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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Educational Resources
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Educational Resources
The New Jersey Department of Education is deeply committed to ensuring that schools are safe, welcoming and inclusive environments for all students regardless of race or ethnicity, sexual and gender identities, mental and physical abilities and religious beliefs. The New Jersey Student Learning Standards (NJSLS) are designed to support the development of curricula that highlight the contributions and experiences of individuals with diverse abilities, cultures, identities and perspectives.
This website provides a wide range of resources that can be used to develop curricula, facilitate professional learning and engage community stakeholders in conversations on incorporating diversity and inclusion throughout the kindergarten through twelfth grade learning environment. The featured lessons, activities and resources were selected to support educators in implementing the new legislative requirements of the 2019 History and Contributions of Individuals with Disabilities and LGBT (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.35-6), Diversity and Inclusion statutes (N.J.S.A. 18A:35-4.36a). For more clarity on the requirements and differences between these two laws, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions.
All students deserve equitable access (N.J.A.C. 6A:7) to a high-quality education that is inclusive and reflective of the rich diversity of our state. This can be achieved through consideration of diverse histories, experiences and perspectives that promote the dignity and respect of all individuals.
Read Across America
Read Across America
Amanda Gorman
Amanda Gorman
Watch Amanda Gorman, poet, writer, and the Inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate, recite her original poem "Talking Gets Us There" from the "PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism" special.
Share this with your kids and talk about celebrating differences and speaking out against racism today and every day.
Kids Discover
Kids Discover
Share this with your kids and talk about celebrating differences and learning about Plains Indians, Southwest Peoples, Eastern Woodland Indians, Native America, and Northwest Coast Peoples.
Watch Amanda Gorman, poet, writer, and the Inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate, recite her original poem "Talking Gets Us There" from the "PBS KIDS Talk About: Race and Racism" special.
Click Here for website with free resources
Binny's Diwali Lesson
Binny's Diwali Lesson
About the book: Today is Binny’s day to share her favorite holiday with her class. She’s excited to share about Diwali, but a bit nervous, too. After struggling in the beginning to find her words, Binny takes a deep breath, and then shares the magic of Diwali. Learn along with Binny’s classmates as she shows them the glowing clay lamps, called diyas, explains the fireworks of gold, green, and red that burst through the night sky, and shares delicious pedas and jalebis treats. Book includes background info on Diwali.
Click Here for video
Click Here for PDF of lesson
What Educators Can Do in 100 Days
What Educators Can Do in 100 Days
At the start of a new administration, we can all recommit to working for equity in schools. Members of the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board suggest some ways to get started.
New: Anti-bias, anti-racism lessons in The Newsela SEL Collection
New: Anti-bias, anti-racism lessons in The Newsela SEL Collection
Culturally Relevant Books and Resources
Culturally Relevant Books and Resources
Bringing culturally and linguistically relevant literature into the classroom embraces the language practices, cultures, and identities of bilinguals. Such texts also help bilingual students draw upon their background knowledge to comprehend their reading.
Breaking Bias: Lessons from the Amistad Curriculum
Breaking Bias: Lessons from the Amistad Curriculum
Each theme provides an elementary, middle and high school lesson on that topic. Handouts for each lesson are available to download for students. The handouts are fillable PDFs and can be used virtually with students.
Before working with students, please read the background information on the theme you will teach. We also recommend reading the Creating Brave Spaces document. Email the Chrystie Young for training information provided by the NJ Bar Association.
Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom
Addressing Race and Trauma in the Classroom
This resource is intended to help educators understand how they might address the interplay of race and trauma and its effects on students in the classroom. After defining key terms, the guide outlines recommendations for educators and offers a list of supplemental resources. This guide is intended as a complement to two existing NCTSN resources—Position Statement on Racial Injustice and Trauma and Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators—and it should be implemented in accordance with individual school policies and procedures.
Online Teaching Can Be Culturally Responsive
Online Teaching Can Be Culturally Responsive
When COVID-19 hit our society, a wave of teachers was thrown into distance learning with little preparation. Many educators whose districts had the infrastructure to support e-learning jumped right in, navigating the abundance of free resources that peppered the internet overnight. I, too, sought out tasks online, excited for my students to drive their own learning.
How to Develop Culturally Responsive Teaching for Distance Learning
How to Develop Culturally Responsive Teaching for Distance Learning
The coronavirus pandemic and school closures across the nation have exposed deep inequities within education: technology access, challenges with communication, lack of support for special education students, to name just a few. During this crisis, there are still opportunities to provide students with tools to help them be independent learners, according to Zaretta Hammond, author of "Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain."
Five Essential Strategies to Embrace Culturally Responsive Teaching
Five Essential Strategies to Embrace Culturally Responsive Teaching
Being culturally responsive is a critical and necessary feature of our interactions with one another. It is also vitally important in the context of education. Culturally responsive teaching is an approach that “empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes” (Ladson-Billings, 2014). The following practices provide five essential strategies for how educators can make their learning environments more culturally responsive.
Three Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies for the Science Classroom
Three Culturally Responsive Teaching Strategies for the Science Classroom
A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving for Educators and Families
A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving for Educators and Families
Summit Learning Resources
Summit Learning Resources
Teach About Inequality With These 28 New York Times Graphs
Teach About Inequality With These 28 New York Times Graphs
Focusing Science and Engineering Learning on Justice-Centered Phenomena across PK-12
Focusing Science and Engineering Learning on Justice-Centered Phenomena across PK-12
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