Moving the Needle: Promising Practices and Innovative Approaches for Educators, Administrators, and Practitioners to Imagine Spaces Free of Racial Injustice

Session Type: Invited Speaker Session

Abstract

The proposed session will address the urgent need for creating racially just educational systems that equip educators with the tools to grapple with and respond to racial inequities within their classrooms and schools. This session will bring together leading scholars and practitioners to advance the conversation on promising practices of promoting racial justice and equity in K-12 and postsecondary educational settings. This session will be of interest to scholars, practitioners, and policymakers interested in dismantling systemic racism in education broadly across multiple AERA Divisions and SIGs. This session seeks to address the following questions: What can we do in the school setting to foster racial equity? What needs to happen in the educator preparation space to prepare educators to work in and foster/maintain racially just schooling contexts?
Additionally, the symposium will examine the benefits of community schooling as a promising practice for developing racially just schools. Community schooling emphasizes collaboration among schools, families, and community organizations to create comprehensive educational environments that address learners’ holistic needs.

Sub Unit

• AERA Presidential Session

Chairs

• Tia C. Madkins, University of Texas at Austin

• David Wakefield, California State University - Northridge

Papers

• K–12 Schooling: The Role of Peers, Family, and Community - Sandra Graham, University of California - Los Angeles; Deborah Rivas-Drake, University of Michigan

• Educator Preparation - Olga Pagan, New York University

• Postsecondary Education Settings - Gina Ann Garcia, University of California - Berkeley; Eric R. Felix, San Diego State University