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Empowering Educators: Elevating Literacy, Identity, and Belonging in Pre K-12 Classrooms
In the heart of every vibrant classroom lies a powerful trio: literacy, identity, and belonging. These elements don’t just coexist—they intertwine, shaping how students engage, connect, learn, and grow. To transform Pre K-12 literacy instruction into a force that amplifies student voice and accelerates development, we must examine our practices through a holistic lens, that…
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Unveiling the Power of Belonging: Essential Strategies for Student Success
What is belonging? According to Cornell University’s Department of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, belonging is ‘the feeling of security and support when there is a sense of acceptance, inclusion, and identity for a member of a certain group.’ In school communities, belonging occurs when individuals can bring their authentic selves into the learning environment. When…
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Women Rising: A Continuous Celebration of All Types of Bold Women Breaking Barriers
Women’s History Month was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1987 to recognize the important contributions that women have made throughout our rich history. It is a time for us all to reflect on how far we have come as a nation, but also how far we still have to go. As we celebrate these…
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Everything You Need to Celebrate Black History Month Beyond February
“The great force of history comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it in many ways, and history is literally present in all that we do. It could scarcely be otherwise, since it is to history that we owe our frames of reference, our identities, and our aspirations.”…
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How You Can Use Social Awareness to Celebrate All Students this Month
Wow, it’s that time of year again! The time to reflect on this past year and look to next year. As you reflect on 2022, be proud of the steps you have taken to celebrate all students in your classroom. Whether it’s adding more books to your library that represent your students or learning more…
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Using an Equity Lens to Improve Your Coaching Conversations
Every child, every day. Do these words resonate with you, inspire you, or challenge you? Are you committed to creating more equitable classrooms for students, but need more supports to have conversations that result in change? Elena Aguilar’s book “Coaching for Equity” may be for you! Educational equity, as defined in this book, means that…
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Increase Productivity in Your Classroom with “Ed Tech or Treat” in October!
It’s almost October, which means this is the time of year when many educators are looking for ways to increase productivity by improving engagement, social emotional learning, equity, and maybe even integrating computational skills. So, what is a good way to implement these improvements? Through technology! “Technology can be a powerful tool for transforming learning.…
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Practice Makes Progress: Are You Practicing Your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Skills?
Written by: Sommer Jabbar, Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Consultant Building your muscle and competency around diversity, equity, and inclusion is a necessary skill we all need to practice regularly. Recently, I conducted a book study with other educators around a book by Glenn Singleton called “Courageous Conversations about Race.” I personally found this book to…
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How to Build a Diverse Classroom Library
Written by: Sommer Jabbar, Kent ISD Project Coordinator of Equity and Student Success Building a diverse classroom library may feel like an overwhelming task, however, there are so many resources and tips available to help! Below you will find some guidelines for building a diverse classroom library and the importance of doing so!
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Understanding and Healing Racial Trauma in Our Classrooms
February is known as Black History month. As we embrace and honor the rich, and sometimes painful, history of African Americans, we are forced to recognize that one month of recognition is not nearly enough time to dive into the contributions, teachings, and leadership of past, present and future Black leaders. Exploring Black History means recognizing…