What strategies can educators use to facilitate safe and meaningful discussions on race, racial (in)justice and racism? This toolkit from Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) offers specific strategies, as well as tips for managing student responses, in order to create a safe environment for difficult conversations. https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/spring-2015/toolkit-for-talking-about-racism-and-police-violence-with-students
This recent article from EdWeek describes efforts by teachers of color to address police violence against citizens of color, as well as the pushback received. The teachers interviewed shared their own experiences, concerns for students of color, and desire to help white students participate in systemic change. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/discussing-the-derek-chauvin-trial-in-class-how-teachers-are-doing-it-and-why/2021/04?
This article from Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) addresses the burden placed on teachers of color to support students and lead anti-racist efforts. It also offers suggestions for white educators, stories of white educators who are doing the work, and helpful tips (that white teachers and allies may want to print and post for … Continue reading What white colleagues need to understand
This post from the National Center for Safe Supportive Schools introduces the Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR). CCR is partnering with Alliance for Prevention and Inclusion and the National Center for School Mental Health to establish the National Center for Safe Supportive Schools (NCS3). The NCS3 aims to integrate best practices of school mental health, … Continue reading Addressing the trauma of racism
A new infographic from REL Mid-Atlantic and the New Jersey Department of Education can help educators promote and maintain student engagement in remote and hybrid learning environments. The infographic reviews critical factors related to instructional delivery, staffing and professional development, extracurricular activities, technology access and use, family engagement, and social and emotional learning. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midatlantic/app/Docs/Infographics/REL_MA_NJ_Remote_Learning_infographic_508.pdf
This video series from the Early Childhood Technical Assistant Center (ECTA Center) shares the experiences of practitioners and families from across the country, illustrating how the fields of early education and early childhood special education are successfully supporting preschoolers and their families during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://ectacenter.org/topics/disaster/preschoolpandemic.asp
The American Psychological Association’s Facing the Divide video series brings psychological science to the conversation regarding the connections among race, racism and health. As experts on human behavior, psychologists have a unique perspective that can inform critical analysis of race relations. The site offers a variety of videos, discussion guides, fact sheets and other information … Continue reading Facing the Divide
This new online learning module from the IRIS Center offers tips to support your child’s learning at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and located at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, the IRIS Center creates high-quality, online open educational resources (OERs) about evidence-based instructional … Continue reading Parents: Supporting Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic
This story from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) helps young children and families talk about their experiences and feelings related to COVID-19 and the need to shelter in place. In the story, the coronavirus has spread to Littletown causing changes in everyone’s lives. The story opens doors to conversations about COVID-19, ways that … Continue reading Trinka and Sam Fighting the Big Virus: Trinka, Sam, and Littletown Work Together (NCTSN)
The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) offers a collection of resources for schools dealing with COVID-19. There are specific planning resources for school administrators and staff, several wellness resources, technology tools to support mental health, and data collection resources for researchers assessing COVID-19-related behavioral health. http://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/COVID-19/