Advocacy
Goal of this section
Educators act for a more just education system and for the common good of all. Educators aim to identify and change policies and practices that harm students, families, and communities (e.g. zero-tolerance policies, punitive classroom management practices, disproportionality in discipline, etc.). This includes empowering the voices of students, families, and educators to collectively address inequity and restore peace in the learning community while advocating for change.
reframing-classroom- management.pdfReframing Classroom Management
(~15-minute read)
How are you fostering empathy in the classroom? How could you improve?
Are there ways in which you disempower students? Do you understand how to reverse that?
What are the ways you engage in a quick fix rather than working to further develop the student further?
How can you redirect the classroom?
Did this Toolkit help you with furthering your classroom management? How? And what will you use in the future?
Making Connections With Greetings at The Door
(~3 minute watch)
While watching this video think about:
Making a welcoming space starts with initial connections, do you engage in initial connections with all students?
How can you make connections daily with every student?
Would greetings at the door be helpful for your classroom? Would students appreciate the effort?
Principles and Practice of Restorative Circles
(~15-minute read)
After completing this reading take some time to read, review these questions and reflect on your own restorative practices.
How do sitting in a circle ground you and your students?
Can you see the Restorative Circle being useful?
How do you currently invite students to share? How can this be helpful to have more students share?
principles_and_practice_of_circle.pdfacsa_survey.pdfACTIVITY:
Advocacy Competencies Self-Assessment (ACSA) Survey
(~10-minute activity)
After completing this reading take some time to complete, review these questions and reflect on your results.
How did the questions feel?
Do you think the results are accurate for you? Is it the result you expected?
ACTIVITY:
Historical Context of Education Posters
(~10-minute activity)
Read each poster highlighting the historical context of public education in the US. Identify 2 posters that resonate with you the most (e.g., caused a feeling or reaction or sparked an interest or personal story).
After selecting your 2 posters review these questions to guide your reflection of your thoughts while perusing the stories.
Why do the posters you chose resonate with you?
How does the historical impact of public school education manifest in Tacoma Public Schools district’s culture (ways of doing and being) today?
Where do you see opportunities within your department or the district to improve the educational opportunities for historically underserved students, families, and communities?
Historical Context Activity Posters.pdfTribal Sovereignty Curriculum Guiding Principles
Read through these guiding principles and think about how you can apply these if your lesson guides and classroom space.
1. Teach with multiple perspectives
2. Focus on the tribal group(s) closest to the school first.
3. Deal with real-life, sometimes controversial issues.
4. Connect the head with the heart with the hands for learning.
5. Recognize that culture is dynamic and always evolving.
6. Stress the resiliency of Native cultures, despite intentional oppression and neglect.
7. Emphasize that co-responsibility for change involves developing allies who know how to take action.
(rev. 10/15)
(rev. 10/15)
Checkpoint Reflection:
Advocacy is June's Topic for the
Equity Monthly Question Series
Equity Monthly Question Series
(~10-minute activity)
What will you do to take a meaningful pause on what advocacy looks and means to you?
Activity:
Review these CREED Excerpts
(~20-Minute Activity)
To the right are excerpts from the Leading with Equity: Culturally Responsive Education Expectations Districtwide (CREED)- RC.6, RC.7, RC.9, RC.10, I.1. Please review the excerpts below using the following questions to reflect on these targets and your own practice:
What biases might interfere with the ability to ensure each and every student experiences the full benefit of public education?
What are steps that can be taken to counteract the implicit and sometimes explicit bias that exists resulting from the conditioning brought on by the historical and present context of public education?
How do you advocate for better academic outcomes for ALL student groups?
Additional Resource:
University of Puget Sound School of Education Website
Recommended Readings:
Are classroom norms responsive? Evaluating student-generating community expectations under the lens of racial justice
by. Isobel Ladenburg, MAT '22
Navigating who I am vs. what students need
by. AJ Morioka, MAT '22
Engagign with literarcy and emotions in elementary school
by. Savitri Mann