Several organizations dominate equity-oriented training for big school districts
American school districts find professional development in a variety of places and formats.
Sometimes, a local university or former public school employee will provide consulting on an informal basis. Or the district contracts with a national professional learning organization or nationally recognized speaker in racial justice.
More: Schools spend billions on training so every student can succeed. They don’t know if it works
In response to our survey, 42 of the largest U.S. school districts identified the organizations and individuals that provided equity-oriented professional development. The most frequently mentioned were:
- Courageous Conversation: Founded in 1992 by Glenn E. Singleton, the consulting firm Pacific Education Group provides training, coaching and consulting services around racial equity to schools and other organizations, based on the Courageous Conversation protocol. The framework involves four agreements as a foundation for conversations about race: to stay engaged, expect to experience discomfort, speak your truth, and accept a lack of closure. Based in Washington D.C., Courageous Conversation provides training individually and through an annual summit.
- Learning Forward: The Oxford, Ohio-based professional association's focus is broader than equity, encompassing all types of professional learning. Members include directors of learning in school districts around the world. The association offers an annual conference, other events, and webinars.
- ASCD: Founded in 1943, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development is a membership organization serving educators around the globe with professional development on a range of topics. ASCD offers an annual conference, leadership summits and other events.
- The Center for Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning: Based in Los Angeles, CCRTL offers in-person and online professional development on cultural responsiveness. Author and educator Sharroky Hollie founded the organization in 2004 and serves as executive director.
- UnboundEd: Founded in 2015, UnboundEd offers professional development focused on anti-racist instructional practices, through the Standards Institute, a cohort program for leaders, events at individual schools or districts, and through an online platform. "We envision a world in which educators actively work together to dismantle systemic racism by providing grade-level, engaging, affirming, and meaningful instruction," according to the website.
- The Equity Literacy Institute: Founded by Paul Gorski, the Equity Literacy Institute offers professional learning, coaching, consulting, and training to educators. The organization's framework of equity literacy focuses on recognizing, responding to, and redressing biases and inequities, while actively cultivating equity and sustaining equity in the face of resistance.
Katherine Reynolds Lewis is a Washington, D.C.-area independent journalist and author who can be reached at info@KatherineRLewis.com or on social media. This reporting was supported by the O’Brien Fellowship in Public Service Journalism at Marquette University.