Online Course: Talking about Race in Schools

Addressing the persistence of racial inequalities is the central issues of our time, and no where is the need for change greater than in our schools.

Racial identity has a profound impact on learning, and every teacher should know how to nurture their students’ budding identities and create an identity-rich classroom. Fifty years of research shows that strong identities mean higher self-esteem, greater academic confidence, and increased school achievement.

We need a teaching force that strengthens our students’ racial and cultural identities, cultivates their inherent intelligence, and affirms the gifts of their heritage. It’s time for all educators, regardless of their racial identities and backgrounds to come together to solve the problem students of color face in schools and beyond.

Productive conversations about race rely on the facilitator’s understanding of racial identity formation, the history of race, differences in race-based experiences, and common dynamics in conversations about race. This course covers methods that empower voices of color and facilitate greater understanding among white people.

Course Format

The course offers four online modules. Each module includes reading materials, short videos explaining key concepts, online discussions, and virtual meetings with the instructors.

Session 1: Race Consciousness vs. Color Blindness

The context for talking about race is understanding history – personal, cultural and national. Our identities are informed by our personal journeys, the communities we come from, and the ideology of the institutional structures we exist within. This session explores identity formation through personal reflection, dialogic exchange, and academic inquiry.

* Online meeting for Session 1: Tuesday. October 22, 2019 (6:00 pm EST)

Session 2: Race Oppression and Identity Empowerment

This session introduces key terms and concepts in oppression theory and explains categories of oppression: personally mitigated, internalized, inter-group, and institutional. Other concepts include unconscious bias, microaggressions, stereotype threat, and white privilege.

* Online meeting for Session 2: Tuesday, November 19, 2019 (6:00 pm EST)

Session 3: Racial Identity Formation: Patterns of Race-based Experience

Productive conversations about race rely on an understanding of racial identity formation and patterns of differences in race-based experiences. This session covers methods that empower voices of color and result in greater understanding among white people.

* Online meeting for Session 3: Tuesday, January 28, 2020 (6:00 pm EST)

Session 4: Talking about Race

Great facilitation is both an art and a science. Our precise and reliable communication skillset helps you guide conversations about race that result profound and productive insights. This session outlines methods of listening, responding with supportive and appropriate feedback, and explores common dynamics in conversations about race.

* Online meeting for Session 3: Tuesday, February 25, 2020 (6:00 pm EST)

Course Requirements

1. Complete assignments for each session.

* Assigned reading from Let’s Get Real: Exploring Race, Class, and Gender Identities in the Classroom (Martha Caldwell and Oman Frame, Routledge 2017).

* Instructional videos for each session.

* Participation in online community discussion forums.

2. Participate in virtual sessions on the following dates:

* October 22: Race Consciousness vs. Color Blindness (6:00 pm EST)

* November 19: Race Oppression and Identity Empowerment (6:00 pm EST)

* January 28: Racial Identity Formation: Patterns of Race-based Experience (6:00 pm EST)

* February 25: Talking about Race (6:00 pm EST)

4. Attendance at a minimum of four (4) Virtual Racial Identity-based Resource Group meetings (at times to be mutually agreed upon).

Course Registration Fee

We’re piloting “Dynamic Dialogues about Race” and we want you to help us develop it. This course would normally be priced at $695, but we’re offering the pilot for $395. Come join us!

Course Instructors: Danielle Stewart and Martha Caldwell

Danielle Stewart is an innovative organizer, facilitator, teacher, and curriculum developer in diversity, equity, and inclusion education. She established The Community Empowerment Foundation, College Prep and Connect, and In School Spirit. Her programs ignite the school spirit and positive academic experiences of students of color. She co-founded the first Summer Diversity Institute for Educators in 2013 and works with iChange Collaborative as a facilitator, administrator and creative counsel. She has been facilitating virtual affinity groups for educators of color for seven years.

Martha Caldwell draws on the power of story to make the impact of social identity visible. Her approach synthesizes elements of social emotional learning, inquiry method, and identity formation research. She has worked with students, educators, and parents in 50+ schools, and her articles on identity and equity education have appeared in Middle School Journal, Independent School Magazine, Greater Good Magazine, Youth Today, and EdWeek. She is the co-author of Let’s Get Real: Exploring Race, Class and Gender Identities in the Classroom (Routledge, 2017).

The iChange team guides conversations rarely broached, yet utterly compelling in their potential to stimulate growth and change. Our expertise synthesizes elements of social emotional learning, inquiry learning, and identity formation research. We have worked with students, teachers, administrators, and parents in more than 50 schools. For more information, contact us at info@ichangecollaborative.com or call 404-585-8552.