# data[].attributes.body
How can awareness of these facts affect teacher-student interactions?

# data[].attributes.body
Twitter: @CBGHolliday
Email: hollidayeandesolutions@gmail.com

# data[].attributes.headline
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY Region Level Annual Discipline Summary PEIMS Discipline Data for 2018-2019

# data[].attributes.subject
TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY Region Level Annual Discipline Summary PEIMS Discipline Data for 2018-2019

# data[].attributes.body
Region 4 Data

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
N/A indicates counts or percentages are not available (i.e., masked) to comply with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Masked numbers are typically small, although larger numbers may be masked to prevent imputation.

# data[].attributes.body
Trust is required when engaging in this work. What agreements need to be made so that everyone can fully participate in the work? What practices need to be surfaced and disrupted in order to fully engage?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
An overview of the seven elements of trust: Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Nonjudgment, and Generosity. The acronym BRAVING serves as a helpful checklist when rumbling with trust issues with the people in our lives.

Watch Next
Explore All Videos Play Time: 23 minutes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SuperSoul Sessions: The Anatomy of Trust

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An overview of the seven elements of trust: Boundaries, Reliability, Accountability, Vault, Integrity, Nonjudgment, and Generosity. The acronym BRAVING serves as a helpful checklist when rumbling with trust issues with the people in our lives.

# data[].attributes.headline
Courageous Conversations Agreements & Compass

# data[].attributes.subject
Courageous Conversations Agreements & Compass

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Online store for Courageous Conversation merchandise.

# data[].attributes.headline
Nothing to Add: A Challenge to White Silence in Racial Discussions

# data[].attributes.subject
Nothing to Add: A Challenge to White Silence in Racial Discussions

# data[].attributes.body
Robin DiAngelo

# data[].attributes.headline
School Leaders: Having Conversations About Equity: Faculty discussions on race and equity can get uncomfortable & emotional— and that's okay.

# data[].attributes.subject
School Leaders: Having Conversations About Equity: Faculty discussions on race and equity can get uncomfortable & emotional— and that's okay.

# data[].attributes.body
By Elena Aguilar, November 4, 2016

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Recently, an instructional coach asked me about facilitating professional development (PD) sessions focused on equity. "Interrupting inequities, particularly racial inequities, is a fire in my bones," she said. "I know we have to have conversations about this in our schools, but I don't know how to lead them."

If you're a teacher leader, a coach, or an administrator who shares this commitment, I'm so glad. Our students need us to explore these issues.

Steps for Discussion or Facilitation

Here are 10 suggestions on how to lead professional development or conversations about equity:

1. Before the session: Give people an idea of what's coming. Share the agenda ahead of time clarifying what will happen and why. Maybe require pre-work (such as reading an article or a chapter from a book, watching a movie, or reflecting on their own lives and teaching practice).

Be sure to invite or require individual reflection so that you can both understand what participants are thinking and feeling. You can send an anonymous survey and ask questions such as:

What comes up for you when thinking about exploring issues of equity?

What hopes and fears do you have about this session?

What do you need to help you engage deeply in this conversation?

Ask participants to show up having done all they can to take care of themselves so that they can be fully present. Remind them that there'll be no downtime to take care of business (so no computers needed), but perhaps let them know you'll have snacks.

If possible, co-design and co-facilitate this session. You can do this alone, but it will be easier with someone else.

2. Be super prepared. Planning for a PD session often takes me two or three hours for every one hour of delivery. When the content can spark a lot of emotion, it takes me even more time to think through every detail. Know what's going to happen, do your homework on the content, and think through everything that could happen. If you are super prepared, you'll also feel more confident-and the combination will cultivate trust in you from those who attend this session.

3. Open the session by inviting people to reflect on what they'll need in order to feel comfortable. You might also share some comments from the survey, but anonymously. Please remember that these sessions will be harder for people of color. That's the topic of another post. For right now, please be aware of the race dynamics in the group you'll facilitate.

4. Ask people to take responsibility for themselves. Ask them to reflect on what they can do that day-and during the session-to help them feel safe, comfortable, and open.

5. Let people know there'll be follow-up. Additionally, let them know you're available to debrief after if anything comes up that they want to talk more about.

6. Let people know that expressions of emotion are okay. Suggest that we don't need to be freaked out by anyone's emotions and that people also express emotions differently.

7. Enter this conversation with an acute awareness of who you are as a teacher, coach, or leader as it relates to your gender and racial identity. Who you are matters a great deal in this conversation. Reflecting on your privileges, history, and identity are essential before leading these conversations.

8. Build community by sharing a poem or another written piece. Choose something that provokes reflection and is connected to the topic. You can also offer a selection of quotes to read together or a brief reading to discuss. For sessions on equity, I love the poem Shared Words, Shared Worlds by Naomi Shihab Nye. This passage by Margaret Wheatley, Willing to be Disturbed, is also a powerful, provocative way to open these conversations.

9. Know that as a facilitator, you are still a learner and you'll make mistakes. You might even say things you later wish that you hadn't. You might unintentionally hurt people's feelings. You can learn, and you can improve. Don't let your fears hold you back from having conversations about equity. Manage your own feelings.

And at the same time, as a facilitator, know that you are responsible for having done all the preparation you can and for being as ready as possible. If you make mistakes, that's okay. From those mistakes, reflect on your learnings and be open and grateful for any feedback.

10. Gather feedback (anonymous or not) at the end of the session. Follow up with anyone who wants to, and let people know what will come of the session. Perhaps there might be some kind of additional learning or inquiry into the experience. Or it may inspire a discussion in the classroom. Or perhaps policy or curriculum might change. Hopefully the conversations lead to change in experience and outcomes for children-especially for our children who have been historically underserved in our schools.

If nothing else, don't let fear hold you back. Please have conversations about race and equity and teaching and learning. Manage your own discomfort. Don't panic or shy away if others get uncomfortable. Trust in the process. Trust that this conversation (even if it gets hard) is worth having and that you'll learn and grow from it as well.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
School Leaders: Having Conversations About Equity

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Recently, an instructional coach asked me about facilitating professional development (PD) sessions focused on equity. "Interrupting inequities, particularly racial inequities, is a fire in my bones," she said. "I know we have to have conversations about this in our schools, but I don't know how to lead them."

# data[].attributes.body
What is the explicit link between culturally relevant pedagogy and student achievement?

How does the educational system view children of color?

# data[].attributes.body
Robin DiAngelo

# data[].attributes.headline
Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions towards Multicultural Education & Teaching of Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Learners

# data[].attributes.subject
Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions towards Multicultural Education & Teaching of Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Learners

# data[].attributes.body
by Roben Taylor, Alex Kumi-Yeboah, & Ravic P. Ringlaben

# data[].attributes.headline
Applying an Equity Lens to Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

# data[].attributes.subject
Applying an Equity Lens to Social, Emotional, and Academic Development

# data[].attributes.body
The Pennsylvania State University June 2018

# data[].attributes.body
From the Leading Equity Center

# data[].attributes.headline
But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

# data[].attributes.subject
But That's Just Good Teaching! The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

# data[].attributes.body
Gloria Ladson Billings

# data[].attributes.headline
Personal Self Assessment of Anti-Bias Behavior

# data[].attributes.subject
Personal Self Assessment of Anti-Bias Behavior

# data[].attributes.body
Dena Simmons

# data[].attributes.body
Executive Summary

# data[].attributes.headline
Ready for Rigor: A Culturally Responsive Framework for Teachers

# data[].attributes.subject
Ready for Rigor: A Culturally Responsive Framework for Teachers

# data[].attributes.body
Zaretta Hammond

# data[].attributes.headline
Some of the Surprising Reasons Why Students Drop Out of School

# data[].attributes.subject
Some of the Surprising Reasons Why Students Drop Out of School

# data[].attributes.body
National Education Association

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"Why We Drop Out": Understanding and Disrupting Student Pathways to Leaving School by Deborah L. Feldman, ‎ Antony T. Smith,‎ and Barbara L. Waxman, recounts the compelling stories of kids who explain in their own words why they decided to leave school.

NEA Today spoke with Feldman to talk about what she learned from her interviews with the more than 50 young people who dropped out of high school.
What surprised you most about your findings in your interviews with the students?
Deborah Feldman: What really surprised us was that the overwhelming majority of the youth we interviewed really liked elementary school. Another surprise was how many were willing to blame themselves and how much they deeply regretted their actions that led to dropping out. Finally, what surprised me personally was the lack of interventions. We never know the full story, only the kids' perspective, but very few recalled having any official interventions for truancy, or interventions from parents or the school.
What was a common reason for dropping out?
They seemed to be forgotten by the schools or consciously ignored. We don't know, but we suspect that in some districts, if a kid isn't doing well and is a problem, it's easier to let them slip away. Around the country, districts are cash-strapped and don't have the resources to follow up on kids with numerous absences.
When did the decision to drop out normally occur?
DF: There were very distinct patterns we see with kids starting to pull away usually in middle school. The through line in many of their stories was some kind of academic challenge that undermined their faith in themselves as learners, that then led to helplessness and hopelessness about their ability to be a student, which was their primary job in life. Math, in particular, seemed to be the academic trip wire where they stumbled on and never recovered from. Algebra was often the culprit. They developed an "I'm no good at math" sensibility and when they started believing they weren't able to succeed, they started skipping.

DF: There's often a tipping point that brings them to the edge -- a bullying incident, feeling hopeless academically, like in math. A suspension or expulsion. Some kind of social problem that gets out of hand. Or multiple moves to multiple schools when they finally decide it's not worth trying to adjust.

Although there's a tipping point, dropping out can be a long process. About a third of the youth we interviewed were what we called "slow faders." They started having problems in late elementary and early middle school, started skipping in middle school, and by high school moved into full blown truancy, no longer skipping a period here and there but missing substantial portions of school. They didn't finally drop out until they were in 11 th or 12 th grade, or even in their 13 th year of high school.

There were very distinct patterns we see with kids starting to pull away usually in middle school. The through line in many of their stories was some kind of academic challenge that undermined their faith in themselves as learners, that then led to helplessness and hopelessness about their ability to be a student"

Are there common traits that the students who decided to drop out share?
Another group started skipping in late middle school and dropped out by about the end of tenth grade. Finally, there were the accelerated leavers -- kids who tended to come from damaging backgrounds, had mental health problems, problems at home, drug and alcohol problems. This group of students had so many things going on it's easy to see why they'd be really challenging for schools to work with. Trying to at least stabilize these kid at school should be priority number one.
What can schools and educators do to intervene?
DF: The majority are lower income, not necessarily living in poverty, but come from struggling families. Many are kids of color. But the most common through line is having some kind of learning challenge that doesn't get addressed and the student feels academically abandoned.

DF: First, there needs to be some kind of mechanism in place to know when a kid is starting to get in trouble academically or socially. Some schools have early warning systems, which is a good start. It uses the numbers that schools already have of their students' absences, grades, discipline issues. If any of these aspects is triggered, having a plan in place to respond to that kid can be effective.

Backing up even further, having a school-wide orientation toward truly knowing your kids and taking steps to make them feel they are an important part of everything, that they belong, that their voices are valued. If that's the culture, you'll be more likely to know about issues they're having because they might tell you about it. A lot of students said they felt intimidated by their teachers, so in class they didn't ask questions or say anything about struggles they were having.

Another thing we heard among these vulnerable kids is that they had perceptions that their teachers didn't like them, whether it was accurate or not. Educators can help by carefully watching what they say and how it could be interpreted. The youth we talked to were really impacted by the perception that teachers were snide and sarcastic towards them. As any parent of an adolescent can attest, even if you're not expressing anything negative, if you're just being neutral, teens can interpret the slightest thing as "this teacher doesn't like me." There's a lot of training out there around language and perception.

But the main thing is to help kids feel like you have their back, no matter what.

Schools need to create a solid cultural foundation. Get to know your students and their back story so you understand where they're coming from. Really listen to them. Amazing things happen when you ask students to tell their story and when they feel they're being heard. This can be helpful in academic and disciplinary interventions.

Building a caring community can happen at the classroom level, school level and community level. At the school-wide level, it's looking for the skipping culture and try to gather those kids back into the community. One pattern we identified was if kids moved and transferred to a new school, they often felt very out of place, which can have a cascading effect on feeling successful. One student felt so depressed, she didn't think the teachers cared and she didn't even know them, so she didn't feel she could go talk to them. Transfer students like this girl who feel isolated, gravitate to the other students who feel like they don't belong. They soon form a skipping culture, which becomes a reinforced behavior. Almost simultaneously, they start using drugs and alcohol. It's like like boom, boom. This is why prevention is so critical. One you join the skipping culture, once you're in and you have a group identity and that group works really hard to keep you in. It's very hard to leave. It's very similar to the gang culture. I may have no other friends, I might feel like a loser, but at least I'm here with this group.
What did most of the students wish their educators had done?
It's very helpful to have an orientation program for freshman but just as important is to have one for transfer students. Assign them an advisor teacher or a study buddy or an older volunteer student to sit with them at lunch and ease the transition. The first few weeks can be really critical.

DF: The ones that really felt bad about their academic abilities wished they had more individual help. By the same token, the kids who clearly needed extra supports way back in elementary school but didn't get them, blamed themselves. A lot of them said, "I wished I'd worked harder." They also said they'd wished their parents had been more effective at laying down the law.
What are some policies that should be put in place?
Older teens wished they had listened to parents. Some of the kids needing more guidance, sometimes not feasible for their parents to provide because they just had too many demands to keep the lights on and food on the table. Many of kids were from immigrant and refugee families. That's where the critical role of the community comes in. Schools can partner or even host community centers, which can be a place for kids to go after school for a welcoming environment. Parents who speak a different language can be better connected to school. It's important for schools to offer a place.

DF: Look at the discipline policy and consider restorative justice.

We spoke to several students who were bullied mercilessly and when finally lashed out, they were suspended or expelled. The schools weren't interested in their story and had a zero tolerance, rules are rules, policy where you break the rules, you're out. We recommend looking at other ways at responding and listening to students. You must still hold kids accountable, but if a kid feels really heard, it can make a difference in how they feel about school. Traditional discipline creates dropouts. Restorative justice helps prevent them.

Educators can also reassess homework policies. If you don't understand how to balance an equation after finishing chapter 6 and move on to the next chapter, you can't build on balancing that equation. Assignments keep moving forward, but you can't do your assignments because you don't understand the problems, so your homework gets a zero and that brings your grade down. We need to recognize that homework is not that critical an element of learning, and some students might not have a home environment where they can effectively do their homework. Carve out time in class to do it, and think about groupings of students who can help each other.

Also, look for professional development to encourage teachers to relinquish control of being the sole source of information - rather than maintain an "I Do, You Do" approach, be more of a guide and walk around as students help each other and work on hands-on group projects. There are lots of good ideas about helping kids with math and about approaching homework differently. Just try new things. And keep trying.

Learn more about Why We Drop Out.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Some of the Surprising Reasons Why Students Drop Out of School | NEA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Why We Drop Out": Understanding and Disrupting Student Pathways to Leaving School by Deborah L. Feldman, ‎ Antony T. Smith,‎ and Barbara L. Waxman, recounts the compelling stories of kids who explain in their own words why they decided to leave school.

# data[].attributes.body
Scenarios and Strategies

# data[].attributes.headline
What is Culturally Responsive Teaching (quote)

# data[].attributes.subject
What is Culturally Responsive Teaching (quote)

# data[].attributes.body
Zaretta Hammond

# data[].attributes.headline
Leading Together / Leading Alongside New Teachers of Color

# data[].attributes.subject
Leading Together / Leading Alongside New Teachers of Color

# data[].attributes.headline
Basic Structure for a Coaching Conversation

# data[].attributes.subject
Basic Structure for a Coaching Conversation

# data[].attributes.body
Liz Berquist and Lisa Williams

# data[].attributes.headline
Examples of Microaggressions in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.subject
Examples of Microaggressions in the Classroom

# data[].attributes.body
Teaching Tolerance Guide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to Promote Diversity in the Classroom: Recognize and Challenge Implicit Bias - Waterford.org

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Discover a few examples of implicit bias in education and how educators can combat them to promote diversity in their schools.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
How to Promote Diversity in the Classroom: Recognize and Challenge Implicit Bias

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's a moment most educators will recognize: A student has said something biased or promoted a stereotype. There's a ripple through the classroom, but the speaker hasn't noticed. Students look to you expectantly, and you know the statement can't go unaddressed.

Most teachers look for opportunities to build a human rights culture and to counter hatred, bigotry, fear-mongering and intolerance. One way to do this, when students make a mistake, is to call them in rather than calling them out. Doing so prepares them for civic engagement by encouraging a sense of hope and possibility.

Guiding Instead of Dragging

In conversations and debates about social justice issues, insisting someone take responsibility when they say or do something hurtful-regardless of their intent-is a common way to protect vulnerable communities and individuals. It's often necessary, but not every correction allows both parties to move forward. Calling out happens when we point out a mistake, not to address or rectify the damage, but instead to publicly shame the offender. In calling out, a person or group uses tactics like humiliation, shunning, scapegoating or gossip to dominate others.

In our society, call-outs have become a way of life. They are generally done publicly, either in person or online. Extreme calling out is when a person or a group expresses their disagreement cruelly, sometimes grandstanding. Fearing they may be considered politically backward if they don't prove their "wokeness" on trending social justice issues, witnesses to the conflict may pile on while bystanders silently withdraw.

Calling in is a technique that does allow all parties to move forward. It's a concept created by human-rights practitioners to challenge the toxicity of call-out culture. Calling in is speaking up without tearing down. A call-in can happen publicly or privately, but its key feature is that it's done with love. Instead of shaming someone who's made a mistake, we can patiently ask questions to explore what was going on and why the speaker chose their harmful language.

Call-ins are agreements between people who work together to consciously help each other expand their perspectives. They encourage us to recognize our requirements for growth, to admit our mistakes and to commit to doing better. Calling in cannot minimize harm and trauma already inflicted, but it can get to the root of why the injury occurred, and it can stop it from happening again.

Calling in is not for everyone or every circumstance. It's not fair, for example, to insist that people hurt by cruel or careless language or actions be responsible for the personal growth of those who have injured them; calling in should not demand involuntary emotional labor.

Calling in is also not a useful response to those who intentionally violate standards of civil conversation. When powerful people use bigotry, fear and lies to attack others, calling out can be a valuable tool, either for the individuals they seek to oppress or for bystanders who choose to interrupt the encounter. When people knowingly use stereotypes or dehumanizing metaphors to describe human beings, their actions victimize targets and potentially set them up for violence. Calling out may be the best response to those who refuse to accept responsibility for the harm they encourage or who pretend they are only innocently using their right to free speech.

But, if call-ins can occur without demanding undue emotional labor or allowing space for hateful behavior, this approach offers a way forward that increases the potential for learning-particularly in activist and academic spaces. This practice works especially well when allies call one another in or when leaders, such as teachers, use it to model speaking up without losing the opportunity for learning. By teaching our students how to call one another in, we're providing them the tools and skills they need to gather up those who share their privileges, to offer patience and grace when they can, and to facilitate growth-so others won't have to.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It's a moment most educators will recognize: A student has said something biased or promoted a stereotype. There's a ripple through the classroom, but the speaker hasn't noticed. Students look to you expectantly, and you know the statement can't go unaddressed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The Black Lives Matter protests aren't just about police brutality. The movement asks all institutions, including schools, to take a hard look at themselves and identify policies that contribute to systemic racism-and then to reform them.

Data is a crucial tool for teachers, administrators, and principals to begin this reflection process. But too often, racial blindness and deficit-based thinking can corrupt data analysis. When they do, school personnel may inadvertently arrive at conclusions that mischaracterize or harm students of color.

This is where data equity comes into play. Having an equity approach to data analysis means maintaining an awareness of potential distortion and taking proactive steps to counteract it. We must adopt an equity mindset in the collection, interpretation, and use of education data.

Equity in Collection

Collecting the right information is the first step of any data project. Racial equity analyses often seek to understand how or why school opportunities, outcomes, and environments differ along racial lines.

This project requires collecting student race and ethnicity data in a way that allows for disaggregation by demographic group. For instance, in addition to examining your school's or classroom's test scores, you could break that data down by race. Maybe as a school, your test scores sit above the state average-but are below the average for particular racial or ethnic groups. To see that trend, you must collect the data.

It's important to keep in mind that racial equity issues also intersect with matters relating to other demographic groups, such as gender and class. Breaking up data only by race may reveal that Black students disproportionately receive disciplinary action, as is true in many schools across the country. But adding in gender may uncover connections between race, gender, and specific disciplinary policies, such as how school dress codes often discriminate against Black girls. Collecting and then disaggregating for a variety of demographic factors can help uncover such inequities.

Equity in Interpretation

After you've collected the data and identified some trends, the next step is interpretation. If you see racial disparities, ask why they're present in your classroom or school. It's a difficult question, and the answer will depend on your unique context. That said, you can improve interpretation by using two practices: avoiding deficit-based thinking and using qualitative data.

Deficit-based thinking in interpretation means attributing differences in education outcomes among racial groups to student deficiencies while ignoring the impact(s) of systemic racism on those students. By failing to address systemic issues, deficit based thinking tacitly accepts them-and expects more of students with fewer resources.

Take SAT scores as an example: Black and Hispanic students tend to score below the national average. Deficit-based thinking might conclude that Black and Hispanic students need to spend more time studying to close this gap. That would ignore phenomena like intergenerational systemic racism, which has privileged White perspectives in curricula, produced racially segregated schools, and caused students of color to internalize negative stereotypes. Some describe the persistent discrimination against these students as creating an " educational debt," so that simply providing them test prep or other services wouldn't be sufficient. Avoiding deficit-based thinking means understanding these systems of oppression and taking the time to look beyond the student to explain trends in your data.

A helpful tool for avoiding this pitfall is using qualitative data. Relying only on quantitative data often leaves out students' contexts and lived experiences. Interviews, surveys, and focus groups that allow students to describe their experiences can often help explain trends in your data or spark ideas for new investigations.

Educators already use a host of qualitative data-gathering techniques. Parent-teacher conferences offer a window into students' home lives, and educators often speak with students one-on-one to learn their perspectives. Free survey services, such as Google Forms and Survey Monkey, offer methods of collecting qualitative data and have easy-to-use interfaces. Focus groups can be difficult to facilitate, but guides abound. They can also be much less formal than the guides recommend, and could simply mean taking aside a group of students and asking them a few questions.

Equity in Use

If your analysis reveals troubling trends, then it's time to act. The specifics of how you change classroom culture or school policies will depend on your particular circumstances, but two points of guidance can make a difference.

First, don't get stuck on symbolic changes like affirmatively stating support for anti-racist movements or adding racial diversity to leadership staff without doing the hard, necessary work to dismantle racist systems.

Second, after you make a change, test whether it had the desired effect. No plan is perfect, and implementation often reveals unforeseen hiccups and hurdles. I've witnessed this many times. Once, I worked with a program that primarily served low-income children of color, and it identified that there were many students who had low attendance. Unfortunately, the program initially fell into the deficit-based thinking pitfall, decided that the low attendance resulted from students and families not valuing education, and "solved" the problem with harsher penalties for absences.

We evaluated whether implementing the harsher penalties improved outcomes; it didn't. Students still had low attendance and now had the added stress from the penalties. So we altered our approach. We started collecting qualitative data by having conversations with families and students to try to understand their perspective. Far from the faulty deficit-based thinking rationale, we discovered that usually the causes were transportation issues or other commitments. After this realization, we changed our approach. The harsher penalties stopped, and instead the program began calling the families of chronically absent students to try to better understand their individual circumstances. The program then worked with these families to create a flexible plan that suited their needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Black Lives Matter protests aren't just about police brutality. The movement asks all institutions, including schools, to take a hard look at themselves and identify policies that contribute to systemic racism-and then to reform them. Data is a crucial tool for teachers, administrators, and principals to begin this reflection process.

# data[].attributes.headline
National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

# data[].attributes.subject
National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations

# data[].attributes.headline
Culturally Responsive & Inclusive Curriculum Resources: Home

# data[].attributes.subject
Culturally Responsive & Inclusive Curriculum Resources: Home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This guide is meant to help faculty at PSU find information and resources that will help them begin to create courses and curriculum that are more culturally responsive to and inclusive of our students. This guide is a response to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and Graduate Council's requirements in regards to culturally responsive courses and programs. The OAA course and program forms will ask you to address the following questions:

How is the course content inclusive and relevant to a diverse and evolving student body?

Demonstrate how the content of your curriculum reflects diverse perspectives. Perspectives to consider include, but are not limited to, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, national origin and disability. Examples of ways in which diversity and inclusion may be reflected include topics covered, examples used in illustrating concepts or models, data categories, course objectives, learning outcomes, and the diversity of perspectives or inclusion of underrepresented voices in the course readings, etc. In some cases, attention to topics covered might include planned discussion of missing perspectives and/or voids within the field. If you think such considerations do not apply to the content of your course, explain why not.

What pedagogical methods and/or approaches will be used when teaching this course to facilitate an inclusive learning environment?

The answer to this question should demonstrate how pedagogical methods reflect intentional efforts to engage all students. Factors to consider include, but are not limited to, race, gender, sexual orientation, class, national origin and disability, as well as implementing universal design in course development. Discuss the conscious choices that you make in order to facilitate inclusion. For example, a commitment to using students' chosen pronouns to reflect a consideration of various gender identities within the learning environment; or discussion of the process for group formation and assessment when utilizing group work to accommodate varied learning styles.

Click on the tabs above to find:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
LibGuides: Culturally Responsive & Inclusive Curriculum Resources: Home

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This guide is meant to help faculty at PSU find information and resources that will help them begin to create courses and curriculum that are more culturally responsive to and inclusive of our students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The inventory is a tool to promote dialogue about the degree to which colleges and universities are culturally sensitive and committed to equity in outcomes for all students. The inventory can be used to stimulate discussion about the underlying reasons for different success rates among different student populations (as shown in disaggregated student outcome data) and to spark conversations about how all students can receive the support they need to be successful.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The inventory is a tool to promote dialogue about the degree to which colleges and universities are culturally sensitive and committed to equity in outcomes for all students. The inventory can be used to stimulate discussion about the underlying reasons for different success rates among different student populations (as shown in disaggregated student outcome data) and to spark conversations about how all students can receive the support they need to be successful.

# data[].attributes.body
Dena Simmons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
1. Engage in Vigilant Self-Awareness

People who are white or perceived as white have more privilege and fewer barriers to resources than Black people and other people of color. If we do not know our power, we can abuse it unintentionally or fail to leverage it toward antiracism. Constant self-reflection enhances our ability to disrupt white privilege when we see or enact it. Some questions to ask yourself include

How does your identity provide or prevent access to necessary resources?

How does your power and privilege show up in your work with students, take up space, or silence others?

What single narratives are you telling yourself about students, and how does that affect grading, behavior management, and other interactions?

Do you and the academic materials you use uphold whiteness or lift up the voices and experiences of people of color?

2. Acknowledge Racism and the Ideology of White Supremacy

Acknowledging the social construct of race and racism and the ideology of white supremacy recognizes the problem so that we are not harmful in our ignorance and so that, together, we can strive for solutions. For educators of color, the work means continuing to call out racism and recruiting white coconspirators to join in antiracist work.

3. Study and Teach Representative History

No matter what subject you teach, history (including African American history, which is U.S. history) is important. Knowing our country's whole history helps us make sense of how our current education system perpetuates inequity.

For too long, we have taught U.S. history devoid of a true depiction of Black excellence and have focused on erasing the truth of racial oppression and uplifting whiteness. Our curriculum superficially talks about slavery and civil rights (notably, textbook provider McGraw-Hill called enslaved Africans "immigrants" and "workers" ), and teaching practices risk traumatizing Black students by enacting mock slave auctions, slave games, and underground railroad games. Alternately, resources such as Henry Louis Gates Jr.'s PBS documentary series on Reconstruction or The New York Times Magazine's 1619 Project provide a comprehensive opportunity to learn and discuss history and race with colleagues and students. The Zinn Education Project and Rethinking Schools also have teaching materials that explore topics like the Tulsa race riots and colonization.

4. Talk About Race with Students

To open up conversations with young people, use stories from history and literature as a starting point, and ask students to take on the perspective of a character about whom they are reading. Reading literature and role-playing enhance empathy and other social cognitive skills. Teaching Tolerance's resource, " Let's Talk: Discussing Race, Racism, and Other Difficult Topics," includes suggestions for working through discomfort. The Educational Leadership article " Helping Students Discuss Race Openly " also has a great list of steps to begin the conversation. (And the September 2019 issue of this newsletter includes guidance from educator Liz Kleinrock on how to lead students through challenging topics like race .)

5. When You See Racism, Do Something

Most important, when we see racism-whether at the individual or policy level-we must have the courage to act. White Fragility author Robin DiAngelo provides guidance for engaging in gentle but firm conversations with offenders that prevents the defensiveness that race conversations inspire. Share data on specific practices and use stories to humanize the data. Build partnerships with racial-justice organizations in your communities to integrate their work in teaching and learning. Form a taskforce to assess data, policies, and practices with an antiracist lens to disrupt systemic decisions that historically have disenfranchised people of color. Be mindful that these efforts should not be carried solely by the people of color in your school, who are living and struggling with racism on a daily basis.

Shape an Antiracist Future

In his book How to Be an Antiracist, Ibram X. Kendi writes, "The opposite of racist isn't 'not racist.' It is 'anti-racist.' ... One either allows racial inequities to persevere, as a racist, or confronts racial inequities, as an anti-racist. There is no in-between safe space of 'not racist'" (p. 9). Teaching for an antiracist future starts with us, the educators. An antiracist educator actively works to dismantle the structures, policies, institutions, and systems that create barriers and perpetuate race-based inequities for people of color. Educating students to see and respect the humanity and dignity of all people should be a national imperative, especially if we want to heal-and have a future-as a nation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Educators have an obligation to confront the harm of racism, says one social-emotional learning expert.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
1. Home

2. Implementation

3. Data Decision-Making

4. Behavior Incident Report System

Behavior Incident Report System

The Behavior Incident Report System (BIRS) provides early care and education programs and classrooms with a system to collect and analyze behavior incidents in their program. The system provides an efficient mechanism for gathering information on elements related to behavior incidents that can be used analytically to make decisions about providing supports to teachers and children within the program. Teachers within programs collect data on behavior incidents that are not developmentally normative or are a cause of concern to the teacher. These data are summarized monthly to provide formative data for examining factors related to behavior incidents (child, teacher, activity, behavior type, behavior motivation, and responses to the behavior). In addition, these data provide summative information on the frequency of behavior incidents over time and an analysis of potential equity issue by calculating disproportionality related to race, ethnicity, IEP status, gender, and dual language learners.

Useful Resources

Learn more about the BIRS, before you download, with these resources:

About the BIR system, features, and value for an early childhood program

Components needed to ensure a program is prepared for BIRS implementation

Answers to frequently asked questions regarding the use of the BIRS

The BIRS Package

The BIRS package, accessible throught the online form below, includes the following:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Home Implementation Data Decision-Making Behavior Incident Report System The Behavior Incident Report System (BIRS) provides early care and education programs and classrooms with a system to collect and analyze behavior incidents in their program.

# data[].attributes.body
Twitter: @DSolisELAR
Email: drsear657@gmail.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/danielle-solis-m-ed-4042b9

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
You can edit this template and create your own diagram. Creately diagrams can be exported and added to Word, PPT (powerpoint), Excel, Visio or any other document. Use PDF export for high quality prints and SVG export for large sharp images or embed your diagrams anywhere with the Creately viewer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
You can edit this template and create your own diagram. Creately diagrams can be exported and added to Word, PPT (powerpoint), Excel, Visio or any other document. Use PDF export for high quality prints and SVG export for large sharp images or embed your diagrams anywhere with the Creately viewer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Skip to main content

Identity can be defined as the "the collective aspect of the set of characteristics by which a thing or person is definitively recognized or known," or as "the set of behavioral or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group."

Reflect for a moment on the following:

Would you identify yourself as white or European American? Would others identify you as white or European American?

Would you identify yourself as black or African American? Would others identify you as black or African American?

Would you identify yourself as Native American? Would others identify you as Native American?

Would you identify yourself as Asian American? Would others identify you as Asian American?

Would you identify yourself as Hispanic or Latino/a? Would others identify you as Hispanic or Latino/a?

Would you identify yourself as Middle Eastern? Would others identify you as Middle Eastern?

Would you identify yourself as multiracial or multiethnic? Would others identify you as multiracial or multiethnic?

Would you identify yourself by national origin, i.e. Italian, Jamaican, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Saudi Arabian? Would others identify you by national origin?

Would you identify yourself by tribal affiliation, i.e. Ute or Lakota? Would others identify you by tribal affiliation?

Would you identify yourself as "a person of color"? Would others identify you as "a person of color"?

Would you identify yourself solely as "American"? Would others identify you solely as "American"?

Would you identify your race or ethnicity some other way entirely? Would others see you that way, too?

Next, write a short biography about your racial identit(ies), answering the following questions:

When and how did you become aware of your racial identit(ies)?

Describe a moment when your racial identit(ies) were important to, or took on particular meaning for, you.

Describe a moment when your racial identit(ies) were important to, or took on particular meaning for, others.

How do you benefit from your racial identit(ies)?

How do you suffer or "miss out" because of your racial identit(ies)?

Are some of these questions easier or more difficult to answer than others? Why might this be?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Dr. Walter S. Gilliam, Yale University

Children of color, particularly boys, have the greatest risk of losing their early care and education placement due to expulsions and suspensions. This is especially true for black boys. Black children and families are the least likely to gain access to high-quality care and education that will help them succeed. Factors like community stressors and poorly resourced programs may contribute to these disparities. Yet, implicit biases based on race and gender may also contribute. This webinar explores these disparities in access and how we can address them.

Note: The evaluation, certificate, and engagement tools mentioned in the video were for the participants of the live webinar and are no longer available. For information about webinars that will be broadcast live soon, visit Upcoming Events.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Preschool Expulsions and Suspensions, and Why We Should Care | ECLKC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Dr. Walter S. Gilliam, Yale University Children of color, particularly boys, have the greatest risk of losing their early care and education placement due to expulsions and suspensions. This is especially true for black boys. Black children and families are the least likely to gain access to high-quality care and education that will help them succeed.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teaching First Graders About Microaggressions

# data[].attributes.subject
Teaching First Graders About Microaggressions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For young children, learning the power of words, personal boundaries and social dynamics is a crucial part of their development. In my first-grade classroom, students are in the thick of learning to read and write. And just as actively, they're learning how to communicate with others.

They experiment with tone, diction, intent and body language with one another and with the adults around them. It's an expected, developmentally appropriate part of learning how to coexist with others. Sometimes, as in the common cases of name-calling, teasing and excluding, that experimentation can be painful.

Addressing unkindness is part and parcel of working with young students. But not all unkindness is the same. It can be particularly detrimental when the hurtful language relates to race, gender, religion or other aspects of a child's identity. These are microaggressions: small, subtle, sometimes-unintended acts of discrimination.

Microaggressions reinforce stereotypes in surreptitious ways. They must be addressed in a way that recognizes that they're different from typical, 6-year-old unkindness and that makes the distinction clear, understandable and actionable for students.

It can be hard enough for adults-particularly adults with privileged identities-to recognize microaggressions. But it's crucial we address them. At their core, these are coded messages of disapproval that are based in identity: comments and actions that echo larger, structural bigotry, telling marginalized people they don't belong, that they are less than. Children start internalizing these messages while they are still developing their identities.

Before talking with students about microaggressions, it's essential to establish an identity-safe classroom. Students need to feel safe and supported. In my class, when we do discuss microaggressions, I remind students of conversations we've already had about representation. I remind them that, when we're reading together, we always ask, "Whose story is being told here?" I also reference the discussions we've had around more overt racism: how being called a racist may hurt, but it doesn't compare to actually experiencing racism.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teaching First-Graders About Microaggressions: The Small Moments Add Up

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For young children, learning the power of words, personal boundaries and social dynamics is a crucial part of their development. In my first-grade classroom, students are in the thick of learning to read and write. And just as actively, they're learning how to communicate with others.

# data[].attributes.body
Select a role. All roles must be represented; roles may be duplicated. Conduct a Google Image search using the role title. Select two pictures from the results, and copy and paste them into the Picture It documents that corresponds to your breakout room number.

# data[].attributes.headline
Activity 4 - What Do You See When You See Me Discussion?

# data[].attributes.subject
Activity 4 - What Do You See When You See Me Discussion?

# data[].attributes.body
What do you see when you see Black/Brown students?

# data[].attributes.headline
Activity 5 - Poem Reflection & "But They're Just Words!" 

# data[].attributes.subject
Activity 5 - Poem Reflection & "But They're Just Words!" 

# data[].attributes.body
https://blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/the_best_american_poetry/2010/04/diane-burnss-sure-you-can-ask-me-a-personal-question-terence-winch.html

DISCUSS: What microaggressions do you hear in the poem?

# data[].attributes.body
Chat