Design Principles for Culturally Sustaining Learning Partnerships

Co-Creative & Reciprocal Community & Relationships

Students and educators in the learning community all know that they matter, are regarded as competent and valuable, and have things to teach and things to learn from each other.

Students are positioned as partners and co-creators in all aspects of the classroom, educators work to flatten power hierarchies in decision making to the greatest extent possible, and decisions and goals are regularly revisited.

Laura Salopek - Virtual Writing Marathon


Sue Jerzewski and Natasha Odette - Passion Driven Clubs

Students and educators bring funds of knowledge from their home and background and these strengths are utilized, sustained, and enhanced in the classroom.

Students and educators seek to do no harm and repair harm when it happens.

Students and educators hold high expectations and are provided with the supports necessary to meet expectations.

Meg Spencer (scaffolding, rubrics, conferences}

Teaching & Learning

Learning experiences facilitate student independence and interdependence.

Students actively make meaning of their own lives and the world around them.

Students are afforded opportunities to make decisions about what and how they learn.

Curriculum engages students and educators in a belief in their own humanity and the humanity of others.

Curriculum takes an action-oriented and community-engaged approach to address systems of oppression and inequities by addressing root causes instead of symptoms.

Assessment

Assessment is assets-based - building on strengths and identifying areas for growth.

Students have opportunities to identify their own strengths and weaknesses, set the course for their own learning, and assess their own learning and progress.

Jen Doucette

Students have opportunities for early failure and actionable and iterative feedback.

Danielle Vogel - Actionable & Iterative Feedback


Laura Streyle -

Evaluations are responsive to process and product.