Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success

Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning is the silver winner of the 2021 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Award in Education!

Andratesha Fritzgerald presents Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in a new light: As an effective framework to teach Black and Brown students. Drawing vivid portraits of her classroom instruction in urban over the past two decades, Fritzgerald shows teachers how to open new roads of communication, engagement, and skill-building for their students. The result? Helping students become expert, lifelong learners who feel honored and loved.

Andratesha Fritzgerald, EdS, serves as Director of Teaching, Learning and Innovation for the East Cleveland (OH) City School Districts and has been a teacher and leader in urban schools for nearly 20 years. Her life's work is to awaken, celebrate and activate the brilliance of teachers, leaders, and students to actualize achievement wherever it seems impossible. She has been a speaker at CAST's annual UDL Symposium and state conferences for teachers, and is a keynote speaker and professional development provider with Novak Educational Consulting. A self-proclaimed Jeapordy enthusiast and imagination expert, Fritzgerald loves writing and dreaming out loud with her husband, two children, and committed educators who believe in academic success for all.

As a mother of social justice, activist, and the founder and CEO of the Tamir Rice Foundation, Ms. Samaria Rice proudly serves as an advocate for juvenile rights in Cleveland, Ohio. Since the murder of her 12-year-old son Tamir by Cleveland Police in 2014, Ms. Rice has committed her life to justice and standing on the frontlines for children. Samaria's passion for civil rights reaches across lines of difference, uniting us all to work towards change. Following Tamir's death, Samaria has continued to use her voice in the service of her son's legacy. Samaria encourages us to take back our communities by standing up for justice. She has become a motivating force for families and communities across the nation. Ms. Rice founded the Tamir Rice Foundation in 2016. The mission of the Foundation is to invest in the growth and enrichment of children through the arts and to create a world in which all children feel safe, nurtured, and valued - especially in their darkest times. Ms. Rice is active in the arts nationally and globally. She frequently collaborates with artists and arts organizations on projects in response to the shooting of Tamir, state-sanctioned violence, and juvenile rights. Her biggest undertaking yet is the Tamir Rice Afrocentric Cultural Center, which will provide artistic, educational, and civic programs for youth while celebrating the history and culture of people of African descent. She was recently featured on Essence's 2019 Woke 100 list alongside changemakers such as Michelle Obama, Ava Duvernay, and Gayle King. Please visit https: //www.tamirricefoundation.org