The team at LINC had the honor to partner with a smart group of experienced racial equity scholars and facilitators to create a compelling set of resources to help educators in the pursuit of a more just and equal society. We are pleased to announce the launch of our new Racial Equity Professional Development Library. Leveraging over 15 years of adult learning science and foundational research, LINC developed a scalable, practical, and affordable approach to fostering racial equity in classrooms.
As we expressed in our company statement, Ensuring Racial Equity in Every Classroom, we understand that racism runs deep in the United States and is inextricably tied to the entire history and making of this country. We also believe that there is no neutral position on racism. Now more than ever, we need everyone to be part of the solution, not just people of color. The roots of racism are embedded in the fabric of this country and we must be honest, be willing to be uncomfortable, and move beyond empathy to action if we expect to see change.
The Racial Equity Library grows from our belief that we must confront racism directly. LINC wants to create learning opportunities for educators to reflect deeply and do the hard work of examining their beliefs, values, and attitudes to better understand how they have shaped our culture and institutions. We each have a personal responsibility to become better than we have been. The Library in LINCspring is a series of eight professional development experiences for teachers and leaders which can be self-paced or completed in facilitated cohorts. These learning modules, supported by our expert team, will strengthen awareness of implicit bias and harmful policies, while helping to increase student voice, representation, and agency. Topics include:
- Implicit Bias in the Classroom
- Examining Educational Institutional Racism
- Problem-Solving Racial Inequity in Education
- Reflecting on Behavioral Norms & Consequences in Schools
- Counter-Narratives and Reflection Toward Action and Change
- Leveraging Blended Practices to Foster Equity
- Organizational Leadership & Culture: Analyzing Problems of Practice
- Self-Reflection: Seeing Equity Through the Lens of a White Female
As educators, as education leaders, as coaches, as teachers-- our next responses and actions are absolutely critical. We must act. In order to create truly equitable classrooms for all of our students, especially students of color, we invite you to engage in this hard work, beginning with ourselves. Engaging in these cycles will be uncomfortable and empowering. This is your opportunity to support racial equity system-wide.
As we share this Racial Equity Library, we’d love to hear from you about what actions you are taking to make a difference in your classrooms, schools, and districts. We also welcome your feedback on what we have created and what else you would like to see in our Library. Let us know by emailing me at jenniferwolfe@linclearning.com or on Twitter @LINC_PD.