ISTE IN ACTION
photo by s te v e smith
Jessica Medaille announces the 2020 Equity Action Forum, shares projects from inaugural year.
We’re ramping up for the second annual ISTE Equity Action Forum By Jessica Medaille ISTE Senior Advisor This summer, we’ll be hosting the second annual Equity Action Forum at the ISTE Conference & Expo. This is your chance to hear from change-makers, help identify equity issues in education and become part of a team to lead change in your school or district. It all takes place on Saturday, June 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m at ISTE20 in Anaheim, and now’s the time to apply. In fact, applications are due April 24 (bit.ly/2Gfmybz). At the first ISTE Equity Action Forum held at ISTE19, a group of dedicated educators came together to learn from experts and take action on issues surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their own schools and communities. Over 100 participants and 21 facilitators were first inspired by a panel of change-agent speakers. Then, guided by facilitator Jennie Magiera, president and founder of Our Voice Alliance, the group brainstormed equity issues they wanted to tackle. Once the group’s top equity topics were selected, participants worked in teams to begin designing the equity action projects they would pursue throughout the 2019-20 school year.
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EMPOWERED LEARNER
As Magiera noted, “It’s gratifying to see that conversations about equity in education have been happening with more frequency, however, we can and should do more than discuss equity issues. We need to make the leap from talk to action. The ISTE Equity Action Forum is a chance for like-minded educators to take their discussions around inequities to another level and create positive, impactful change.” Here’s a look at just a few of the equity action projects in progress: Concerned about the staggeringly low numbers of people from diverse backgrounds who enter, stay and advance in the field of education, Growing ME: A Mentoring Program Designed to Engage and Empower, is working to virtually match mentors with incoming diverse educators to help them with career access and navigating the first years of teaching and leading as persons of color. The EduPrideAlliance (edupridealliance. org) came together around a collective passion for inclusion and visibility with the goal of creating community and curating
resources to ensure equity and safety for LGBTQ+ educators and students. Removing Barriers to Learning is working to identify and share Universal Design for Learning (UDL) resources to help remove barriers in the classroom, apply strategies, provide support implementation and analyze the impact on student learning. The #infoequity team is working to help educators recognize and raise awareness about the disparities in students’ level of access to information resources and information-rich experiences. These teams and others will share their projects and outcomes of their work at a special Equity Ignite Session at ISTE20 in Anaheim on Wednesday, July 1, and several participants will be presenting poster sessions. If diversity, equity and inclusion are your passion, be sure to apply for this summer’s forum. Participation is capped at 100 and requires a year-long commitment. Apply and you could be among the teams that share the results of their projects on stage at a spotlight session at ISTE21!
