*Times are Listed in EST

Early Bird deadline: August 7, 2024

One of the most critical things we can do is create spaces where our students are seen, heard, and understood as their full selves.  Join us to explore how we begin and continue the school year in ways that build connections and spaces of belonging with our students beyond academic learning. Explore ways to make space for vulnerability, and create shared experiences. Extending our resource “Beyond Ice Breakers to Community Building” we will explain how, unlike "ice breakers", community builders allow for a deeper sense of connection and honoring all perspectives. Educators will experience live modeling and reflect on ways to plan for stronger human connections in the classroom. This session will expand on the importance of setting group norms and making them relevant. Educators will leave with a deeper understanding of community building activities with students, and actionable steps to implement community building ideas and practices in their own schools and classrooms.

*Times are Listed in EST

Early Bird deadline: July 22, 2024

One of the most critical things we can do is create spaces where our students are seen, heard, and understood as their full selves.  Join us to explore how we begin and continue the school year in ways that build connections and spaces of belonging with our students beyond academic learning. Explore ways to make space for vulnerability, and create shared experiences. Extending our resource “Beyond Ice Breakers to Community Building” we will explain how, unlike "ice breakers", community builders allow for a deeper sense of connection and honoring all perspectives. Educators will experience live modeling and reflect on ways to plan for stronger human connections in the classroom. This session will expand on the importance of setting group norms and making them relevant. Educators will leave with a deeper understanding of community building activities with students, and actionable steps to implement community building ideas and practices in their own schools and classrooms.

*Times are Listed in EST

This workshop is designed to bring to life the feel, imagine, take action, and reflect - the social action framework referenced in our resource, “Teaching Social Action”. In this session educators  will experience live modeling and have a chance to engage with real time practice examples of what social action can look like across developmental levels and in interdisciplinary ways. This is one tool we can use to help students learn from humanity's history of resistance, resilience, and hope as a way to create paths of action for the future. This workshop will set you up with a deeper understanding of how to integrate social action skills and learning across all spheres of student experiences. 

*Times are Listed in EST

This workshop is designed to bring to life the feel, imagine, take action, and reflect - the social action framework referenced in our resource, “Teaching Social Action”. In this session educators  will experience live modeling and have a chance to engage with real time practice examples of what social action can look like across developmental levels and in interdisciplinary ways. This is one tool we can use to help students learn from humanity's history of resistance, resilience, and hope as a way to create paths of action for the future. This workshop will set you up with a deeper understanding of how to integrate social action skills and learning across all spheres of student experiences. 

*Times are Listed in EST

Join us as we explore why and  how to increase engagement through curriculum and in classroom conversations by ensuring  students see themselves represented and providing space to  authentically learn about others. We will bring to life the approach in our resource “Representation- A Core Goal of Anti Bias Education” through the framework of "mirrors", "windows", and “sliding doors”. Educators will experience and reflect on content that centers identity before taking a closer look at three proven strategies to increase representation in their own classrooms: identity shares, resource selection, and current events. Join us to gain tools for creating spaces where all students are seen and feel that they belong.

*Times are Listed in EST

Join us in this workshop to walk through critical thinking skills first hand. Educators will interact with a text as a learner and engage with critical literacy strategies.   Practice examples will be tied directly to our resource, “Critical Literacy: Teaching Students How to Think Versus What to Think” .   Afterwards, educators  will see direct examples of how to support students in addressing race, power, privilege, stereotypes, and bias with a critical literacy lens.  Lesson and work samples will model students' responses and educators will leave with a deeper understanding of helping students have tools to understand power, perspective, and positionality in text and the world around them.

*Times are Listed in EST

One of the most important stakeholders in a diverse school community is the families. In this workshop, we will discuss the key elements needed for successful community programming and elements of careful program planning, particularly in diverse school environments. With our resource 'Building Connections with INTENT' as a guide, we will share a new approach to family programming that pushes us towards authentic relationship building. Participants will leave with an opportunity to think about how this workshop has a direct impact on their practice and will consider the next steps in continuing to build their vibrant school communities.

*Times are Listed in EST

Join us to explore how we begin and build the school year and continue it in ways that  build connections and spaces of belonging with our students beyond academic learning. Explore ways to make space for vulnerability, and create shared experiences. Extending our resource “Beyond Ice Breakers to Community Building” we will explain how, unlike "ice breakers", community builders allow for a deeper sense of connection and honoring all perspectives. Educators will experience live modeling and reflect on ways to plan for stronger human connections in the classroom. This session will expand on the importance of setting group norms and making them relevant. Educators will leave with a deeper understanding of community building activities with students, and actionable steps to implement community building ideas and practices in their own schools. 

*Times are Listed in EST

Early Bird deadline: September 22, 2023

Join us in this workshop to walk through critical thinking skills first hand. Educators will interact with a text as a learner and engage with critical literacy strategies.   Practice examples will be tied directly to our resource, “Critical Literacy: Teaching Students How to Think Versus What to Think” .   Afterwards, educators  will see direct examples of how to support students in addressing race, power, privilege, stereotypes, and bias with a critical literacy lens.  Lesson and work samples will model students' responses and educators will leave with a deeper understanding of helping students have tools to understand power, perspective, and positionality in text and the world around them.

*Times are Listed in EST

Early Bird deadline: August 31, 2023

One of the most important stakeholders in a diverse school community is the families. In this workshop, we will discuss the key elements needed for successful community programming and elements of careful program planning, particularly in diverse school environments. With our resource 'Building Connections with INTENT' as a guide, we will share a new approach to family programming that pushes us towards authentic relationship building. Participants will leave with an opportunity to think about how this workshop has a direct impact on their practice and will consider the next steps in continuing to build their vibrant school communities.

*Times are Listed in EST

Early Bird deadline: August 14, 2023

Join us to explore how we begin and build the school year and continue it in ways that  build connections and spaces of belonging with our students beyond academic learning. Explore ways to make space for vulnerability, and create shared experiences. Extending our resource “Beyond Ice Breakers to Community Building” we will explain how, unlike "ice breakers", community builders allow for a deeper sense of connection and honoring all perspectives. Educators will experience live modeling and reflect on ways to plan for stronger human connections in the classroom. This session will expand on the importance of setting group norms and making them relevant. Educators will leave with a deeper understanding of community building activities with students, and actionable steps to implement community building ideas and practices in their own schools. 

*Times are Listed in EST

One of the most important stakeholders in a diverse school community are the families. In this workshop, we'll share a new approach to family programming that pushes us towards authentic relationship building. We will discuss the key elements needed for successful community programming and elements of careful program planning, particularly in diverse school environments. Participants will leave with an opportunity to think about how this presentation has a direct impact on their practice and will consider next steps in continuing to build their vibrant school communities. This workshop is for engaged parents, classroom teachers, school leaders, policy makers, learning specialists and other staff who would like to support applying the framework to building a connected and involved community for families.

Facilitators: Michelle McCree-Harrison, Jason Fulford

*Early Bird Deadline: April 1, 2023

*Times are Listed in EST

One of the most important stakeholders in a diverse school community are the families. In this workshop, we'll share a new approach to family programming that pushes us towards authentic relationship building. We will discuss the key elements needed for successful community programming and elements of careful program planning, particularly in diverse school environments. Participants will leave with an opportunity to think about how this presentation has a direct impact on their practice and will consider next steps in continuing to build their vibrant school communities. This workshop is for engaged parents, classroom teachers, school leaders, policy makers, learning specialists and other staff who would like to support applying the framework to building a connected and involved community for families.

Facilitators: Michelle McCree-Harrison, Jason Fulford

*Times listed are in EST

The need to teach children how to think instead of what to think is timely and critical, and is itself an act of social justice. Approaching curriculum with an anti-bias lens is necessary, but where do you start? What does social justice look like for each student, and how do we deepen our students' understanding of social justice and their agency? Can we do all this within our current curriculum? Most of the time, we can use our curriculum as long as we are asking the right questions. Anti-bias education is an action oriented, value-based approach to learning. Starting with elementary school, it focuses on the need to honor all differences in the classroom, to see each student and classmate, and address and unlearn biases. In practice, this means increasing representation in our curriculum, practicing critical literacy, and defining social action as something each child can do to make change, while staying true to themselves. Most applicable to elementary and middle school teachers, this introductory workshop will focus on explicit examples of anti-bias education in practice through the lens of critical literacy; to give participants a foundational understanding of anti-bias education and how critical literacy is a means by which classrooms can specifically address race, power, privilege, stereotypes, and bias. Participants will work in both small and large groups to understand what these frameworks can look like in practice and consider the implications for their own school sites and communities of practice.

Facilitators: Sofia Corporan, Michelle McCree-Harrison

*Times listed are in EST

Universal Design for Learning is a tool for creating more access and equity in the classroom space. Roots ConnectED believes UDL is an essential component of the Anti-Bias Framework and critical to engaging students to think about representation, critical literacy and social action in the curriculum. To best understand UDL, one must see it in practice and consider the planning and implementation of this approach in curriculum and classroom design. In this workshop, participants will see examples from the field in planning and curriculum design that is built off of a deep understanding of the UDL framework. Participants will see examples of what UDL based instruction looks like in classrooms and explore concrete practices that support it. Participants will leave having a deeper understanding of UDL and having thought about the implications of this work for their own classrooms. *This workshop is for educators and school leaders who already have an understanding of the framework of UDL.

Facilitators: Chanel Hill, Maggie Clegg

*Times listed are in EST

One of the most powerful things we can do for our students is create space for them to process what has happened, and what is happening, in our country. The history of our country is one of horrific terror, trauma, and pain. We have a responsibility to help students feel, imagine, and take action in a way that allows them to learn from humanity's history of resistance, resilience, and hope as a way to create paths of action for the future. For years, people throughout history and in current times have worked together to dismantle institutionalized and interpersonal racism. We know education has a role in this work. In this workshop, educators will walk away with a framework for thinking about social action with their students and concrete ways in which to support their children to know that their voices and actions matter in creating change.

Facilitators: Sofia Corporan, Michelle McCree-Harrison

*Times listed are in EST

One of the most important stakeholders in a school community are the families. In this workshop, we'll share an innovative approach to family programming, one that pushes us to think beyond the "multicultural potluck" and towards authentic relationship building and a further sense of belonging with families in our school community. We will discuss the key elements needed for successful community programming and elements of careful program planning, in order to reach the full diversity of families within the school community. Participants will leave with an opportunity to think about how this approach has direct impact on their practice and specific school sites and will consider next steps in continuing to build their vibrant school communities.

This workshop is for anyone at the school site who supports family engagement opportunities at the school level (ie: (school leaders, school staff, parent liaisons and organizers, community organizer).

Facilitators: Michelle McCree-Harrison, Jason Fulford

Representation in our Classrooms: Creating Opportunities for Students to See Themselves and Others in Curriculum

Registration Opens February 15, 2022

This is a 1-part asynchronous course that can be taken at your own pace and viewed at any time. 1-time registration includes unlimited access to this page and its resources.

How can we create authentic moments, experiences, and lessons where students can see themselves in the curriculum and in classroom conversations? And why is this important? Through the framework of "mirrors" and "windows" participants will take a closer look at how curriculum and classroom conversations can and should be "fully inclusive of historically marginalized and minoritized perspectives," how inviting a student's authentic self can help cultivate authentic relationships, and where teachers recognize their children are "a group of students from whom they can learn." Diving deep into three proven strategies, participants will have a chance to think about how to increase representation in their own classrooms and create spaces where all students are seen and feel that they belong.

Facilitators: Elizabeth Bidart, Sophie Rutstein

Establishing Classroom Norms for Vital Conversations: Discussing Current Events in K-12 Classrooms

Registration Opens February 15, 2022

This is a 3-part asynchronous course that can be taken at your own pace and viewed at any time. 1-time registration includes unlimited access to this page and its resources.

Course Description: The nation is still grappling with a global pandemic and the ongoing effects of racism in this country. In the midst of all this, educators across the country are returning to their classrooms, both virtual and physical. This pandemic has exposed longstanding inequities that impact those systematically marginalized by institutions in our society. Furthermore, a stirring of consciousness around social justice has acted as a call-to-action across the nation. That said, the return to class will undoubtedly open doors to new questions and conversations from our students. And given that each one is a unique being with unique experiences, how can we prepare ourselves to address potentially hard, but certainly vital, conversations with the entire class? As teachers, with all that is going on in our world, we hold the incredible responsibility of making space for children to process a range of emotions, ask questions, and consider ways in which they can contribute to making change. But it is imperative that we talk about current events in a responsible way. How do we create norms that honor all perspectives and support a deeper understanding around these issues? If done irresponsibly, we run the risk of doing more harm to students while widening gaps in their understanding. We hope you join us for this workshop, geared towards supporting educators from grades K-12 in doing this critical work.

Facilitators: Brandi Forte, Elizabeth Bidart

*Times listed are in EST

Speaking up in the moment against implicit biases, racist comments or actions, and microaggressions can be difficult. Sometimes we are on the receiving end of the comment and sometimes we are the ones who have made the comment and are being asked to reflect. We know harmful expressions can leave us wondering how to process our own feelings and to respond in ways that advocate for ourselves and others.

Gaining comfort to meaningfully respond and address these moments requires practice, empathy, and deep understanding. In this workshop, we will work together to name what is problematic, identify impact, and lay the groundwork for change (which may require us to step further into discomfort.) We will share an approach, internal reflections, and sentence starters to support speaking up when something doesn't sit right, and create theatre to provide a structured way to practice speaking up in the moment, to reflect together, collaborate and try again. This is a learning community, an interactive workshop, designed to help participants gain practice and comfort in addressing those moments where we may feel or observe implicit biases, racist comments or actions, and microaggressions.

Facilitators: Brandi Forte, Eva Burgess

*Times listed are in EST

We have witnessed far too many classrooms where students are taught to an imaginary "average" and considerations are made to differentiate for anyone who may not fit that "middle.” One of the most critical ways for us to achieve equity in our classrooms is by recognizing the variability of learners that make up our communities. To do this, we must develop a mindset that has no room for the myth of the average learner.  This does not happen in practice alone, it must start with mindset.  In this session, we will look at the mindset shifts required to recognize learning needs as an issue of equity and justice in our classrooms. A central component of our Anti-Bias Framework is Inclusion. Developing a mindset that envisions an inclusive school community is essential to creating anti-bias classrooms. 

Participants will leave having done thinking about their mindsets as connected to inclusion and both personal and collective work required at their school sites to create shifts in understanding around inclusion.

Facilitators: Millen Tesfaldet, Ellen Cantrell

*Times listed are in EST

So often we are asked, aren’t they too young to talk about their identities, particularly race, power, and gender in early elementary school? What we have found is that K-2nd grade students are not only open to these conversations, but that, when addressed at a young age, they are able to continue these conversations as they get older and have a deeper understanding of how their identities impact their experiences. In this workshop we will look at how an anti-bias lens allows for these conversations to be embedded into every day lessons and conversations. Participants will learn from sample lessons that address these issues and have an opportunity to think about the implication in their own lessons, units, and/or read alouds.

Facilitators: Blair Welsh, Susan Park