Civility Compassion And Courage In Schools Today

Over the past two decades, and perhaps even before the “No Child Left Behind Act,” policy makers and others have managed to drain civility, compassion, and courage from everyday classroom instruction. We have grown to become an educational system that is almost solely focused on academics at the expense of teaching to the whole child. Civility, Compassion, and Courage in Schools Today argues that civility, compassion and courage are absolutely essential to foster good citizenship—to encourage and motivate students to action—to take on the perspectives of others, and to see how they can become productive members in an ever changing global community. Using the authors’ “Model of Influence,” a four level hierarchy, they suggest that students can be taught to be more civil, compassionate, and courageous, even when facing adversity, and can move from developing a consciousness about these attributes into embracing influence and taking bold action. This book provides numerous examples as well as lesson plans designed to assist all educators to infuse their instruction with these critical attributes.

K-12 schools and higher education institutions are experiencing steady racial and cultural shifts that are affecting interactions, relationships, and ultimately, school and student success. The lack of cultural humility and civility in these spaces create conditions for conflict to grow between the primary stakeholders. Conflict recovery is an approach to address the overall issue by engaging in reflection, renewal, and restoration of broken and bruised relationships. It is how one acknowledges their authenticity and cultural conditioning to inspire authentic interactions and relationship. The book begins by suggesting a reframing of how we conceptualize diversity and equity. Then, you explore the origins and intersection of cultural humility and civility and the importance of those concepts to support student success. There are opportunities to engage with the content through thought-provoking questions and you will follow how a fictitious school implements the concepts to support conflict recovery, especially when those conflicts are grounded in cultural biases and misunderstandings of others. The section half of the book is dedicated to the role of teacher, leader, counselor in K-12, and provides suggestions and ideas for higher education institutions to consider as they create policies, practices, and experiences that will allow students to further engage their cultural humility.

Shatter the System is a critique of the American education system and the social and cultural conditioning that has disadvantaged some students while advancing others. The book introduces the Equitable-Social Change Process (ESCP) model for social justice advocates and equity leaders in schools and other organizations to guide their equity efforts. The model moves leaders through four phases from awareness to accountability to ensure the equity efforts are sustainable to actionable for all stakeholders. Interwoven throughout the book is the humility, diversity, inclusion, equity framework (HDEI). Humility is a part of the framing, and also a value—a competency an equity leaders needs to facilitate conversations about the intersectionality of race, gender, identity and a host of other issues that affect behavior guidance, relationships, and curriculum. Lastly, Shatter the System offers activities, exercises, strategic equity planning ideas, and equity auditing questions to assist school and other similar organizations to transform their schools to center and advance equity. It also is a clarion call for those leaders to leverage their power, positions, and privileges to honor the dignity of others and create allyships and cross-cultural alliances for social change.

This book covers teaching cultural competence in colleges and universities across the United States, providing a comprehensive reference for instructors, researchers, and other stakeholders who are looking for material that will assist them in working to prepare students to become culturally competent.

Teacher retention is of utmost importance at a time when so many young teachers choose not to remain in the profession. Teachers exiting the profession cite a lack of administrative support throughout their first years in the classroom. Implementing mentoring programs for beginning teachers will guarantee help and assistance during the difficult time of adjusting to a new career. Mentoring programs are critical when teachers are leaving the profession as quickly as they are leaving. Mentoring programs strengthen faculty relationships within their school community while increasing teachers’ motivation and drive to remain in the profession. If teachers are appreciated, supported, and intrinsically motivated, they will want to be in schools, and they will remain.

Many post-secondary institutions have added courses dealing with diversity-related topics in their curriculum over the last decade. Because many professionals will encounter people with disabilities or underrepresented groups in their daily vocations, either as peers or people seeking services, it is essential to understand the unique challenges these individuals face in society. Facilitating Social Justice, Service Delivery, and Advocacy Through Multicultural Counseling Competencies explores how social variables, intersectionality, and multicultural competencies are connected to one of the essential words in the diversity lexicon: advocacy. Each section underscores the importance of certain social variables and how one might be perceived and treated in the classroom, workplace, and interacting with community services. Covering topics such as disability competencies, trauma-informed counseling strategies, and race and identity, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for administrators and educators of both K-12 and higher education, librarians, students of higher education, social workers, health professionals, mental health counselors, guidance counselors, researchers, and academicians.

The United States is undergoing serious splintering that threatens, not only relationships, but also politics and society as a whole. Divisions are emphasized. Disagreements turn into name-calling and castigating. Issues are sharply painted in right or wrong, ethical and unethical, intelligent or unenlightened colors. The country’s motto is E Pluribus Unum, out of many, one. Philosophy and principle, not force or fear, unite the country through ideals that celebrate the sovereignty and authority of all citizens. Education has an essential role. An educated citizenry is essential to understand issues and engage in a rational and civil conversation about how to address them. Education must explore civil dialogue to bring people together and engage constructively about democratic principles and values. This book explores principles and expectations for a democratic society, and how differences can be approached civilly to explore and define solutions. Citizens must engage in respectful conversations to build greater understanding. Differences are inevitable in democratic republic by its very nature. Civility is essential for citizens to engage in self-government.

Relationship, rapport, routine, respect, and responsiveness are often times the most difficult to facilitate and manage in school settings. However, these concepts are often connected to student achievement, student motivation, and overall school success. Success Favors introduces the Relationship Management System (RMS) ™. It is a collection of proven strategies, techniques, and approaches developed to impact a school’s culture and climate in a positive way.