Equity Resources & Professional Development

Courageous Conversations About Race
The District has embarked on a multi-year professional development program for the entire system. From students to administrators and Board members, our anti-racism work is being guided by the Pacific Education Group (PEG). Pacific Educational Group’s (PEG) theory of change states, Courageous conversation precedes courageous action, and courageous action leads to racial equity transformation in our district, resulting in the elimination of racial achievement disparities (Singleton, 2014). For more information about CCAR, click the link.

CSD's "Do 4" Culturally Responsive Education Mindset

The Do 4 mindset is a research-based compilation of best practices from multiple frameworks. The bibliography at the end of the document shares the primary work upon which the framework is based.

The mindset has 4 quadrants. Each quadrant is further unpacked through four choices that educators, who are striving to employ a culturally relevant praxis, will intentionally make.  

• Quad One - Do for Self

• Quad Two - Do for Students 

• Quad Three - Do for Curriculum and Assessment

• Quad Four - Do for Instruction

In the Do 4 Framework, Intentionality is key - educators must make intentional choices and do intentional work to be (or become) effective educators for all students.

Although they have been working to develop the personal "Do for Self" component of the framework over the past three years - School-Based personnel will begin to engage in Do 4 staff development courses and discuss the application of theory to practice starting in Fall 2022.

The Do 4 CRE Framework

Culturally-Responsive Teaching & The Brain
Culturally responsive pedagogy can be a game-changer in a school’s pursuit of educational equity, but. CRT is more than just a set of activities, social justice lessons, or kinesthetic learning strategies. CSD educators studying CRT are building the capacity to discover the critical connections between student learning, culturally responsive practices, and neuroscience - thereby allowing them to customize CRT strategies, identify current mindsets that need to change in classrooms or schools, and practice Hammond's Ready for Rigor framework. for more information about CRT & The Brain, click the link below.
https://crtandthebrain.com/about/ 

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain Webinar

by  Zaretta Hammond
Discover from Zaretta Hammond how to use culturally responsive teaching to re-ignite authentic student engagement and accelerate learning - 57 min. (Start @ 1:50)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2kzbH7ZWGg

Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain Podcast

by  Zaretta Hammond
Discover from Zaretta Hammond how to use culturally responsive teaching to re-ignite authentic student engagement and accelerate learning - 57 min. (Start @ 1:50)
https://www.listennotes.com/top-podcasts/zaretta-hammond/

It's Not an Achievement Gap - It's an Education Debt

Are you wondering why we are always talking about the education debt that CSD owes to our marginalized students? The philosophy comes from Gloria Ladson Billings - a simply phenomenal scholar who first coined the phrase. Learn more about the incorrect way we have defined the insistent achievement and discipline separations between the races of students in our classrooms.

Teaching Truth to Power: #TeachTruthSyllabus

Amid the tsunami of new laws attacking public school curricula, many include the admonition that teachers may not teach students that “the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist.”

Many of these new laws single out “critical race theory” and "The 1619 Project" as curricular bogeymen. However, whatever the particular terminology used in each state, many are united in their larger political goal: to rob children of access to a truthful, transparent, and inclusive past, an account of history that helps them fully see and understand their present.

Some hope to strip the classroom of its potential as a powerful democratic space, where students learn to see themselves not only as individuals, but as part of history, with the capacity to question, challenge, build solidarity, and act to transform society.

We must not let them.

The Zinn Ed. Project offers us the #TeachTruth syllabus as a gesture of defiance and education.

Teachers Are Just As Likely To Be Racially Biased As Anyone Else

This article from the Department of Education at Berkley discusses implicit bias in teachers and how to combat its effects.

This Forbes article summarizes a study by researchers at Princeton and Tufts Universities, who found that teachers and non-teachers hold both implicit and explicit pro-White racial bias and that the differences between the two groups are ‘negligible'. Sorry yall, according to them, you are as biased as everyone else. It's imperative to think about and own that truth as we construct policies for our schools and classrooms.

Culturally-Responsive Teaching & The Brain
Culturally responsive pedagogy can be a game-changer in a school’s pursuit of educational equity, but. CRT is more than just a set of activities, social justice lessons, or kinesthetic learning strategies. CSD educators studying CRT are building the capacity to discover the critical connections between student learning, culturally responsive practices, and neuroscience - thereby allowing them to customize CRT strategies, identify current mindsets that need to change in classrooms or schools, and practice Hammond's Ready for Rigor framework. for more information about CRT & The Brain, click the link below.
https://crtandthebrain.com/about/ 

How Should I Talk About Race in my Mostly White Classroom?
This resource from the ADL provides guidance and considerations for how to engage in reflection and discussion on race and racism with white youth.

Stop Hiding in Your Classroom - It's Time to Talk About Race
As educators, we (sometimes unknowingly) step into roles of advocate, caretaker, guide, and even mother or father to students. Students pay attention to everything we say and do. They particularly pay attention to our silence. We may be uncomfortable talking about race, but we can no longer afford to be silent. We have chosen a profession, which—like parenting—requires that our comforts come second to those of children. Uncomfortable with this? This article from Teaching Tolerance will help you start the conversation.
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2016/dont-say-nothing

Talking About Race

The Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture has a wonderfully rich website with information to help you talk about race if you are an educator, parent or caregiver, or simply a person committed to equity. It's well worth the visit!

31 Children's Books to Support Conversations on Race, Racism & Resistance
https://www.embracerace.org/resources/26-childrens-books-to-support-conversations-on-race-racism-resistance

NYT - 26 Mini-Films for Exploring Race, Bias and Identity With Students
Teachers traditionally turn to literature, history and current events to open up conversations about race, bias and identity, but it’s always helpful to have a bigger toolbox to tackle such important and difficult issues. That’s why the NYT pulled together these 26 short New York Times documentaries that range in time from 1 to 7 minutes and tackle issues of race, bias and identity.

To help teachers make the most of these films, they also provide several teaching ideas, related readings and student activities.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/learning/lesson-plans/25-mini-films-for-exploring-race-bias-and-identity-with-students.html 

A TED Talk: What Kids Should Know About Race

Learn how Angelica Dass is building tools for educators around the world to encourage inclusion and equality.

https://angelicadass.com/public-speaking/ted-talk-nyc-usa/ 

CRT and Education
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings breaks down the history of CRT and how it’s used in educational settings. Video 26 mins. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKwPPGQDRH8

 EXPLAINED: The Truth About Critical Race Theory and How It Shows Up in Your Child’s Classroom This engaging and informative article discusses CRT's definitions, CRT's origins, and how it shows up in your child's classroom. It's definitely not the big bad wolf that some would like you to believe it is. In actuality, it's merely a theory that explicates the historical perspective of an honest, lived truth for many BIPOC in the US.

Drawing Conclusions: Parents Skeptical of Critical Race Theory Talk to Experts

This fascinating series of videos from 11 Alive, follows two metro Atlanta parents, Bart and Coley Glasgow from Canton, Georgia, who were concerned about critical race theory (CTR) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs in public schools. The Glasgows went on a fact-finding journey, interviewed experts in African American studies, DEI, implicit bias, and America’s civil rights movement, then, made a final decision. Access the YouTube playlist here.

RACE: A Teacher's Guide

This website and teacher's guide serve as tools to assist middle-school educators with addressing race and human variation in the classroom. Biology, Social Studies or Social Sciences classes may benefit most from the content.

Website: https://understandingrace.org/ 

Teacher's Guide: https://riversideca.gov/museum/pdf/exhibits/race/racemiddleschoolteachersguide.pdf 

PBS: A Matter of Race - Films and Teacher's Guide

In Matters of Race, PBS seeks to explore our separate, as well as shared, past and present. In these stories of our individual and collective lives, PBS presents people grappling with race and its meaning in American society. Through these various narratives, we begin to learn about our shared experiences. The films

challenge us to find a way not just to tolerate difference but respect it. The teacher's guide helps us navigate this work in our classrooms.

https://www-tc.pbs.org/mattersofrace/pdf/teachers_guide.pdf

http://www.pbs.org/mattersofrace/index.shtml

The Learning Network: Resources for Teaching About Race & Racism With the New York Times

This highly regarded resource offers A curated collection of over 75 lesson plans, writing prompts, short films, and graphs relating to racism and racial justice.

https://www.nytimes.com/section/learning 

Interrupting Bias (Learning for Justice)

This site addresses basic ways that teachers and students can stand up against biased statements as soon as they arise.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/publications/speak-up-at-school/in-the-moment/basic-strategies 

How to Talk to Kids About Microaggressions (Embrace Race)

Sadly, children are no strangers to microaggressions. They occur every day and can cause significant harm. So, what can adults do when we become aware that our children have either committed or been subjected to microaggressions? Here are some suggestions. (Also check out the related webinar with Anatasia and with Dr. Stan Huey: Why and How to Talk to Kids About Microaggressions.)

https://www.embracerace.org/resources/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-microaggressions 

Tensions Over Teaching Race & Racism

In this Harvard University Education Now webinar, panelists discuss what educators and families can do to make sure students are supported, learning, and prepared with the knowledge they need to understand their own histories and the diverse and global society they’ll enter. A discussion on how schools, educators, and families can navigate the continued politicization and tensions around teaching and talking about race, racism, diversity, and equity.

A Different Mirror for Young People: A History of Multicultural America
By Ronald Takaki, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff. 2012.
An adaptation for young readers of the classic multicultural history of the United States, A Different Mirror. A multicultural history of America, in the voices of Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and others.
http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/62404.htm

A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America
By Ronald Takaki, 2008.
A multicultural history of America, in the voices of Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpq722mR6nE

Anti-Racist Book List for ALL Ages K - Adult!
A comprehensive 57-slide presentation that provides clickable links to hundreds of books.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CCj-ZY7zHPgeghMKmSD2i_4qUlBbmFy3WgwjN1pQRZQ/mobilepresent?fbclid=IwAR1yRw9p9jsiVViMDf2rjke6F1SaEpaFUvsLprI9LhkHDbYBBopQ5RpINiE&slide=id.g6d812da526_0_184

An Essay for Teachers Who Understand Racism Is Real
This Education Week essay is written by the brilliant UGA scholar, Betina Love. She says,

This essay is not to enumerate the recent murders of Black people by police, justify why protest and uprising are important for social change, or remind us why NFL player Colin Kaepernick took a knee. If you have missed those points, blamed victims, or proclaimed "All Lives Matter," this article is not for you, and you may want to ask yourself whether you should be teaching any children, especially Black children.

This article is for teachers who understand that racism is real, anti-Blackness is real, and state-sanctioned violence, which allows police to kill Black people with impunity, is real. It is for teachers who know change is necessary and want to understand exactly what kind of change we need as a country.

Cyber Racism:  International Approaches to Anti-Racism Education
This Australia-based site, also known as International Approaches to Anti-Racism Education, includes classroom activities, a library of readings, and other resources on education equity. This particular page of the site addresses cyber racism. Or, racism that takes place online. The page provides case studies, research, and more information regarding racism in the virtual world.

Understanding Prejudice:  Tips for Elementary School Teachers 

This page contains tips on creating a diverse, multicultural, and inclusive class environment, with specific suggestions on how to teach about prejudice and how to handle students who display discriminatory behavior.

Say Their Names!
An excellent and extensive toolkit from Chicago Public Schools that provides suggestions and strategies for educators and parents having conversations with young people in school and at home about race, racism, racial violence, understanding biases, and how to take action for racial justice. They begin by suggesting that you read the article above before diving in.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eNpj8hR7q_XZljgcC8XM5oZVUA72_h51HmNH0FCLO14/preview?pru=AAABcpZq-40*KuJYPwq9LTCgAjeNOohIjA#

Floyd, Chauvin, and Trauma in Communities of Color

The murder of George Floyd. The Derek Chauvin trial. The recent rise in bias and violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

These are heavy, challenging times for us all, but particularly our communities of color.

Education Minnesota has compiled the following resources for educators and parents to help children and adolescents cope and process these and other traumatic events.

How to Implement Trauma-informed Care to Build Resilience to Childhood Trauma

Children who are exposed to traumatic life events are at significant risk for developing serious and long-lasting problems across multiple areas of development. However, children are far more likely to exhibit resilience to childhood trauma when child-serving programs, institutions, and

service systems understand the impact of childhood trauma, share common ways to talk and think about trauma, and thoroughly integrate effective practices and policies to address it—an approach this article refers to as trauma-informed care.

Anti-Blackness Toolkit

While this article is geared toward anti-blackness in the workplace, it is also relevant for the classroom. If you need assistance in converting the activities or content contact the Equity and Student Support Department for assistance. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QKfecuw8DPf7ywZjbtRK3rDMpI69qkpP/view?usp=sharing 

RESOURCE PAGE: EMPOWERING EDUCATION ON RESISTANCE TO WHITE SUPREMACIST TERROR
Here, The Ida B. Wells Education Project provides a list of resources that support their Feb. 2021 workshop which addressed discussing White supremacist terror in the classroom. Topics covered are: Reconstruction, The Free Black Press, Protests, Political Organizing and the NAACP, Protests and Political Organizing Against Lynching, Artists Against Racial Violence, Teaching About Race Riots Race Massacres, Violence and the Civil Rights Resolution, Police Violence is White Supremacist Violence, and Fighting White Supremacy Today. This topic/these resources are not for the faint of heart, but, if you're ready, I mean really ready, this can be a transformative experience for your students - an entirely new way to examine and interrogate US history.

https://www.idabwellseducationproject.org/resource-page-resistance-to-white-supremacy 

Social Justice Books: Booklist
More than 100 carefully selected lists of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators.

20 (Self-)Critical Things I Will Do to Be a More Equitable Educator - by Paul Gorski
In this post, Gorski reflects upon the work teachers can personally do to be more equitable in- and outside the classroom.

Abolition is Love
What can abolition mean for a child? How can it help them dream a different future for their community?

Normally I would not post a resource that you are unable to procure for free, but this is an awesome book that you should procure if you can. In Abolition is Love, Amelie learns about collective care, mutual aid, and abolitionist ideas as they help their parents get ready for the annual Prisoners’ Justice Day. Amelie explores big concepts like love, justice, and care, and learns how we can build a different world together through the small choices we make every day. They learn to resolve a conflict with their cousin who plays differently than they do, they help their Papa plan a more accessible park for all, and collectively they create a beautiful banner. Amelie is also excited to hold their own candle at the rally, and they look forward to this big kid moment–to join the ranks of activists calling for justice and abolition.  The book explores possibilities for hope and offers ideas for caring for each other and building communities rooted in social justice and safety for all people. Parents and teachers can engage young readers with expansive illustrations and prompts that suggest new ways of being in the world together.

Recommended for ages 3–7.

Edutopia. org

This highly-recommended site offers a plethora of lesson plans and other valuable resources. It is part of the George Lucas Foundation, an organization dedicated to transforming K-12 education so that all students can acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes, and skills necessary to thrive in their studies, careers, and adult lives. Founded by innovative and award-winning filmmaker George Lucas in 1991, the foundation takes a strategic approach to improving K-12 education through two distinct areas of focus: Edutopia and Lucas Education Research.

https://www.edutopia.org/ 

 
Rethinking Schools
Rethinking Schools attempts to be both visionary and practical . . . practical, because for too long, teachers and parents have been preached at by theoreticians, far-removed from classrooms, who are long on jargon and short on specific examples. Most importantly, it remains firmly committed to equity and to the vision that public education is central to the creation of a humane, caring, multiracial democracy. While writing for a broad audience, Rethinking Schools emphasizes problems facing urban schools, particularly issues of race and believes that classrooms can be places of hope, where students and teachers gain glimpses of the kind of society we could live in, and where students learn the academic and critical skills needed to make that vision a reality.
https://www.rethinkingschools.org/

Southern Poverty Law Center: Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance)
Learning for Justice is a national education project dedicated to helping teachers foster equity, respect, and understanding in the classroom and beyond. The site includes activities, articles, fact sheets for students, and more.
https://www.learningforjustice.org/frameworks/social-justice-standards

The Zinn Education Project
The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people’s history in middle and high school classrooms across the country. Based on the lens of history highlighted in Howard Zinn’s best-selling book A People’s History of the United States, the website offers free, downloadable lessons and articles organized by theme, time period, and reading level.
https://www.zinnedproject.org/

PBS - Classroom Resources and Lesson Plans
Here, PBS has pulled together resources to help educators teach students about peace, tolerance, war, patriotism, geography, and other related issues.
http://www.pbs.org/americaresponds/educators.html

Teaching Tolerance, Us Vs. Hate
#USvsHate is a program led by young people and the educators who work with them, and its goal is as simple as it is ambitious: to stand up against bigotry and create safe and welcoming schools for all.
https://www.tolerance.org/usvshate

Beyond Activism: Four Decades of Social Justice 

A Film by Peter Hutchison and Asian Americans for Equality

Explores the growth of the Asian American civil rights movement, from its genesis at protests against discriminatory hiring practices and police brutality to the next stage of advocacy when the groups that were forged in the midst of these demonstrations evolved into community development organizations committed to social justice. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ1Nu7fu30U&feature=youtu.be 

PBS - Holiday Classroom Resources and Lesson Plans
Here, PBS provides a collection of resources (videos, games, brochures, etc.) regarding holidays. Get to know the history and significance behind these U.S. holidays (and more!) with this site. Some resources are pretty rich, others, thin. Yet the information they provide is valuable nonetheless.

https://pba.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/holidays

The History Channel - Holidays
Here, the History Chanel provides video information about various holidays. Still not a really diverse presentation, but good information nonetheless and more diverse than the resource above.

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays

Teaching Juneteenth
This lesson plan examines the celebration marking a day in 1865 when enslaved Texans learned they’d be free—two months after Robert E. Lee surrendered and ended the Civil War and two and a half years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Lessons about Juneteenth should recognize the challenges that those who fight injustice have always faced, but they shouldn’t place a singular focus on the tragedy of enslavement. Students, particularly Black students, can find empowerment in a lesson celebrating culture, activism, and the humanity of a people.
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/teaching-juneteenth

U. Mass Amherst: Heritage Months

See this awesome list of anti-racism resources from U.Mass Amherst including links to resources regarding Disability Awareness Month, Black Heritage/History Month, and Women's History Month. Additional commemorative monthly pages will be added throughout the year.

Veterans Day

Students can learn about the 442nd Battalion (Japanese Nisei soldiers and the most decorated regiment in US history) and Filipino American soldiers during WWII. Senator Daniel Inouye is a WWII vet (children's book), who lost his arm in combat, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, and a legislator who fought for Civil Rights and LGBTQ rights.

K-2 Book Resource List for Ramadan, Holi, Lunar New Year, etc.

*I will note that teachers should not call Lunar New Year Chinese New Year unless they are speaking specifically of how it is celebrated by the Chinese diaspora. A common mistake made in 2021 in our schools that was corrected by parents.

https://airtable.com/shrFpwhS1ZE1By68A/tbllGn44UxvbOtfKc/viwztFmZi1UXEJ2du/recjegskAo5tpsHMY/fldznarUcOpTI8GWX/attHnzRpoVCrhRuZT 

Respectability.org

Ensuring children with disabilities receive the education and training they need to succeed is vitally important. Nationally, only 65 percent of students with disabilities graduate high school each year compared to 86 percent of students without disabilities. That means there is a 21-point gap in outcomes. Furthermore, only seven percent of students with disabilities graduate from college. As such, educators have a critical role to play in empowering more students with disabilities to succeed.

Teachers are important partners in the efforts to overcome bias, barriers and stigmas by promoting and implementing best practices in the classroom. Below you will find a website with myriad resources to teach students about disability and assist students with disabilities to succeed. You also will find recommended reading for both children and adults.

https://www.respectability.org/resources/education-resources-disability-issues/ 

How Teachers Can Help Students With Special Needs Navigate Distance Learning

Distance learning is challenging for many learners but can be even more challenging for students with learning, attention, or social-emotional needs.

As educators, we are tasked with an unprecedented challenge: Figuring out how to reach and teach diverse learners online. It’s not easy. But it’s critical for so many of our students. Even more so for students who already face challenges in their daily lives. The website below from Berkley provides tips for educators to boost their engagement and connection.

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_teachers_can_help_students_with_special_needs_navigate_distance_learning 

Disability Social History Project
This site represents a movement by people with disabilities to reclaim their history and to highlight the contributions of people with disabilities in the history of the world. Resources include a timeline and an index of related sites.

What is Disability Justice?

During the 2020-2021 school year, the Commission on Disability Equity worked to implement the principles of “disability justice” into their new leadership structure. The Commission has shifted away from treating disability as a single-issue concern, and towards a vision where they hope to engage in cross-movement solidarity in community-building and self-advocacy efforts.

https://code.as.ucsb.edu/what-is-disability-justice/ 

The 10 Principals of Disability Justice

By Patricia Berne, with the support of Aurora Levins Morales and David Langstaff, on behalf of Sins Invalid. WSQ: Women's Studies Quarterly: The Feminist Press. Volume 46, Numbers 1 & 2, Spring/Summer 2018

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5bed3674f8370ad8c02efd9a/t/5f1f0783916d8a179c46126d/1595869064521/10_Principles_of_DJ-2ndEd.pdf 

How to be an Ally to Disabled & Neurodiverse Folks in Activist & Academic Communities

Here are a few thoughtful ideas that the Blog Access Culture has compiled on how to be a better Ally to folks who have been left out of social and political movements/communities

https://accessculture.wordpress.com/2012/07/06/how-to-be-an-ally-to-disabled-neurodiverse-folks-in-activist-academic-communities/ 

Meltdown Bingo: Autistic Edition

Autistic personality and mother of an autistic child, S. M. Neumeier, shares the following with the greater community using a lighthearted, yet painful approach. 

Because meltdowns (and what follows from them) are horrible, there should be a Meltdown Bingo… from an autistic perspective.  I’m posting one here, as well as explanations for each square, so that [educators] can have a better idea of what a meltdown actually is and why treating it as something that an autistic person does to the people around them is a problem.

https://silencebreakingsound.wordpress.com/2015/12/21/meltdown-bingo-autistic-edition/ 

The Disability Visibility Project

Alice Wong's Disability Visibility Project is an online community dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture. They publish original essays, reports, and blog posts about ableism, intersectionality, culture, media, and politics from the perspective of disabled people. This is a good place to gather first-hand information from people living with disabilities.

Learn about the history of disability rights.

Throughout history, people with disabilities have been thought of as less than or as helpless citizens who are a burden to society. It wasn’t until 1990 that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed and began to give disabled people equal opportunity and equal protection under the law.   

• Explore this online exhibit from the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). 

• Watch Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution.  

• Listen to ADA Now! on NPR’s Throughline.  

• Read No Pity: People with Disabilities Forging a New Civil Rights Movement by Joseph P. Shapiro and Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-first Century edited by Alice Wong.

Facing Trans: Inclusion, Advocacy, and Empowerment Workbook, Guide, and Resource Packet

This resource packet by trans activist Jessica Pettitt was produced in 2009 and is not the "end all be all" resource concerning trans identities, trans students, or trans resources. In fact, it is a bit out of date due to progressive changes in society and in schools. Nevertheless, it provides some unique and excellent resources for older students that are still relevant today. Give it a look and you will find many things that support your work in the classroom.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17IHeNK1waRa8cdIrdHKdsA1rOFXWQdor/view?usp=sharing

Schools In Transition: A Guide for Supporting Transgender Students in K-12 Schools

This excellent resource from the ACLU, Human Rights Campaign, NEA, and others provides many solid and plentiful resources for students of all ages, teachers, administrators, district personnel. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17upzdUymBbb9mr3jfaf4XvQ0YoAMaDwj/view?usp=sharing 

The Genderbread Person

This resource provides a unique, visual, and memorable way to examine trans and transitioning identity.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PXmXpJPeezjTXUJBGm2Axg1Ur7nZUIRL/view?usp=sharing 

The Gender Inclusive Schools Toolkit

A great resource.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v4vVhD8OSmhDVEbYQ26wM8dA4THgc-7B/view?usp=sharing 

LGBTQ+ - Visibility and Integration in Elementary Schools

While many LGBTQ-inclusive school supports begin in middle or high school, it is critical for elementary schools to establish a foundation of respect and understanding for all people.  This GLSEN educator guide discusses ways in which teachers, administrators, and district leaders can implement best practices for inclusion, address questions and pushback, and implement curriculum, regarding GLBTQ+ individuals. The article at the following link also provides valuable resources.

https://www.glsen.org/blog/teaching-early-childhood-education-non-binary-trans-person 

Safety, Bias, and LGBTQ Issues: Supporting Transgender, Non-binary, and Gender Non-conforming Students

These modules from the NEA are designed to help educators (NEA members only - boo) create safer learning spaces for students who identify as transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming. This module is imperative as trans youth come under attack in state legislatures across the country.

An Updated Glossary of LGBTQ+ Terms

McGill School Nurse Supplies keeps a curated list of LGBTQ+ terms. This may be helpful as we think about ways to be accepting and inclusive in our classrooms. Although many students aren't yet comfortable being open about their sexualities or gender identities, it is important to be prepared should you find yourself in a situation where a student has questions or needs support. One way to demonstrate inclusive behavior and make conversations easier and more comfortable is by using the right terms. Always listen for and respect a person’s self-identified terminology.

https://www.macgill.com/2021/08/09/promoting-diversity-and-inclusion-part-3-an-updated-glossary-of-lgbtq-terms/ 

The Gender Cool Project

The GenderCool Project is a youth-led movement introduced to the district by BHMS students. The Project is 100% student-driven, and its stated goal is to bring positive change to the world. The Gender Cool Champions are students who are helping to replace misinformed opinions with positive experiences regarding transgender and non-binary youth.

https://gendercool.org/ 

Transgender Reading List for Adults

Questions about transgender issues, gender identity, and transitioning aren’t just for kids and young adults. Adults have plenty of questions about those issues, and several more besides: how best to help a child who’s questioning their gender, how to help a friend or family member in transition, how to be a good friend or ally, or how to navigate the many complex legal issues that surround being transgender. The answers to those, and many other, questions can be found in the books listed on the PFLAG website.

https://pflag.org/resource/transgender-reading-list-adults 

Women’s History Month for the Classroom

Teach about the challenges and accomplishments of women throughout history with these lessons, activities, background reading, and more from the NEA.

Women's History Museum: Digital Classroom Resources

Explore classroom-ready resources created by the Women's History Museum and through the "For Educators, by Educators" initiative. There are lesson plans, biographies, posters, primary sources, and more. You can search by topic, theme, or resource type. 

Other Resources

White House Proclamation on Women’s History Month, 2021

Great Short History Channel Video Honoring Women

Click here to download the Women's History Month Resource Toolkit!

Women's History Museum Lesson Plans

Looking to incorporate women's history into your curriculum? Explore their wide range of lesson plans and search by topic or theme. Their lesson plans serve as resources for educators and parents alike providing the procedures, materials, and sample discussions necessary to accomplish the learning objectives for each lesson.

https://www.womenshistory.org/students-educators/digital-classroom-resources 

Palestinian Women: A History of Female Resistance in Gaza and The West Bank

Outside observers tend to imagine the face of Gaza as resolutely male: the bearded Hamas “militant”, or the young man hurling stones across the border fence. But this article discusses Palestinian women, both in Gaza and the West Bank, who have a significant presence as activists, protesting against an unjust occupation, but also as the backbone of a fragmented and demoralized society.

https://theconversation.com/palestinian-women-a-history-of-female-resistance-in-gaza-and-the-west-bank-96864

Native American Heritage Month: Women

Native American women have made significant impacts on the United States in a wide variety of fields. The women discussed on this poster are only a tiny number of those who have helped shape our country.

https://www.womenshistory.org/sites/default/files/document/2017-08/NativeAmericanHeritageMonthPoster.pdf

Lesson Plans: Gloria Steinem, Feminism and “Living the Revolution"

This lesson challenges students to explore the evolving feminism of the 1960s by examining two texts, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan and the speech “Living the Revolution” by Gloria Steinem. These texts, combined with a four corners activity and debate, quote analysis, and an interview transcript provide students with the tools needed to evaluate the ideological origins of second-wave feminism and then determine the extent to which their goals were achieved today. 

https://www.womenshistory.org/resources/lesson-plan/gloria-steinem-feminism-and-living-revolution

Herstory: 10 Puerto Rican Women Kept Out of History Books

While pages are filled with mostly white men, who are called “heroes” and “founding fathers,” women of color are often left out of the history lessons. But the role women have played in Latin American history cannot be overlooked if we want to establish a more diverse and equal space for all people to see themselves reflected in their country’s stories. Puerto Rico – a US territory that has always existed in its own cultural spectrum –  has a number of unsung female sheros; this article discusses 10.

https://remezcla.com/lists/culture/herstory-puerto-rican-women-made-history/

Smithsonian Shines Light on Hawaiian Queens for Women's History Month

Remembering when the kingdom of Hawai‘i was ruled by two dope queens.

The Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center’s Learning Together program shares teaching materials on two women who critical to the history of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The Center’s Learning Lab, an online resource for educators, includes a wide range of content focusing on Queen Kapi‘olani (1834-1899) and Queen Liliʻuokalani (1838-1917)—two of the most important leaders in a rich native culture that existed long before the establishment of the United States.

https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/hawaiian-monarchs/RsX6wwB9WryR28tJ#r/

Google Arts and Cultures: AAPI Cultures. 

What a Wonderful, Rich, Deep, Resource!

Amid the myriad options for gathering information on the AAPI community lies this resource informed by such entities as The National Museum of Asian Art, The Chinese American Museum, and the Reischauer Institute for Japanese Studies. It provides videos, podcasts, art, poetry, personal narratives, and the list goes on and on! My only warning is that you will get caught up and spend your whole day scrolling! Please please PLEASE check it out! Start with the personal interview with Buford Highway Vietnamese Restaurant owner Hieu Pham.

https://artsandculture.google.com/project/aapi-cultures

Addressing Anti-Asian Violence and Bias

Amid the pandemic, Asian American people continue to experience racism, violence and harassment. These resources can help teachers discuss the historical precedents for this moment, introduce ways for students to recognize and speak up against coronavirus racism, and start conversations with even the youngest learners about recognizing and acting to address injustice.

Click here for a link to multiple resources.

After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History

One Learning For Justice award winner shares the conversation she started with students the day after the attacks in Atlanta and recommends resources anyone can use to teach about Asian American history and identity.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/after-atlanta-teaching-about-asian-american-identity-and-history  

SAADA: The South Asian American Digital Archive 

There are 4,150 unique items available online in SAADA. The database sponsors "invite[s] you to learn about a key part of American and global history and contribute to it." They have 4,150 items in the largest publicly accessible archive of South Asian American history, 130 original articles by scholars of South Asian America, and 117 - presentations and events, delivered and held at venues across the country.

A Lesson on the Japanese American Internment
Teaching Activity. By Mark Sweeting. Rethinking Schools.
How one teacher engaged his students in a critical examination of the language used in textbooks to describe the internment.
https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/lesson-on-the-japanese-american-internment

An Unnoticed Struggle: A Concise History of Asian American Civil Rights 

A brief but fascinating and informative historical brochure produced by the Japanese American Citizens League.

After Atlanta: Teaching About Asian American Identity and History

One Learning For Justice award winner shares the conversation she started with students the day after the attacks in Atlanta and recommends resources anyone can use to teach about Asian American history and identity.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/after-atlanta-teaching-about-asian-american-identity-and-history 

Podcast: Self-Evident

The authors launched Self Evident in 2019 with a goal to build serious infrastructure for audio storytellers and to enable them to tell stories that honor the everyday lives of Asian American people. 

https://selfevidentshow.com/

Resource List: Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago

This link accesses an extensive ECE resource list that Asian Americans Advancing Justice Chicago is working on for Illinois. It includes children's book recommendations and videos.

https://airtable.com/shrFpwhS1ZE1By68A/tbllGn44UxvbOtfKc  

Kindergarten Cultural Identity Lesson: ‘Patka’ Sikh Youth Head Covering

Names and Sikh head covering.  Food in culture - reading about different cuisines would be great, since many Asian cultures have deep roots in thousands of years of culinary arts. Some of my kids' teachers already did this. Teaching kids not to say, "yuck" but "that's not my taste" is an excellent tool.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1DaEXbZt1xUedRFn1p53lOmTD2hoR0ejQHJZWSDl8mtI/edit 

K-2 Lesson Plan: Naming & Personal Identity

The cultural identity importance of names and name-granting in Asian American cultures; Chinese names and how the placement of a name traces family history.

https://airtable.com/shrFpwhS1ZE1By68A/tbllGn44UxvbOtfKc/viwztFmZi1UXEJ2du/recvHpoe52KNvUE9e/fldznarUcOpTI8GWX/attzSNrPRVOkhQhjR 

Identity and Asian American History

As you learn or unlearn Asian American history, teach about the oppression from white supremacy, but also about the movements, activists, and solidarity across movements.

• Teach about the long history of violence against Asian Americans, and how ignoring that history is itself a form of violence.

• Teach about how pandemics have been used to justify anti-Asian violence.

• Teach how “Anti-Asian racism never stopped being an outgrowth of U.S. imperialism.”

• Teach about Asian Americans and important moments in People’s History.

• Teach the PBS Series “Asian Americans” and use the accompanying curriculum developed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice.

• Teach “A Different Asian American Timeline,” which places Asian American history in the context of race and capitalism in the United States.

• Teach about the incarceration of the Japanese Americans during WW II, from their imprisonment in local fairgrounds, to Japanese Latin Americans being rounded up internationally.

• Teach about the true diversity of Asians and Asian Americans, from Indigenous Okinawans who have been colonized and resisted colonization by both Japan and the United States, to Filipinos who have struggled against the imperialistic regimes of Spain and the United States.

• Teach that it is time to retire the term Asian Pacific American, because it marginalizes Indigenous Pasifika Island peoples.

• Teach about the murdered women in Atlanta: Soon Chung Park, Hyun Jung Grant, Suncha Kim, Yong Ae Yue, Xiaojie Tan, and Daoyou Feng, and say their names correctly using the Asian American Journalists Association pronunciation guide.

• Teach the “Hidden Stories that Give Rise to Violence Against Asian American Women.”

• Teach about the police killings of 20-year-old, Vietnamese American Tommy Le, 30-year-old Filipino American Angelo Quinto, and 19-year-old Chinese American Christian Hall, because it is important for both Asian and non-Asians to understand that, even though we do not face the same level of police violence as Black folks, also for Asian Americans, the police are not friends.

• Teach about the murder of Vincent Chin, beaten to death by white laid-off autoworkers in Detroit, who blamed him for the rise of the Japanese car industry.

• Teach about the 1989 school shooting in Stockton, California, where a gunman opened fire on a schoolyard filled mainly with Asian American children, killing five and wounding more than 30.

• Teach about the 2012 white supremacist attack on a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, in which six people were killed.

• Teach about the Asian American Movement, and the dynamic history of Asian American activism in the United States.

• Teach about the history of tensions and solidarity between Asian American and Black communities.

• Teach about the Third World Liberation Front, a multiracial coalition of Black, Native American, Latinx, and Asian American students in the San Francisco Bay Area who together, through protest, started the movement for Ethnic Studies.

• Teach about the Myth of the Model Minority as a form of anti-Asian racism and as a racist myth used as a “wedge” against other communities of color.

• Teach about Yuri Kochiyama, Grace Lee Boggs, and their solidarity work with the Black community.

• Teach about the Movement for Black Lives and the Black Lives Matter at School respective statements in solidarity with Asian Americans facing violence.

• Teach about early instances of interracial solidarity, like when Frederick Douglass spoke out against growing anti-Chinese violence in the United States and the movement for Chinese Exclusion.

• Teach about the organizing for Asian-Black solidarity happening in Oakland.

• Teach across K–12 using books by and about Asian Americans.

No, You Should Not Be Teaching Black Children if You Reject Anti-Racism

This well-laid-out, informative article explains why it is SO important for teachers to be anti-racist and act as anti-racist allies. As Al-Mekki states, "We need anti-racist White teachers, co-strategists and laborers in this work who are open to being deeply self-reflective about how to be the most effective at teaching black and brown children".

Teaching Tolerance: Black Lives Matter
These resources can help you talk with students about the historical context and mission behind Black Lives Matter and work toward making your school a more affirming, safer space for Black students.
https://www.learningforjustice.org/the-moment/june-1-2020-black-lives-matter?utm_source=Teaching+Tolerance&utm_campaign=e43cd0cbc0-Newsletter+6-9-2020&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a8cea027c3-e43cd0cbc0-83000435

6 Reasons 'All Lives Matter' Doesn't Work

Trying to understand the difference between "Black Lives Matter" and "All Lives Matter"? Try one of these six metaphors.

https://www.parents.com/kids/responsibility/racism/reasons-all-lives-matter-doesnt-work-in-terms-simple-enough-for-a-child/

The Abolitionist Teaching Network

This highly-recommended Network's mission is to develop and support those in the struggle for educational freedom utilizing the intellectual work and direct action of Abolitionists in many forms. Abolitionist Teachers believe that no Black, Brown, or Indigenous child is disposable. They believe we must embody the spirit of Black Lives Mattering, not just say Black Lives Matter. ATN awards grants to teachers who strive to disrupt inequalities and injustice within their schools, communities, or both. This site is an invitation and location for Abolitionist Teachers to individually and collectively generate critical reflection and action.

https://abolitionistteachingnetwork.org/resources-for-agitators

Education and Criminalization: Do #BlackLivesMatter - in Schools?
This resource and reading list was curated by Dr. Subini Annamma who created it because she, "noticed that a lot of the lists are ignoring education, particularly k-12 education and the ways it reproduces anti-Blackness, white supremacy, and racism in schools to construct Black youth as criminals." As more and more is written about the ways society enacts anti-Blackness and white supremacy against Black youth, less addressed in many reading lists & syllabi is the role education plays in such outcomes. The goals of the multiple articles and research studies on this list are to highlight how schools (re)produce criminalization of Black youth.

20 Books Bursting with Black Joy

Books that feature marginalized groups shouldn’t just be focused on the trauma or pain these groups have faced. Fortunately, hashtags like #BlackGirlMagic; #BlackBoyJoy and #ForTheCulture can help us to find resources for our classroom that center Black joy and everyday experiences. This reading list of books provides the perfect opportunity to help students take a deeper dive into these concepts. Use the list in your summer school programming and the upcoming academic year.

SPLC - Protecting Immigrant Students’ Rights To A Public Education
Here you will find resources that can be used by families, advocates, educators, and school administrators to understand the responsibilities their schools and districts have to families. These resources can help you advocate for students facing language access or enrollment barriers in public elementary or secondary schools.

https://www.splcenter.org/plyler

What Is The Difference Between a Refugee, a Migrant, an Immigrant, and an Asylum Seeker? - by Kim Mack
This is a brief but informative article explaining the differences and reminding us that names have meaning.

https://preemptivelove.org/blog/refugees-asylum-seekers-and-migrants-three-reasons-people-flee-home/  

Sesame Workshop: Courses and Webinars
Be a life-long learner! Explore these resources created for the caring adults who work with children to assist refugee families resettling after conflict or crisis. Put in some PD hours by watching a webinar or taking a course on the topics listed below as well as many others. Certificates of completion are available.

• Supporting Resettling Children and Families in the U.S.

• Helping Children Make Meaning After Trauma

What the U.S. Could Learn from Canada about Integrating Immigrant Students

This video discusses Canadian public schools, in which the children of new immigrants do as well as native-born children within three years of arriving. There kids don't just get language and academic support; their home cultures are celebrated as they are integrated into classes. And strong social services and healthy education funding help too. 

Re-Imagining Migration
Immigrant-origin youth are one of the fastest-growing sectors of the US population accounting for 23% of children and 33% of young adults. Eighty-five percent are people of color. While the children of immigrants arrive in classrooms eager to learn, their positive attitudes are often undermined by social hostility, divisive rhetoric, and anti-immigrant bigotry. The vast majority of school faculty have never received training on how to best serve immigrant origin students, build bridges between students, teach about human migration, create culturally supportive classrooms, or manage difficult conversations about immigration; this resource-rich site shows us how. Some of it's key resources are listed below.

Moving Stories

Migration is our shared experience as humans. Explore stories that help us to understand ourselves, our communities, and the world. Some questions the first section of this resource explores are the following:

1. In what ways do stories of migration help us understand who we are?

2. What can we learn from the many visible and invisible stories of migration around us?

3. How can we approach the sharing of stories of migration with understanding and compassion?

https://reimaginingmigration.org/moving-stories-resource-collection/ 

Understanding Migration

The resources on this page support the second section of the Re-imagining Migration learning arc and help learners develop an informed perspective on shared migration experiences. They are divided into three themes:

1. Life before migration

2. The journey

3. The ecology of adjustment after migration.

https://reimaginingmigration.org/understanding-migration/ 

Turning to Action

Explore the ways that individuals and communities work to create inclusive and sustainable societies for a world on the move. Among the questions that educators explore in this section of the learning arc are:

1. How can we take action towards more inclusive and sustainable societies?

2. What issues related to migration do we care about and why?

3. What can we learn from individuals and groups who have addressed migration in the past?

4. How might we use our voice and spheres of influence to create and sustain inclusive and welcoming communities?

https://reimaginingmigration.org/turning-to-action/ 

America's Own Present-Day Colonialism 

Julie A. Werner-Simon, former federal prosecutor, constitutional historian, and professor at Drexel’s Kline School of Law, paints a detailed picture of the legal issues surrounding the current US "Territories" of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

https://www.acslaw.org/expertforum/americas-own-present-day-colonialism/ 

The History Of American Imperialism, From Bloody Conquest To Bird Poop

36-minute podcast from NPR in which Historian Daniel Immerwahr shares surprising stories of U.S. territorial expansion, including how the desire for bird guano compelled the seizure of remote islands.

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/18/694700303/the-history-of-american-imperialism-from-bloody-conquest-to-bird-poop 

U.S. Territories: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)

An amusing, yet factual take on US modern-day imperialism. A discussion of the lack of representation experienced by current US territories. INCLUDES STRONG LANGUAGE. Better for older students. Get permission from your principal before using this in class (13 minutes).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CesHr99ezWE 

What Are The US Territories? - Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, Virgin Islands & Mariana Islands

Cute video with music that explains the territories and just touches on the lack of representation they experience. Can be used with young children (3 minutes). 

https://youtu.be/JLX0Qh80nzU 

Everything You Need to Know About the Territories of the United States

A lot of detailed information about current US territories. The TOC is listed below.

• Legal Status of U.S. Territories

• Incorporation of U.S. Territories

• Organization of U.S. Territories

• Populated Territories of the United States

  • • Puerto Rico

    • Guam

    • US Virgin Islands

    • Northern Mariana Islands

    • American Samoa

• Former U.S. Territories

  • • Cuba

    • Philippines

    • Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands

    • The Marshall Islands

    • Micronesia

    • Palau

• The Future of U.S. Territories

  • • Frequently Asked Questions About U.S. Territories

    • Is the Philippines a U.S. territory?

    • Is Guam a U.S. territory?

    • Are the Bahamas a U.S. territory?

    • When did Puerto Rico become a U.S. territory, and why?

    • How many U.S. territories are there?

    • What territory did the U.S. buy from France in 1803?

https://everything-everywhere.com/united-states-american-territories-list/ 

Telling the History of the U.S. Through Its Territories The History of US Colonization
the U.S. Empire, or the Greater United States, speaks to not only the 50 states and D.C. but its five U.S. territories that have been forgotten and neglected. Daniel Immerwahr writes in his groundbreaking book, How to Hide an Empire, “At various times, the inhabitants of the U.S. Empire have been shot, shelled, starved, interned, dispossessed, tortured and experimented on. What they haven’t been, by and large, is seen.” On this page, Anti Racism Daily provides a brief history of the US history of colonization and shares current actions that can be taken in support of our colonies. Powerful information to share with students.

https://the-ard.com/2023/08/16/the-forgotten-u-s-territories-and-the-american-empire/?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=270438391&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-803Cfkkx2Y7XB7VFU1vz4nxM43Q3BdqlqVqwu59mJ-y9trBR1YImChtiw7vfn_XfsL0ZxlonEoFekjrsqKg5lSIsWQMg&utm_content=270438391&utm_source=hs_email

Telling the History of the U.S. Through Its Territories

An interview with Daniel Immerwahr, author of How to Hide an Empire, explores America far beyond the borders of the Lower 48. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/telling-us-history-through-territories-180971004/ 

The U.S. "Logo Map"

The United States likes to think of itself as a republic, but it holds territories all over the world – the map you always see doesn’t tell the whole story. This article from The Guardian, tells us more.

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/feb/15/the-us-hidden-empire-overseas-territories-united-states-guam-puerto-rico-american-samoa 

Native Land

Native Land is a free app to help map Indigenous territories, treaties, and languages across the globe.

https://native-land.ca/ 

Blackhorse: Do You Prefer ‘Native American’ or ‘American Indian’? 6 Prominent Voices Respond

Indian Country Today journalist Amanda Blackhorse, Diné, speaks with prominent Native American voices about the discussion over the terms 'Native American' and 'American Indian.'

https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/blackhorse-do-you-prefer-native-american-or-american-indian-6-prominent-voices-respond

100 Ways to Support—Not Appropriate From—Native People

November is Native American Heritage Month, when the U.S. is supposed to celebrate our Indigenous Native, population and their contributions to the world. In recognition of the season, let’s start with 100 ways you and yours can be allies toward the Indigenous peoples of this continent.

https://www.vice.com/en/article/pa5a3m/how-to-be-an-ally-to-native-americans-indigenous-people 

Indigenous Creators are Nurturing A Space on TikTok to Educate and Entertain

Students can learn from and enjoy multiple TikTok videos referenced in this PBS News Hour article.  

“We have tons of examples of terrible representations,” Loyer (a content creator) said, specifically highlighting sports teams that use Indigenous names, people, and stereotypes as mascots. Loyer said this is one of the reasons Indigenous people producing their own culturally-accurate TikTok content is important for representation.

“The more that we get to see these little pockets of the world, aren’t we all better for it?” she added.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/how-indigenous-creators-are-nurturing-a-space-on-tiktok-to-educate-and-entertain

Why We Serve: Native Americans in the United States Armed Forces

Why We Serve is an online exhibition that honors the generations of Native Americans who have served in the armed forces of the United States—often in extraordinary numbers—since the American Revolution. (National Museum of the American Indian)

RED EAGLE - "STILL HERE" OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO - 7:42

Extremely powerful music video provides a modern-day perspective on the concerns of Indigenous people. Song written and performed by Red Eagle. This would be an awesome way to explore and unpack modern-day Indigenous concerns with students!

Proud To Be (Native American Mascots) - 2:00

Beautiful short video with a powerful message about the racism inherent in using Indigenous People as mascots.

From the Vault: The Story of the Muscogee Creek Nation - 8:56

A brief history of the Muscogee Creek Nation, their forced expulsion to Oklahoma, and their move toward self-governance.

City Schools of Decatur's Land Acknowledgement Statement

Discuss it with your students. What are their thoughts?

Debbie Reese on Book Bans and Native Representation
In this Q&A, scholar Debbie Reese discusses book bans and the fear of a just society.

Indigenous Peoples’ History
Cohosted by experts from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, this webinar delves into the ways American history instruction often fails to acknowledge—and contributes to—the erasure of Indigenous stories and perspectives.

The Forgotten Slavery of Our Ancestors
This short film (just over 12 minutes), part of the Teaching Hard History: American Slavery Classroom Videos series, offers an introduction to the history of Indigenous enslavement on land that is now the United States. As the featured historians point out, the enslavement of Indigenous peoples stretched from Alaska into South America. It predated and helped shape the system of African enslavement in New England, and it lasted into the 19th century in the West. “This,” explains historian Andrés Reséndez, “is our shared history.”

Teach About Native American Women Leaders
This resource article provides recommendations to build students’ media literacy by helping them contextualize stories about women candidates—and particularly Native American women candidates—during election season and beyond.

Rewriting History—For the Better
More states are including American Indians in their mainstream curricula. This article provides recommendations and resources for teaching history honestly and going beyond the textbooks.

Toolkit For “Rewriting History—For the Better”
American Indians are largely absent from mainstream social studies curricula. This toolkit for the article “Rewriting History—for the Better” showcases some of the best online sources for teaching about American Indians with an eye for inclusivity and accuracy.

With and About: Inviting Contemporary American Indian Peoples Into the Classroom
There’s a long history of U.S. schools failing Indigenous peoples, cultures and histories. In this article, Native parents and educators share examples of how educators and schools still get it wrong—and the steps they can take to fix their mistakes.

Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative, National Museum of the American Indian
Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) offers educators and students perspectives on Native American history and cultures. The program provides educational materials, virtual programs and educator training.

Q&A: Native Knowledge 360°
The same limited stories about American Indians persist in textbooks. This Q&A examines how the Native Knowledge 360° Education Initiative, a new program from the National Museum of the American Indian, is looking to change that.

American Indians in Children’s Literature
This website, established by scholar Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo, offers book reviews and analyses of the representation of Native peoples in books for children and young adults.

Bodyism

What’s Wrong With Fat-Shaming?

Why the fat-shaming of overweight and obese children is so harmful. Georgia organization Strong4Life and its multimedia ad campaign aimed at drawing attention to childhood obesity.

https://everydayfeminism.com/2013/02/whats-wrong-with-fat-shaming/?upw 

Racism

Structural Racism Defined

The Othering and Belonging Institute at Berkley helps us learn the difference between individual, institutional, and structural racism.

https://belonging.berkeley.edu/structural-racism-explained?emci=de6d9502-be92-ed11-9d7b-00224832e811&emdi=068b38a1-c795-ed11-9d7b-00224832e811&ceid=11725216 

What is Systemic Racism? (Race Forward Video Series)

https://www.raceforward.org/videos/systemic-racism

Implicit Bias, Microaggressions, and Stereotypes Resources

NEA resources to sharpen our racial analysis and deepen our understanding of implicit bias, microaggressions, and stereotypes. 

Myths and Realities about Somali Parental Support for Education

Studies of the cultural and social resources of immigrant youth show how challenging it is to navigate different value systems around education. This article discusses research with Somali youth and families that surfaces ways in which parent support among parents from Somalia is strategic and steadfast, but, doesn't always align with Western conceptions of parental support.

Understanding Somali Culture and Immigration: A Quick Guide for Educators

This guide is intended to assist educators in understanding a little more about the backgrounds of and challenges facing Somali refugee and immigrant students.

How Teachers Can Support Students During Ramadan

This article addresses Ramadan, a month in the Islamic calendar when Muslims observe fasting from sunrise to sunset. And it can be a difficult month for many to get through, especially students who have to go through a normal school day without eating or drinking. For schools, it’s important to provide an environment for students where they feel safe to practice their religion, but maybe more importantly, one that ensures their well-being during the school day.

Children, Arab Heritage, and Anti-Bias Education

If the messages and images of Arabs and their countries are confusing to you, imagine what children are picking up from them. These new messages occur in a social environment full of existing stereotypes, misinformation, and incidents of discrimination and hatred directed at Americans of Arab descent. If you work with Arab American children, you will want to assess how your learning environment supports their positive identity and home culture. This article will assist you. 

Building Linguistic and Cultural Bridges Between Educators and the Somali Community

Video in which two Somali brothers, who are bilingual communication support specialists discuss what to know about Somali families and how to help Somali students find educational success.

‘You don’t teach prejudice by discussing its existence.’ How to talk to children about race and discrimination.

Teaching children lessons about hate and racism has been especially important in the wake of major world events — events many children may not even understand. On top of being impacted by these events along with everyone else, Muslim American families also bear the burden of being mistakenly and sometimes violently blamed for causing these events. As concern mounts from some parents about concepts like Critical Race Theory and whether it should be taught in K-12 classrooms, which it is not, some other parents are concerned about how to prepare and protect their Muslim, Sikh, Arab and Asian American children from bullying and harassment. 

How Schools Can Best Support Somali Students and Their Families

Immigrant students often pose a challenge to educators. In particular, the Somali population of students presents a unique challenge due to the nature of their immigration, their history and culture, the fact that most are Muslim, and the fact that they are often labeled as “Black” by native-born peers. This article discusses the needs of Somali students and their families in education systems around the world and presents recommendations for schools to ease their transition. 

Teaching Somali Immigrant Children: Resources for Student Success

Many children from recent immigrant families face special challenges in school – cultural, language and social. Those challenges become their teachers’ challenges. The Canadian Multicultural Education Foundation and the Alberta Teachers’ Association are

developing a series of resources that will be useful to teachers as they work with students and their parents from immigrant families. Each resource is developed by teachers and community resource people with the assistance of a professional development consultant. This publication, the first in the series, addresses the challenges of Somali Canadian students.

Strengths-Based Programming: The Example of Somali Refugee Youth

Challenges and strengths shared by Somali youth are highlighted on this website, together with current examples of strengths-based programs for Somali youth from across the country. 

Caring Across Communities: Helping Immigrant and Refugee Students Succeed

Caring Across Communities is a national program supporting mental health services in schools. In fifteen sites across the country, the approach serves children from 55 foreign countries, who speak 33 different languages. An average of 3,000 students a year benefit from prevention, early intervention and treatment. In this video, the children of Somalian refugees are brought together with social workers and cultural brokers at Frederick Middle School in Dorchester, MA.

YAD Vashem - Holocaust Video Toolbox
The Holocaust Education Video Toolbox is designed to help educators teach the Holocaust. The focus is on methodological and pedagogical suggestions that aid with this often daunting task, as well as practical materials and discussion points for classrooms and groups - hence the name, Video Toolbox.
https://www.yadvashem.org/education/educational-videos/video-toolbox.html

Jewish Questions

Jewish Questions is the University of Washington's Stroum Center for Jewish Studies’ podcast on issues that matter now in Jewish life, politics, history, and culture — from a scholarly perspective.

https://jewishstudies.washington.edu/jewish-questions-podcast-anti-semitism/ 

Cybary of the Holocaust
This online multimedia library of resources on the Holocaust includes photographs, a teacher’s guide, poetry, and a myriad of other diverse learning experiences for both teachers and students.

ADL - Echoes & Reflections

In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day this Friday, January 27, the ADL announced the release of the first three episodes of their Holocaust education program Echoes & Reflections' new podcast for students. Each episode profiles stories of resilience, resistance, and rescue. This podcast series is curated specifically for middle and high school students. Each episode runs approximately 15 minutes in length and is aligned with Echoes & Reflections Units. The episodes can be introduced as part of classroom instruction or used for independent learning with the worksheets that accompany them. 

http://echoesandreflections.org/podcast-for-students/?hsCtaTracking=bd75f6a5-8f1b-4d14-8d9c-9a46fa6dac52%7Cefa3f069-c533-4eab-acbb-6e299da88628 

Jewish High Holy Days

As a Christian-centric nation, we frequently overlook important holidays celebrated by other cultures such as the Jewish High Holy Days. Our own Heidi Whatley provided the following suggestions about this time.

Jewish High Holy Days things to know:

This period of time between the New Year and the day of atonement is a time for Jewish people to engage in restoration, repentance and repair (Teshuvah). If teachers are working to have a fresh start with a Jewish student or colleague, this is a great time to repair. 

If a student or colleague tells you they will be out on Yom Kippur,  the appropriate response is “Have a meaningful fast,” “Have an easy fast,” or “Have a Good Day” (“Yom Tov” means Good Day in Hebrew). Never question if they are Jewish or comment that you didn’t know they were Jewish.  Remember that Jewish people are represented in every racial and ethnic group.  It causes people harm when others express surprise that they are Jewish or question their Jewish identity.

Like most religious traditions, Judaism places a high value on living an ethical life while at the same time recognizing that humans are fallible. For that reason, this season, with its emphasis on atonement and forgiveness, is particularly important and meaningful. You can learn more about this important time of the year from the ADL.

https://www.adl.org/resources/tools-and-strategies/5-things-know-about-jewish-high-holidays 

Latina/o/x
Many student groups are changing their names to use "Latinx" instead of "Latino" and "Latina." The action is controversial, with detractors and supporters on both sides. While it successfully moves outside of a perceived gender binary - some Latinos feel that it's problematic in other ways.

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2015/12/08/students-adopt-gender-nonspecific-term-latinx-be-more-inclusive

https://swarthmorephoenix.com/2015/11/19/the-argument-against-the-use-of-the-term-latinx/?sfw=pass1630508458 

Latina/o/x Racial and Class Formations

CSD Parent Nicole Guidotti-Hernández has created a podcast that explains the difference between Hispanic, Latina/o, and Latinx. She also offers some historical context for the different racial and class formations that exist amongst Latinx populations in the US.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/4RlWrhtUtq8aPlv0wzg9FV?si=FCPYHPi2QgexyyBfeWukow&dl_branch=1&nd=1&fbclid=IwAR21TExZC_QGuALCHjppBIhLO1o689BiW5j7TIGaukx4KzXfrSbGm3H9Jc8 

DORA THE EXPLORER: CONSTRUCTING ‘‘LATINIDADES’’ AND THE POLITICS OF GLOBAL

CITIZENSHIP

Do you use Dora the Explorer to inform your work in the classroom? Reading this may help. It's an academic article and thus a bit jargony, but it's worth the read and written by a CSD Parent!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FHrdPR4X0Yjazn3K83X3XLJsibMq-7f9/view?usp=sharing 

Make Us Visible GA 

Suggestions on  where to include Latinx and other marginalized histories K-5 are as follows 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PKPNvDiCme-wYrlRboTIQR2oSBg6SHSSe4aEu-zFSks/edit 

Facing History and Ourselves: Latinx vs. Hispanic: A History of Terms

Learn about the history and debate surrounding how we describe Latinx and Hispanic peoples, and consider the relationship between language and identity. Facing History suggests that this means we turn to students as experts on their lived experiences, invite them to name the descriptors that give voice to their identities, and craft lesson plans on the contemporary and historical experiences of Latino/a/x peoples with humility, curiosity, and openness to the wide array of relationships that members of those communities may have to the terms we are employing to tell these stories.

https://www.facinghistory.org/ideas-week/latinx-vs-hispanic-history-terms?utm_campaign=educator-newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=274441455&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_wso1rjN6SW6KaUwH6pxhlDBzK21WRJWN9s17JVNL2qNA94zPqPYjh2OcCrZP-6hC7VWlyhlJ_7ZDrDJZ-0n-eE3WAZg&utm_content=274441455&utm_source=hs_email 

Why English Class is Silencing Students of Color 

Jamila Lyiscott - TEDxTheBenjaminSchoolViral TED speaker, spoken word poet, and social justice education scholar Dr. Jamila Lyiscott makes a powerful argument that to honor and legitimize all students, we must, likewise, legitimize and honor all of their varied forms of written and spoken discourse, practicing "Liberation Literacies" in the classroom. Jamila Lyiscott is currently a visiting assistant professor of Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4dc1axRwE4

English Language Arts Teacher Educators (ELATE) COMMISSION ON SOCIAL JUSTICE

The work of the ELATE Commission for Social Justice is grounded in the belief that to make sense of teaching and research in the field of English language arts we must consider and value gender, race, sexual identity, culture, class, language, citizenship, ability, and any intersectionality of these identities as central categories for culturally sustaining and humanizing practices in our research and teaching.

https://justice.education/ 

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy In Mathematics: A Critical Need

Shelly Jones – TEDxCCSUDr. Shelly M. Jones contributed to the text, The Brilliance of Black Children in Mathematics: Beyond the Numbers and Toward a New Discourse, and is an Associate Professor at Central Connecticut State University. Here, she explains how Culturally Relevant Pedagogy works in the Math classroom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjLOuUhN6xY&t=239s

Math as Social Justice

Gina Cherkowski - TEDxRundleAcademyHave you ever considered math as a human rights issue? Have you ever considered what the label “stupid” can do to a student? In this heartfelt and hard-hitting talk, Dr. Gina Cherkowski talks about how traditional math classes only reach 20% of students thereby creating a population that can only be consumers, not creators. Dr. Cherkowski goes on to talk about how teachers can change this math drought by revisioning the math class so that everyone can learn math - 14min. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVWA3Qg-Jow&t=203s

Radical Math

RadicalMath empowers educators to address issues of social and racial justice in math classrooms through curriculum, lesson planning resources, and professional development opportunities.

https://www.radicalmath.org/ 

Odyssey Online

Designed for elementary and middle school students, Odyssey Online allows self-directed exploration of works of art in the museum's collections and the cultures that produced them.

https://carlos.emory.edu/teacher-resources

Becoming an Anti-Racist Music Educator

 In this article, the author proposes some ways that music educators might become anti-racist. She explores the ways that Whiteness manifests in music education and subsequently examines actions music teachers might take to resist Whiteness. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I7sIsRqiD4SDhd4ec0HmnQKFj6jJeSfj/view?usp=sharing 

Use the Tools of Science to Recognize Inequity in Science

We know that anti-racist STEM curriculum is important, but it can be hard to find. Learning For Justice has created a resource to help.

https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/use-the-tools-of-science-to-recognize-inequity-in-science?utm_source=Learning+for+Justice&utm_campaign=b47c8cffa9-Newsletter-08-17-2022_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a8cea027c3-b47c8cffa9-83000435 

Culturally Relevant Science

THE online video platform for diverse, equitable, & inclusive STEM curriculum.

https://www.youtube.com/@CR_SCI/about 

Culturally Relevant Science

THE online website platform for diverse, equitable, & inclusive STEM curriculum.

https://www.crsci.org/ 

Sesame Workshop: Courses and Webinars
Be a life-long learner! Explore these resources created for the caring adults who work with children to assist refugee families resettling after conflict or crisis. Put in some PD hours by watching a webinar or taking a course on the topics listed below as well as many others. Certificates of completion are available.

• Supporting Resettling Children and Families in the U.S.

• Helping Children Make Meaning After Trauma

• Art Therapy for Young Children: The benefits of art exploration and expression for young children

• Talking About It: Suggested answers to children’s most difficult questions about foster care

• Roads to Resilience: A course highlighting some of the best assets from topics across SesameWorkshop.org with customized approaches, and tips and tricks on using these resources in your work with caregivers and their children.

The Kirwan Institute: Implicit Bias Training

This course, from the Kirwan Institute at The Ohio State University, will introduce you to insights about how our minds operate and help you understand the origins of implicit associations. You will also uncover some of your own biases and learn strategies for addressing them. Each module is divided into a short series of lessons, many taking less than 10 minutes to complete. That way, even if you’re pressed for time, you can complete the lessons and modules at your convenience.

Module 1: Understanding Implicit Bias

Module 2: Real World Implications

Module 3: Understanding Your Own Biases

Module 4: Mitigating Unwanted Biases

Module 5: Certificate Test

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

The National Abolitionist Teaching Fellowship
This Fellowship offers middle and high school teachers the opportunity to work alongside youth in challenging traditional classroom environments. Abolitionist Fellows receive tailored coaching and curriculum development support which is geared towards improving outcomes for Black and Latinx students. Fellows can receive a stipend of up to $2,000 to use towards resources for decolonizing their classroom.

Educator Grants

Each year, the Abolitionist Teaching Network awards grants to educators who strive to disrupt inequalities and injustice within their schools, communities, or both. Submission of applications usually starts in late September. Awards will be announced by early December. 

Abolitionist Education: a teaching approach that centers on abolishing oppressive educational systems, while loving, protecting, remembering, and healing children of color and their communities

Early Care Educator Grants

Each year, the Abolitionist Teaching Network will award grants to early care and education providers who serve children birth through age five who strive to disrupt inequalities and injustice within their child care, preschool, licensed family child care providers, other educational settings, and/or communities. ATN recognizes that these educators are underpaid and disproportionately Black and Brown. They are less likely to have funding for professional development from their programs. Submission of applications will start in late September. Awards will be announced by early December. 

Hollaback!

Hollaback is an awesome nonprofit working to end harassment — in all its forms. They believe that everyone deserves the resources to respond to, prevent, and intervene in instances of harassment. Therefore, they provide both customized and free anti-harassment training experiences. They have some strong free training sessions scheduled for March-May 2021. Many of them speak specifically to Asian American discrimination. Check them out!

https://www.ihollaback.org/harassmenttraining/   

Black Male Educators Talk
This is an AWESOME group dedicated to the support and brotherhood of Black male teachers. A one-of-a-kind affinity space designed and curated to affirm the expertise, lived experiences, identities, race, culture, communities of Black Male Educators. A place to connect with other BMEs, share collective knowledge, and just be affirmed by the fact that you are not doing this alone.

https://bmestalk.com/

This group also facilitates a lively, thought-provoking Twitter chat every Tuesday night throughout the school year, in which, their moderators hold space for BMEs to share their perspectives on the Black male experience and their roles in education.

#BMEsTalk

Too Cool for Middle School by Megan DuVarney Forbes

Middle school history and English teacher Megan DuVarney Forbes is a firm believer in ethics and justice, and her YouTube channel reflects that. She talks about why she wants to use her platform as an ability to inspire people and serve as a role model for doing good in the world, rather than being an influencer.

The content she shares is certainly aligned with this mission. Teachers can benefit from her tips and encouragement playlists, with topics ranging from creating teacher goals to what to consider before teaching about Rosa Parks.