NEASC2024

Too often, community responses to inequities see schools as the primary drivers of societal change. This presentation addresses this critical dilemma – how can educators teach inclusive content and implement equitable teaching practices without the engagement of all members of the school community – including all families? Clearly, we cannot create inclusive schools without also addressing bias and discrimination in the broader community. This presentation will focus on two main ideas. First, we'll explore how to build inclusive school environments within our increasingly diverse school populations. Discussion will include how a family's social identity influences their engagement and advocacy and why educators should expect conflict as part of the family-school relationship (and what to do with it!). Second, we'll explore how families from high income backgrounds upend education equity and ways to address this issue and move our entire school community towards education for the common good.