13 minute read
SPECIAL SECTION
CHAMPIONS OF EQUITY
We’re thrilled to bring you a special section in this issue, in which we celebrate the standouts who are making a true impact for equity in our schools.
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There are so many wonderful educators out there — far too many to list in a publication like this — but we want to do our part to showcase the work of as many as possible.
Read. Share. Get involved. Enjoy!
Jill Ackers Hector Cardona Shirley Forehand John Harrington Gholdy Muhammad Jody Nolf Kojo Quartey Marisol Quevedo Rerucha
Know someone who would make a great Champion of Equity in a future issue?
Take a minute to fill out the nomination form! We’ll be highlighting a few individuals in each of the six issues coming out in 2021. If your nomination is selected, we’ll contact both of you to get the information we need.
NOMINATE A CHAMPION
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
“Curiosity is the core element of greater humanity. Giving all learners an equitable opportunity to collaborate, create, and communicate with equal affordances through authentic, relevant, and complex learning experiences. It means reimagining the antiquated systems to move learners beyond mere tokens but making them real agents in their own learning.” — Jill Ackers
As an educator with more than 20 years of experience, Jill Ackers brings her passion for constructivist learning, languages, and technology to educators through authentic, relevant learning and professional development.
Jill Ackers regularly supports teachers and administrators in developing capacities, competencies, structures, and systems that result in powerful 21st-century learning experiences and outcomes for students.
Jill works with educators to help them prepare to transition to evolving pedagogies and work together in a new collaborative team organization within newly designed innovative learning communities.
Jill Ackers at Fielding International Twitter @ibpbljill
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
When Hector Cardona was young, he felt that his opportunities would be limited as a result of where his parents were from, where he was growing up, and the color of his skin. It diminished his expectations of a bright future for himself.
He now leads Meriden Public School educators in reassessing themselves and their role in a system that all-too-often perpetuates feelings of diminished future prospects for many of our children of color, who often don't see themselves represented in their teachers.
“Racial equity is vital for our children's full participation as productive citizens in our country, and for all of our children to grow up in a world that welcomes them.”
–Hector Luis Cardona, Jr.
Washington Middle School’s Teacher of the Year, Hector Cardona, represented middle school on the newly formed cadre of Equity Leaders. He was instrumental in developing the district’s racial equity modules: Defining Racial Equity, Increasing Our Racial Consciousness, Engaging in Difficult Conversations, The Impact of Microaggressions and Unconscious Bias, and Dimensions of Being White, which are utilized district-wide.
Hector promoted the initiation of the district Affinity Group for teachers of color. Currently, they are engaging with administrators and neighboring districts. Hector organized and led a school book club which discussed “Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together In The Cafeteria?”
Learn more about his equity work at Meriden Public Schools Follow him on Twitter: @HectorLuisCard
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
“If children don’t learn the way you teach, then teach the way the children learn. As teachers, we need to embrace and develop students’ learning styles to help them become lifelong learners. This often means reaching beyond our comfort zones and be open to try a new ideas, teaching strategies, and resources to reach every single student.”
— Shirley Forehand
As Math Department Head, Shirley Forehand is implementing innovative ways to help students succeed and become engaged with learning. Putting math concepts to music is one strategy that’s making a difference.
Having taught for more than 25 years, Shirley Forehand currently teaches at one of the lowest-income schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. She's always willing to try new ideas to get students excited about learning, and she is truly changing lives with her love and compassion. Watch this video to see what we mean:
https://vimeo.com/362897074/a70f38f1df
Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @HallMagnetLRSD
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
Funds For Learning has supported E-rate applicants in all 50 states, and currently serves 4.2 million students at 10,000 sites across America. Harrington also volunteers on several education-related Boards, actively participates in a number of civic and professional groups, and, in 2012, was appointed by Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin to serve on the Oklahoma State Virtual Charter School Board.
“We each have a responsibility to educate members of Congress and federal regulators to make sure they comprehend the scope of this problem, and then we need to hold them accountable to help our communities.”
— John Harrington
John Harrington is the Chief Executive Officer of Funds For Learning, the nation’s first and largest professional E-rate compliance firm. Since 1997, Mr. Harrington and his firm have helped schools and libraries apply for $2 billion in E-rate funding.
Read his article on digital equity, published in the July 2020 issue of Equity & Access, here.
Learn more about John Harrington and Funds for Learning here.
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
Dr. Gholdy Muhammad offers a unique, culturally and historically responsive approach toward the goal of genius and joy in her book Cultivating Genius.
This approach draws from Black historical excellence and is essential for all students, especially youth of color, who traditionally have been marginalized in learning standards, policies, and school practices.
Gholdy Muhammad works with teachers and young people across the United States and South Africa in best practices in culturally responsive instruction.
An Associate Professor of Language and Literacy at Georgia State University, Gholdy also serves as the director of the GSU Urban Literacy Collaborative & Clinic. She studies Black historical excellence within educational communities with goals of reframing curriculum and instruction today.
Some of her recognitions include the 2014 recipient of the National Council of Teachers of English, Promising New Researcher Award, the 2016 NCTE Janet Emig Award, the 2017 GSU Urban Education Research Award and the 2018 UIC College of Education Researcher of the Year.
www.hillpedagogies.com; @gholdym (Twitter) @gholdy.m (Instagram) Cultivating Genius (Facebook)
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
Jody Nolf, M. Ed., serves as ESOL Coordinator for the School District of Palm Beach County, Florida, which has a large population of students from Central America. Many of these learners speak Spanish, but some speak indigenous Mayan languages, posing unique challenges for their teachers and communities.
“We need to advocate for and support not only our wonderful students, but also each other.” — Jody Nolf
In 2017, Jody helped advocate for an field trip to Palm Beach Community College, completely in Spanish, to give eighth-grade ELLs a chance to see what’s possible and experience a fascinating learning activity that involves studying DNA. This is now an annual event that encourages these students to apply for choice programs for high school.
Jody presents regularly at conferences, including VirtuEL 2020, maintains a website packed with valuable resources and guidance for ELL teachers, and shares her knowledge about Anchor Learning with other educators across the country.
Visit her website Follow her on Twitter: @jodynolf
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
Originally from Ghana, Dr. Kojo Quartey spent his college years in a rough-and-tumble inner-city Baltimore neighborhood and eventually earned a Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi. Along the way, he learned more than anyone should ever have to learn about racism.
Read more about his experiences in the January, 2021 issue of Equity & Access.
“I see education as the cure for ignorance, the cure for poverty, the key to success, the roadmap to prosperity, and the ticket to the middle class.”
–Kojo Quartey
Now President of Monroe County Community College in Michigan, Kojo is spearheading efforts within his county for each local public school district to adopt a statement and policies that condemn racism. He also works with local early childhood advocacy teams and is starting a support network to build awareness about race at the earliest levels.
He recently delivered a keynote speech, “Unity in the Community,” at a local event. He also organized and leads a group that meets each month to focus on "An Honest Conversation About Racism."
Learn more | Read his blog
CHAMPION OF EQUITY
“Each of us is striving to be the best version of ourselves possible. To do this, we need to face all that is keeping us from being so. We must engage in reflecting, connecting and healing within while guiding these practices at home and in our communities. The equity work that starts from within is what promotes authentic connections, builds trust and honors our inherent dignity, that is needed to transform our educational systems.”
–Marisol Quevedo Rerucha
Marisol Quevedo Rerucha builds and leads career readiness and career technical education in juvenile court and community schools to address and end the school-to-prison pipeline.
Rerucha serves as Chief of Partnerships and Strategy for the National Parents Union; Director of Culture and Community for DBC Inc; Co-Chair of UNIDOS US National Institute for Latino School Leaders alumni council; Board Member of Youth Empowerments Finest; and as a partner with organizations (nonprofit and for profit business) to provide comprehensive strategic action planning.
She and Dr. Carolyn Geary are designing a professional learning pathway for The Core Collaborative Learning Network that leverages the power of restorative practices. Her book is set to release late Fall of 2020.
Visit her website Twitter & Instagram: @marisolrerucha
TEACHING NEWS & MEDIA LITERACY IN AN ELECTION YEAR
Being an informed contributor to America’s democratic practices and principles requires strong media literacy skills. Without them, even the most civic-minded will find it hard to assess and interpret the mass of information out in the world.
Jeff Knutson, Common Sense Education Content Strategist and Senior Producer, recognizes how challenging it is for students to negotiate media. In an edWebinar sponsored by Common Sense Education, Knutson outlined ways teachers can help students strengthen their media literacy to knowledgeably participate in civic engagement.
Common Sense Education works from the belief that students are creators as well as consumers of media. This means that lessons move beyond fact checking; they involve students in a deeper exploration of not only what they read but what they create (even a meme, which can have a terrific impact, even on an election!) and share.
CLICK TO VIEW THE RECORDING
This edWeb broadcast was sponsored by Common Sense Education.
By John Harrington
There is a growing gap between students who have access to a fast Internet connection and those who do not. This gap is sometimes referred to as the Digital Divide. More recently, the term “homework gap” has been used. But no matter how you refer to it, for students who lack the necessary resources, the inability to get online is a barrier to their success. Like access to running water and electricity, Internet access plays a vital role in providing students a quality education. It is time for our society to address digital equity by ensuring that every learner is online. Not all learning is online, but every learner should be.
NO INTERNET ACCESS AFTER SCHOOL
7.2 million family households in the United States who are not online -- millions of Americans who lack and cannot afford Internet access at home. For students, this means an inability to complete homework assignments, collaborate with their peers, review materials from their teacher, or access a Khan Academy video to help them understand a concept. They cannot check their grades, take a practice quiz, or ask a question via chat. In the best case, they can a visit the local library (inside, or, more likely, outside in the parking lot). But that is hardly an ideal learning environment.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
There is good news. The challenge facing our communities is surmountable. This is a not a
“moon launch” situation requiring us to stretch the limits of human knowledge. No, on the contrary, we can readily address now. It turns out there is quite a bit that can be done and there are legions of individuals lining up to help. The same technologies that connect most Americans to the Internet are accessible, or nearly accessible, to many of those who do not have it already. For a broad segment of the disconnected population, the cables or wireless signals needed are relatively close by. In a study conducted by Funds For Learning in 2016, we found that there were one million Americans living in public low-income housing within a quarter mile of a school or library with Internet access.
In other situations, school buses and library book mobiles loaded with Wi-Fi have been used to bring the Internet further out into the community. Cellular data plans and special “point-to-point” connections can also be used. The point is this: in almost every circumstance in which a student is offline, there exists a way to bring them back across the digital divide, and many of those options are quite affordable.
NO FEDERAL SUPPORT
If the technology is there, what is stopping online education? The piece missing is a serious commitment from the federal government to address the need of off-campus Internet access for students. A lack of financial support, combined with regulations that prohibit off-campus Internet access, is the primary barrier to closing the digital divide. There are no federal funds specifically earmarked to address this need. For years, many of us in the “EdTech” community have been calling for additional aid to help these students. But no support has been made available. Furthermore, there is a perverse wrinkle in the current federal regulations. Schools and libraries are prohibited from extending their Internet connectivity to the community around them. If a Wi-Fi signal stays on school property, that is okay. But if a student uses that Wi-Fi signal across the street, then the school risks losing federal funding.
ACTION IS NEEDED
The lack of Internet access for students is a systemic problem that results in limited academic opportunities for far too many children. These impediments then fuel cycles of poverty and other social ailments. We can and should do better. It starts with understanding and communicating the need. Leaders and decision makers in Washington, DC, cannot address situations if they are not aware of them. We each have a responsibility to educate members of Congress and federal regulators to make sure they comprehend the scope of this problem, and then we need to hold them accountable to help our communities.
By prioritizing federal funding and cutting through unnecessary red tape, we can help connect all students to the Internet.
John Harrington is the CEO of Funds For Learning, a nationwide consulting firm committed to helping schools and libraries connect students to the Internet.
