May 2019: What a Year!
Roots ConnectED Director’s Update May 2019: Read why the 2018-2019 academic year has been one to remember for Roots ConnectED!
Hi Collaborators!
Whew—how quickly the 2018-2019 school year has flown! This year has been a monumental one for Roots ConnectED, bringing together over 175 educators and school leaders from across the country in RC workshops and institutes, with topics ranging from Talking about Race, Power and Identity in Early Elementary School to Using Universal Design for Learning to Meet the Needs of Diverse Learners. With our foundational commitment to fostering the development of inclusive and integrated school communities nationwide, 2018-2019 was a year in which our mission materialized in expansive and dynamic ways.
In November, we welcomed our 4th cohort of schools at our Anti-Bias and Social Justice Institute, held at Community Roots in Brooklyn. Public district and charter schools from across the city and country joined us for an intensive 3 days focused on educational equity and anti-bias practices. Coupling pedagogy with practice, our teams built plans of action as they returned to their individual school sites. We are looking forward to welcoming our 5th cohort in a few weeks from New York State, Louisiana, Texas, Massachusetts, and New York City.
One subject often overlooked in the conversation on school desegregation is that of meeting the needs of the diverse learners in the classroom. Our first Inclusive Practices Institute launched this March. Created out of a need to recognize that learner variability is a fundamental issue in educational equity, this Institute was intended to support the building of fully inclusive classrooms. After observing station teaching in classrooms, one participant commented, "I am so excited to use this in our classroom. Also, the word "choice" was used so often and seen so often in the classroom. Teachers really gave children the opportunity to take ownership of their work and education."
Here is what other participants are saying about attending Roots ConnectED trainings this year:
“This experience was engaging, thought-provoking and deeply meaningful. It made me think differently about the needs of teachers in my school and provided frameworks for me to develop tools for my school context.”
“I'd say it was one of those experiences that will strongly inform my practice as a teacher. It highlights what I know and don't yet know and I'm walking away with a path for further learning.”
“It was invigorating, purposeful, and necessary… I am feeling empowered to get to work.”
We are excited to launch our programming for the 2019-2020 school year, much of which is already up on our website. If your school is looking for more specialized support in a particular area of anti-bias curriculum, learner variability, community and culture in diverse school settings, family engagement, and staff development, please reach out.
We will be at the Harvard RIDES Reimagining Integration Conference for the next few days, the National Charter School Conference in Las Vegas and the Reimagining Education Conference at Teachers College in July. If you are there, please find us - we would love to connect!
As we look ahead to the deep and intentional work needed to build strong integrated and inclusive schools, we look forward to partnering with you to create schools that will change communities.
Warmly,
Sahba Rohani
Executive Director