Advocating for racial equity in education
How did we get here?
The history of racial inequities is deep, and it’s essential that we, collectively, understand the historical context that has built an unjust education system that has long denied students of color and American Indian students of their right to an education.
Today, implicit bias and ongoing racist practices in our education system continue to act as a form of segregation, where classrooms center White students and deny students of color and American Indian students their rights to a rigorous curriculum that respects and celebrates their rich cultural heritage.
A brief history of systemic racism in education
Scholars James Anderson (1989); Michael Fultz (1995); and David Tyack (2004) have documented the legacy of educational inequities in the U.S.—formed on race, class, gender.
African Americans denied education during slavery; experienced segregated schools explicitly prior to Brown v. Board of Education; explicitly denied entrance to white colleges and universities. The school zero tolerance policies of 80s to today, and discipline policies over time have resulted in aggressive discipline gaps for African American young men and women.
Latino children, going back to 1848, 1900’s – were also excluded from quality education and equitable education. This discrimination was also barring other languages and “English-Only” pressures. In 1920’s, Laws of 22 states barred the use of non-English language instruction in the schools. (Gandara and Hopkins “English Learners and Restrictive Language Policies”- p.24-25)
American Indian children and families and the boarding school era. U.S. Policies that took children from families and communities and sent them to Boarding schools for assimilation to systemically remove their Native customs and traditions, and languages.
 (Child, Brenda J. Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families 1900-1040. University of Nebraska Press, 2000, p. 10-25)
These racist practices continue to result in an education debt for students of color and American Indian students.
“The education debt is that which is owed to minority students that have accumulated from centuries of discrimination against these students.” —Gloria Ladson-Billings
We must work to support all students for success by supporting racial equity in education.
What is racial equity in education?
Race equity is a condition. It means that those most affected by inequities have the space and personal agency to build power and lead through collective action.
Equity is raising the achievement of all students while eliminating the racial predictability and disproportionality of which student groups occupy the highest and lowest achievement—by serving students’ specific needs.
To that end, race equity is not merely a value, it is a systemic shift. Race equity is actualized fairness and justice.
Using a race equity lens
A race equity lens is essential for re-framing and reshaping current policies and practices to support students of color and American Indian students in education excellence.
Racial equity does not mean simply eliminating overt racism; it means building systems and structures that are just and inclusive—supporting students’ needs, building on community assets, and addressing systemic barriers in the way of those needs and asset-building.
This is how we promote racial equity and excellence in education.
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Advancing racial equity in distance learning
MnEEP reminds policymakers and the public that an equitable and just education systems is not limited to delivering education in school buildings—it also applies to distance learning.
The Minnesota education system must develop and support distance learning that advances race equity and educational excellence for all students.
It must be designed to:Â
- bring POCI students into relationships with schools and teachers that promote their human dignity.
- advance racially and culturally responsive teaching and learning environments for teachers and students.
- advance multilingualism by including the native language of each student as a vital asset for academic success.
A racially equitable and culturally responsive distance learning pedagogy is responsive to students’ individual and collective lived experiences, and in particular during this time, their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic.
A culturally responsive distance learning pedagogy does the following:
- makes education accessible to all students;
- is co-constructed by students, families, community, and schools;
- affirms racial and cultural identities to foster positive academic outcomes;
- develops students’ abilities to connect across cultures;
- empowers students as agents in their own teaching and learning;
- anticipates and designs the education experience around and in response to particular social and cultural differences, and
- contributes to an individual’s engagement, learning, growth, and achievement through the cultivation of meaningfully relevant conversations, activities, and engagements. (Read more from NYU Steinhardt here.)
Essential Reading/Viewing
Articles and stories that highlight the current deep racial disparities in distance learning, and opportunities for building a stronger, more equitable education system.
What the COVID-19 crisis tells us about structural racism, from Embrace Race
The racial impacts of COVID-19, from Embrace Race
Speaking up against racism during the coronavirus, from Tolerance.orgÂ
Risks and opportunities for education in the face of COVID-19, from Brookings Institution.Â
Building culturally responsive distance learning programs
The need for Culturally Responsive Education (CRE)
Culturally Responsive Education is a framework that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references (or lived experiences) in all aspects of learning. Culturally Responsive Education empowers students by respecting their identity and interests as central to the learning process. (from Ladson-Billings, 1994).
All students deserve a space where they are celebrated for the unique identities and cultural assets they bring to a classroom. This includes lessons and teaching where students are able to accept and affirm their cultural identity while developing critical perspectives that challenge inequities that schools and other institutions perpetuate.
When leaders lead with an equity lens, schools are equity-centered and inclusive. Students can better understand themselves, their histories, and their identities and can begin to build their power to shape themselves and their world.
Culturally Responsive Teaching (CRT)
“An educator’s ability to recognize students’ cultural displays of learning and meaning making and respond positively and constructively with teaching moves that use cultural knowledge as a scaffold to connect what the student knows to new concepts and content in order to promote effective informational processing…
All the while, the educator understands the importance of being in relationship and having a socio-emotional connection to the student in order to create a safe space for learning.” (Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain by Zaretta Hammond)
Some of the characteristics of culturally responsive teaching include:
- Positive perspectives on parents and families
- Communication of high expectations
- Learning within the context of culture
- Student-centered instruction
- Culturally mediated instruction
- Reshaping the curriculum
- Teacher as facilitator
(from the The Dreamkeepers, by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, 1994)
Promoting culturally responsive distance learningÂ
In order to build and support economic and social wellbeing for all of Minnesota, it’s essential that we address opportunity gaps and invest in strong education equity pathways—in the classroom and in distance learning.
Culturally responsive-sustaining remote education (or culturally responsive distance learning)Â grounds the use of education tools and arranges the educational experience in a cultural view of learning and human development in which multiple expressions of diversity (e.g., race, social class, gender, language, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, ability) are recognized and regarded as assets for teaching and learning.
Thus, it is education that is responsive to students’ individual and collective lived experiences, and in particular during this time, their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic.
It does the following:
- makes education accessible to all students;
- is co-constructed by students, families, community, and schools;
- affirms racial and cultural identities to foster positive academic outcomes;
- develops students’ abilities to connect across cultures;
- empowers students as agents in their own teaching and learning;
- anticipates and designs the education experience around and in response to particular social and cultural differences, and
- contributes to an individual’s engagement, learning, growth, and achievement through the cultivation of meaningfully relevant conversations, activities, and engagements.
Read more from NYU Steinhardt here.Â
Reflections on Culturally Responsive online teaching
At the heart of culturally responsive teaching is the idea of being responsive to students’ academic and social emotional needs. As teachers, we provide so much more than the lessons we share. For many of our students, we provide a guided path to successfully navigating those lessons, to security and to reassurance.
When COVID-19 hit our society, a wave of teachers was thrown into distance learning with little preparation. Many educators whose districts had the infrastructure to support e-learning jumped right in, navigating the abundance of free resources that peppered the internet overnight. I, too, sought out tasks online, excited for my students to drive their own learning.
But one critical piece was missing: the personal connection with me, their teacher. For the students in our class to whom their teacher is everything, even the most engaging worksheets, videos, projects and animated websites are nothing.
As Maribel Gonzales pointed out in A Healthy Reminder to Educators During School Closings, now is the time to focus on student well-being, not to prioritize academic compliance. Since I work in a district that provides one-to-one technology for our second through 12th graders, I knew I was lucky enough to be able to use the turn to online courses as a way to connect with my students and support them through this crisis.
Here’s how I’m building on what I learned to ensure I’m meeting the needs of marginalized students even as we shift to a new learning environment.
Read more from Tolerance.org, “Online Teaching Can Be Culturally Responsive”
Tools for promoting an equitable education for EML students
MnEEP’s EML Network promotes heritage languages as a right and resource
Minnesota’s Emerging Multilingual Learner (EML) population is the fastest-growing student population in the state. Still, the majority, if not all, of school lessons in Minnesota are taught in English, often serving to erase students’ heritage languages versus supporting multilingualism as an asset in the classroom.
Research shows that multilingualism supports better cognitive development and executive function. But defining students as “English Learners” clarifies the position that students have a deficit of English and their language is a problem. But if we flip the script and recognize the microcosm of the world within our schools, language is seen as a right and resource.
The MnEEP Emerging Multilinguals (EML) Network mobilizes and unites to promote equitable E-12 educational policy and practice for EMLs, a positive narrative of multilingualism and culture, and investments in effective EL and language programs.
The Network leverages the recognized expertise of members to advance an advocacy campaign, policy arena, and network supporting multilingualism as an asset for language development, academic achievement, and equitable education. Members include educators, administrators, researchers, and impacted community members.
The following principles ground the Network:
- Recognize that multi-lingualism and –culturalism and potential future earnings are lost when the US education system historically ignores and discounts English Learner students’ home language and culture and assume their educational needs are the same as a monolingual child. Also recognize the US reality of language use.
- Build on and meaningfully using multilingualism enhance English language development, academic achievement, and persistence in schooling while supporting EML students’ social-emotional and cognitive development.
- Authentic, equitable, and deep community engagement is necessary to ensure that systemic and school-specific EL and language department plans and programs are responsive, relevant, and transparent to families of EML students.
- Minnesota teachers and education leaders must have quality preparation, professional development, and curriculum support in multilingualism to meet the higher linguistic and academic goals and social-emotional development needs of EMLs.
The role of the Network is to:
- Promote the use of students’ linguistic skills as a positive asset contributing to their success.
- Mobilize communities to protect and promote access to quality education for EMLs
- Observe and shepherd EML policy implementation: LEAPS Act & ESSA
- Advise state and national policy makers: bring representatives to locales, write op-eds, maybe lobby
- Develop leadership within communities of color: family power amplification and “accompaniment.”
- Build public will through sharing new and emerging knowledge: quality programs/models, data, funding.
Challenges and opportunities for EMLs
As teachers, students, and families adjust to our “new reality,” the changes can be overwhelming. It can be helpful to think a little bit not only about the challenges this situation presents but the opportunities it presents, as well as the strengths that educators bring to this moment.
Challenges
The solutions that are developed may be inequitable for multilingual students and families without devices or Wi-Fi. The reality is that without easy access and an understanding of distance learning, multilingual families will be at a disadvantage.
The equity gap is likely to widen as digitally-connected and tech-savvy students move forward with learning, which is compounded by the many other ways school closures are impacting more vulnerable students.
Immigrant families may have privacy concerns about online learning. It is critical for school districts to establish strong security policies that protect all students’ privacy, while keeping in mind that immigrant families may have particular concerns about their online privacy and may also request alternate methods of instruction.
The strains and pressures this national crisis is putting on families are devastating. Families are strong and will provide loving support for their children, but they may also feel scared and overwhelmed and suffer serious financial setbacks, not to mention illness and loss within their families.
The stresses on educators are complex and will continue to evolved. No one is untouched by this crisis, whether they have been touched by illness, loss, financial insecurity, big changes to the routine, or new ways of working. So much is being asked of educators and school workers currently, many of whom are caring for and educating their own children and family members at home.
Opportunities
In spite of those challenges, there are some opportunities that this situation presents.
This as an opportunity for students to spend valuable time with their families. Students may have a chance to strengthen their bonds with multigenerational family members and further develop their native language skills, which tend to atrophy the longer they are in an English-speaking environment.
Teachers can create interactive activities that require meaningful connection with members of the family, or ask students to learn new things about family members through interviews or family stories. See this Story Corps DIY site for some ideas about how to set up an interview project.
We may see greater collaboration between ELL/bilingual teachers and general education/content teams. This is a very rare time for all teachers to come together to plan and discuss best practices to meet the needs of all students.
There may be great learning opportunities in this situation for both educators and students. If nothing else, this situation allows educators to demonstrate their own growth mindset for students while learning new instructional skills.
Read more from Colorincolorado.org.
Considerations for Humanizing Practice
Shifting to distance learning is a significant transition for teachers, students, and families. As you continue in this work, it is worth considering the following:Â
- Start slow and simple – The sheer number of digital resources and tools available to you can be overwhelming. There is no need to use everything at once. Start slow, use the tools you know, and be confident in your capacity as an educator.Â
- Be kind to yourself and others – These are uncertain times. Be sure to extend grace to yourself, your students, families, colleagues and leaders.Â
- Prioritize relationships – In addition to safety and other physical needs, a sense of belonging is foundational to learning. Time spent building relationships with students and families is time well-spent.Â
- Promote love of learning  – Curiosity is an innate human characteristic. Focus on the types of learning activities that tap into this love of learning through student choice, opportunities for critical thinking, and supportive adult and peer conversations.
- Establish norms and routines – An effective launch to distance learning will require clear expectations for teachers, students and families. Routines and norms can help support mental health for everyone involved.Â
Iterate to improve – The evolving nature of our current situation means that we will need to be flexible and adaptable through multiple iterations of our plans.Â
Read more from the Regional Centers of Excellence.
Distance learning for EML/ELLs: Planning instruction
Teaching online is like traveling to a new country. You’re not really sure where anything is, you are afraid to try new things because you might be embarrassed, and you miss the ease of your old daily life and the ability to connect seamlessly with others.
This article starts with a needs assessment to help prioritize planning, as well as tips and strategies for developing online lesson plans for ELLs. The article also includes activities that support students’ language development.
Read more from Colorincolorado.org.Â
Additional resources
These articles offer planning tools, strategies, recommended resources, and much more for teaching and supporting EML/ELL students in distance learning:
- What You Need to Know
- Planning Instruction
- Making Family Partnerships Work
- Offline Learning at Home
- Challenges and Opportunities
- Recommended Resources
- Privacy Considerations for ELLs/Immigrant Students
Multilingual Communication Tools and Resources
- Support families in accessing information critical to physical health and safety
- Ensure that families have information and resources to stay in contact with the school
- Prioritize love, belonging, care and respect for all families and communities
- Provide students and families information about the continuing support that will be available for emerging bilinguals (see LIEP Plan Appendix for Distance Learning)
If you do not have access to district interpreters and translators, please consider some of the following resources:Â
- Google Translate App – Free audio and text translation across multiple platforms
- Microsoft Translate App – Free translation and transcription service availableÂ
- Talking Points – Multilingual messaging platform free for individual teachers
- Language Line – Paid interpretation service for schools and other organizations
- Dialog One – Paid local translation service with virtual interpreters
Lexikeet Language Services – Paid on-demand audio and video interpretation
Read more from the Regional Centers of Excellence.
Webinar: Best practices for serving English Language Learners and their families
This essential webinar from Tolerance.org presents specific tools and strategies for supporting EMLs in instruction, family engagement, classroom culture, and school policies.
Article: Fining new ways to connect with ELLs and their families during school closures
Learn more about steps educators can take to reconnect with English learners and their families during school closures and how administrators can support that outreach. This article also includes multiple tools, resources, and tips for collaboration.
Read more from Colorincolorado.org.Â
Webinar resources
These resources were included in the Spring 2020 webinar from ColorĂn Colorado and Share My Lesson about distance learning for ELLs.
Essential classroom resources Â
Tools for supporting listening, speaking, reading, and writing in multiple languages
Listening |
Speaking |
Reading |
Writing |
Storybooks MN*
Analog:Â Music/Television |
Flipgrid
Analog:Â Phone Calls |
CommonLit*
Analog:Â Books/Newspapers |
Google Docs
Analog:Â Journals/Diaries |
Read more from the Regional Centers of Excellence.
Creating authentic family and student engagement
Families are assets, and relationships with them are essential
Culturally responsive-sustaining (CRS) family engagement has always been an essential tool for schools to advance learning and equity. Now that home is school for tens of millions of students during the COVID-19 pandemic and families are playing the role of administrators, educators, facilitators, coaches and IT for student learning, CR-S family engagement is absolutely critical for meaningful learning to take place.
Culturally responsive-sustaining family engagement is the practice of authentic, equal partnership with families, rooted in a deep knowledge and appreciation for the rich social and cultural identities, assets, habits and contexts that families bring to learning.
Read more about how educators, districts, and schools can center families in distance learning and beyond. (From the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools at NYU.)
Creating compassionate, healing spaces for studentsÂ
This transition to distance learning can be a challenge in many ways—mentally, physically, and emotionally. Science and experience show us that learning is disrupted with trauma, stress and even simple disruption of routine. These challenges affect students, adults, educators and family members.
Everyone is having a very different experience. Despite technology, we are isolated and don’t know the experience of others. We must make time to attend to our social emotional wellness and to climate to facilitate any type of learning. We can take time to share our experiences and hear from others, take care of ourselves and use a trauma-informed lens to create new norms and expectations as a school community and to center equity. (From the Minnesota Department of Education)
Additional resources:
- MDE School Climate in Distance Learning PageÂ
- Virtual Relationship Mapping
- Resources For Teaching and Learning During This Period of Socal Distancing
- Social and Emotional Learning at HomeÂ
- CONNECTING WITH STUDENTS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING
- 7 Ways to Maintain Relationships During Your School Closure
Culturally sensitive communication
Strong communication between school staff and families is important in any school and has special relevance for schools committed to anti-bias education.
Communication built on misinformation, assumptions or stereotypes can create distance between schools, families and students. If handled with respect and cultural sensitivity, however, school-family communication provides an opportunity to live out the values of inclusiveness and equity, which are at the heart of anti-bias education. The following guidelines can help schools avoid communication pitfalls and support teacher-family relationships built on respect:
- Assume good intentions, and approach all families as partners who want the best for their children.
- Invite parents or guardians to share knowledge about their students’ lives, interests, hopes and struggles.
- Invite parents or guardians to share information about family cultures and traditions.
- Recognize and respect differences in family structures.
- Recognize the role that identity and background may play in shaping relationships between teachers and families.
- Bring a sense of self-reflectiveness and cultural humility to all conversations and interactions.
- View linguistic, cultural and family diversity as strengths.
In addition to setting a tone of respect and inclusivity, strong communication with families also offers teachers an opportunity to invite family involvement and share curricular goals, materials and resources.
Read more from Tolerance.org.Â
The wisdom of families—and educators
While families are struggling right now and have many needs, they also have a lot of wisdom to share about how to support children academically, socially, and emotionally. They are the experts on their children and what their children need right now. You can document any best academic, social, and/or emotional practices that families are using with their children that might be helpful to share with other families or fellow colleagues.
Although many educators say that connecting with families during this time has been a high point for them, these conversations also may evoke a lot of emotions. Remember that it is not your job to solve every problem. Supporting families during this time should be a coordinated effort with your school’s mental health specialists, counselors, community partners, and family engagement coordinator (if you have one) and should build on families existing resources and assets
Learn more about simple tips and scripts for connecting with families of color and American Indian families.
(From the Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools at NYU.)
Online tools and practices for teaching students about racial justice
This is an evolving list of online resources, tools, and articles for educating students on racial justice and racial equity. While it is not meant to be exhaustive or complete, this list provides links to just some of the leading thought leaders and organizations designing and supporting systems and practices for building racial equity.
How to talk to your kids about race and justice: NPR Discussion with Racial Justice Leaders. Â Read more.
From Embrace Race: Action guides, webinars, stories, and more for teachers and parents who want to support equity and anti-racism. Read moreÂ
A small collection of anti-oppressive, anti-racist homeschool curriculum ideas and resources for families impacted by closures caused by the coronavirus. Google doc here.Â
Listen: Resource and stories about lesser-known people in black history. Read more.Â
Center for Racial Justice in Education: Lessons & resources Read more.Â
Black Lives Matter At School: Curriculum & Resource Guide Read more.Â
Zinn Education Project:Lessons & Resources: Read more.
Teaching Tolerance: Classroom resources and lessons Read more.Â
Absent Narratives: MN Humanities Center Lessons Read more.Â