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DIVERSITYIS
THE DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION MAGAZINE FOR INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS ≤
SPRING 2020 | $2.99 | diver sit yIS.com
Youth
Activism
Independent school students stand against
injustice, advocate internationally, and more
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Experts Say Dress Codes Unfairly
Target African American Girls
What Works in LGBTQ Inclusion
and How Schools Can Improve
COMMITTED TO DIVERSIFYING INDEPENDENT
SCHOOL FACULTIES SINCE 1975.
www.educatorsally.com
®
SPRING 2020
Activists and Researchers Say
10 12
School Dress Codes Unfairly Target Youth Activism at Independent Schools
African American Girls Transforms Communities, Students
By Mariah Bohanon By Ginger O’Donnell
20 22
Co-Teaching: A Best Practice that Benefits School Is No Place for Hate: Implementing
Emergent Bilinguals and Entire Classrooms ADL’s Yearlong Anti-Bias Education Initiative
By Ginger O’Donnell By Ginger O’Donnell
Checking In: Student Well-being Building Community: Teachers of Color Support
6 Requires Proactive Teachers
By Mariah Stewart
18 Each Other by Developing Community Networks
By Sarah Edwards
Status Update On LGBTQ Inclusion
24 in K-12 Education: What Works and
How Schools Can Continue To Improve
By Mariah Bohanon
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 3
Recruiter’s Corner:
8 The Path to Leadership for
Women in Independent Schools
By Lisa Lovering
Teacher’s Toolkit:
16 Technology for Students with
Learning Challenges
By Mariah Stewart
College Prep:
26 Five Tips for Teaching
College Level Study Skills
By Ginger O’Donnell
STAFF EDITORIAL BOARD CONTRIBUTING WRITERS CONTACT
Publisher Lenore Pearlstein Loris N. Adams Mariah Bohanon 50 Crestwood Executive Center, Suite 526
Publisher Holly Mendelson Lawrence Alexander Sarah Edwards Saint Louis, Missouri 63126
Senior Editor Mariah Bohanon Shani Barrax Moore Lisa Lovering 314.200.9955 • 314.756.2036 FAX
Creative Director Daniel Hecke Gerald L. Boarman, EdD Ginger O’Donnell info@diversityIS.com
Director of Operations Debra Boyd Orpheus S. L. Crutchfield Mariah Stewart editor@diversityIS.com
Assistant Editor Ginger O’Donnell Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee
Senior Staff Writer Mariah Stewart Khadijah Fredericks ©2020 Potomac Publishing, Inc.
Rodney Glasgow, EdD The views expressed in the content of the
Oscar Gonzalez articles and advertisements published in
David Liebmann DiversityIS are those of the authors and are
Patricia Sasser not to be considered the views expressed by
Max Strickberger Potomac Publishing, Inc.
Sam Strickberger
Jeff Suzik
4 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com
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on the DiversityIS
Career Center
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connecting highly qualified job seekers with K-12 schools that
understand the value of a diverse and inclusive workforce.
Professionals from all underrepresented groups who are interested
in a school career can find job opportunities with employers that
are committed to having a welcoming and equitable workplace.
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Our Career Center features:
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For more information about the DiversityIS Career Center email info@diversityIS.com
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 5
Checking In: Student Well-being
Requires Proactive Teachers
By Mariah Stewart
Educators across the United States have a new way to saying they need help,” Castillo says. “It's a cool communication
monitor the emotional well-being of students thanks to a tool that they enjoy using rather than it being like a chore or
simple classroom method invented by a high school teacher something that they feel like they have to do every day.”
in California. Castillo’s students are used to seeing her pull classmates aside
Erin Castillo, a special education and peer-counseling to check on them. Because she shares her classroom with a peer
instructor at John F. Kennedy High School in Fremont, posted educator, she has the flexibility to walk students out of the class
a chart in her classroom last spring listing different emotional to talk about how things are going. They may have a quick chat
categories. She then gave her students sticky notes and told outside. Or, if she is short on time, she will let a student know
them they could write their names on the back of the paper that a school counselor will be checking in, she says.
and place it in whatever category fit their mood that day. In addition, Castillo offers students mood tracker booklets
The anonymous, nonverbal nature of the where they can record how they are feeling. “We do that every
chart gave Castillo’s students a discreet way of day right when they walk in the door, and they don't have to share
letting her know when they were stressed. It those with anyone,” Castillo explains. “It’s just for themselves.”
also gave them a range of emotions to choose At the end of each month, students analyze the tracker,
from, rather than just stating if they were look for trends, and reflect on factors that contributed to their
happy or sad. The categories include: emotional well-being.
Classroom techniques that give students the time and ability
• I’m great to check in with their feelings are especially important in light
• I’m okay Erin Castillo of the large number of young people in need of mental health
• I’m meh support. According to 2015 research from the Child Mind
• I’m struggling Institute, 60 percent of children with diagnosable depression
• I’m having a tough time and wouldn’t mind a check-in do not receive treatment. When it comes to anxiety disorders,
• I’m not doing great eight in 10 go untreated.
While some may assume this problem primarily affects
After Castillo uploaded a photo of young people in overburdened public
the chart to social media, the post schools with exorbitantly high student-
garnered over 250,000 shares on to-counselor ratios, independent
Facebook along with a lot of praise schools are not immune.
and some criticism. One Facebook Rosemary Baggish, founder of the
user suggested giving printable consulting service Mental Health in
motivational quotes to students who Independent School Communities
are not doing well. Another user (MHISC), says she was inspired to
disapproved of the chart, saying it took create her organization because she
time away from teaching and that not saw a disparity in how independent
every educator is prepared to handle schools were handling students’
students’ mental health issues. emotional well-being. As a developer
“We don't do it every day,” Castillo and director of therapeutic school
says of the exercise. “I do it once a programs at the Yale Psychiatric
week or once every other week, but Institute as well as a former educator,
I always have the post-its and stuff she saw “children with mental health
available.” issues being disciplined rather than
Sometimes students use the being cared for,” Baggish says. “That
check-in chart on their own, without is completely against the ethos of
the participation of the entire class, This mental health check-in chart for students went independent schools because they
viral in 2019 after high school educator Erin Castillo
she adds. “I actually really like that shared a picture of it on Facebook. It allows students
really do care about their kids.”
because it’s not forced. That's when to discreetly notify teachers about their mood. In 2007, Baggish and clinical
they feel comfortable coming in and psychologist Peter H. Wells developed
6 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com
the Independent School Health Check
(ISHC), a computer-based student
survey that analyzes risks, behaviors, and
emotions. Among the survey questions
Diversity is in
Our DNA
on ISHC, Baggish believes one of the most
important is “Do you have an adult to talk
to on a regular basis?”
Based on a survey analysis of 102
independent schools, more than 20,000
students — approximately one in four —
answered “no.”
“These are kids that are sometimes called
Our students and alumni come from all
privileged, and they have a lot of people backgrounds and translate their education
caring for them, and they still feel they do
not have an adult to talk to,” Baggish says. into impact for their communities and beyond.
Whenever she visits schools, she always
emphasizes the importance of letting
students know that educators and staff care That’s why we are ranked #1 in the nation for
about them and that there are adults at school
whom they can turn to when struggling. doctoral degrees in psychology awarded to
“We feel that being encouraged to ask
for help and having someone to go to is
culturally diverse students.*
the most important protective factor that
an adolescent student can have when he We invite you to discover what we can
or she is in high school,” Baggish explains,
adding that learning how to ask for help is achieve together as we continue our legacy
a skill students carry with them to college
and the workplace. of inclusivity and impact.
She warns, however, that teachers
should not try to play the role of school
counselors. Baggish says she has a
grievance with educators who assume
a student is depressed because they are
unkempt, unmotivated, or not acting like
their usual self. Instead, teachers should
consider whether a student’s behavior
can be attributed to other issues, and
schools should have mental health
professionals with whom they can consult
on potential psychiatric issues.
Castillo says being a mental health
champion in the classroom begins with
building community and modeling
expectations. For example, if she is having
an “off day,” she tells her students how she Psychology and Mental Health | Education | Business and Management | Forensics | Law
is feeling and lets them know it’s not their SAN DIEGO | SAN FRANCISCO | LOS ANGELES | FRESNO | SACRAMENTO | IRVINE | ONLINE
fault. She also lets them know what she is
doing to improve her mood.
“At the end of the day, this kind of
becomes our job,” she says. “We have
to do what's best for our students and
educate ourselves on mental health
practices, too.”
*Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazine
Mariah Stewart is a senior staff writer for
DiversityIS. Not all programs are available online or to residents in all states. Programs vary by location and modality; see the Academic Catalog for detail. Alliant
is a private university accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC). We are an equal opportunity employer and educator.
For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information visit
alliant.edu/consumer.
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 7
>> Recruiter’s Corner
The Path to Leadership for
Women in Independent Schools
A Conversation with Aléwa Cooper
By Lisa Lovering
Editor’s note: Lisa Lovering is president of
Educator’s Ally, an educators’ recruitment
and placement agency based in New York
City. Following a National Association of
Independent Schools (NAIS) workshop
focused on women educators and their paths
to leadership, Lovering interviewed Greens
Farms Academy’s lower school head, Aléwa
Cooper. Below are some highlights from
their conversation.
As a division head at a top
independent school, you’ve
achieved success. How did your
journey unfold? When I was
beginning my teaching career, I didn’t
know that leadership was the area
I would want to move into. It was
Aléwa Cooper, head of lower school at Greens Farms Academy, gives a presentation on women leaders
actually my head of school at the time in independent schools at the National Association of Independent Schools conference. Also pictured
who first saw something in me before are Jennifer Zaccara, head of school at Vermont Academy; Nanci Kauffman, head of school at Castilleja
I saw it in myself. Initially.— I imagine School; and Lisa Lovering, president of Educator’s Ally.
because I was comfortable in my own
skin even as an associate teacher — I
was put on various committees. So,
by the time I got to my head teaching independent school world, I’ve had Would it be fair to say that seeing
position at the second school where I a female head of school. That’s leadership embodied by women had
worked, my head of school not exactly typical. So having a real impact on you? Yes, definitely.
saw that I was committed, that and having these women I think what it did was help me to feel
that I was involved in see something in me early on — like my voice could be heard and that
the community beyond well, that was really powerful. what I had to say mattered because
my classroom, that I had … Opportunities began to be it was the women in my school who
some great things to say, presented to me, and when they were doing the leading, at least for the
and was willing to share were, my decision was to go with majority of the time.
experiences that needed it, not to fight it. I would ask my
Aléwa Cooper
to be heard. supervisors what it was that they In the NAIS workshop, you stressed
were noticing about me that led the ability to be an effective
You’ve worked with lots of female them to believe I’d be the right fit for networker as important for women
leaders in your career. Can you tell whatever role it was. … They would aspiring to positions of leadership.
me about this experience? For the tell me, we’d have a conversation, and You referenced the term “elite
majority of my 20-year career in the I felt really well supported. networking.” Can you tell me more
8 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com
about that? Elite networkers are their network who are also connected stay in touch the way you would with
proactive in their networking efforts. to other contacts who could be a friend.
They don’t wait until they’re looking helpful. The interesting thing is that
for a job to reach out to other people. it’s not about knowing a ton of people. Are women doing as well as men
These are professionals who actively It’s really about building a network when it comes to networking?
and regularly stay in contact with and that’s composed of the right number There’s definitely inequity, and
connect with people. They consider it of folks who can help you achieve your women have some work to do. The
part of their job. … The same way that particular goals, whatever it is that reality is as men look to advance
many professionals schedule time for you choose to do, whether you want their careers in education, they’re
themselves every day so that they can to be at the top of your game in your being brought into a pre-established
respond to emails or do some strategic current position or whether you’re network. For this reason, we as
thinking, elite networkers make sure looking to advance in your career. women, and especially those of us
to set aside time to stay connected who are people of color, come into
with contacts in their networks. Would it be fair to say that this kind administrative or leadership roles at
of outreach needs to be thoughtful a bit of a deficit. To make advances,
How do these elite networkers and strategic? Definitely. It’s not we have to be better at keeping up
figure out which connections make just a matter of contacting someone with our contacts and leveraging
the most sense for them? Elite in your network because you need those networks when we need to.
networkers are masters at making something at that very moment. This We need to understand the power of
sure that the value of their network is an important relationship, and just networking and do it.
is in the breadth and depth of their like any important relationship, you
connections. They spend a lot of time have to work at it. You don’t just reach
cultivating their network and making out when you have a need. You have
sure they have the right people in to reach out on a regular basis and
What’s Possible?
Educating girls to become
confident thinkers and
compassionate leaders
Join us as we learn from diverse voices and engage
our differences with respect, courage, and honesty.
castilleja.org/careers
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 9
Activists and Researchers Say
School Dress Codes Unfairly Target
African American Girls BY MARIAH BOHANON
Controversies over school dress codes color and perpetuates the school-to- The 2018 report successfully gained
and whether they hold boys and girls prison pipeline for Black girls, the attention from the media and parents,
to different standards are nothing authors argue. and spurred support for young Black
new, but some young activists are A majority of the schools in the women pushing back against unjust
drawing attention to what they say is 2018 study require uniforms and dress codes. In Washington, D.C., the
yet another disparity in how schools restrict accessories and hairstyles that city passed a bill making it illegal for
regulate appearance. Black girls, some inordinately affect Black women, such public and charter schools to suspend
say, are unfairly targeted by non- as banning hair wraps or head coverings students for minor infractions such as
inclusive dress codes at both public and that are worn for nonreligious reasons. dress code violations. A follow-up report
private schools.— and a growing body of The study includes interviews with by the NWLC in fall 2019 highlighted
research supports their claims. girls ages 12 to 18 and other students how some students had begun
A 2018 study of Washington, D.C., who say that “Black girls, and especially organizing walkouts and meeting with
schools by the National Women’s Law curvier students, are disproportionately officials to push for dress codes that are
Center (NWLC) found that African targeted” for dress code violations, more equitable to Black girls, including
American girls are “especially harmed according to the NWLC website. those who are transgender and gender
by dress and grooming codes.” When African American girls must also non-conforming.
enforcing these codes entails pulling contend with stereotypes and society’s “Students, educators, and
students out of class or even sending sexualization of Black women from a policymakers are making incredible
them home, those girls then “fall young age, making them more likely progress, but schools continue to
behind in school simply because of the to be accused of dress and uniform discriminate against Black girls by
clothes they wear or the style of their violations on the grounds of being too banning forms of expression that pose
hair and makeup,” according to the provocative, the report states. Such no threat and reinforce rape culture,”
NWLC website. standards perpetuate rape culture by Nia Evans, an NWLC lead researcher,
This often-subjective targeting also reinforcing the message that girls are stated in a fall 2019 press release.
contributes to ongoing inequities in responsible for men’s reactions to their In some cases, parents and students
school punishments for students of bodies, the NWLC argues. have turned to the media to fight back
10 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.comagainst discriminatory dress codes. In
2017, NPR reported on a Boston-area
family whose twin teenage daughters
had been banned from extracurricular
activities for violating their charter
school’s policy against hair extensions.
The girls, who had been adopted into
a White family, got the extensions to
feel closer to their African American
heritage, their parents told NPR. The
students reported that officials once told
a Black classmate that her natural hair
texture violated the dress code and that
she would need to have it chemically
straightened. The family also claimed
that White students often came to
school with hair extensions but faced no
repercussions. Eventually, they turned
to the NAACP, who threatened a lawsuit
before the school agreed to back down.
Interviews and other research have get the message that “your body is not 2019 article on the popular teacher
shown that “Black girls attending your own. There’s a message that your website Cult of Pedagogy. When it comes
predominantly White schools often feel body, and you, need to be controlled in to dress codes, rather than needlessly
particularly singled out by dress code some way.” embarrassing and punishing students,
enforcement,” according to The Mic, School employees who are tasked administrators and teachers can build
a youth-oriented news site. Charlotte with upholding policies that they relationships and understanding by
Jacobs, an adjunct assistant professor feel uncertain about should consider getting to know students’ backgrounds
at the University of Pennsylvania what is best for a student’s education and their community, education expert
Graduate School of Education and and well-being before enforcing a Coshandra Dillard says in the article.
co-director of the Independent School problematic dress code that may do The Mic gives several guidelines
Teaching Residency, told the site that “unnecessary harm,” education writer for schools to “improv[e] equity and
African American girls in this situation Jennifer Gonzalez says in a February inclusivity” in dress codes:
• Include students in the decision-
making process for dress code
policies and punishments.
HAIRSTYLE RESTRICTIONS TARGET BLACK BOYS
• Prohibit pulling students from class
The discriminatory practice of banning dreadlocks and durags in school or forcing them to miss class time
has gained critical attention in recent months thanks to increased media
due to dress code violations.
coverage. In 2018, video footage of a Black high school wrestler being
forced to cut his dreadlocks in order to compete in a match went viral.
That same year, the ACLU and the NAACP filed suit on behalf of a family
• Avoid vague language that could
whose six-year-old was denied entry to a Christian school because of his
lead to subjective dress code
dreadlocks. In February 2019, Black students in California who staged a enforcement, such as “appropriate
mass walkout against their school’s ban on durags made national news. attire” or “distracting.”
In December 2019, officials at a Texas high school told senior DeAndre The NWLC also provides a
Arnold that he would not be allowed to walk at graduation unless he cut checklist for schools as well as policy
his shoulder-length dreadlocks. Arnold and his family refused, arguing recommendations for administrators
that the hairstyle is part of his Trinidadian heritage and that such to ensure their dress codes treat
subjective restrictions on how students choose to express themselves all students equitably. For more
amount to discrimination. His story gained widespread support on information and to download
social media, eventually leading to an invitation to appear on The Ellen additional resources, visit nwlc.org/
Degeneres Show, where he was presented with a $20,000 check to support resources/dresscoded.
his college education and the opportunity to attend the 2020 Oscars as a
guest of “Hair Love” director Matthew A. Cherry. Mariah Bohanon is the senior editor of
DiversityIS.
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 11Youth Activism at Independent Schools Transforms Communities, Students By Ginger O’Donnell
>> Youth Activism at Independent Schools
Young people today are taking the lead on climate change, gun
control, and other pressing large-scale issues. Some of these
problems, such as gun violence, disproportionately affect teens
and adolescents. In other cases, such as with climate change,
young people are increasingly aware that their futures are at
stake unless their generation demands change.
Growing up in the digital age means today’s youth also tend
to be aware of human rights issues that may not directly affect
them, and many are moved to take concrete action in support
of those who come from less privileged backgrounds.
At three U.S. independent schools, students have had
unique, in-depth learning experiences that exposed them
to previously unknown stories of social injustice. These
experiences inspired them to change entire communities and,
in turn, themselves.
The Pad Project Oakwood School English teacher and Pad Project CEO Melissa Berton accepts
A group of 30 students led by their teachers Melissa an Oscar for PERIOD.END OF SENTENCE, the documentary short film she and
her students produced about menstrual equity. (Photo credit Kevin Winter/
Berton and Phu Tranchi, EdD, at the Oakwood School in Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)
North Hollywood, California, raised $75,000 to spread
awareness of the need for menstrual equity, which
includes access to feminine hygiene products and the however, the Oakwood students had raised $45,000, gaining
right to attend school while menstruating for low income publicity as “One of Kickstarter’s Projects We Love.” They
women and girls throughout the world. decided to call their enterprise the Pad Project.
The students hired director Rayka Zehtabchi to produce
The money helped to create an Academy Award-winning a 25-minute documentary on the women of Kathikhera and
documentary called PERIOD.END OF SENTENCE as well as fund a their newly established brand of pads, Fly. The women chose
machine that manufactures pads operated by Indian women in the name because they wanted to “soar,” according to the Pad
the village of Kathikhera near Delhi. Project website.
The students first decided to create the documentary after After winning more than 15 awards at international film
learning about menstrual equity during a 2013 trip to the festivals, PERIOD.END OF SENTENCE was picked up by Netflix
United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women, which in February 2019 and later that month won the Oscar for best
is designed to include young girls in global conversations documentary short film.
about women’s equality, Berton says. There, they heard about Following the Oscar win, the Pad Project received more than
the plight of girls in low- and middle-income countries who 19,000 emails from individuals across 94 countries, many of
frequently drop out of school when they start to menstruate whom work for nongovernmental organizations, asking for
because they lack access to feminine hygiene products. guidance on how to install a pad machine in their community.
The students figured that if they
hadn’t heard about this problem before,
many other people were likely unaware, “I joined this project when I was
Berton says. They determined to produce 12 or 13, and I’m now almost
a film that documented the process by 17. So being able to grow up
which a pad machine was installed in in this community, especially
the Indian village of Kathikhera and with a bunch of really strong,
how it empowered the local women who independent women around me
learned to manufacture and market who also work on this project, has
their own brand of pads. boosted my confidence in myself
The students decided to raise and opened my eyes to the world
funds through the online platform around me in a way that I could
Kickstarter, which was a risk, Berton never have dreamt of.”
A chapter of Girls Learn International (GLI) in India, an
says, because projects that don’t meet organization that empowers middle and high school students
their fundraising goal have to forfeit Mason Maxam, Grade 11 across the world to advocate for human rights, equality
all their money. Within 30 days, and universal education. Oakwood School also has a GLI
chapter, whose members helped found the Pad Project.
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 13>> Youth Activism at Independent Schools
They also heard from people in the United States who wanted to
increase access to free menstrual products in their local schools.
The Pad Project is now home to a variety of menstrual equity
initiatives. These include providing more pad machines for
women in India and Afghanistan as well as working with
women in Sierra Leone to create reusable cloth pads.
Throughout the project’s seven-year existence, the students
at Oakwood have been very intentional about forming a
genuine partnership with their counterparts in India,
according to Berton. The young activists partnered with
Action India, a nonprofit that works to empower women
through public health and civic engagement initiatives,
and made a point of acknowledging their own privilege as
individuals who “never had a problem going into a market
and buying pads,” Berton says. “We had to own that. Not to
admit it would be a mistake.”
In March 2018, a group of students traveled to India to see
the work firsthand and make connections with their partners
at Action India.
Mason Maxam, a junior at Oakwood, first became involved
with the Pad Project when she was in middle school and was
one of the students who went on the 2018 India trip. The
experience “reinforced the importance of building strong,
meaningful partnerships with people around the world and
making sure we are learning from each other,” she says.
Sanford senior Savannah Shepherd holds a large jar of soil gathered by all
present at the October 2019 marker ceremony. The soil “represents [lynching
The Delaware Social
victim George White’s] blood, sweat, and tears,” Shepherd says, and comes
from the site of White’s imprisonment just prior to his murder.
Justice Remembrance
Coalition of registering the marker with local government officials,
she worked to share his story with her community. She led
a remembrance ceremony when the marker was installed
Savannah Shepherd, a senior at the Sanford School in in June 2019, only for it to be stolen two months later.
Hockessin, Delaware, founded the Delaware Social Justice Undefeated, Shepherd and the coalition installed a new
Remembrance Coalition in 2018 after visiting the National marker in October.
Memorial on Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, The Delaware Social Justice Remembrance Coalition now
and learning about the 1903 lynching of George White. has more than 200 members.— primarily young people and
local professionals — and is working to educate the public on
An African American resident of Delaware, White had been other incidents of racial terror in Delaware.
awaiting trial on accusations of attacking a White woman Furthermore, Shepherd is working with the Delaware
when a mob broke into his jail cell and burned him alive. Historical Society and the University of Delaware to
Shepherd was appalled at the story and at the fact that uncover other lynchings in the state that haven’t been well
she had never been told this part of her state’s history. She documented. Eventually, she hopes to create curriculum
decided to launch the coalition to memorialize White and to about lynchings to provide students with a more in-depth
help people better understand the link between the historic education about racial terror.
practice of lynching and other forms of racial discrimination Her experiences leading the George White memorial
that continue to occur today. project “completely changed the path I want to take,”
After “seeing how much I didn’t know and seeing how all of Shepherd says. She previously planned on becoming a
it was connected, like enslavement and mass incarceration,” surgeon; now, she wants to be a civil rights lawyer.
Shepherd says, she felt compelled “to make sure that no one Learning about White’s murder and the reality of racial
forgot [White’s] name.” violence has taught her to see the world in a new way, she says.
Shepherd decided to place a historical marker for White “It can be hard to look sometimes,” Shepherd says, “but I think
at the site of his imprisonment. Throughout the process it is so much better to see the world the way it actually is."
14 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com>> Youth Activism at Independent Schools
Anthony Ray Hinton is one of the longest serving death row prisoners in the
state of Alabama. He is the 152nd person exonerated from death row since
1983. Today, he is a community educator for the racial and economic justice
organization, Equal Justice Initiative, as well as an advocate for the abolition of
the death penalty.
#OwnUpAlabama St. Luke’s middle school counselor and admissions officer Blake Bueckman
and student Nicole Ayoub hold copies of Hinton’s memoir during his
A group of high school students at St. Luke’s School in New December 2018 campus visit.
Canaan, Connecticut, have been working to obtain a public
apology from the state of Alabama for a Black man named
Anthony Ray Hinton who was on death row from 1985 to
2015 — a total of 30 years — for a crime he didn’t commit. challenging racial and economic injustice. Inspired by Hinton’s
activism, the students decided to launch a social media
In addition to bringing their request to U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, campaign on his behalf.
D-Conn., when he visited St. Luke’s for a talk on civil discourse, Within “an hour or two” of visiting with Hinton, they
as well as contacting the Alabama legislature, students have created the hashtag #OwnUpAlabama. Using the hashtag, they
primarily drummed up support on social media via the hashtag circulated a change.org petition for an apology that received
#OwnUpAlabama. 2,590 signatures.
Hinton is the author of a popular memoir called The Sun Does Johnson and fellow senior Jordan Robinson say that it’s
Shine and was awarded an honorary doctorate in May 2019 been difficult to obtain the desired apology, primarily
by St. Bonaventure University in New York. He came to speak because Hinton sued the state of Alabama
at St. Luke’s in December 2018, where he for one million dollars when he was
captivated his audience, including senior acquitted. Although he didn’t win, state
Janelle Johnson, a leader within the school’s officials are wary that an apology would
Black Student Union (BSU). She describes make it appear as though there are legal
Hinton as being “like an uncle to all of us grounds to award the money, Johnson says.
and such a great person all around.” Still, coordinating the project has been
Johnson and other members of the transformative for the students involved.
BSU reconnected with Hinton in March Both Johnson and Robinson say it’s been an Jordan Robinson
2019 on a week-long civil rights history Janelle Johnson empowering and enlightening experience.
trip. They toured various historic sites in “It’s definitely put into perspective how powerful it is to be a
Georgia and Alabama, such as Ebenezer young person in today’s technological world and the impact of
Baptist Church and The Center for Civil and Human Rights social media,” Robinson says.
in Atlanta. They spent a memorable afternoon with Hinton As for Johnson, she has been surprised by the political power
in Montgomery, walking together through The National she wields as a single individual. “The fact that I’ve been in
Memorial for Peace and Justice. contact with my representative, who’s been in contact with a
Hinton told the students he had started working as a U.S. governor, is just kind of mind-blowing,” she says.
community educator for the Equal Justice Initiative, an
organization focused on reducing mass incarceration and Ginger O’Donnell is the assistant editor of DiversityIS.
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 15>> Teacher’s Toolkit
Technology for Students with Learning Challenges
By Mariah Stewart
One in five children in the U.S. has a cope with stress by helping them focus an intellectual disability, which in turn
learning disability or attention deficit on assignments. These apps remind affects their verbal communication
disorder, according to the National users of the task at hand and tell them skills, according to the advocacy group
Center for Learning Disabilities. exactly how long they have left to Autism Speaks.
Furthermore, the Centers for Disease complete each one. With SceneSpeak, these children can
Control and Prevention show that nearly Vibrating watches such as create interactive displays and stories
8 percent have a diagnosed anxiety Watchminders or those made by with a text-to-speech option. The app
disorder or behavior problem. revibe.tech also serve as wearable also uploads custom images, text, and
Thanks to continuously evolving reminders of assignments and personalized voice recordings to help
education technology, there are more behaviors, alleviating the need for students communicate. It is currently
ways than ever before to make learning frequent monitoring by teachers. only available for Apple products.
more accessible and inclusive for these Speech with Milo is an entire platform
diverse students. Included below Conversation Builders of apps that help children create an
are just a few examples of the many The IOS App Conversation Planner interactive storybook to develop basic
effective tools to help students overcome helps children with ADD who struggle language skills. It was designed by a
challenges in the classroom, with with verbal communication skills. licensed speech-language pathologist
homework, and more. Students can rehearse more than 130 and assists those with ASD and “students
ordinary, day-to-day interactions. of all abilities” with a “broad spectrum
ANXIETY DISORDERS Users can set conversation goals — e.g., of needs,” according to its website.
assessing when someone is ready
Mindfulness Apps to talk.— and move up levels after DYSCALCULIA
Stop, Breathe & Think is an award- mastering certain skills.
winning app designed for K-12 Talking Calculators and
students. It curates guided meditations, Removing Visual Clutter Screen Readers
mindfulness training, and games Some of the simplest yet most effective Talking calculators or screen readers
to decrease anxiety and help young technologies for helping students can help students with dyscalculia
people better regulate their emotions. concentrate are those that remove who struggle to read numbers.
The app features audio tracks, yoga online distractions. Reader View on the These devices have built-in speech
videos, and acupressure sessions that Safari web browser removes videos, synthesizers that allow students to
can be implemented for a few minutes photos, ads, and other digital clutter hear the numbers they’ve typed.
at a time. A 2019 data analysis on the from websites so that students can focus The auditory feedback helps them
app’s effectiveness found students with on the main content. Google Chrome check the accuracy of the keys they’ve
anxiety tended to feel significantly less also offers a simplified web page view pressed, according to greatschools.org.
anxious if they regularly used the app option called “reader mode” as a Many screen readers come at no cost
over several months. browser extension. and are available through download as
a browser extension, such as Apple’s
ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER VoiceOver technology.
(ADHD)
Assistive Technology DiversityIS does not endorse or receive
Interval Timers The SceneSpeak app assists students financial compensation for the sale of
Personalized time interval apps like with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) any of these products.
“I’m On It: Focus Timer” on Google with communication challenges.
Play allow students with ADD or ADHD Roughly one-third of people with Mariah Stewart is a senior staff writer
improve time management skills, ASD are nonverbal, and 31 percent of for DiversityIS.
manage feelings of restlessness, and children with ASD are diagnosed with
16 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com®
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our sister website. INSIGHT Into Diversity is the largest diversity and inclusion website and magazine
in higher education and beyond and draws over 600,000 job seekers each month.>> Feature: Building Community
Teachers of Color Support Each Other
by Developing Community Networks
BY SARAH EDWARDS
At the 1995 National Association of Independent Schools
(NAIS) People of Color Conference in Baltimore, organizers
challenged attendees to return home and create learning and
Developing Your
networking opportunities by and for educators of color. The Support Network
inspiration stuck. Twenty-five years later, more than 50 member
schools continue to thrive in Northern California alone as part
of the People of Color in Independent Schools (POCIS) network.
“We believe in the idea that if you want to create programs Michael Brosnan of the Association of Independent
that serve people, the people you are intending to serve should Schools in New England developed a guide
be at the table,” says Jeremiah Jackson, chair of the POCIS of for educators of color, offering the following
Northern California. recommendations for developing a support network:
While the effort to increase diversity in student and staff
• Make strong connections with colleagues of color.
populations continues to expand, independent schools and the
You’re looking not only for emotional support, but
communities surrounding them remain predominantly White.
also for professional mentoring in your area of focus.
According to The AISNE Guide to Hiring and Retaining Teachers
of Color by Michael Brosnan, educators of color frequently
• Find one member of the faculty whom you can vent
report feeling isolated and undervalued — particularly when to or confide in.
administrators prioritize diverse hiring but fail to invest in
building schoolwide multicultural communities. • Make strong connections with White colleagues.
“Schools are looking for solutions to better serve people Look for White allies who can offer support,
of color,” says Jackson, who is also the director of equity and mentorship, and friendship.
inclusion at College Preparatory School in Oakland, Calif.
“They are investing in us to create a space for people of color • Spend time with people who make you feel good and
to design programming that incorporates issues of diversity, avoid people who don’t. Find a colleague who makes
equity, inclusion, and justice into every lesson across all you laugh, even if they aren’t your close friend.
disciplines and departments.”
Faculty of color currently make up 19 percent of total faculty • Find a mentor outside your school community
members in independent schools, a 6 percent increase from the to help keep perspective. Also develop a support
2014-2015 academic year, according to NAIS, which has 1,600 network outside of your school but within the
member institutions. independent school world.
“Not only should the numbers of teachers of color be higher,
but schools can also do a better job retaining the teachers of color • Get involved in your region’s People of Color in
they hire. Teachers of color still tend to leave schools more quickly Independent Schools group.
than Whites, often because the culture and climate do not feel as
• Ask experienced educators of color in your school
supportive as they should be,” Brosnan writes in the guide.
to share social information about restaurants,
Johára Tucker, director of equity and inclusion at Worcester
churches, hairstylists, banks, food stores, and so on.—
Academy in Worcester, Mass., has spent 10 years researching
all the little things that make daily life easier.
why faculty of color retention rates are lower than those of
their White counterparts. • Find out who shapes the culture and environment
“When you take a deeper look beyond opportunity or life of your school.
change, there are issues of extreme bias, exclusion, and
heightened senses of anxiety that lead to faculty choosing not • Take advantage of professional development
to stay,” Tucker says. opportunities that connect you with like-minded
Diversity in faculty benefits all students, not just students educators outside of your school community.
of color. Building communities that support faculty of color
outside of school is one helpful strategy to improve retention,
18 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.comsays Tucker, who serves in a leadership video calls, that offered participants and Sustain Community.
role with POCIS.— New England, a space for shared learning, new “If you are in a school or workplace
another regional chapter formed after connections, and solidarity. setting where things can get very tense,
the 1995 conference. “For many of us, that space was having that community allows you to
“Our most valuable resource is each sacred,” says Spelic, who organized the think beyond yourself, to share ideas
other,” Tucker says. “I know that if I Leaders of Color Roundtable from 2014 and feel valued,” Spelic says.
put a call out for help that my inbox to 2015. “Confiding in people who are
will be full with folks ready to assist. I not attached to the same institution as Sarah Edwards is a contributing writer
have felt some of the strongest support you can allow for honest communication for DiversityIS.
from the connections I’ve made and valuable perspective.”
through our chapter.” She also cites Twitter as an
Educators of color build connections empowering place for connecting.
through local and regional support While Twitter has its limits, Spelic says Educators to Follow
networks and national conferences. But
there are also active networks online.
the platform is a great resource for
educators of color, particularly those
on Twitter
Sherri Spelic, a transplant to Vienna, who live in remote or majority-White
Austria, where she is a leadership areas and do not have routine access to
coach and physical education specialist in-person gatherings and opportunities. Valeria Brown: @ValeriaBrownEdu
at the American International School, Still, Spelic makes the transatlantic Tricia Ebarvia: @triciaebarvia
Eva Vega: @EvaVegaWorld
wanted to help people of color in flight back to the United States to lead
Liza Talusan: @ltalusan
independent schools sustain a workshops, including one she co-led
Min Pai: @minfucious
professional network, regardless of with educator Min Pai at the People Nicole Furlonge: @NicoleFurlonge
their proximity to each other. of Color Conference in 2017, titled Kim Parker: @TchKimPossible
Spelic decided to facilitate an online Communities in Question: How People Cornelius Minor: @MisterMinor
roundtable, held monthly through of Color in Independent Schools Create
Faculty Recruitment and Placement
• Over 20% of CS&A’s candidate pool self-identify
as persons of color.
• CS&A has placed more candidates of color in
K-12 private, independent, boarding, charter,
and international schools worldwide than any
other firm.
DEI Consulting Services
• Implicit bias training for hiring managers,
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Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 19Co-Teaching: A Best Practice that Benefits
Emergent Bilinguals and Entire Classrooms
BY GINGER O’DONNELL
The practice of co-teaching, in which class] are learning discrete grammar A Caveat
educators collaborate on both the skills and are disconnected from the Despite the many benefits of co-teaching,
planning and delivery of classroom curriculum.” it may be necessary to occasionally
instruction, has become a popular In addition, staffing trends show pull new English-language learners
educational model for supporting that many of the instructors assigned (ELL) students out of the classroom for
students who are in the process of to teach emergent bilinguals in separate instruction if their general
learning English. separate classrooms are among the education teacher is struggling to create
These students, known as emergent least experienced in the profession, an inclusive environment.
bilinguals, benefit from co-teaching compounding these inequities. “If a teacher is talking really fast,
arrangements that typically involve uses very few visual aids, or makes lots
a partnership between a general The Benefits of Co-Teaching of references to pop culture, a newly
education teacher and an ESOL Co-teaching tends to result in positive arrived immigrant child or someone
(English for Speakers of Other outcomes for all students in the who is learning English as an additional
Languages) specialist. classroom, including members of language may feel overwhelmed and
other underrepresented populations check out,” says Pomerantz. In this
such as children with disabilities case, it might be a good idea for the ELL
Emergent bilingual is an up-to-date and gifted students. This model teacher to work with the student in a
designation for “English-language helps them improve their mastery of separate space more conducive to their
learner (ELL).” The newer term academic language, according needs, she says.
emphasizes students’ existing assets to Kerry Soo Von Esch, an Dabach’s research supports
and acknowledges that they are assistant professor in the this advice. She has found that
already proficient in another language, College of Education at Seattle students newly arrived to the U.S.
according to Kerry Soo Von Esch, an University who specializes in tend to interpret being pulled
assistant professor in the College of increasing educational equity out of the classroom as a form
Education at Seattle University.
for culturally and linguistically of specialized assistance — as
diverse students. opposed to a form of stigma or
Kerry Soo Von Esch
Anne Pomerantz, PhD, a punishment.— as they work to
Including these students in general professor of practice at the acclimate to so many new changes.
education classrooms and providing University of Pennsylvania Graduate
them with the support of a TESOL School of Education, says co-teaching Choosing a Co-teaching Model
(Teaching English to Speakers of Other also provides increased adult support Co-teaching can take many forms,
Languages) co-teacher in this context as all students work to cultivate soft and a teacher’s preferred model may
is highly preferable to the common skills such as participating depend on the physical layout of
practice of separating bilingual in group work, taking turns their classroom or how well they
emergents from their peers. Taking in class discussion, and know the colleague with whom
them out of a regular classroom for expressing their opinions. they’ll be working side by side.
rudimentary English lessons can be Furthermore, it helps Above all else, choosing a
stigmatizing and actually set bilingual teachers improve their co-teaching method should put
emergents back academically, practice. “A lot of learning students first. “The decision you
according to Dafney Blanca to be a teacher is about Anne Pomerantz make really has to stem from
Dabach, PhD, an education seeing the classroom the students in the classroom —
researcher and assistant through the eyes of who they are and what are their
professor at the University a student,” Pomerantz says. specific needs,” Von Esch says.
of Washington. “Having the opportunity to Such needs are wide-ranging, as
“Let’s say the whole class collaborate with someone who the emergent bilingual population in
is working on a thematic may see things differently or America is incredibly diverse. Although
unit about science, such as make sense of what’s happening the vast majority of ELL students in
butterflies and climate,” Dafney Blanca in the classroom in different ways the U.S. come from Spanish-speaking
she explains. “The children Dabach is incredibly helpful.” countries— each having their own
getting pulled out [of distinctive cultures and dialects—there
20 Spring 2020 | diversityIS.comare also hundreds of thousands of
students in American schools whose Creating Language Sensitive Classrooms
native language is Arabic or Chinese,
for example. According to Jessica Brookman, ESOL instructional coordinator
Emergent bilinguals can also have for the ESOL Bilingual Migrant Program at St. Louis Public
vastly different educational backgrounds. Schools, all students are English-language learners when it
It may be helpful for one co-teacher to comes to the vocabulary of new subjects.
spend time observing and identifying “General population students are language learners in any
ELLs who struggle with knowing how to content area they go into. For example, in a science class,
they’re learning what the language of science is — it’s a foreign
self-advocate as well as those who have
language to them,” Brookman says.
academic difficulties. Alternatively, if When regular classroom instructors are connected with Jessica Brookman
teachers are working with a group of an ESOL teacher, they become more aware of how they use
students who are recent arrivals to the language in the classroom and can develop improved linguistic
U.S., a team-teaching model — described tools for all students, she says.
below — can be a good way to build a
sense of community and group rapport. These learning tools include:
Standard Co-Teaching Strategies • Graphic organizers
• Pullout Quotes
• One teaches, one observes • Guided notes
With this approach, the observing • Pictures to accompany written information
teacher collects evidence of student • “Sentence frames,” or fill-in-the-blank sentences that students
learning to inform future instruction. can use when presenting information
In this model, it’s important for
the language specialist and the
general education teacher to take
turns observing and instructing to
ensure that the relationship is truly • Station teaching Balancing classroom authority
collaborative and that they maintain With stations, small groups of When it comes to co-teaching —
equal authority over the class, students rotate between teachers who especially in a team-teaching model.—
according to Pomerantz. lead instruction in specific content maintaining an even power dynamic
areas. Cassel says one benefit of can be difficult if one instructor has
• One teaches, one assists stations is that teachers can choose more experience or seniority than
This strategy allows students who subjects or instructional modes that the other, according to Von Esch. This
are struggling with course content suit their individual strengths. situation poses a barrier to the ideal of
to receive individualized attention. a fully collaborative relationship where
As with the previous approach, it’s • Alternative teaching both professionals have equal influence.
important to rotate roles as the leader This technique allows one instructor Another issue to bear in mind,
and the assistant to maintain an to lead the majority of students while she says, is the fact that general
authentic co-teaching relationship, the co-teacher works with a group of education teachers are sometimes
according to a 2019 Edutopia article by bilingual emergents. Although this viewed as having greater authority
Sean Cassel, assistant principal and method helps close instructional than specialists like ELL educators.
supervisor of instruction at Lenape gaps for students who need It’s important that students see both
Regional High School in New Jersey. language assistance, it takes careful as leaders, says Von Esch, adding that
coordination to ensure they don’t it can be helpful to integrate “teacher
• Parallel teaching miss out on new content. timeouts” during lessons or set aside
This technique allows both teachers time while students are doing group
to instruct a smaller group of • Team teaching work to confer with one another.
students by dividing the class. While This strategy allows both teachers to In terms of pairing co-teachers,
this requires more planning and “tag team” in front of the class when Pomerantz says it’s not always easy to
also necessitates that both teachers it comes to instruction. It can be predict who will work well together.
have a certain degree of content highly engaging for students, as they “Giving teachers some voice in the
knowledge, research indicates that have the benefit of interacting with pairing process is helpful,” she says. “It
small-group instruction can help two adult leaders who bring different acknowledges their expertise, their role,
struggling learners, according perspectives and communication and their authority.”
to Cassel. “More students have styles; however, it requires a strong
the opportunity to ask questions bond between co-teachers that can Ginger O’Donnell is the assistant editor
throughout the process than they sometimes take considerable time of DiversityIS.
would in a larger group,” he writes. and experience to develop.
Spring 2020 | diversityIS.com 21You can also read
