Safe and Supportive Learning Environments Deep Dive
Applications for the CISELSS SSLE Deep Dive: Centering Racial Equity in Safe and Supportive Learning Environments are now closed.
This FREE, six-part series, Centering Racial Equity in Safe and Supportive Learning Environments takes educators and education leaders on a deep dive into racial equity and safe and supportive learning environments. The goal of this series is to develop participants’ understanding of how race functions in our society at the individual, interpersonal, and systemic levels and our roles and responsibilities in disrupting racism. Participants will work closely with their peers and SSLE facilitators in a collaborative learning community to develop the mindsets, knowledge, and capacity to engage with racial equity from an empowered space in their work within schools, districts, and agencies.
Key Dates:
Six (6) synchronous sessions held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST (Please note the first session will run from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EST).
Session Dates: April 11th, April 13th, April 18th, April 20th, April 25th, April 27th.
Costs:
For a limited time, course fees are covered by CISELSS. There is NO COST for participants to attend.
What You Will Learn:
With the facilitation, coaching, and technical assistance from our cross-racial and multidisciplinary team, self-reflection, and close collaboration with fellow participants, you will learn how to:
- Cultivate a shared and supportive learning community;
- Explore how your racial identity informs your relationship to yourself, others, and systems;
- Identify some of the ways in which interpersonal and systemic racism manifests itself in schools and across education; and
- Create a responsive and appropriate action plan within your sphere of influence focused on developing safe and supporting learning environments.
Who Will Benefit:
- K–12 school district superintendents and administrators
- Principals and site administrators
- Teachers, teacher leaders, behavior specialists, and intervention coordinators
- Counselors, school psychologists, and mental health professionals
Who Should Apply:
The K–12 educators and education leaders best suited to successfully participate in the SSLE Deep Dive Virtual Professional Learning Series:
- can commit to participating in all synchronous sessions and asynchronous practice, reflection, and collaboration between sessions;
- are willing to engage in exploration of how race and racism function in our society and our roles and responsibilities in disrupting it;
- are looking to deepen their awareness of race and racism and/or for those who are newer to learning about issues of race-centered equity; and
- have support from decision-makers and supervisors (as appropriate) to attend sessions, work collaboratively between sessions, try out new strategies and practices, and share learnings and takeaways with colleagues.
Facilitators:
Krystal Wu identifies as an Asian and biracial woman who was raised in predominantly White settings. She is a Program Associate on the Resilient and Healthy Schools team at WestEd. An expert in culturally responsive/sustaining pedagogies, anti-oppressive education, humanizing facilitation, and race-centered equity, Krystal develops curricula and professional learning opportunities to help educators surface and shift their ideologies and ways of being. Before WestEd, Krystal worked as an equity coach and a secondary English teacher.
Theresa Pfister identifies as a white woman from a low-income background. She is a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development. Her expertise spans psychology, human development, social-emotional learning and wellness, and racial equity. Before graduate school, she worked both as an elementary school teacher and a college advisor in the non-profit sector.
Principles and Elements:
Comprising a practical and manageable scope and sequence for learning and application, the SSLE Deep Dive series includes the following principles and elements:
- Offers collaborative and experiential learning with weekly opportunities for practice and self-reflection
- Fosters an engaged learning community in which to learn and grow with education peers across the U.S.
- Centers the role that race and racial equity plays in creating and sustaining safe and supportive learning environments
Synchronous learning occurs via Zoom. Asynchronous practice and reflection occur via Canvas between sessions.
Learning Sequence:
The SSLE Deep Dive Virtual Professional Learning Series comprises six sessions. Each session will be from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. EST (with the exception of the first session).
For more information, email us at [email protected].