We speak with Dr. Daman Harris and Dr. Inger Swimpson of Building Our Network of Diversity, the BOND Project, in Montgomery County MD,  which provides spaces for Black and Latino men to support one another in their teaching and their lives. Although having Black teachers benefits Black and white children alike, U.S. schools have few Black teachers, and even fewer Black men. BOND works to make schools better places for boys of color, making it more likely that they’ll go into teaching, and better for Black men, so they’ll be more likely to stay in teaching. Networks and partnerships, especially with HBCUs, are crucial.

Overview

00:00-00:51 Intros

00:51-06:32 The BOND Project

06:32-08:19 BOND’s relationship with schools

08:19-13:09 How to make schools better for Black boys/young men

13:09-13:49 Untapped potential of men of colors as teachers

13:49-18:36 Recruiting teachers of color

18:36-24:01 Similarities/differences in challenges Black men and women face as teachers

24:01-26:19 Similarities/differences in Black and Latino men’s experiences as teachers

26:19-31:10 Distinction between equity and anti-racism

31:10-34:30 How BOND generates conversations about race in Montgomery County

34:30-36:36 Liberatory consciousness

36:36-42:35 Recognizing students’ strengths and teachers; successes even when test scores are low

42:35-46:04 Teachers with a deficit mindset can change

46:04-49:13 Impact on girls of Black men as teachers

49:13-51:45 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode. 

We speak with Dr. Steven Cohen of Tuft’s Department of Education about helping teachers to think critically about race and class. He talks about the importance of listening to students over time, even watching the media they  watch, to get a better understanding of their life experiences. He describes how to create fair strategies for resolving conflicts and for grading and he explains how to introduce complex subject matter in ways that students find relevant.

Overview

00:00-00:50 Intros

00:50-02:39 Tufts education courses

02:39-05:37 Race and class differences experienced by Tufts student teachers in working class schools

05:37-07:46 Helping students navigate these differences

07:46-11:28 How to diversify teacher ed program student bodies

11:28-13:12 Preparing teachers to create anti-racist classrooms

13:12-16:49 Ethical issues in day-to-day teaching

16:49-23:01 Support for conflict de-escalation and resolution

23:01-31:56 Grading

31:56-35:54 Evaluating/grading in group work

35:54-42:16 Addressing complex issues when students lack basic knowledge or context

42:16-47:35 Advice to new teachers

47:35-49:30 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

We speak with Dr. Sam Abrams of the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education (NCSPE) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Abrams describes his analyses of statistics released by local and national education systems and widely disseminated by the media. Sometimes the reports are wrong or misleading, which can have serious consequences for students. We also talk about some of the differences between Finland’s schools and our own.

Overview

00:00-00:41 Intros

00:41-05:39 Misleading narrative about admissions to NYC screened high schools

05:39-08:23 Why Department of Education and principals don’t correct the narrative

08:23-12:05 Sam Abrams’s Columbia Journalism Review article

12:05-13:02 How changes in admissions policies at Beacon and Bard High School and Early College will change the schools

13:02-17:31 What an equitable admissions policy could look like; screening; focusing on reducing large economic consequences for students of tracking

17:31-24:15 “Teaching time” in US and other countries—errors in comparative data and their importance

24:15-26:31 Looking at assessment in Finland and the U.S.

26:31-31:22 Educational option plans—implications for integration and for instruction

31:22-33:30 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

References

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

We talk with Dr. Ann Ishimaru of the University of Washington about correcting the power imbalance between schools and low-income families and families of color. We also discuss “learning loss” and why families of color are much more reluctant than white families to return to in-person learning as the pandemic eases. 

Overview

00:00-00:42 Intros

00:42-01:47 Disjuncture between theory and practice in school/parent/community relationships

01:47-03:55 How we got here in the disjuncture

03:55-05:20 Why deficit-based narratives persist despite the evidence

05:20-06:49 Narratives based on class and race myths

06:49-10:53 Learning loss—what it is and isn’t; how it is measured

10:53-13:14 How definition of learning loss will impact stimulus money allocations

13:14-14:31 Options for how stimulus money could be spent

14:31-15:34 Overturning deficit-based assumptions about low-income parents and parents of color

15:34-17:18 How the pandemic has changed assumptions about family/school relationships

17:18-20:49 How the pandemic affected students’ social-emotional and mental health

20:49-23:31 How relationship dynamics have influenced groups’ willingness to return to in-person classes

23:31-27:16 Dual Capacity Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships—strengths and areas for further development

27:16-29:55 Communities’ funds of knowledge

29:55-32:48 Making the balance of power between schools and low income families and families of color more equal

32:48-36:08 Conditions for power-sharing

36:08-38:49 Abolitionist movement in education

38:49-41:53 Solidarity-driven co-design

41:53-43:35 Outro

Transcript

Click here to see the full transcription of this episode. 

References

Book “Just Schools: Building Equitable Collaborations with Families and Communities” by Ann Ishimaru

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

We welcome back Zoe Weil, of the Institute for Humane Education, along with Laura Trongard, Oceanside (NY) High School teacher to discuss how teachers are implementing IHE’s Solutionary program.  Laura describes how students adopt habits of solutionary thinking in their schoolwork and their lives. Zoe talks about IHE’s new micro-credential program, an online course that prepares teachers to use the solutionary framework. The new edition of Zoe’s book, “The World Becomes What We Teach,” with new content on pandemics and racial tensions, will be released in June.

Overview

00:00-00:44 Intros

00:44-03:52 IHE’s  Solutionary graduate programs

03:52-06:14 Implementing the Solutionary program districtwide in Oceanside NY

06:14-08:16 Looking at root causes and solutions

08:16-09:28 Cross-discipline and cross-age teacher and student collaborations

09:28-15:37 “Responsibility”

15:37-17:17 Student research and investigation

17:17-30:39 Addressing controversial topics, conflicting interests, power dynamics

30-39-32:36 Impact on students

32:36-34:18 Micro-credential program

34:18-36:13 Resources for after-school and community settings

36:13-40:16 “The World Becomes What We Teach”—new edition

40:16-44:03 “A better world is possible.”

44:03-45:45 Outro

Transcription

Click here to see the full transcript of this episode. 

References

Credits

Soundtrack by Poddington Bear

Photo from Oceanside School District’s Twitter