor Framework

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Infographic: Culturally Responsive Teaching Brain Rules

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Infographic: Culturally Responsive Teaching Brain Rules

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Video-Ways to Be An Anti-Racist Educator with Dr. Dena Simmons

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Video-Ways to Be An Anti-Racist Educator with Dr. Dena Simmons

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Link to accompanying article: http://www.ascd.org/publications/newsletters/education-update/oct19/vol61/num10/How-to-Be-an-Antiracist-Educator.aspx

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Article: A Simple Tool to Help Educators Regulate their Emotions by Edutopia

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Article: A Simple Tool to Help Educators Regulate their Emotions by Edutopia

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I remember my first year of teaching being difficult and then each subsequent year getting easier as I improved at the job. But now, for many educators, each year is getting more difficult to navigate, and the emotional toll is devastating.

The reports of educators teaching through trauma and instructional leaders tending to the business of supporting their schools under drastically unfavorable conditions aren’t going away, unfortunately, anytime soon.

On Twitter and the news, we can see daily reports of kids acting out, teachers not OK, revolving student quarantines, educators either quitting or being fired because of disputes over masks, and intense school board meetings. There have even been violent threats to school officials and teachers.

In my work with schools, there’s a lot of talk about the abovementioned issues and using emotion regulation strategies to combat the toll of the emotional pain that many educators are undoubtedly experiencing. Although social and emotional learning (SEL) strategies can be critical to restoring our own emotional health under chaotic conditions, it’s important to remember that emotional regulation strategies are not a panacea for the problems and issues facing our schools today—especially those out of our control.

However, neglecting our emotions over time may trigger excessive anxiety and cause apprehension, irritability, or anger. Some may withdraw socially or engage others negatively as a result. Not only can our mood be disrupted, but so can other aspects of life if we do not cope and heal by working through emotional exhaustion due to the buildup of stressors. Unfortunately, many in our profession are living with this.

In an episode of Queen Sugar (one of my favorite shows), a main character, Micah West, said, “I can’t control what happens, but I can control how to respond to things.” I think this is an empowering outlook—even in the most discouraging of times facing schools.

In a previous article, I covered using Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions to help students label and recognize the emotions they’re experiencing along with an emotions planner for self-regulation; with a few tweaks, I have revamped the tool for educators who may need it.

Accurately Labeling Our Emotions

Psychology tells us that emotion is a complex state of feeling that impacts people physically and psychologically. For those of us beginning to understand emotions, it’s essential to realize the way emotions affect the mind, body, and behavior by learning how to recognize and accurately label what we’re experiencing at any given moment. Leveraging a tool like Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions can give us a good starting point for recognizing the wide range of emotions that cause us to feel fear, anxiety, anger, sadness, joy, and love (among other things).

To start labeling accurately on your own, use Plutchik’s Wheel of Emotions to recognize your emotions in different situations. The wheel simplifies emotions by causing us to focus on eight primary ones: anger, anticipation, joy, trust, fear, surprise, sadness, and disgust. This helps categorize emotions and responses to them. Additionally, over time and with practice, one can recognize that other emotions we experience daily are an amalgam of the eight basic emotions and can stem from others as well. This is critical understanding, as it can help us identify emotional triggers required for planning to respond with good self-regulation tactics.

Moreover, this insight is beneficial for understanding the impact of emotions on our own overall well-being and social interactions. For example, in the classroom, a teacher’s anxiety may result from the buildup of stressful situations like focusing on learning recovery, lax or rigid mask mandates, harmful TikTok challenges, or testing amid the pandemic.

Other helpful tidbits for demystifying emotions are that our brain creates emotions by assigning meaning to bodily sensations from our lived experiences; and although they are highly related, we experience emotions and feelings in sequential order—emotions precede feelings, and feelings precede our moods and behavior.

Using an Emotions Planner

During a podcast episode, Sarah Thomas, a school official in Maryland, explained that it’s OK to not be OK if you have a plan to get better. For this purpose, I developed this handy three-step Emotions Planner using my insights from the work of Stanford professor James Gross (see his process model) along with the range of emotions from Plutchik’s tool.

Now that we’ve developed a better understanding of emotions and have Plutchik’s tool for labeling and recognizing them, we can begin gauging where our emotions reside and identify strategies for regulating them effectively by using the Emotions Planner purposefully. This simple check-in can be in response to feeling off or having trouble restoring your inner peace after a difficult social interaction or an intense day at work.

Step 1: Describe the situation or the event that triggered your emotion(s).

Step 2: Label the emotion(s) you are currently experiencing. I recommend using Plutchik’s wheel as a reference, beginning with the eight primary emotions and then elaborating on other emotions.

Step 3: Identify possible emotion regulation strategies. You may also identify which of the five SEL competencies from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL, your strategies pertain to. This is helpful if we are imparting SEL to students.

Before anything becomes a mindset, it needs to be a framework first. This tool provided me with a much more streamlined and straightforward process to implement daily or as needed. I found that by paying closer attention to situations and triggers, I began changing how I would experience certain difficult emotions (mainly annoyance and grief) over time. I eventually learned how to conquer some of them as I began to experience small successes in showing up emotionally and responding better to situations.

My sincerest gratitude to Sarah Jubar and Errol St. Clair Smith for pushing my thinking and being the thought partners I needed.

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A Simple Tool to Help Teachers Regulate Their Emotions

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In a year that’s bringing a lot of stress, this tool is no cure-all, but it can help teachers keep their emotions in check.

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Listen to Mathew Portell | SoundCloud is an audio platform that lets you listen to what you love and share the sounds you create.. 26 Tracks. 89 Followers. Stream Tracks and Playlists from Mathew Portell on your desktop or mobile device.

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This video helps set the framework of childhood experiences of trauma and their impact.

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Nadine Burke Harris: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime

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Childhood trauma isn't something you just get over as you grow up. Pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains that the repeated stress of abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues has real, tangible effects on the development of the brain.

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The principal of an internationally recognized trauma-informed school explains what this form of education is-and what it isn't.

ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) have made their way into the mainstream over the past couple of years, even showing up in a segment that Oprah did for 60 Minutes. And because ACEs have a profound effect on children, the concept has been taken up in the world of education. Approaching education with an understanding of the physiological, social, emotional, and academic impacts of trauma and adversity on our students is driving changes in our systems.

However, these changes are not coming without misconceptions. As the principal of Fall-Hamilton Elementary, an internationally recognized trauma-informed school, I've encountered many misconceptions about trauma-informed education over the past five years. As educators move toward understanding the impact of trauma, including ACEs, and how creating and maintaining positive relationships can serve as a buffer to the negative impacts of trauma, it's vitally important to understand what trauma-informed education is and is not.

6 Misconceptions About Trauma-Informed Education

1. Trauma-Informed education is solely about a student's ACE score: The ACE study conducted by Kaiser Permanente and the CDC is credited with increasing public awareness of the potential negative health outcomes of adults based on their adverse childhood experiences.

That increased awareness is good, but trauma-informed education is not solely concerned with students' ACE score. We should use the ACE study as a catalyst to look deeper into understanding the broad scope of adversity that children are experiencing but that the study did not include. Trauma-informed education includes examining the influence and impact on students in our schools of factors such as racism (explicit, implicit, and systematic; and microaggressions) as well as poverty, peer victimization, community violence, and bullying.

2. Educators must know a student's ACE score to successfully intervene: It is not imperative to know a child's ACE score or specific traumatic experience to provide effective interventions. Being trauma-informed is a mindset with which educators approach all children.

Research indicates that strong, stable, and nurturing relationships foster a feeling of belonging that is essential for all students but is absolutely imperative for healing with students who have experienced trauma. Karen Treisman, a clinical psychology specialist, says, " Every interaction is an intervention." As educators, we must understand the impact of daily positive interactions and affirmations for our students.

3. Trauma-informed education is about fixing kids: Our kids are not broken, but our systems are. Operating in a trauma-informed way does not fix children; it is aimed at fixing broken and unjust systems and structures that alienate and discard students who are marginalized.

If we view our trauma-informed approach as fixing kids, that creates a deficit mindset. Many kids are doing the best they can in the moment. We must meet all students where they are while supporting them with strong, stable, and nurturing relationships.

4. Trauma-informed educators don't give students consequences for inappropriate behavior: There needs to be a clear understanding of the difference between consequences and punishment. Consequences by definition are designed to teach, while punishment relates to personal suffering.

It's important to set clear boundaries and expectations and then to support students into success. When students do not meet expectations or disregard boundaries, it is imperative to teach and reteach the expectations through consistent consequences.

5. Sometimes you have to escalate a confrontation with a student to calm them down: Co-regulation is the idea of keeping calm in order to help calm a student who is experiencing anger, frustration, or fear. A dysregulated adult cannot regulate a dysregulated child. Raising our level of intensity is not a strategy that works.

We should instead use strategies that honor the student's emotions and need for space while also getting their systems to calm in a safe way. This can be accomplished through first making sure that we really are calm and then by validating the student's experiences and emotions in order to get to the root of what is causing those emotions.

This doesn't mean excusing any poor choices the student may have made-it means ensuring that they're in a state where they can understand and accept any consequences, which is necessary if they are to learn from the experience.

6. I'm a teacher, not a therapist-this isn't my job: As educators explore the complexities of being trauma-informed, we need to remember that trauma-informed work is a journey and not a destination. It doesn't mean that teachers need to do the work of professional therapists. Our part in helping students with trauma is focusing on relationships, just as we do with all of our students. The strong, stable, and nurturing relationships that we build with our students and families can serve as a conduit for healing and increasing resilience.

Becoming trauma-informed in our daily practice is truly a process of learning and adjustment, but it is a worthwhile process.

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The principal of an internationally recognized trauma-informed school explains what this form of education is-and what it isn't.

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Dr. Ginwright coined the term “Healing-Centered Engagement” which is “a healing-centered approach that is holistic involving culture, spirituality, civic action and collective healing.”

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Shawn Ginwright Ph.D.
From time to time, researchers, policy makers, philanthropy and practitioners all join together in a coordinated response to address the most pressing issues facing America's youth. I've been involved with this process for long enough to have participated in each of these roles. I recall during the early 1990s experts promoted the term "resiliency," which is the capacity to adapt, navigate and bounce back from adverse and challenging life experiences. Researchers and practitioners alike clamored over strategies to build more resilient youth.

In the early 2000's the term "youth development" gained currency and had a significant influence on youth development programs, and probably more importantly how we viewed young people. Youth development offered an important shift in focus from viewing youth as problems to be solved to community assets who simply required supports and opportunities for healthy development. Since that time, a range of approaches have influenced how we think about young people, and consequently our programmatic strategies. I have, for the most part, attempted to nudge and cajole each of these approaches to consider the unique ways in which race, identity and social marginalization influence the development of youth of color.

More recently, practitioners and policy stakeholders have recognized the impact of trauma on learning, and healthy development. In efforts to support young people who experience trauma, the term "trauma-informed care" has gained traction among schools, juvenile justice departments, mental health programs and youth development agencies around the country. Trauma informed care broadly refers to a set of principles that guide and direct how we view the impact of severe harm on young people's mental, physical, and emotional health. Trauma informed care encourages support and treatment to the whole person, rather than focusing on only treating individual symptoms or specific behaviors.

Trauma-informed care has become an important approach in schools and agencies that serve young people who have been exposed to trauma, and here's why. Some school leaders believe that the best way to address disruptive classroom behavior is through harsh discipline. These schools believe that discipline alone is sufficient to modify undesired classroom behavior, but research shows that school suspensions may further harm students who have been exposed to a traumatic event or experience (Bottiani et al., 2017). Rather than using discipline, a school that uses a trauma informed approach might offer therapy, or counseling to support the restoration of that student's well-being. The assumption is that the disruptive behavior is the symptom of a deeper harm, rather than willful defiance, or disrespect.

While trauma-informed care offers an important lens to support young people who have been harmed and emotionally injured, it also has its limitations. I first became aware of the limitations of the term "trauma-informed care" during a healing circle I was leading with a group of African American young men. All of them had experienced some form of trauma ranging from sexual abuse, violence, homelessness, abandonment or all of the above. During one of our sessions, I explained the impact of stress and trauma on brain development and how trauma can influence emotional health. As I was explaining, one of the young men in the group named Marcus abruptly stopped me and said, "I am more than what happened to me, I'm not just my trauma". I was puzzled at first, but it didn't take me long to really contemplate what he was saying.

The term "trauma informed care" didn't encompass the totality of his experience and focused only on his harm, injury and trauma. For Marcus, the term "trauma informed care" was akin to saying, you are the worst thing that ever happened to you. For me, I realized the term slipped into the murky water of deficit based, rather than asset driven strategies to support young people who have been harmed. Without careful consideration of the terms we use, we can create blind spots in our efforts to support young people.

While the term trauma informed care is important, it is incomplete. First, trauma informed care correctly highlights the specific needs for individual young people who have exposure to trauma. However, current formulations of trauma informed care presumes that the trauma is an individual experience, rather than a collective one. To illustrate this point, researchers have shown that children in high violence neighborhoods all display behavioral and psychological elements of trauma (Sinha & Rosenberg 2013). Similarly, populations that disproportionately suffer from disasters like Hurricane Katrina share a common experience that if viewed individually simply fails to capture how collective harm requires a different approach than an individual one.

Second, trauma-informed care requires that we treat trauma in people but provides very little insight into how we might address the root causes of trauma in neighborhoods, families, and schools. If trauma is collectively experienced, this means that we also have to consider the environmental context that caused the harm in the first place. By only treating the individual we only address part of the equation leaving the toxic systems, policies and practices neatly intact.

Third, the term trauma-informed care runs the risk of focusing on the treatment of pathology (trauma), rather than fostering the possibility (well-being). This is not an indictment on well-meaning therapists and social workers many of whom may have been trained in theories and techniques designed to simply reduce negative emotions and behavior (Seligman 2011). However, just like the absence of disease doesn't constitute health, nor the absence of violence constitute peace, the reduction pathology (anxiety, anger, fear, sadness, distrust, triggers) doesn't constitute well-being (hope, happiness, imagination, aspirations, trust). Everyone wants to be happy, not just have less misery. The emerging field of positive psychology offers insight into the limits of only "treating" symptoms and focuses on enhancing the conditions that contribute to well-being. Without more careful consideration, trauma informed approaches sometimes slip into rigid medical models of care that are steeped in treating the symptoms, rather than strengthening the roots of well-being.

What is needed is an approach that allows practitioners to approach trauma with a fresh lens that promotes a holistic view of healing from traumatic experiences and environments. One approach is called healing-centered, as opposed to trauma-informed. A healing centered approach is holistic involving culture, spirituality, civic action and collective healing. A healing-centered approach views trauma not simply as an individual isolated experience, but rather highlights the ways in which trauma and healing are experienced collectively. The term healing-centered engagement expands how we think about responses to trauma and offers more holistic approach to fostering well-being.

A shift from trauma informed care to healing centered engagement (HCE) is more than a semantic play with words, but rather a tectonic shift in how we view trauma, its causes and its intervention. HCE is strength based, advances a collective view of healing, and re-centers culture as a central feature in well-being. Researchers have pointed out the ways in which patients have redefined the terms used to describe their illnesses in ways that affirmed, humanized and dignified their condition. For example, in the early 1990s AIDS activists challenged the term "gay-related immune deficiency" because the term stigmatized gay men and failed to adequately capture the medical accuracy of the condition. In a similar way, the young men I worked with offered me a way to reframe trauma with language that humanized them, and holistically captured their life experiences.

A healing centered approach to addressing trauma requires a different question that moves beyond "what happened to you" to "what's right with you" and views those exposed to trauma as agents in the creation of their own well-being rather than victims of traumatic events. Healing centered engagement is akin to the South African term "Ubuntu" meaning that humanness is found through our interdependence, collective engagement and service to others. Additionally, healing centered engagement offers an asset driven approach aimed at the holistic restoration of young peoples' well-being. The healing centered approach comes from the idea that people are not harmed in a vacuum, and well-being comes from participating in transforming the root causes of the harm within institutions. Healing centered engagement also advances the move to "strengths-based' care and away from the deficit based mental health models that drives therapeutic interventions. There are four key elements of healing centered engagement that may at times overlap with current trauma informed practices but offers several key distinctions.

Communities, and individuals who experience trauma are agents in restoring their own well-being. This subtle shift suggests that healing from trauma is found in an awareness and actions that address the conditions that created the trauma in the first place. Researchers have found that well-being is a function of the control and power young people have in their schools and communities (Morsillo & Prilleltensky 2007; Prilleltensky & Prilleltensky 2006). These studies focus on concepts such as such as liberation, emancipation, oppression, and social justice among activist groups and suggests that building an awareness of justice and inequality, combined with social action such as protests, community organizing, and/or school walk-outs contribute to overall wellbeing, hopefulness, and optimism (Potts 2003; Prilleltensky 2003, 2008). This means that healing centered engagement views trauma and well-being as function of the environments where people live, work and play. When people advocate for policies and opportunities that address causes of trauma, such as lack of access to mental health, these activities contribute to a sense of purpose, power and control over life situations. All of these are ingredients necessary to restore well-being and healing.

The pathway to restoring well-being among young people who experience trauma can be found in culture and identity. Healing centered engagement uses culture as a way to ground young people in a solid sense of meaning, self-perception, and purpose. This process highlights the intersectional nature of identity and highlights the ways in which culture offers a shared experience, community and sense of belonging. Healing is experienced collectively, and is shaped by shared identity such as race, gender, or sexual orientation. Healing centered engagement is the result of building a healthy identity, and a sense of belonging. For youth of color, these forms of healing can be rooted in culture and serves as an anchor to connect young people to a shared racial and ethnic identity that is both historical grounded and contemporarily relevant. Healing centered engagement embraces a holistic view of well-being that includes spiritual domains of health. This goes beyond viewing healing only from the lens of mental health, and incorporates culturally grounded rituals, and activities to restore well-being (Martinez 2001). Some examples of healing centered engagement can be found in healing circles rooted in indigenous culture where young people share their stories about healing and learn about their connection to their ancestors and traditions, or drumming circles rooted in African cultural principles.

Healing centered engagement offers an important departure from solely viewing young people through the lens of harm and focuses on asset driven strategies that highlight possibilities for well-being. An asset driven strategy acknowledges that young people are much more than the worst thing that happened to them, and builds upon their experiences, knowledge, skills and curiosity as positive traits to be enhanced. While it is important to acknowledge trauma and its influence on young people's mental health, healing centered strategies move one step beyond by focusing on what we want to achieve, rather than merely treating emotional and behavioral symptoms of trauma. This is a salutogenic approach focusing on how to foster and sustain well-being. Based in positive psychology, healing centered engagement is based in collective strengths and possibility which offers a departure from conventional psychopathology which focuses on clinical treatment of illness.

Adult providers need healing too! Healing centered engagement requires that we consider how to support adult providers in sustaining their own healing and well-being. We cannot presume that adulthood is a final, "trauma-free" destination. Much of our training and practice is directed at young peoples' healing but rarely focuses on the healing that is required of adults to be an effective youth practitioner. Healing is an ongoing process that we all need, not just young people who experience trauma. The well-being of the adult youth worker is also a critical factor in supporting young peoples' well-being. While we are learning more about the causes and effects of secondary on adults, we know very little about the systems of support required to restore and sustain well-being for adults. Healing centered engagement has an explicit focus on restoring, and sustaining the adults who attempt to heal youth- a healing the healers approach. Policy stakeholders should consider how to build a systems that support adult youth worker's well-being. I have supported organizations in creating structures like sabbaticals for employees or creating incentives like continuing education units for deeper learning about well-being and healing.

Marcus's comments during our healing circle "I am more than what happened to me" led me to question our approach to trauma. What blind spots do we have in our approaches to supporting young people who experience trauma? How might the concepts which are enshrined in our language limit rather than create opportunities for healing? What approaches might offer "disruptive" techniques that saturate young people with opportunities for healing and well-being?

The fields of positive psychology and community psychology offers important insight into how policy makers, and youth development stakeholders can consider a range of healing centered options for young people. Shifting from trauma informed care or treatment to healing centered engagement requires youth development stakeholders to expand from a treatment-based model, which views trauma and harm as an isolated experience, to an engagement model which supports collective well-being. Here are a few notes to consider in building healing centered engagement.

Healing centered engagement begins by building empathy with young people who experience trauma. This process takes time, is an ongoing process and sometimes may feel like taking two steps forward, and three steps back. However, building empathy is critical to healing centered engagement. To create this empathy, I encourage adult staff to share their story first, and take an emotional risk by being more vulnerable, honest, and open to young people. This process creates an empathy exchange between the adult, and the young people which is the foundation for healing centered engagement (Payne 2013). This process also strengthens emotional literacy which allows youth to discuss the complexity of their feelings. Fostering empathy allows for young people to feel safe sharing their experiences and emotions. The process ultimately restores their sense of well-being because they have the power name and respond to their emotional states.

An important ingredient in healing centered engagement is the ability to acknowledge the harm and injury, but not be defined by it. Perhaps one of the greatest tools available to us is the ability to see beyond the condition, event or situation that caused the trauma in the first place. Research shows that the ability to dream and imagine is an important factor in fostering hopefulness, and optimism which both of which contributes to overall well-being (Snyder et al. 2003). Daily survival and ongoing crisis management in young people's lives can make it difficult for them to see beyond the present.

The greatest casualty of trauma is not only depression and emotional scares, but also the loss of the ability to dream and imagine another way of living. Howard Thurman pointed this out in his eloquent persistence that dreams matter. He commented, "As long as a man [woman] has a dream, he [she] cannot lose the significance of living" (p. 304). By creating activities and opportunities for young people to play, reimagine, design and envision their lives this process strengthens their future goal orientation (Snyder et al. 2003). These are practices of possibility that encourage young people to envision what they want to become, and who they want to be.

Healing and well-being are fundamentally political not clinical. This means that we have to consider the ways in which the policies and practice and political decisions harm young people. Healing in this context also means that young people develop an analysis of these practices and policies that facilitated the trauma in the first place. Without an analysis of these issues, young people often internalize, and blame themselves for lack of confidence. Critical reflection provides a lens by which to filter, examine, and consider analytical and spiritual responses to trauma. By spiritual, I mean the ability to draw upon the power of culture, rituals and faith in order to consistently act from a place of humility, and love. These are not cognitive processes, but rather ethical, moral and emotional aspects of healing centered engagement.

The other key component, is taking loving action, by collectively responding to political decisions and practices that can exacerbate trauma. By taking action, (e.g. school walkouts, organizing peace march, or promoting access to healthy foods) it builds a sense of power and control over their lives. Research has demonstrated that building this sense of power and control among traumatized groups is perhaps one of the most significant features in restoring holistic well-being.

I ran into Marcus at a street fair in Oakland not long ago. He was excited to see me and wanted to share with me that he was in a new relationship so he introduced me to his girlfriend. "This is my friend Michelle"! He introduced her with a sense of pride, and accomplishment. He also shared with me that he had enrolled in a program that was training him to become a medic. As we chatted for a while in the warm sun, dodging children, and fast walking parents, he leaned toward me and whispered, "yeah Dr. G, I'm not entirely healed, but I'm hopeful". I smiled, gave him a "brotha hug" and we departed ways.

I suppose, that if we had more time to chat he would have explained that healing is a process that we navigate for a lifetime. He might have shared with me that the future of his healing journey had just begun. Seeing him again, holding hands, sipping a soda with his new girlfriend was a powerful reminder, that he was so much more than the trauma he had experienced. As practitioners, researchers and policy stakeholders we need to listen and learn from young people who have insights that can advance how we think about trauma and healing. Shifting to healing centered engagement offered new questions, and strategies about how to support young people who experience trauma. Healing centered engagement is just a step toward a more holistic, and humanistic framework to support young people who have been harmed. Such an approach encourages us to think and act more boldly about how to restore young people and create places where they can truly flourish.

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The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement

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From time to time, researchers, policy makers, philanthropy and practitioners all join together in a coordinated response to address the most pressing issues facing America's youth. I've been...

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Article and Video Clip: Transformational Healing Centered Work

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Article and Video Clip: Transformational Healing Centered Work

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Dr. Ginwright provides the context for healing centered engagement.

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I'm still buzzing from reading the article by Shawn Ginwright, The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement, I blogged on Weds.

Here is a short film clip from Shawn in which he describes four principles for cultivating hope and healing in youth:

1. Build practices that support your own healing and well-being.
​2. Create opportunities to build relationships.
​3. Create healing circles and activities focused on healing.
4. Support young people with creating justice in their communities.

​I hope you enjoy.

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'Practices That Build Hope and Healing' by Shawn Ginwright

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I'm still buzzing from reading the article by Shawn Ginwright, The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement, I blogged on Weds. Here is a short film clip from Shawn in which he describes four principles for cultivating hope and healing in youth: 1.

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Activity Resource: Brain Break Activity-ABC 123

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Activity Resource: Brain Break Activity-ABC 123

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Actionable article: Self and Community Care as Covid-19 Continues from Learning for Justice

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Actionable article: Self and Community Care as Covid-19 Continues from Learning for Justice

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Co-hosted by former Learning for Justice Advisory Board members Kinette Richards, Ph.D., school psychologist, and Barbie Garayúa Tudryn, school counselor, this webinar will help you gain a common understanding of trauma and how it affects both learning and relationships at school-for students and educators alike.

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Promote Self- and Community Care as Covid-19 Continues

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As we continue to adapt to a global pandemic, we acknowledge the difficulties of this moment, and we encourage you to take care of yourself and your students. These resources recommend taking a trauma-informed approach to self- and community care.

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After a School Shooting Resources from LiberatED

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After a School Shooting Resources from LiberatED

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LiberatED Resource Bundle_After a School Shooting. Includes some resources for families

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LiberatED Resource Bundle_After a School Shooting.pdf

LiberatED Resource Bundle_After a School Shooting.pdf

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LiberatED Resource Bundle_After a School Shooting.pdf

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This short video explores the link between SEL and culturally responsive teaching practices

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Rethink SEL & Equity: Culturally Responsive Teaching

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Video: Why Is Social and Emotional Learning Important for Equity in Education?

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Video: Why Is Social and Emotional Learning Important for Equity in Education?

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How does social and emotional learning factor into educational equity work? In this video, Jameela Conway-Turner, a researcher at AIR offers a description of why SEL is critical to the work of equity, and how it can be implemented in service of equity.

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Why Is Social and Emotional Learning Important for Equity in Education?

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"Cultural Humility: People, Principles and Practices," is a new 30-minute documentary by San Francisco State Professor Vivian Chávez, that mixes poetry with music, interviews, archival footage, images of community, nature and dance to explain what "Cultural Humility" is and why we need it.  To see the full 30-min documentary: https://youtu.be/SaSHLbS1V4w

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Cultural Humility: People, Principles and Practices - Part 1 of 4

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This video features Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years. Rita once heard a colleague say, "They don't pay me to like the kids." Her response: "Kids don't learn from people they don't like.'" A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

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Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

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Article: Transforming Schools Through Cultural Self-Reflection By Stacey Goodman

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Article: Transforming Schools Through Cultural Self-Reflection By Stacey Goodman

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While there is a lot of discussion these days about school culture, and how to best manage and shape it, I believe it might be more beneficial to talk about cultural self-reflection instead. If we believe in the transformative power, insight, and wisdom of the arts and humanities for self-reflection in the lives of our students, why can't we then use these cultural resources to help guide our entire institutions?

Cultural self-reflection is a way of understanding yourself or institution by exploring how the culture you live in shapes who you are. The cultural forces around us -- such as consumerism, industrialization, and secular humanism -- will triumph over any mission statement or strategies for envisioning and managing school culture, whether we like it or not.

In fact, I think it is easier to turn our back on the world and talk about school culture than it is to educate our students and help them face the world as it is. It is our job to understand and respond to these cultural forces if we want to have healthy school environments.

We can help our students and institutions through cultural self-reflection. We need to guide them in studying and exploring the works and ideas found in philosophy, literature, history, and artistic expression. Teachers, administrators, and students can explore the world of the arts and humanities together. They can discuss shared beliefs and question together the ways by which we live.

In other words, the entire school community -- not just students -- can find critical insight and inspiration from the arts and humanities. The arts and humanities can provide a framework for making positive changes in our institutions.

Culture is at the crux of issues we want to deal with in our classrooms and institutions. If we ask our students which of the world's problems we should address, many of the big ones -- climate change, educational inequality, poverty, and world hunger -- are all, in essence, cultural problems.

In other words, we might have the technical and material means to solve these problems, but because of the way we choose to live and the beliefs we choose to hold, we don't. In the meantime, "culture" has become a popular word to toss around in the management world. We talk about "corporate culture," "office culture," and "school culture," but culture cannot be managed from the front office. Culture encompasses ways of living, ideals, and beliefs that transcend any one institution.

Inspiration

A common and worthy strategy is to use the arts, specifically poetry, as a point for inspiration. Our school head, Dick Bradford, reads the poem " Wild Geese" by Mary Oliver at the beginning of every school year. This poem sets the tone for the entire year, and it shows that no matter how business as usual work and studying might feel over the following months, the complexity and mystery of the poem points to a source of deeper meaning and insight that is just below the surface of our daily routines.

Professional Development

I would also recommend that schools consider professional development and summer reading that draws upon the arts and humanities. Imagine how much great literature, brilliantly written biographies, and narrative films might frame schoolwide initiatives and discussion.

Empathy and Insight

Through cultural self-reflection, schools can create an empathetic framework for understanding the world in which we are educating our students. Literature and poetry has much to teach us about how humans have suffered and sometimes triumphed over the most pressing of problems.

Culture shapes our schools and institutions from the outside in. As educators and administrators, it is therefore our job to understand how to align, find inspiration from, and bring critical insight to the cultural forces around us.

What works of literature, philosophy, or visual and performing arts might most benefit your school community? Please share in the comments section below

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While there is a lot of discussion these days about school culture, and how to best manage and shape it, I believe it might be more beneficial to talk about cultural self-reflection instead.

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Use this online version of our popular Relationship Mapping Strategy for your school, to help ensure that everyone has a strong connection to someone else during these challenging times

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There may be nothing more important in a child's life than a positive and stable relationship with a caring adult. For students, a positive connection to at least one school adult - whether a teacher, counselor, sports coach, or other school staff member - can have tremendous benefits that include reduced bullying, lower drop-out rates, and improved social-emotional capacities.

Rather than leave these connections to chance, relationship mapping invests time in making sure that every student is known by at least one adult.

Using this strategy, school staff identify youth who do not currently have positive connections with school adults during a private meeting. Those students are then paired with a supportive adult mentor within the school. Throughout the year, mentors support each other through the successes and challenges of building relationships with students, and school administrators routinely communicate with staff to determine how well the process is going. At the end of the year, the staff convenes to talk about how their efforts may have positively affected students. Adults may also choose to pay particular attention to "at risk" students as these connections may be particularly important for students who are having a hard time at home or in school.

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Relationship Mapping Strategy | Making Caring Common - Making Caring Common

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Use this online version of our popular Relationship Mapping Strategy for your school, community organization, or religious group to help ensure that everyone has a strong connection to someone else during challenging times.

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Based on existing research and best practices, the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2) is designed to support the development of family engagement strategies, policies, and programs. It is not a blueprint for engagement initiatives, which must be designed to fit the particular contexts in which they are carried out. Instead, the Framework should be seen as a compass, laying out the goals and conditions necessary to chart a path toward effective family engagement efforts that are linked to student achievement and school improvement.
Suggested citation:
Mapp, K. L. & Bergman, E. (2019). Dual capacity-building framework for family-school partnerships (Version 2). Retrieved from: www.dualcapacity.org

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Based on existing research and best practices, the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Version 2) is designed to support the development of family engagement strategies, policies, and programs. It is not a blueprint for engagement initiatives, which must be designed to fit the particular contexts in which they are carried out.

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This article provides self-reflections to think about race and culture for school staff.

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Professional Development Opportunity: Harvard Introduction to Family Engagement

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Professional Development Opportunity: Harvard Introduction to Family Engagement

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6-week self-paced virtual learning experience. Learn about successful collaborations between families and educators and why they lead to improved outcomes for students and schools

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What you'll learn

The relationship between family engagement and improved school/student outcomes from birth through high school

The additional benefits family engagement brings to parents, educators, and communities

What the research shows about the importance of engaging families

Course description

In this education course, you will learn what family engagement is and why it matters to the success of students and schools. We will explore the research linking family engagement to better educational outcomes and speak directly with researchers, educators, students, and families about promising practices in the field.

Family engagement describes what families do at home and in the community to support their children's learning and development. It also encompasses the shared partnership and responsibility between home and school.

Such engagement is essential for school improvement. It is also increasingly recognized as an integral element for proficient practice as an educator.

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Introduction to Family Engagement in Education | Harvard University

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Learn about successful collaborations between families and educators and why they lead to improved outcomes for students and schools.

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Research: Equity & Social and Emotional Learning: A Cultural Analysis

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Research: Equity & Social and Emotional Learning: A Cultural Analysis

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Rising Up Together-Transformative SEL Principles in Action

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Rising Up Together-Transformative SEL Principles in Action

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Guide: CRT Walk Through Observation Guide

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Guide: CRT Walk Through Observation Guide

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Teachers spend two minutes a day for ten days getting to know a student with whom they wish to foster a positive relationship.

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Article: Creating an Anti-Racist Classroom

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Article: Creating an Anti-Racist Classroom

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Edutopia is a free source of information, inspiration, and practical strategies for learning and teaching in preK-12 education. We are published by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.

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Guide/Actionable Practice: Casel's Program Guide 

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Guide/Actionable Practice: Casel's Program Guide 

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The first step in using this guide with evidence-based curricula is to reflect on the priorities for your SEL approach.  For example, the curricula selected should have been researched with Black and Latinx youth in urban setting to measure cultural relevance.

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Help your team choose a high-quality SEL program to meet your community's needs.

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Teachers are in a unique position to witness children struggling with grief. Whether a student has lost a parent, sibling, grandparent, or another relative, or if the student is struggling with loss on a larger scale, he or she needs opportunities to express his or her feelings and learn about how to cope with grief.

This classroom activity-provided by New York Life Foundation in partnership with Scholastic-is designed to help educators support grieving students by helping them learn how to discuss grief and discover avenues to manage grief. This activity is intended as a resource that teachers can draw on when they encounter grief in the classroom.

This activity may be used:

In a small support group of teens who may have experienced grief

As part of a health and/or life skills curriculum

As a creative activity to gain a deeper understanding of literature that touches on death or loss

Before using this activity, you may choose to review expert advice regarding grief by clicking the following links:

Review the book list at the bottom of the activity for more grief resources.

Preview the videos in the Children & Grief library that profile people involved in grief support organizations at www.scholastic.com/childrenandgrief. Select the clips that best communicate the emotions and behaviors associated with grief. Although these short videos focus on grief support organizations, the children and families interviewed describe some of the different ways that people grieve.

Tell students they will be watching a few video clips about grief. Instruct students to listen for the following information:

What are some emotions and behaviors grieving children feel?

What are some tips that help children deal with grief?

How do children's relationships with their friends and families change when they experience grief?

What is the impact of grief in some children's lives?

Explain that the people interviewed in the videos will share information about grief from multiple perspectives: from the perspective of young children, teens, and parents, as well as adults who work with grieving children. The videos provide an overview of the emotional impact grief has on children, tips for dealing with grief, and relationship and behavioral changes caused by grief.

DISCUSS TOGETHER
Can students make any connections between what they have seen in the videos and personal experiences with grief or examples of grief from film and literature? Tell them to record anything they thought was unique, interesting, or memorable.

Spark a discussion of the topics that the videos touched on by asking students to share what they thought was noteworthy. You may choose to discuss as a class or break off into small groups. The points to be covered in the discussions are:

What do students know about grief and what are some of the behaviors and feelings related to grief? Make sure they consider both physical and emotional responses to grief (e.g., denial; emotional numbness; anger, irritability, and episodic rage; fear and anxiety; confusion; difficulty sleeping; physical complaints such as "stomachaches" or headaches; changes in appetite)

Differences between grieving for an individual person or after a major event such as a natural disaster or school violence.

What are some of the avenues for dealing with grief?

Why is it important to explore emotions related to grief? What happens when people don't have the opportunity to express grief?

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH
Print out resource articles from the "Death and Grief" page on the TeensHealth TM site: kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/someone_died.html

Instruct students to highlight any facts or information that they feel are important to understanding grief. Make sure they have collected information on the following topics:

What is grief?

What are some of the physical and emotional reactions people have to grief?

What do people do about grief? What can they do to heal?

Pass out large sheets of paper and direct students to separate into groups of three or four. Tell them that they will use their notes to plan out a grief map. This map should show the "terrain" or "landscape" of grief. Explain that geographic maps detail geographic features, landmarks, and places of interest. Their grief maps will use the design of a geographic map to illustrate some of the challenges that a grieving person may encounter. Ask students to include the following elements on their maps:

Caption: Create a profile of a person who is experiencing grief, including such details as age, relationship to the person who died, and surviving family members. Keep this person in mind as you are developing the various locations on the map.

Grief Challenges: Draw three to five locations on the map that represent different emotional and behavioral changes a grieving person may experience.

Trigger Points: Draw three to five locations on the map that represent items, experiences, or moments (times of day, holidays, events) that trigger a grieving person to remember the person they are missing.

Grief Support: Draw three to five locations on the map that represent experiences that help the grieving person learn to deal with his or her feelings and help heal.

As students are planning their maps, guide students to consider:

What colors they are using in reference to different behaviors and emotions.

What icons they can develop to signal that a location is an emotional challenge or behavioral change, a trigger, or an example of support.

How they can include weather-rain, snow, hurricanes, earthquakes-at different points on the map to represent emotions and behavior.

How can they use geographic features-mountains, lakes, rivers, valleys, deserts-to represent emotions and behavior.

When the maps have been planned out, provide students with large pieces of paper, pencils, and markers, oil pastels, or color pencils to make their final maps.

LANGUAGE ARTS EXTENSION (optional)
Have students write a few paragraphs based on what they learned about grief from this unit. Possible topics and writing approaches are:

Fictional stories about someone who is grieving, with plot points that correspond to the elements of grief they learned about

Essays that discuss important facts about grief, persuade adults about the importance of grief education, or suggest activities and attitudes they think can support grieving students

BOOK LIST

For Educators

After a Loved One Dies-How Children Grieve: And How Parents and Other Adults Can Support Them by David Schonfeld, MD, and Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, CHES

The Grieving Student: A Teacher's Guide by David Schonfeld, MD, and Marcia Quackenbush, MS, MFT, CHES

Good Grief: Exploring Feelings, Loss and Death With Over Elevens and Adults: A Holistic Approach by Barbara Ward

Why Did You Die? Activities to Help Children Cope With Grief & Loss by Erika Leeuwenburgh, LPC, and Elleen Goldring, LPC

Creative Interventions for Bereaved Children by Liana Lowenstein

For a list of novels about grief for teens and reference books for parents, click here.

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Teachers are in a unique position to witness children struggling with grief. Whether a student has lost a parent, sibling, grandparent, or another relative, or if the student is struggling with loss on a larger scale, they need opportunities to express difficult feelings and learn about how to cope with grief.

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Making Classrooms and Schools Trauma-Informed and Healing-Centered

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Here is a list of evidence-based approaches for fostering resilience at school.

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Collective Care is one way administrators and colleagues striving to meet the needs of their staff emotionally, intellectually, and professionally can support their overall well-being. Rising to the challenges of reducing stress, improving job satisfaction, strengthening resilience, and, ultimately, preventing school staff burnout can feel overwhelming. It is more important that you simply start somewhere.

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Article: Integrating SEL into Content Subjects

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Article: Integrating SEL into Content Subjects

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This article explores the false dichotomy that we need to building SEL or academic rigor. We are often asked to make choices between strengthening social-emotional learning (SEL) skills and growing academic skills in our students. The skills that students need to learn are the very skills that SEL provides—things like reflection, perseverance, and focus.

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At the end of a recent professional training, I had a rather candid conversation with an assistant principal. He was frustrated with his school's sole focus on enhancing academic rigor at the cost of compassion toward students. By only valuing student achievement, he said, his school was doing a disservice to students, making them stressed and unhappy, and killing off their motivation to learn.

His complaint is a common one among educators and school leaders. We are often asked to make choices between strengthening social-emotional learning (SEL) skills and growing academic skills in our students. But this is a false dichotomy. The skills that students need to learn are the very skills that SEL provides-things like reflection, perseverance, and focus. The question isn't whether we can or should teach these skills, but how to do it, especially when we're already swamped trying to meet our academic goals.

In my new book, SEL Every Day, I provide an answer to that question. Luckily, SEL need not be separate from academics or an instructional add-on, but an integral part of quality teaching and learning. With a few keys in mind, teachers can easily incorporate it into everyday instruction, benefitting both the classroom environment and student motivation to learn.

Here are three keys for integrating SEL into any classroom.

1. Make lesson plans with SEL in mind, right from the start

Teachers are, at their core, designers, and we design one of the most important things in the world-learning experiences. The number-one factor influencing success is the time and care put into designing the unit, lesson, meeting agenda, or professional learning experience. It's vital to plan with SEL in mind and to integrate it explicitly into lessons.

There are many ways to do this, but here are a few that come from my own experience and are supported by research.

Use SEL signature practices in your lesson plans. There are three practices developed by CASEL professional development consultant Ann McKay Bryson that are widely used among classroom teachers to enhance community while also promoting academic engagement.

Welcoming rituals like morning meetings or an interactive "do-now" build community and set the stage for the learning that's about to happen. This practice also brings all the voices into the room, and when you have students talking at the start of class, they are more likely to stay engaged throughout.

Engaging strategies like "turn to your partner," "Socratic Seminar," and "Jigsaw" are infused with SEL, vary in complexity, and consist of sequential steps facilitated by the teacher to support learning individually and collectively.

Optimistic closures like an "Appreciation, Apology, or Aha" aren't meant to be sanguine ways to end class. Rather, they provide an opportunity to reflect on what happened in class, share a next step, express gratitude, or lift up new understanding.

Create shared SEL learning targets. Early on in my teaching practice, an instructional coach helped me see how crucial it was to have shared learning targets in student-friendly language, using "I can" statements so students were clear on what they would learn. What took my teaching to the next level was co-constructing those learning targets with my students, shifting the language from "I" to "we." By co-creating goals with-rather than imposing goals on-our students, we give them a sense of how we as a class will support each other's learning and be responsible for contributing to each other's success. ( Here are examples of SEL learning targets.)

Incorporate both social and instructional teaching practices that promote SEL. Researcher Nick Yoder has identified 10 teaching practices that promote SEL, including practices like showing "warmth and support" (which lets students know their teacher cares) and teaching students to work effectively together toward a collective instructional goal. In my book, I offer deeper dives into some of those high-impact teaching practices that can be used across grade level and content areas to develop SEL skills and support academic learning in secondary classrooms.

2. Develop your own SEL practice

We teachers can't expect our students to practice SEL if we don't, too. We need to be aware of ourselves-our emotions, thoughts, reactions, values, and beliefs-and use that knowledge to improve teaching and create powerful learning environments. Having a strong adult SEL practice where we welcome diverse perspectives, manage strong emotions, and practice compassion towards ourselves and others can help us make better decisions in service of our students, because we are less reactive toward them and can strengthen our relationships with them, too.

Research confirms that teachers who were mandated to teach SEL but didn't cultivate their own practice actually worsened their students' SEL skills. In contrast, teachers who developed SEL skills not only improved their own well-being but improved the academic learning and social-emotional development of their students.

We can grow and deepen our own SEL practice by reflecting on guiding questions as we develop our curriculum. Some examples include:

What beliefs do I have about my students that may be impacting my instruction or lesson design? How do these beliefs help or hinder my students and myself? (self-awareness)

How can this lesson affirm the identities of the students in my class? How am I incorporating a counter-narrative? (social awareness)

How will I strengthen my relationship skills with my students, or their relationships with one another, through this lesson? What specific actions can I take? (relationship skills)

How will I practice self-management and be transparent about how I'm practicing it during this lesson? (self-management)

By answering these for ourselves, we deepen our understanding of how our own SEL can benefit students and strengthen our lessons. ( Here is an SEL integrated lesson plan template.)

3. Start small, build consistency, and evaluate outcomes

At first glance, teaching with SEL in mind may seem like a daunting task. But you can begin by taking small steps, choosing just one idea to incorporate into your teaching practice. That can make it easier to build up an integrated SEL curriculum over time.

The key is to make sure that whatever you choose to do-whether it's using an optimistic closure or giving students "brain breaks"-is done consistently. Offering small practices consistently helps build community and a culture of connection and commitment rather than compliance.

Teacher reflection and student feedback are essential to evaluating the outcomes of your lessons and can improve learning. That's why I encourage teachers to build in opportunities for students to offer feedback. (Here is my own reflection form.)

Making time for this was hard for me; but I made it part of my prep period and lesson planning process. I would also begin classes by sharing my own thoughts about students' feedback and providing evidence of what they learned in the previous class. Whenever possible, I also named how today's lesson was going to lift up their input and learning from the class before.

The effort it takes to be more intentional about teaching with SEL in mind is worth it. When teachers prioritize SEL, their classes are better managed and they experience less stress and burnout. That's why focusing on SEL is a win-win for students and teachers. The key here is integrating SEL into what you are already doing. That way, it won't feel like an extra burden, but a lift to your teaching day.

Greater Good wants to know: Do you think this article will influence your opinions or behavior?

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Three Keys to Infusing SEL Into What You Already Teach

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Teachers can incorporate SEL into everyday classroom lessons-and make education come alive for everyone.

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Video: Sense of Belonging and Classroom Norms

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Video: Sense of Belonging and Classroom Norms

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Fostering Belonging With Classroom Norms

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Video: Racial Healing by Dr. Shawn Ginwright

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Video: Racial Healing by Dr. Shawn Ginwright

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This video challenges us to think about what happens after liberation and the context of thinking outside of oppressive frameworks.

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Tool: 3 Signature SEL Practices Planning

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Tool: 3 Signature SEL Practices Planning

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This sheet provides you with reflective questions to plan your welcoming, engaging practice, and optimistic closure. Links provide suggested activities and adaptations for learning differences.

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Tool: GLT Center Self-Care Guide for Educators Self Assessment

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Tool: GLT Center Self-Care Guide for Educators Self Assessment

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This self-care assessment asks teachers to first reflect on their current self-care practices and then helps them build a plan for the future.

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Instructions

Overview

This Circle from Circle Forward is designed to focus our intention and support for our personal practice of self-care. Indigenous cultures use the symbol of the Medicine Wheel to represent the importance of balance between the four dimensions of the human being: physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental. This Circle uses this representation to focus participants on cultivating habits of self-care in all these dimensions.
Note: Application of Circle to resolve conflict or engage in difficult conversations requires training for facilitators.
The Practice: "Self-Care" Circle

Through the structure of the circle practice, create a space to encourage all participants to speak their truth respectfully to one another on an equal basis and seek a deeper understanding of themselves and others.

It is recommended that you try out this exercise yourself before practicing it with others, being sure to ask yourself all the questions that will be posed within the Circle. If you are not acting as the Keeper of the Circle, have the Keeper do the same.

The Circle presented here is simple and can be practiced with the easy-to-follow directions provided.

Seat all participants in a circle (preferably without any tables).

Choose one person (teacher, facilitator, or student) to act as Keeper of the Circle.

The Keeper welcomes everyone to the Circle, explains its purpose, plans and performs the opening and closing, poses questions, responds to each round as a participant, and passes the talking stick either to the left or the right.

Purpose

Welcome

The Keeper of the Circle welcomes everyone to the space of the Circle.

Mindfulness Moment

Opening

Check-In Round

Use a talking piece passed sequentially around the Circle, giving each person the choice to speak or pass when the talking piece comes to them. Honoring the talking piece means active listening to each person and respecting the right to pass.

The right to pass reduces the fear and stress that may block higher brain functioning, making it more possible to participate constructively. The choice to say "no" encourages students to engage-provided the questions are real and meaningful and the opportunity to participate is always present.

Remind students that they are invited to speak when the talking piece comes to them, to listen when they do not hold the talking piece, and are free to pass.

Main Activity

Invite participants to draw a large circle on paper and divide it into four equal quadrants.

Give one label outside the circle to each quadrant: "mental", "physical", "emotional", and "spiritual."

Ask participants to write inside each quadrant what they have done in the last week (or month) to take care of themselves in that dimension of their lives. Then invite them to write a goal for further self-care in one or all the quadrants.

If you notice that some participants struggle with the "spiritual" quadrant, explain that this relates to how each person thinks about "purpose" and "meaning" in their lives.

Round

Round

Round

Check-Out Round

The Keeper of the Circle asks participants:
Share something you learned from this Circle or anything you would like to say as we close our Circle?

Closing

Self-Affirmation Activity: The Keeper of the Circle asks everyone to hold up any number of fingers on one hand. Once they have done so, explain that for each finger, each participant will make a positive statement about themselves. Thank everyone for participating in the Circle today and encourage them within the week (or month) to take care of themselves according to the goal they set!

Source

Circle Forward is a resource guide designed to help teachers, administrators, students, and parents incorporate the practice of Circles into the everyday life of the school community with comprehensive step-by-step instructions for how to plan, facilitate, and implement the Circle. It provides over one hundred specific lesson plans for the application of Circles in many areas of school life.

The Center for Restorative Justice offers training and professional development in restorative justice practice for K-12 schools and universities. Also see the book Circle Forward: Building a Restorative School.

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Self-Care Circle | Greater Good In Education

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Overview This Circle from Circle Forward is designed to focus our intention and support for our personal practice of self-care. Indigenous cultures use the symbol of the Medicine Wheel to represent the importance of balance between the four dimensions of the human being: physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental.

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This provides guiding questions for quick check ins for adults with students

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This rubric should be a collection of different voices rating where your campus lands in its  implementation of social and emotional learning best practices.  Upon completion, set two priorities and related SEL goals for your campus.

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Training Opportunity: University of Chicago's Trauma-Responsive Schools

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Training Opportunity: University of Chicago's Trauma-Responsive Schools

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The University of Chicago’s Trauma-Responsive Educational Practices Project offers a course entitled, “Understanding Trauma and Trauma-Responsive Educational Practices.”  Cost $35

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Intro To Trauma and Trauma Responsive Educational Practices

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This course will build your understanding of the learning needs of students who are coping with trauma and toxic stress, and begin building your toolbox of pedagogical strategies for responding in developmentally supportive ways.

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Article: Steps for Collective Well-being in the New School Year

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Article: Steps for Collective Well-being in the New School Year

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This article provides some ideas of how to establish and rebuild connections and create an educational environment in which they support students and each other.

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Trauma-Informed Practices

Teachers can rebuild connections and create an educational environment in which they support students and each other.

Now that the previously unimaginable school year has finally ended, let's all take time to recharge our batteries before turning our attention to transitioning into the new school year-remembering all that we've learned while honoring the loss, the pain, and the grief that so many people and communities have experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic: the loss of family members and missing important milestones and activities.

The disproportionate impact of the pandemic has highlighted the presence of bias in education. Increasingly, educators (myself included) are recognizing that we are part of an institution that has created disadvantages for many students. We see the need to shift our practices so that we can more effectively push back on educational inequity and embrace a model of education that elevates all of our students.

For high school counselor Lourdes, a restorative approach that is trauma informed and healing centered needs to be part of this transition: "This year, I've seen our staff really recognize grief and the way that it is experienced.... We had to think as a community very creatively about how to connect with young people (and each other).... If we're really to become this place of growth, empathy, and compassion, we need to center our students in a more holistic way that goes beyond academics."

Take a Healing-Centered Approach

A restorative approach that is trauma informed and healing centered is a key part of this transition and requires care and sensitivity. The past year has made the need for this shift ever clearer, as the pandemic made the marginalization that Black, Brown, poor, and special needs students experience ever more pronounced.

A restorative, healing-centered approach meets a foundational need we all share-adults and young people alike-to experience connection and a sense of belonging. This is essential for students to be able to learn to the best of their ability and for us to teach to the best of our ability. Together, we can make the effort to create an environment that supports collective well-being.

In my experience training and coaching educators in this approach, the first weeks of school are critical.

Make Time at the Start of the School Year to (Re)build Connections

Get to know your colleagues and students: In addition to name games and getting-to-know-you activities early in the year, invite students to share stories of their name. You can learn a lot about each other and begin making deeper connections if you ask about names.

Acknowledge and greet each other: Make sure everyone feels seen by welcoming and affirming students as they enter your classroom. Your first interaction of the day (and year!) can set the stage in important ways.

Humanize each other beyond school roles: Ask your students about their values, interests, passions, and lives beyond school. Get a sense of who they are by having them share their favorite songs, activities, superheroes, and/or superpowers. What gifts do they bring? As you get to know each other, make sure to reflect on what it means to be and work in community.

Build a classroom that is grounded in collective values: On an index card, have each student write down a value (caring, loyalty, support, etc.) that is important to them as they think about their family, community, and friendships. Ask them to explain why this value has meaning for them.

Create community guidelines collaboratively: On the other side of that index card, invite students to write a practice or guideline that would help honor the value that they identified. Share, discuss, and then decide on a set of class guidelines for the year. Record these guidelines and keep them posted. They are a work in progress that you can revisit as the class community grows and deepens.

Make time for check-ins: Check-ins are a great way to connect on a regular basis and keep a finger on the pulse of what's going on with your students (and colleagues) at school and beyond.

Listen to one another-and make sure everyone is heard: The act of listening has healing qualities that can help us process hard times and realize we're not alone.

Consider Ceremony and Ritual to Commemorate the Previous Year

Reflect on the losses and challenges of the past year: Make space for individual and collective grieving. Journaling, writing letters, writing poems, composing music, and creating collages can be helpful activities for students to process what they've been through as they reflect on their Covid-19 year.

Create a memorial: Invite students to bring in meaningful images and items from home or jot down important names, words, quotes, and illustrations to contribute to a community memorial or pandemic gallery. These items can also serve to express what students have learned, changes they've made, or what they wish to keep to guide them and help them to stay grounded.

Pause. Have a moment of silence. Connect: Allow space and time to sit with the year that was. The mounting urgency to catch up can wait a few more days (or weeks). This can be done as part of a larger dedication ceremony that brings the community together to reflect and pay homage. Students can also share their personal stories and experiences in smaller groups.

Remember that self- and community care are important for well-being, preservation, and resilience, not just during the Covid-19 pandemic. Ask students to also think about what they look forward to. What do they wish to build or embrace, and where do they find joy?

A focus on wellness is essential as we look to next year and beyond. Thomas, a K-12 principal, says that he'd "like to nudge people away from individual concepts of wellness to more collective understanding" as we continue to address inequity in our schools in more systemic ways.

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Steps for Collective Well-Being in the New School Year

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Trauma-Informed Practices Teachers can rebuild connections and create an educational environment in which they support students and each other.

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Tool: Reflection of Putting Self-Care Into Your Practice 

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Tool: Reflection of Putting Self-Care Into Your Practice 

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Social Awareness and Responsible Decision Making Activity: The Osage Tribe – and American History – in the News

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Social Awareness and Responsible Decision Making Activity: The Osage Tribe – and American History – in the News

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November is Native American Heritage Month. In this activity, students examine a small portion of the history of the Wahzhazhe people, known as the Osage, by delving into two recent news stories.

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In this lesson, students will examine a small portion of the history of the Wahzhazhe people, known for centuries as the Osage, by delving into two recent news stories related to this tribe.

The Wahzhazhe, like Indigenous Americans from across the continent, were forcibly removed from the lands they had occupied before Europeans came to North America.

On September 14, 2021, a sacred cave containing centuries-old Wahzhazhe art - and surrounding land that was taken from the tribal nation in the 1800s - was sold at auction for $2.2 million.

The sacred cave, located in what is now Missouri, is referred to as "Picture Cave" by historians. But it is far more than a cave with pictures. For the Osage, the cave is a sacred site where their ancestors performed spiritual and tribal ceremonies; documented their beliefs, traditions, and ways of living with intricate artwork on the cave's walls; and buried their dead.

The Osage are in the news for another reason that reminds tribal members of a painful period in American history.

Oscar-award-winning director Martin Scorsese is now filming a movie about the murder of Osage tribal members that took place in Oklahoma during the 1920s. The film is based on the book Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. The filming is taking place on the Osage reservation in the city of Pawhuska.

The Osage were forced to move to Oklahoma in the 1870s, to land that was thought to have little value. But oil was found there in the early 20th century. Because tribal members had claim to the land's mineral rights, the tribe briefly became the richest people in the world, per capita. Then, tribal members began to disappear in a series of murders. Investigators found that some of the murders were committed by whites wanting to take over the land and wealth of Osage members. Most of the murders were never prosecuted.

In this lesson, students explore these two news stories, including their impact on the Wahzhazhe people and what they tell us about American history.

Whole Class Study: The Auction

Print out a few color copies of the Osage cave art and place it on the classroom walls. (Some of the art is pictured here.)

Be prepared to display on the smart board or whiteboard the tribal name "Wahzhazhe," as well as the tribe's name in their own language, as pictured on the Wahzhazhe Cultural Center's website, and shown below.

Also see this pdf document containing the tribe's name in Wahzhazhe, as well as the headlines and article excerpts below.

Has anyone heard of the Wahzhazhe, an American Indian tribe?

Next ask:

Has anyone heard of the Osage tribe?

Then explain the history of the tribal names and show students the spelling of Wahzhazhe. (Also see this pdf.)

The Osage were originally known as the Ni-U-Kon-Ska, which means "children of the middle waters." The Osage inhabited a vast territory that formerly included Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas as well as the area between the Missouri and Red rivers, thus the name, "children of the middle waters."

Today they call themselves Wah-Zha-Zhi or Wahzhazhe, which was translated by French explorers and fur traders as Ouazhigi, which later became the English name Osage. Their original language was a Dhegiha Siouan language spoken by several tribes including the Omaha, Ponca, Kaw, and Quapaw, as well as the Wahzhazhe.

Project the image of the name Wahzhazhe in the tribe's language. (Also see this pdf.)

Explain to students that on September 14, 2021, a sacred Osage site and burial ground was sold at auction for $2.2 million.

Tell them they'll now listen to a five-minute radio interview with Dr. Andrea Hunter, a member of the Osage nation and the Director and Tribal Historic Preservation Officer for the Osage nation.

Begin the audio at the 7:51 mark and end it at 13:20:
https://soundcloud.com/onwurd/wake-up-with-wurd-92221-dr-andrea-hunter
Give students a few minutes to share any thoughts they have about the auction of the sacred site in Warrenton, Missouri.

Next, tell students you're now going to show them several headlines about the auction from different media outlets (below and in this pdf handout).

Ask: What similarities or differences do you notice in these headlines?

Cave Featuring Native American Wall Art Is Sold to Anonymous Bidder

Missouri Cave Containing Ancient Pictographs Sold To Private Bidder

A cave full of ancient Indigenous paintings sold for more than $2 million. The Osage Nation says it belongs to them

Missouri Cave Filled With Ancient Artwork Sold Against Osage Nation's Wishes

'Like Auctioning Off the Sistine Chapel': An Auction House Sold an Osage Cave Containing Important Prehistoric Art for $2.2 Million

A Missouri cave filled with 1,000-year-old indigenous paintings sold at auction and the Osage Nation want it back

"Truly Heartbreaking": Osage Nation Decries Sale of Cave Containing Indigenous Art

Small Group Work

Once students have reflected on the headlines, ask them to break into groups of three. In their groups, they will take five minutes or so to write a headline they think best reflects the sale and its impact.

After about six minutes, have students reconvene and ask a few groups to share their headlines.

Whole Class Study: Osage Murders

Tell students that the Oscar-award-winning film director Martin Scorsese is currently shooting a film about the murders of Osage men and women.

Next, play the first part of the same audio, this time beginning the clip at :16 and ending it at 7:50:

https://soundcloud.com/onwurd/wake-up-with-wurd-92221-dr-andrea-hunter

Then show excerpts from an IndieWire article about the production. Begin by showing the article's headline (or see this pdf):

'Killers of the Flower Moon': 18 Things to Know About Scorsese's $200 Million Western Epic

Next, read two of Scorsese's quotes from the article, or project the quote and ask student volunteers to read it:

"To be able to tell this story on the land where these events took place is incredibly important and critical to allowing us to portray an accurate depiction of the time and people. We're grateful to Apple, the Oklahoma Film and Music Office and The Osage Nation, especially all our Osage consultants and cultural advisors, as we prepare for this shoot. We're excited to start working with our local cast and crew to bring this story to life on screen and immortalize a time in American history that should not be forgotten."

"We think it's a Western," Scorsese told Premiere of the film. "It happened in 1921-1922 in Oklahoma. There are certainly cowboys, but they have cars and also horses. The film is mainly about the Osage, an Indian tribe that was given horrible territory, which they loved because they said to themselves that Whites would never be interested in it. Then we discovered oil there and, for about 10 years, the Osage became the richest people in the world, per capita. Then, as with the Yukon and the Colorado mining regions, the vultures disembark, the White man, the European arrives, and all was lost. There, the underworld had such control over everything that you were more likely to go to jail for killing a dog than for killing an Indian."

Then read a quote from a tribal member reacting to the production.

The Osage Nation Reaction

With production on "Killers of the Flower Moon" now underway, several Osage Nation members spoke to The Oklahoman about what it means for such a huge production to be resurrecting painful memories from the past. The production has taken over entire streets in Pawhuska, Oklahoma and transformed them into 1920s Fairfax.

"I think about it both ways. It was a bad time - a real bad time - for the Osage...and I think this movie is going to bring back a lot of old, bad memories," Osage Nation member Harrison Shackelford said. "But it's going to bring back some stuff that needed to be talked about, that needs to be said, that some people know and some people don't know. And I think it's going to be good.

Brandy Lemon, a longtime member of the Osage Nation Congress who is working as a liaison on the movie, added, "It's definitely something that is delicate...It's a delicate balance that, no matter what, it's going to hurt some. And others are going to cheer it on. If anybody knows anything about Martin Scorsese, they're going to get everything in this film. They're going to get drama, they're going to get violence in some form, they're going to get anguish, they're going to get happiness, all the big feelings.

Ask students:

Do you think a movie should be made about the Osage murders?

If so, who should make the film?

Ask students:

What is similar about the two stories about the Osage that we have explored today?

What is different about the two stories?

Invite students to share one wish that they have for the Wahzhazhe people.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/9/14/22674577/osage-nation-picture-cave-missouri-sold-auction-sacred-site-warrenton

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/16/us/missouri-picture-cave-auction-indigenous-art-cec/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/us/osage-nation-cave-auction.html

https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/killers-of-the-flower-moon-release-date-cast-details/brendan-fraser/

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The Osage Tribe - and American History - in the News

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In this lesson, students will examine a small portion of the history of the Wahzhazhe people, known for centuries as the Osage, by delving into two recent news stories related to this tribe. The Wahzhazhe, like Indigenous Americans from across the continent, were forcibly removed from the lands they had occupied before Europeans came to North America.

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6 Mental Health Activities for High School Students

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Six mental health activities for students you can use to embed mental wellness into your high school classroom culture.

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Pride Month Resources from Learning for Justice

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Pride Month Resources from Learning for Justice

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Without LGBTQ history, there is no American history. From Learning for Justice and hosts Leila Rupp and John D'Emilio, Queer America takes listeners on a journey that spans from Harlem to the Frontier West, revealing...

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Celebrate Pride 2022 with Ongoing Resistance, Activism and Solidarity

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We are celebrating Pride 2022 in the shadow of hundreds of anti-LGBTQ bills, anti-CRT legislation (prohibiting teaching about racism) and assaults on reproductive rights aimed at silencing and disenfranchising people-all coordinated efforts in a backlash against gains in social justice and equity.