Beyond Conversations About Race: A Guide for Discussions With Students, Teachers, and Communities (How to Talk About Racism in Schools and Implement Equitable Classroom Practices)

Written by a collective of brilliant authors, this essential work provokes respectful dialogue about race that catalyzes school-changing action. The book masterfully weaves together an array of scenarios and discussions, and directly addresses challenging topics such as discomfort, violence, advocacy, bias, and responsibility. The authors call on their lived experiences and, most important, their work with tens of thousands of educators, leaders, and students to help all of us do better in our schools and communities.

Learn how to talk about race in the classroom and advocate for racial equity in schools:

• Recognize the presence of systemic racism in schools and understand why racism is such an uncomfortable topic for many.
• Use scenarios and effective discussion questions to encourage challenging conversations.
• Learn how to advocate for underserved communities and those who suffer under racism.
• Resist racial stereotypes and promote equity in the classroom.
• Take appropriate action based on challenging conversations.
• Ultimately develop classrooms, schools, and districts into safe, anti-racist educational strongholds and promote positive learning experiences for marginalized students.

Contents:
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
About the Authors
Introduction: How to Get the Most Out of This Book

Part 1: Getting Ready for Challenging Conversations
Chapter 1: Why Is Talking About Race So Hard?
Chapter 2: Why Is Discomfort Required?
Chapter 3: Why Scenarios as an Educational Tool?
Chapter 4: How Can We Create a Safe Space for Conversation?
Chapter 5: How Will Faculty and Staff Set the Standard for Challenging Conversations?

Part 2: Using Scenarios for Important Conversations
Chapter 6: Talking About Bias--How Can I Be Biased When I'm Not a Racist?
Chapter 7: Talking About History--How Does the Shadow of 1619 Affect Us Today?
Chapter 8: Talking About Action--How Can Something Be My Responsibility When It's Not My Fault?
Chapter 9: Talking About Advocacy--What Is My Duty to My Friends?
Chapter 10: Talking About Law Enforcement--How Do Police Officers Help Us? How Do They
Sometimes Hurt Us?
Chapter 11: Talking About School--Where Are the Black People?
Chapter 12: Talking About Violence--How Can We Talk About Terrible Things?

Part 3: Moving From Discussion to Action
Chapter 13: How Do We Engage Our Communities?
Chapter 14: How Can We Advocate for Change?
Chapter 15: Why Isn't Being Right Enough?
Chapter 16: How Do We Create Equity Consciousness?
Chapter 17: The Next Chapter--How Do We Shift From Opposing Bigotry to Practicing Anti-Racism?

References and Resources
Index

Washington "Nino" Collado, PhD, was born in the Dominican Republic in 1962 in a small town called Jánico and was raised surrounded by educators. His mother, María Tejada, and seven of his uncles and aunts were teachers. After the death of his mother in 1970, Dr. Collado and his three sisters traveled to the United States to live with their father in 1975. In New York, he started his studies in New York City Public Schools in the seventh grade and went on to Franklin K. Lane High School in Brooklyn, New York.

Sharroky Hollie, PhD, is a national educator who provides professional development to thousands of educators in the area of cultural responsiveness. Since 2000, Dr. Hollie has trained more than 150,000 educators and worked in nearly 2,000 classrooms.

Rosa Isiah, EdD, is an educational leader, international speaker, leadership presenter, and author who currently serves her school community as the director of elementary schools, equity, and access at Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District (NLMUSD) in California. As an educational practitioner, Dr. Isiah has also served as a teacher, bilingual specialist, language arts specialist, assistant principal, principal, and coordinator of federal and state programs.

Yvette Jackson, EdD, winner of the 2019 GlobalMindEd Inclusive Leader Award, is adjunct professor at Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York and senior scholar for the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education. Jackson's passion is assisting educators in cultivating their confidence and competence to unlock the giftedness in all students. She is driven to provide and promote pedagogy that enables students who are disenfranchised and marginalized to demonstrate their strengths and innate intellectual potential. Jackson's approach, called Pedagogy of Confidence, helps educators believe in and value these students and optimize student success, which, for Jackson, is the basis of equity consciousness.

Anthony Muhammad, PhD, is a much sought-after educational presenter. A practitioner for nearly twenty years, he has served as a middle school teacher, assistant principal, and principal and as a high school principal. His Transforming School Culture framework explores the root causes of staff resistance to change.

Douglas Reeves, PhD, is the author of more than thirty books and many articles about leadership and organizational effectiveness. He was named the Brock International Laureate for his contributions to education and received the Contribution to the Field Award from the National Staff Development Council (now Learning Forward). Dr. Reeves was twice named to the Harvard University Distinguished Authors Series. Dr. Reeves has addressed audiences in all fifty U.S. states and more than thirty countries, sharing his research and supporting effective leadership at the local, state, and national levels. He is founder of Finish the Dissertation, a free and noncommercial service for doctoral students, and the Zambian Leadership and Learning Institute.

Kenneth C. Williams shares his experience and expertise as a nationally recognized trainer, speaker, coach, and in leadership and school culture. A practitioner for nearly two decades, Ken led the improvement efforts at two schools by leveraging the Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) at Work process. Skilled in joining the why of the work to the how of the work, Ken is known for his powerful and engaging combinations of "heart, humor, and hammer." He is an expert at helping schools build capacity in the collective commitments required of learning for all cultures.