Cultivating Joyful Learning Spaces For Black Girls

Build learning environments that support Black girls' excellence and academic achievement. In this thought-provoking and illuminating book, former educator and social justice advocate Monique W. Morris addresses the harmful policies, practices, conditions, and assumptions that too often criminalize Black girls' behavior and steer them down "school-to-confinement pathways" in disproportionate numbers. The key to disrupting such punitive pushout is for educators to develop meaningful relationships with Black girls—connections that are grounded in cultural understanding and focused on helping Black girls develop their identities as valued individuals and contributors to the larger community. Such relationships, Morris argues, can shift Black girls' schooling from a punishment-oriented experience to one that is joyful, healing, and transformative. Along with her own research and experience, Morris explores the topic through in-depth conversations with three distinguished educators and clinical practitioners: Venus Evans-Winters, Janice Johnson Dias, and Kakenya Ntaiya, who provide insights about the challenges of educating Black girls and uplifting accounts of success in promoting their excellence and achievement. These conversations and takeaways for practice are essential guideposts for any teacher, school leader, and policymaker committed to creating learning environments that dispel damaging attitudes and practices and allow Black girls to flourish.

Build learning environments that support Black girls' excellence and academic achievement. In this thought-provoking and illuminating book, former educator and social justice advocate Monique W. Morris addresses the harmful policies, practices, conditions, and assumptions that too often criminalize Black girls' behavior and steer them down "school-to-confinement pathways" in disproportionate numbers. The key to disrupting such punitive pushout is for educators to develop meaningful relationships with Black girls—connections that are grounded in cultural understanding and focused on helping Black girls develop their identities as valued individuals and contributors to the larger community. Such relationships, Morris argues, can shift Black girls' schooling from a punishment-oriented experience to one that is joyful, healing, and transformative. Along with her own research and experience, Morris explores the topic through in-depth conversations with three distinguished educators and clinical practitioners: Venus Evans-Winters, Janice Johnson Dias, and Kakenya Ntaiya, who provide insights about the challenges of educating Black girls and uplifting accounts of success in promoting their excellence and achievement. These conversations and takeaways for practice are essential guideposts for any teacher, school leader, and policymaker committed to creating learning environments that dispel damaging attitudes and practices and allow Black girls to flourish.

Drawing from bell hook’s 1999 book All About Love, this volume builds on theories of love as they relate to Black Girlhood in education, shedding light on educational practices rooted in love and exploring strategies for centering Black girls and love in Grades K-12. Bringing together voices of scholars, poets, and visual artists who theorize Black Girlhood, the collection pays particular attention to practices, acts, communities, and pedagogies of love. An antidote to the physical, emotional, and psychological violence to which Black girls in the United States are subjected on a daily basis at the hands of those who work in schooling environments, it shows how teachers, school leaders, community educators, and researchers might use love as a framework for changing the narrative and experiences of Black girls. Crucially, though, in conversation with negative aspects of how Black girls experience school, it argues for a shift in perspective that highlights the myriad of ways Black girls do and can receive love within schooling spaces. Read through one of the most influential Black feminist scholars of all time, it presents a novel alternative to the dearth of research that focuses on the violence, neglect, and exclusion Black girls experience in schools, expands the scholarship on Black girls, (re)centers love in the work that educators do, and connects theoretical orientations that characterize Black girl love to practice both in and outside of classrooms. It will appeal to scholars, researchers, and educators working in the fields on urban education, race and ethnicity in education, gender studies, literacy, multicultural education, and diversity and equity in education.

This edited book shows how critical race theory (CRT) can shape teacher practices in ways that improve educational outcomes for all children, especially those most marginalized in PreK-20 classrooms. The volume bridges the gap between the theoretical foundations of critical race theory and its application in formal and informal learning environments. To promote an active and interdisciplinary engagement of critical race praxis, it illuminates the pedagogical possibilities of using CRT while explicitly addressing grade span-specific content area standards and skills. Each chapter explores how educators use a critical race theory lens to deepen student learning, teach honestly about racism and white supremacy, and actively prepare learners to equitably participate in a multiracial democracy. Written for pre- and in-service teachers, teacher educators, and anti-racist community stakeholders, the text addresses the applicability of CRT as a pedagogical practice for PreK-20 educators seeking to meaningfully combat intersectional racial injustice and to create a more just democracy. This book is necessary reading for educators, and courses in Educational Foundations, Anti-Racist Education, Social Justice Education, Curriculum Studies, Educational Leadership, and Multicultural Education.

This book focuses on the pedagogical and educational needs of poor and working-class African American female students.

Learn how you can successfully address persistent teaching dilemmas by reframing how you think about and respond to them. The authors show how adopting habits of mind, including curiosity and an asset-based teaching approach, is necessary for tackling teaching challenges more effectively and equitably. Chapters explain how you can then apply frame shifting by considering your dilemma in three domains - relationships, classroom management, and curriculum and instruction. Practical examples, exercises, and discussion questions throughout the book will help you apply the concepts to your own teaching situation. In addition, a bonus online study guide contains reproducible templates, additional examples, suggested answers, and more. Appropriate for teachers to read independently or through book studies and PLCs, the book will leave you with new strategies for changing your beliefs and reactions, and ultimately improving how you approach and reach your students.

Learn how to cultivate student voices and facilitate equitable participation so that young people are prepared to speak up and lead when the moment calls for it. In a world where public speaking often determines whose needs are addressed and whose values prevail, how can we create brave classroom spaces where young people can effectively express their thoughts and advocate for themselves and others? In Amplify Student Voices, AnnMarie Baines, Diana Medina, and Caitlin Healy introduce Expression-Driven Teaching to show how centering youth voices and expression in the classroom meets both academic and social and emotional learning goals. The authors promote instruction in various forms of public speaking—storytelling, debate, poetry, presentation, and self-advocacy—as a way to pursue equity in education and counter the oppression that has long silenced the voices of marginalized groups. This engaging book features extensive first-person accounts from young people who describe their journey toward effective public speaking and how it has helped them affirm their identity, confront life's many challenges, and pursue opportunities with increased confidence. Their insights also inform and supplement the authors' practical recommendations and how-tos for incorporating the various public speaking formats into everyday instruction at all grade levels and across subject areas. Both informative and inspiring, Amplify Student Voices challenges traditional notions of "good" public speaking, broadens its definition, and demonstrates how to engage learners to create a world that is more inclusive and just.

Learn how you can succeed with the students who need you most in ways you never thought possible. In this thought-provoking book, renowned educator and learning expert Eric Jensen takes his most personal, profound look yet at how poverty and inequity hurt students and their chances for success in life—and how teachers across all grade levels and subject areas can infuse equity into every aspect of their practice. Drawing from a broad survey of research, personal and professional experience, and inspiring real-life success stories, Teaching with Poverty and Equity in Mind explains how teachers can * Build relationships with students and create a classwide "in-group" where all learners feel a sense of safety and belonging. * Incorporate relevance and cultural responsiveness into curriculum and instruction, increasing student buy-in and replacing compliance with collaboration and leadership. * Use the uplifting power of stories to optimize energy and engagement and foster growth mindsets. * Provide clear, actionable feedback that empowers students to evaluate and direct their own learning. * Shift from disciplining students to coaching them with empathy, de-escalating disruptions and fostering more productive behaviors. * Build stronger brains and cultivate capacity through powerful accelerated learning tools. * Take steps to become a reflective and equitable educator, examining and debunking harmful biases and establishing personal and professional habits for a lifetime of growth. This insightful, comprehensive guide also includes reflection prompts and downloadable tools and templates to help you move forward with implementation. If we truly believe all students deserve a high-quality education, we need to commit to equity. It starts with each one of us. It starts with you.