Your Monthly News & Updates |
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Enhancing equity – there is so much that can be done! And the need is so great. This month HeartMind eNews provides three informative and inspirational articles to help you on this journey. Equity and antiracism begin in the early childhood years. Randy Ross and Jill Flanders in an article on early childhood literacy provide examples and insights into how to approach equity through a literature-based approach as they share some great titles to read to young children. Next, Leah Bullinger, a CEI Intern, shares info on how some courageous leaders are speaking up against book bans that are being implemented in states across our country. The final article by Hallie Williams, another CEI intern, delves into the sensitive topic of gender identity and steps schools can take to reduce harassment and further individual students’ sense of self-worth. This is a troubling time. Even as our consciousness is being raised, the backlash against compassionate practices continues to gather steam. What you are doing in your schools and classrooms is so critical!
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From Getting Uncomfortable to Doing Something! Antiracism and Early Childhood Literature
Jillayne Flanders & Randy Ross
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The hard work of antiracism causes discomfort. No matter where one begins, educators must find the willingness to examine our own implicit biases and to take actions, such as making an inventory of our classroom and school libraries. Our antiracism work will also make others uncomfortable. Prepare for the pushback. Be ready to defend our actions. Yet know that doing nothing is unacceptable.
One year ago, in our October 2021 CEI newsletter, we asked you to reflect on the dearth of children’s literature centering Black, Brown, Asian, all children of color and families. The chart below shows the change in the numbers of Children's Book Authors by Race/Ethnicity, comparing 2018 to 2021. Improvement? Yes, but over a four-year period, including the 2020 “white racial awakening” that followed the murder of George Floyd, this chart does not show the change we need. Read more.
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Book Banning in Today's Schools and Libraries
Leah Bullinger, CEI Intern
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Book banning is currently the most common form of censorship in the United States. In many cases, book banning advocate groups are made up of adults that solely target children’s literature. These advocate groups may consist of parents, political activists, religious leaders, school board leaders, and other education stakeholders. Historically, parents have led most book banning groups, but recently more and more non-parent leaders have begun to initiate book ban movements.
According to researchers from the literary rights group PEN America, “at least 50 groups [are] involved in pushing for book bans at the national, state, or local levels” (Friedman & Johnson, 2022). Some of these groups have hundreds of chapters at the local or regional levels.
- The groups meet online and in-person and collectively, their efforts have led to the banning of more than 2,500 books in the 2021-22 school year alone (Friedman & Johnson, 2022).
- These bans affect an estimated 138 school districts, 5,049 schools, and almost 4 million students.
- These numbers are both alarming and unprecedented.
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Discussing Gender
Hallie Williams, CEI Intern
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As it becomes more common to introduce oneself with gender pronouns, adults find themselves asking how to navigate this new and personal territory with children and adolescents. Young students are not only experiencing and learning many things for the first time, but they are also discovering who they are: including their gender identities. Young students should not feel pressure to declare any identity or align with anyone else’s expectations—as they grow, their identities and opinions are theirs to form.
Because society is becoming more accepting of transgender folk, more individuals feel safe publicly transitioning; therefore, today’s children will increasingly encounter transgender and gender nonconforming individuals. Young students will need to learn that gender is not as rigid as it often seems. Consequently, children will likely be involved in discussions regarding gender, whether part of a planned lesson or not, and teachers need to be prepared about how to respond when the topic arises. Read more.
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Upcoming Events and Announcements |
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CEI Receives $2.8 million SEED Award from US Department of Education
The Center for Educational Improvement, in partnership with Yale University’s Program for Recovery and Community Health, has been awarded a $2.8 million SEED grant from the US Department of Education to develop a Compassionate School Leadership Academy. Dr. Christine Mason (CEI) and Maria O’Connell (Yale University) are Co-Principal Investigators and Martha Staeheli (Yale) is the Project Director.
The purpose of the SEED program is to increase the number of highly effective educators by supporting the implementation of Evidence-Based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the skills of educators.
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Teen-to-Teen Peer Support: Guidelines for Mental Health and Well-Being
Christine Mason, PhD, Martha Staeheli, PhD
Thursday, October 13, 1:30 pm
Peer support programs can make an important contribution to teen suicide prevention and providing other compassionate school supports for youth who are most at-risk for anxiety and depression. Learn about principles, options for formal and informal programs, how to implement a strengths-based approach, and such components as recruitment, screening, setting boundaries, coordination, and program evaluation. Includes a brief role-play simulation and opportunities to dialogue and problem-solve.
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Yoga in Schools - Opening Hearts, Minds, & Opportunities
Virtual Summit Saturday, November 5th
10 am - 3 pm Mountain Time
The session is a collaboration between 3HO and the Center for Educational Improvement and is built on a book co-published by the Kundalini Research Institute in 2021:Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, and Well-being through Meditation, Mindfulness, and Movement.
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Cultivating Happiness, Resilience, & Well-being through Meditation, Mindfulness, & Movement
By Christine Mason, Jeffrey Donald, Michele M. Rivers Murphy, Krishna Kaur Khalsa, & Valerie Brown
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Anxiety: Guidelines for School Counselors for Conducting Small Groups
A Workshop for the Virginia Association of Specialists in Group Work (VASGW)
Saturday, December 3, 1-3 pm
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You are also invited to join the HeartMind Community to receive discounts on publications and workshops, networking opportunities, and special offers for virtual consultations and additional resources from the Center for Educational Improvement—at the very end after the announcements.
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CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL IMPROVEMENT
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