Leading Equity

About Byron McClure, D.Ed.

Dr. Byron McClure is a National Certified School Psychologist currently redesigning a high school in Southeast, D.C. His work centers around influencing systemic change and ensuring students from high-poverty communities has access to a quality education. Dr. McClure has extensive knowledge and expertise in mental health, social emotional learning, and behavior.

Dr. McClure has done considerable work advocating for fair and equitable discipline practices for all students, particularly, for African-American boys. He has designed and implemented school-wide initiatives such as SEL, restorative practices, MTSS, and trauma responsive practices. As a result of this work, led by Dr. McClure, his school recently won the 2019-2020 Whole Child Award.

Dr. McClure has presented across the country as a panelist, featured, and keynote speaker. He believes in maximizing everyone’s limitless potential.

Show Highlights

• Culturally Affirming Social-Emotional Learning
• SEL in all spaces
• Learning Loss
• Critical Race Theory                                   

Connect with Byron

Website: www.lessonsforsel.com

Twitter: @SchoolPsychLife

Facebook: @lessonsforsel

Instagram: @lessonsforsel

Additional Resources

Instagram: @sheldoneakins

Annihilating Racial Injustice in School Course

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About Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D.

Dr. Eakins has a passion for supporting educators with the tools and resources necessary to ensure equity at their schools. Book him for your next keynote or professional development.

Show Highlights

• Thoughts on Juneteenth as a national holiday
• Professional Development for Individuals with Disabilities
• How young is too young to talk about race and privilege?
• What to do a teacher uses the N-word in class
• Learning loss                                                        

Connect with Sheldon

Instagram: @sheldoneakins

Additional Resources

Annihilating Racial Injustice in School Course

Leading Equity Center Question Form

They’re Not Too Young to Talk About Race

Diverse Book Finder

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Enroll in the Annihilating Racial Injustice in Schools Course Today!

About Joshua Bornstein, Ph.D.

Josh Bornstein is presently Assistant Professor and Director of the Educational Leadership at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Dr. Bornstein has served as teacher, union leader, principal, staff developer, and school board member.  He has worked in urban, rural, and suburban communities in Maryland, New Jersey, and New York. His research centers on inclusive educational leadership that eliminates race, class, gender, disability, and first language as predictors of student success. Since May 2020, Josh has hosted a weekly mutual support network of social justice leaders to meet the twin cataclysms of racial injustice and pandemic More info, including registration, resources, and archived video of past sessions available at www.solidarity4edleaders.com  Dr. Bornstein can be reached directly at [email protected].

Show Highlights

• Ableism and Institutional Racism
• Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports
• Responsibilities for educators
• Disproportionality
• Does Implicit Bias play a factor?                                           

Connect with Josh

www.solidarity4edleaders.com

Email: [email protected]

Let's connect on Instagram!

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Annihilating Racial Injustice in Schools Online Course

About Marcus “Sankofa” Nicks

Marcus “Sankofa” Nicks holds a Masters Degree in African American Studies from Morgan State University of Baltimore, MD. He has worked in Maryland’s Howard County Public School System for over 11 years as an Achievement Liaison for the Black Student Achievement Program. He teaches African American Studies Seminar and serves as an educational consultant for staff in his district on how to effectively teach students of color through a culturally relevant trauma-informed approach. His research primarily focuses on African American Educational history and the contemporary issues of Black educators who navigate educational settings. He has also served as a lead facilitator on many occasions for affinity groups and healing spaces for Black educators. 

Show Highlights

• Practicing healing
• Healing within the Black community
• Expectations as an educator
• Affinity Spaces for Black Educators                                               

Connect with Marcus

Twitter: @NicksMarcus

Facebook: MarcusSankofaNicks

Email: [email protected]

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Let's connect on Instagram!

New Course: Annihilating Racial Injustice in Schools

About Hedreich

Hedreich Nichols is an author, educator and consultant helping educators and districts amplify the voices of all students. Hedreich’s YouTube series and podcast, SmallBites, further helps campuses amplify student voices by focusing on equity in education. Between SmallBites and her work as a writer, Hedreich works to help educators create more culturally responsive classrooms and campuses. Her Cherry Lake trade titles "What is Antiracism?" and "What is the Black Lives Matter Movement?" provide teachers with materials to help students understand systemic inequities; and her upcoming Solution Tree title provides educators with guiding principles to help them become more culturally responsible.

As a speaker at conferences like VASCD, MASCD, CUE, ISTE, etc. Hedreich provides educators with inspiration to move beyond conversations around race; giving them hands-on, research-based strategies that can be immediately implemented.

Hedreich received her Master of Education in educational technology at Texas A&M University.

Show Highlights

• What Critical Race Theory is not
• The tenets of CRT
• What can we talk about?
• Student-Driven instructional practices
• Why is CRT up for debate?
• Teacher training                                         

Connect with Hedreich

www.hedreich.com

Twitter: @hedreich

Instagram: @hedreichnichols

Facebook: Hedreich Nichols

LinkedIn: Hedreich Nichols

Podcast: Hedreich

YouTube: SmallBites

Additional Resources

Idaho House Bill 377

What is Critical Race Theory, and Why is it Under Attack?

A Lesson on Critical Race Theory

About Sawsan Jaber, Ph.D.

Dr. Sawsan Jaber is a global educator of 20+ years. She has held a variety of leadership positions both in the U.S. and abroad. Dr. Jaber is currently a high school English teacher at East Leyden High School in Franklin Park. She founded Education Unfiltered Consulting. She works with schools around the country on curriculum mapping, strategic planning, custom tailoring a social justice curriculum for schools, and anti-bias training. Dr. Jaber is a Board Director of Our Voice Alliance (OVA) charged with amplifying the voices of teachers of color to create more equity for students of color. She completed her Ph.D. with a focus on inclusion and belonging of students from marginalized communities. Additionally, Sawsan is one of the founders of the Arab American Education Network (AAEN). She is a National Board Certified Teacher and has focused most of her research on engaging students in equity work and advocating for Arab and Muslim students. She offers the experience of being a member of a minority group as the daughter of refugees from Deir Yasin, Palestine. Sawsan is a lifelong learner in an ever changing world. Dr. Jaber has been featured in several conferences and podcasts.

Show Highlights

• Why we need to bring more awareness for our Palestinian families
• Misrepresentation of Arab Americans and Muslim students
• Historical significance regarding Israel and Palestine
• What educators can do regarding the Israel-Palestine Conflict
• Resources

Connect with Sawsan

[email protected]

Twitter: @SJEducate

Additional Resources

Books to Understand the Israel-Palestine Conflict

Freedom is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement

The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance

Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics

Loss of Land

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About Randall Sampson, Ph.D.

Dr. Sampson is the founder of Liberty Leadership Development (LLD). The organizational mission is to ensure equity and access for ALL students through innovative learning models. Dr. Sampson has experience at the K-12 secondary education level as an administrator, teacher and a national transformation thought leader.               

Dr. Sampson’s skills were honed through the Harvard University Achievement Gap Initiative and teacher quality research with, Dr. Ronald F. Ferguson. As a result, Dr. Sampson's analysis of students’ performance data provided a national value-add approach to building sustainable learning environments.       

The guiding principles of LLD strategy is found in his own published book “Welcome To The Grind!: How Educators Achieve Exponential Results.” Recently, this book was ranked number 21 of the Top 100 education books in the world.               

Dr. Sampson’s focus areas include:

• Closing achievement gaps through the implementation and coaching of rigorous Learning Standards
• Systemically increasing college and career-readiness
• Boosting graduation rates
• Implementing Innovation Learning Pathways
• Building Public-Private Partnerships 

Show Highlights

• Three approaches to equity in schools
• Connect
• Honor
• Amplify
• Motivate
• Purpose

Connect with Randall

Liberty Leadership Development

Additional Resources

Welcome to the Grind: How Educators Achieve Exponential Results

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Let's work together!

About Kayce Jennings

Kayce Freed Jennings is one of the founders of Girl Rising, a global non-profit that uses storytelling to change the way the world values girls.  She now leads GR’s educator US Educator program, designed to bring the GR message of resilience, voice and agency to young people across the country.  Previously, Kayce had a long career in journalism, most recently as co-founder of The Documentary Group and before that as an ABC News producer based in London, Atlanta and New York, and on the staffs of Nightline, World News Tonight and 20/20.  Kayce currently serves on the board of Win, NYC’s largest provider of shelter to homeless families, and the advisory boards of SOLA – School of Leadership Afghanistan and the Bridgehampton Child Care Center.

About Ali Nagle

Ali Nagle is a Southern California girl who has grown into a New York-area teacher. For the last seventeen years, Ali has been teaching reading and writing in fifth grade at traditional public schools and public charter schools. Ali revels in the opportunity to nurture readers and writers and discussing the world with young people. As an educator, Ali explores teacher development and training both in the United States and in various rural communities in East Africa. Ali specializes in curriculum writing, implementing and sharing learning around culturally sustaining pedagogy, and educational leadership.

When not in a classroom or school, Ali enjoys traveling the world, playing with her dog, Archie, and spending time scouring the shelves of independent bookstores.

Show Highlights

• Girl Rising
• A curriculum for all
• Relating global issues to local issues
• Helping students understand their role in their community

Connect with Kayce

[email protected]

Additional Resources

Girl Rising Video Chapters

Girl Rising Educator Resources

Register for the US Educator Curriculum

Register for Teens Rising Together, the online module

Girl Rising on Flipgrid

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About Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D.

Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D. is the Founder of the Leading Equity Center and host of the Leading Equity Podcast. With over 11 years in education, he has served as a teacher, principal, and Director of Special Education. 

Dr. Eakins has a passion for helping educators accomplish equitable practices in their schools. He has earned a B.S. degree in Social Science Education, an M.S. degree in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in K-12 Education.

Show Highlights

• Defining Decoloniality
• The Legacy of Colonial Education
• Parent Involvement vs Parent Engagement
• Decolonizing your classroom

Connect with Sheldon

Twitter: @sheldoneakins

Instagram: @sheldoneakins

The Parent Engagement Training Series

Additional Resources

The Legacy of Colonial Education

Episode 16: American Indian Boarding Schools and It’s Impact on Indigenous Education with Dr. Jon Rehyner

Decolonizing My Classroom

How to Decolonize Your Classroom: Five Essentials Every Teacher Must Know with Dr. Michael Dominguez

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About Darlene Reyes

Darlene Reyes is a first-generation Salvadoran-American and alumna from Northwestern University. After graduation, Darlene became an AmeriCorps member for City Year, Washington, D.C. (CYDC), which motivated her to pursue a career in education. She is a 2019 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Fellowship Aluma who was selected to conduct research on the Imposter Syndrome in Brazil within Higher Education. Her first language is Spanish and she has a high proficiency in Portuguese. Darlene is an advocate for educational equity passionate about holistic solutions for students of all backgrounds especially students with layered identities such as students of color, first-generation, and low socioeconomic backgrounds.

Show Highlights

• Why student empowerment is important
• Learning opportunities for student work
• An overview of student sessions
• Discussing real-life scenarios
• What students are included in the affinity groups?

Connect with Darlene

[email protected]

Learn more about the Advocacy Room

Let's connect on Instagram!