Highlights from EdLoC’s National Convening
Our team hosted both a mainstage panel discussion and breakout session focused on culturally responsive and sustaining social studies at the 2023 EdLoC National Convening.
“Despite the Headlines, There’s Still Demand for Culturally Responsive Content”
Andrea Foggy-Paxton moderated a discussion on how leaders are still navigating the K12 social studies market with the following panelists:
Shanti Elangovan, Founder and CEO of inquirED;
Jeff Livingston, Founder and CEO of EdSolutions; and
Lacey Robinson, President and CEO of UnboundEd.
The panel covered the concern for the rising media coverage of growing censorship and restriction of honest, inclusive books and curriculum. And from the headlines, the public might think that there’s genuine, widespread concern over what our children are learning and strong demand for these draconian measures. But actually, educators, parents, and students want diverse, inclusive, and culturally relevant content. We know this as educators, and we even see it in a lot of polling. Recently, an Ipsos poll revealed that over 90% of parents and Americans broadly believe it is important for students to learn how to understand others, especially those with different backgrounds. And in the same poll, we see that, most Americans (86%) and parents (87%) feel lessons about the history of racism prepare children to build a better future for everyone as opposed to feeling that lessons about racism are harmful to children.
“Leveraging Advocacy and Policy Efforts to Tell Our History”
Ebony McKiver moderated this breakout session about the successes and challenges in centering the voices of people of color and their history in public schools. We hear of the stories, almost daily, describing efforts by local, state, and national lawmakers to diminish or eliminate teachings around marginalized populations. Advocates and organizers are turning to policies that will require school system to teach African American, Asian American, Indigenous, and Latinx history.
Nitza M. Diaz, Education Consultant, State Education Resource Center and the CT parent Information and Resource Center and Grace Pai, Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice focused on how policies are helping push the voices of people of color and their history into public schools, what is working and what are some of the challenges that are preventing the widespread implementation of culturally responsive social studies.