Education Resources

David Hernández-Saca, Joyce Levingston, Scott Ellison, & Scott McNamara
In this Equity Spotlight Podcast, Equity Fellow Dr. David Hernández-Saca, along with his colleagues, will critically engage in an interdisciplinary dialogue to respond to Critical Race in Education Theorist and Teacher Educator Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings’ challenge to educational stakeholders on how we should respond to the four crises in education and society: COVID-19, the California fires, violence against Black Americans, and political divisiveness. Individually and collectively, they provide their perspectives for future justice praxis. Social Justice Education in the Midst of Pandemics and Crisis: Part One
In this Equity Spotlight Podcast, Equity Fellow Dr. David Hernández-Saca, along with his colleagues, will critically engage in an interdisciplinary dialogue to respond to Critical Race in Education Theorist and Teacher Educator Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings’ challenge to educational stakeholders on how we should respond to the four crises in education and society: COVID-19, the California fires, violence against Black Americans, and political divisiveness. Individually and collectively, they provide their perspectives for future justice praxis. Social Justice Education in the Midst of Pandemics and Crisis: Part One
![]() Taucia González, Alicia Monzalvo, & Michelle SilversIn this Equity by Design brief, we bring a cultural lens to focus on the pernicious and persistent educational inequities in academic achievement that Students of Color continue to experience.
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![]() Kitty Chen Juhanna Rogers Marsha Simon Seena Skelton Kathleen King ThoriusThis edition of the Equity Dispatch states that like physical health, mental health is essential to students’ successful participation in school. Students who are mentally healthy and socially and emotionally competent usually have better academic outcomes. Often, when we think about mental health services in school, we tend to focus on service provision to individuals experiencing mental health issues, especially those with labels like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or Autism Spectrum Disorder. While it is certainly beneficial for targeted students to receive one-on-one mental health supports, the overall scope of mental health service provision needs to be much larger. Based on this recognition, we must create local, multi-tiered systems of service that emphasize the development of a supportive school culture, inclusive classroom communities, and positive relationships. Accordingly, this article offers key equity considerations and recommendations regarding the promotion of mental health for all students. |
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Racial Equity and Justice in Pre K-12 Education

EquiLearn Podcast
The 20-Minute Talk, is a podcast repurpose of the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP Center) a project of the Great Lakes Equity Center’s 2021 Vodcast Series.
The 20-Minute Talk, is a podcast repurpose of the Midwest and Plains Equity Assistance Center (MAP Center) a project of the Great Lakes Equity Center’s 2021 Vodcast Series.
Whiteness: An Unexplored Barrier to Your School's Equity Goals
Equity By Design, Research Brief Whiteness –defined as structural arrangements and ideologies of race dominance – is a significant barrier to achieving educational equity in schools and districts, and Whiteness functions in every aspect of schooling. Thus, this Equity by Design brief is intended for preK-12 school leaders who want to better understand the root causes of inequitable outcomes in their systems. |
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Critical Language Style Guide
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Fostering Higher Academic Performance in African American Youth Through Enhanced Self-Efficacy: The Importance of Integrated Racial-Ethnic Identity
Abstract: Although the dimensions that constitute racial-ethnic identity (REI) interrelate to affect psychosocial and academic outcomes, few studies have explored the nature (e.g., directionality) of these interrelations in understanding a strong and healthy REI among African American youth in relation to psychosocial and academic outcomes. In the current study, we applied path analysis to investigate the potential mediation effects of private regard in translating the effects of racial centrality and public regard to affect African American youth’s academic performance through self-efficacy. Using a nationally representative sample of African American youth, findings suggest that racial centrality and public regard correlate to affect private regard, controlling for neighborhood safety and sociodemographic backgrounds. Private regard in turn, associated with self-efficacy to affect academic performance measured by GPA. These results indicate the need to investigate the potential mediation effects among REI dimensions to understand the nuanced pathways REI dimensions configure to form a strong and healthy REI to affect psychosocial and academic outcomes among African American youth. Kyere, E., Fukui, S. & Holley, Jr. (2021). Fostering higher academic performance in African American youth through enhanced self-efficacy: The importance of integrated racial-ethnic identity. Journal of Higher Education Theory and Practice, 21(7), 20-33. https://doi.org/10.33423/jhetp.v21i7.4483 |
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Challenges and Opportunities in the Learning Environment
On Monday, August 30th, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission hosted a virtual panel discussion focused on the important role culture and perceptions play in the classroom and how it is essential to providing first-rate and accessible education opportunities to every student. This panel discussion featured information regarding challenges students may face in the learning environment, especially during the pandemic, and solutions that create opportunities for awareness and positive change. Watch the Recorded Virtual Panel Discussion HERE
Panelists: James Garrett, Director of the Commission for the Social Status of Black Males; Lisa Welch, Director of the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission; Rupal Thanawala, President of the Asian American Alliance; Dolly Serrant, Hispanic Business Council Director at Indy Chamber
Moderated by Doneisha Posey, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Belonging of Ivy Tech Community College
On Monday, August 30th, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission hosted a virtual panel discussion focused on the important role culture and perceptions play in the classroom and how it is essential to providing first-rate and accessible education opportunities to every student. This panel discussion featured information regarding challenges students may face in the learning environment, especially during the pandemic, and solutions that create opportunities for awareness and positive change. Watch the Recorded Virtual Panel Discussion HERE
Panelists: James Garrett, Director of the Commission for the Social Status of Black Males; Lisa Welch, Director of the Indiana Native American Indian Affairs Commission; Rupal Thanawala, President of the Asian American Alliance; Dolly Serrant, Hispanic Business Council Director at Indy Chamber
Moderated by Doneisha Posey, Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Belonging of Ivy Tech Community College
Social and Emotional Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Public School Personnel--the first five months
Thruston, Wanda; Pierce, Barbara; Carlson, Megana
Abstract: In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was so widespread, schools were mandated to close. A survey was issued to provide schools with a picture of what life was like for school personnel who were working and teaching from home. This report documents initial findings from a survey of Indianapolis school personnel regarding social and emotional impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and school shut-down.
Thruston, Wanda; Pierce, Barbara; Carlson, Megana
Abstract: In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was so widespread, schools were mandated to close. A survey was issued to provide schools with a picture of what life was like for school personnel who were working and teaching from home. This report documents initial findings from a survey of Indianapolis school personnel regarding social and emotional impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and school shut-down.
![]() School Attendance Problems- A Research Update and Where to Go
The universal declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has a fundamental right to education. This reflects how essential education is for the individual, as well as for society. However, even when education in a society is free and available to everyone, not all students attend school on a regular basis. School absenteeism and school dropout rates are global problems that seem to increase in the western world as well as in developing countries. Students need to attend school on a daily basis to succeed. Parents, teachers, and policy makers need to know how school attendance can be optimized, and what strategies and programs individual students can benefit from. Given the importance of school attendance, research is needed to deepen our understanding of absenteeism and to develop efficient methods and tools to improve attendance. There is a need to pool together efforts and research from different disciplines, and from various parts of the world. Moreover, the accumulated knowledge must be made available to educators, policymakers, parents, and students. The authors of this anthology are all distinguished researchers in the field and represent different disciplines, such as psychology, social work, education, and psychiatry. In their respective articled they out line results and conclusions based on studies conducted in, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the U. S. |
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![]() Building an Equitable Recovery: The Role of Race, Labor Markets, and Education Co-Authored by Senior Legal Analyst Kyle Strickland The present economic downturn is unique among modern recessions. In response to the emergence of COVID-19, policymakers shut down large portions of the economy, leading to layoffs and cascading economic problems in order to save lives. Health concerns also led individuals to significant shifts in economic behavior. This report explains how this recession is different from past recessions — and how it is similar. In at least one respect, the current calamity falls well within the trends of American history: it is plagued by racial inequity. In most recessions, unemployment increases most among Black people, followed by Latinx people.1 In this recession, mortality and morbidity have increased in a similar fashion. Indeed, in most recessions, the primary risk facing workers is unemployment; in this crisis, workers may also face potential exposure to COVID-19. This report examines how Black and Latinx workers are unequally distributed in various job categories, compared to White workers, and shows that differences in educational attainment fail to explain the disparities. This finding has important implications. Firstly, it implies that increasing the educational attainment of Black and Latinx workers is insufficient to eliminate racial disparities. To demonstrate this, we look at past recessions. We find that disparities between Black and White Americans persist even when comparing persons at the high end of the skills distribution — those with a college degree. We find that across groups during recessions, Black workers with a college degree are actually most harmed relative to similarly qualified White workers. Education is no protection against racial inequity, especially during economic downturns. |
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Unpacking Racial/Ethnic Differences in the Associations between Neighborhood Disadvantage and Academic Achievement: Mediation of Future Orientation and Moderation of Parental Support
Yunyu Xiao, Meghan Romanelli, Carolina Velez-Grau, Michael A. Lindsey Abstract: Despite the extensive literature on the deleterious effects of perceived neighborhood disadvantage on academic achievement, there is a dearth of information on racial/ethnic differences in the underlying roles of future orientation and parental support that may mediate or moderate this association. Using data from 3618 students in grades 6–9 (50% female, Meanage = 12.9 [1.3], 6.99% Black, 10.39% Hispanic/Latino, 82.61% White) in two communities in North Carolina during 2009-2014 who completed the School Success Profile, a self-report social environmental assessment, this study conducted multiple group analyses across three racial/ethnic groups (Black, Hispanic/Latino, White), revealing that perceived neighborhood disadvantage was associated with lower future orientation, which in turn was related to poorer academic achievement. The mediating effects were stronger among Black youth compared to White and Hispanic/Latino adolescents. Adolescents with high parental support were minimally affected by perceived neighborhood disadvantage. The findings identify nuanced racial/ethnic disparities in perceived neighborhood influences on academic achievement and raise important intervention targets to promote academic achievement among disadvantaged subgroups. |
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Educating the Next Generation of Human Rights Advocates and Defenders
An Interprofessional Partnership
Abstract: Defending human rights requires professionals to be unrelenting in the pursuit of systemic change. It requires the collaboration of varied professions bringing together their expertise to challenge the system of domination that has led to subjugation. Interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPE) is a powerful tool where human rights defenders and advocates from different disciplines can learn from each other and advocate for change. This is an overview of an innovative collaboration between Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Human Rights and Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare (SBUSSW) BSW Program. It will illustrate the way the RFK Human Rights’ human rights education program, Speak Truth To Power (STTP) is being adapted to baccalaureate social work education. Included is the method that the SBUSSW incorporates the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies in a human rights context through the partnership with RFK Human Rights
An Interprofessional Partnership
Abstract: Defending human rights requires professionals to be unrelenting in the pursuit of systemic change. It requires the collaboration of varied professions bringing together their expertise to challenge the system of domination that has led to subjugation. Interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPE) is a powerful tool where human rights defenders and advocates from different disciplines can learn from each other and advocate for change. This is an overview of an innovative collaboration between Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Human Rights and Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare (SBUSSW) BSW Program. It will illustrate the way the RFK Human Rights’ human rights education program, Speak Truth To Power (STTP) is being adapted to baccalaureate social work education. Included is the method that the SBUSSW incorporates the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) competencies in a human rights context through the partnership with RFK Human Rights
Transformative school–community collaboration as a positive school climate to prevent school absenteeism
Jangmin Kim | Carolyn Gentle‐Genitty Abstract: School absenteeism has become a prevalent problem that affects student development and future societies across the world. We examined whether and how the framework for transformative school–community collaboration (TSCC) can be utilized to effectively reduce school absenteeism. To achieve this goal, we analyzed clustered data involving 3428 students within 14 schools that collaborated with communities in providing out‐of‐school time programs. A generalized ordered logit analysis with clustered standard errors showed that overall TSCC significantly decreased the likelihood of students' school absenteeism. Democratic and empowering structures in the collaboration were particularly significant for reducing the higher level of school absenteeism. We conclude our article with practice implications to translate the core dimensions of TSCC into effective practice |
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![]() End School Pushout for Black Girls and Other Girls of Color
National Black Women's Justice Institute At alarming rates, Black girls, and other girls of color, experience discriminatory, disparate, punitive and unfair treatment in schools. Black girls are suspended, expelled, referred to law enforcement and arrested on school campus at rates that far exceed the public school population as a whole, and far exceed their white female peers. According to the most recent U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights Data, Black girls are 7 times more likely to be suspended from school, and 4 times more likely to be arrested on school campus. Punitive practices and policies in schools fuel systemic inequities and outcomes based on race and gender, and have profound consequences for Black girls: rather than promote safety and well-being, these practices disproportionately push Black girls out of school and further into the margins. Black girls who have been subject to punitive school policies and practices are at an increased risk of coming in contact with the juvenile and criminal courts and leaving school altogether, ultimately impeding their ability to achieve future success and lead successful and healthy lives. |
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Bullying Prevention in Schools The Need for a Multiple Stakeholder Approach
Karikari, Brown, Ashirifi, Storms Abstract: Since bullying is an ecological and systemic phenomenon that occurs in multiple contexts with multiple actors, it makes sense to consider the perceptions of multiple stakeholders and their relationships with one another and in relation to bullying prevention in schools. Using a non-probability, purposive sample, this study examined the perspectives of 45 school stakeholders, namely, principals, school social workers, bus drivers, and parents from an urban school district in the Midwest. The study unveils some of the implicit and explicit challenges associated with bullying prevention efforts. For example, bullying can be quite nebulous because people tend to look at the issue through the prism of their own experiences and positions, limiting their understanding of other stakeholders. Some stakeholders’ perspectives may be muted when bullying behaviors are discussed or reported. Overall, the findings support the use of multi-stakeholder approaches in developing a more holistic view of bullying. Recommendations include avoiding the reification of the views and voices of a select few and having a more open system of dialogue among stakeholders to create inclusion when addressing bullying. |
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Advancing Equity‑Based School Leadership: The Importance of Family–School Relationships
Authors: Osly J. Flores, Eric Kyere Abstract This narrative inquiry study presents the stories of five urban public school principals who continually enact and engage in praxis around school/family engagement as their social justice and equitable practices. The findings focus on how participants conceived and engaged in parent interaction: (1) the power of relationships, (2) resistance toward deficit thinking of parents and/or families, and (3) connecting their work with families to equity. An equity-based parent engagement model was developed on how the school leaders employ the power of relationships to engage parents, what participant interpreted their trusting relationship with parents reciprocated to them, and why they prioritize positive relationships with racially and ethnically diverse and economically disadvantage families. Overall, the findings extend emerging empirical research on the role of school leadership in effective parent engagement practice from an equity standpoint |
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A Change in the Frame: From Absenteeism to Attendance
Authors: Gentle-Genitty, Carolyn and Taylor, James and Renguette, Corinne Abstract School attendance is important for student long-term academic and career success. However, in the U.S., our current practice often disenfranchises more at-risk students than it helps. Students slated for suspension and expulsion are often recipients of these practices. This manuscript offers a recommended change in how we frame student absenteeism and attendance using attendance markers and conceptual information by identifying the discrepancies, proposing options, and recommending a new way to actively leverage attendance data (not absenteeism data) for proactive student support. Particular attention is paid to how excused and unexcused absences and in-school suspensions are treated. An emerging pivot program, the Evaluation and Support Program, engages students while they receive school services, community support, and complete consequences is discussed as a possible, promising intervention. |
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