Jun 21

4 things you can do to root out anti-black racism in your school

“First and foremost, educators, even in this stay-at-home moment, you must address racism in America in your schools and classrooms. You must let students talk about what they feel, encourage them to write about their emotions, and create space for students to emote—even as all of that will have to be done virtually. This is an emotionally fragile time for many Black students and other students of color. For many students, the fear is real, their anger is palpable, anxiety is high, and sadness is running deep. Do not expect that you will have all the answers. Just listen to and affirm your students. Please do not make things business as usual.” Read article

Jun 21

Five Things Not To Do When Schools Re-open by Pasi Sahlberg

  1. Don’t think that kids only learn when they are taught
  2. Don’t worry about kids’ losses on school tests
  3. Don’t expect kids to be ready to continue where they left off
  4. Don’t consider recess as a low priority
  5. Don’t expect there will be a ‘new normal’ anytime soon. Read article

Jun 19

And now we have to prioritize recess too?

Yes, prioritize recess

“Recess is typically the only unstructured time in the school day that provides a setting for children’s physical, social and emotional development — all of which are foundational for mental well-being, school engagement and learning.” Read article

Jun 16

Making Black Lives Matter in practice

  1. Stop giving to causes and campaigns that explicitly or implicitly support structural racism. 
  2. Expand your definition of racism.
  3. Understand that your racial justice work must be internally and externally facing.
  4. Recognize that diversity & inclusion is not racial justice.
  5. Acknowledge that assimilation is not inclusion.
  6. Stop dancing around racism and other forms of discrimination.
  7. Black leaders matter.
  8. Don’t expect your Black employees to fix racism.
  9. Don’t punish the truthtellers
  10. Become anti-racist — do your work. Read article

Jun 15

A public high school administrator recounts the moment she recognized that her teachers disciplined black and white students differently.

“The most blatant example of a biased punishment I’ve had to deal with was also the first, and it involved the school dress code. I’ve never been a fan of uniforms, and our high school didn’t have them, but we did have a dress code, as well as a violation that kept coming up: boys wearing sagging jeans. Now, I’m fine with not seeing someone’s underwear during the school day, but this is clearly a violation which disproportionately affects black males. It’s also one where the punishment can end with the student leaving school and missing out on academic time.” Read article

Jun 14

Why the Black struggle in Canada has all but been erased. Two historians explain our blind spot: Toronto Star

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the dark side of that history was tucked away, when Canada reinvented itself as a confederation in 1867. “What they did was reinvented Canada as a white man’s country and Blacks were legally banned from entering Canada,” she said. It’s worth mentioning that America has more Black people than Canada’s total population. Slavery in the United States lasted longer and was more widespread. “Slavery up here wasn’t as long or as intense as the United States,” said columnist and radio show host Royson James. “So, you’re not going to have that volume of stories. And, we don’t have Hollywood.” Read article

Jun 13

“Thousands of people in Houston have called for justice for George Floyd’s death while in police custody. For some young people in Houston, that means restorative justice.”

“Since she was a sophomore in high school in Spring Branch, Kasandra Aviles has been facilitating chats where people come together to talk, share how they’ve been harmed and try to repair relationships. It’s called a circle and it’s part of restorative justice, a growing practice in criminal justice and school discipline.” Read article

Jun 13

Attendance Playbook: Smart Strategies for reducing chronic absenteeism in the Covid Era from Attendance Works

“As schools and communities devise strategies to address chronic absence, it is imperative that they draw from evidence-based strategies. It is even more imperative that they build on and adapt what works in the era of Covid-19 in which students and families face even greater challenges to education
and may need a higher level of support. As protests over systemic racism and its impact on Black Americans demonstrates, our public schools have not adequately addressed the systemic barriers that limit access and equitable opportunities. Over the past decade, a growing body of knowledge of what works to improve attendance for groups of students with disproportionately high rates of chronic absence has emerged due to the hard work of a practitioners and researchers across the country. With nearly eight million students chronically absent nationwide, we can’t afford to waste time and resources doing business as usual. Our students and families deserve better.” Read Guide

Jun 13

Yes, Canada Has a Racism Crisis and It’s Killing Black and Indigenous Peoples

“Anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism and violence in policing is as big an issue in Canada as it is in the US. But don’t take it from me. Let’s just look at the facts. CBC conducted an extensive investigation into fatal encounters with police in Canada over a 17 year period from 2000-2017 and found that while Black people are less than three percent of the population, they were nine percent of those killed by police. Indigenous peoples were less than four percent of the population but more than 15 percent of those killed by police.” Read article by Pam Palmater

Jun 08

The shift to working online requires teachers to think a little differently about how to build the culture they want with their students: 5 helpful steps from Edutopia

  1. Complete a culture inventory
  2. Establish digital community agreements
  3. Establish trusting relationships
  4. Build respect
  5. Scaffold responsibility Read article