Visions of Practice Series – serie

What if the families of students most impacted by the opportunity gap somehow had the power to organize whatever activities they felt would best help their children succeed? That's the question that began Families with Power/Familias con Poder (FWP), a grassroots organization of low-income students and caregivers in Northampton, MA. Through vignettes and interviews, this premiere book in Sonia Nieto's Visions of Practice Series shares the stories and lessons FWP learned along the way. Inspired by Paulo Freire's educational philosophy and the radical tradition of the Highlander Folk School , a group of real families with few material resources and educators connected with each other, found common ground, and built their own programs to address the needs of their children. Readers will get an inside look at the benefits, successes, and challenges of more than a dozen years of student and family engagement in the community and school as FWP tackled issues ranging from academics, race, and class to immigration and public health.Book Features:The story of how the author cofounded Families with Power in cooperation with immigrant and low-income caregivers and fellow educators. Insight into multiple racial and ethnic perspectives as seen through a myriad of family engagement programs.A relatable collection of narratives that bring to life Freire's methods of problem posing, culture circles, and popular education, as well as Highlander Folk School's methods of grassroots organizing.Guidance to help today's teachers and school leaders connect with students' families and community in meaningful ways. The author's experience as a white teacher learning to bridge cultural, racial, linguistic, and class differences and build authentic relationships to better serve diverse communities.

What if the families of students most impacted by the opportunity gap somehow had the power to organize whatever activities they felt would best help their children succeed? That's the question that began Families with Power/Familias con Poder (FWP), a grassroots organization of low-income students and caregivers in Northampton, MA. Through vignettes and interviews, this premiere book in Sonia Nieto's Visions of Practice Series shares the stories and lessons FWP learned along the way. Inspired by Paulo Freire's educational philosophy and the radical tradition of the Highlander Folk School , a group of real families with few material resources and educators connected with each other, found common ground, and built their own programs to address the needs of their children. Readers will get an inside look at the benefits, successes, and challenges of more than a dozen years of student and family engagement in the community and school as FWP tackled issues ranging from academics, race, and class to immigration and public health.Book Features:The story of how the author cofounded Families with Power in cooperation with immigrant and low-income caregivers and fellow educators. Insight into multiple racial and ethnic perspectives as seen through a myriad of family engagement programs.A relatable collection of narratives that bring to life Freire's methods of problem posing, culture circles, and popular education, as well as Highlander Folk School's methods of grassroots organizing.Guidance to help today's teachers and school leaders connect with students' families and community in meaningful ways. The author's experience as a white teacher learning to bridge cultural, racial, linguistic, and class differences and build authentic relationships to better serve diverse communities.

Embracing Diversity is about the craft of teaching, with a particular focus on celebrating the myriad of human identities through classic, contemporary, and unconventional texts. Experienced secondary English language arts educators narrate their own experiences and provide insights through reflecting upon aspects of everyday pedagogy. Featuring a rich array of texts designed to be both familiar and unfamiliar to the reader, the authors explore complex issues raised by a diverse body of writers, while simultaneously sharing methods that engage students to think critically. Topics include how students' learning is influenced by their identities; the importance of building relationships; creating a balanced curriculum; developing cultural responsivity and cultural sustainability; confronting (dis)comfort zonesadapting to different educational contexts; and considering how the COVID-19 pandemic changed teaching. This teacher-friendly resource illustrates how reflective practitioners are assisted in their goal of teaching literacy skills while encompassing issues of social justice. Book Features:Multiple examples of classroom activities for the secondary ELA classroom. User-friendly text boxes highlighting points of interest.Questions at the end of each chapter to help readers reflect on their own practices.Detailed appendices featuring recommended books and practical resources.

Embracing Diversity is about the craft of teaching, with a particular focus on celebrating the myriad of human identities through classic, contemporary, and unconventional texts. Experienced secondary English language arts educators narrate their own experiences and provide insights through reflecting upon aspects of everyday pedagogy. Featuring a rich array of texts designed to be both familiar and unfamiliar to the reader, the authors explore complex issues raised by a diverse body of writers, while simultaneously sharing methods that engage students to think critically. Topics include how students' learning is influenced by their identities; the importance of building relationships; creating a balanced curriculum; developing cultural responsivity and cultural sustainability; confronting (dis)comfort zonesadapting to different educational contexts; and considering how the COVID-19 pandemic changed teaching. This teacher-friendly resource illustrates how reflective practitioners are assisted in their goal of teaching literacy skills while encompassing issues of social justice. Book Features:Multiple examples of classroom activities for the secondary ELA classroom. User-friendly text boxes highlighting points of interest.Questions at the end of each chapter to help readers reflect on their own practices.Detailed appendices featuring recommended books and practical resources.

In the past several years, we have witnessed unprecedented political, racial, economic, and health-related ruptures in society. The resulting turmoil has had an inevitable and negative impact on students, teachers, the profession of education, and especially marginalized and vulnerable populations. Academics and policymakers have had their say on how to address today's volatile issues, but teachers and other practitioners closest to students have not had the same visibility or access. This volume is an attempt to remedy that absence resulting in a compelling picture of education today. Chapters highlight essays written by a diverse group of K–12 classroom teachers who share their vision for education and describe their empowering classroom practices. At times hopeful and full of joy, at other times angry and full of frustration, these essays speak to what classrooms and schools based on social justice might mean for our nation. Teachers Speak Up! presents a bold vision of what education could be if teachers were to have a more direct influence on the purpose and aims of learning and teaching. Book Features:Offers grounded accounts about creating classrooms filled with hope and promise amid the many challenges to everyday practice.Addresses the harm done by universal school closures due to the pandemic, growing political divisions, the ugly specter of racism, book bans, and more. Gives voice to classroom teachers who describe their vision for education, as well as their successful practice teaching diverse students. Includes chapter authors who are diverse in their identities, the subject matter they teach, and their time in the profession.

This guide will help higher education institutions create a more purposeful and supportive learning and cultural environment for their multilingual international students.Through a lens of equity and social justice, this volume offers a comprehensive look at the education of multilingual international students (MISs) in higher education. Featuring contributions from leading scholars, this collection tackles issues of inequity in admissions, language testing, mentoring, mental health, and more. It provides critical insights into the diverse experiences of MISs on multilingual and multicultural campuses, along with evidence-based practices and policy recommendations. As universities increasingly recruit international students, this book will help a wide range of professionals to address the specific linguistic, academic, and sociocultural needs of this student population.Book Features:Designed as a practical resource for faculty, administrators, advisors, and decision-makers.Fills a crucial gap in higher education by centering the voices, goals, and needs of MISs and advocating for more just and inclusive institutional policy and practices.Offers a focus on the intersection of both international students and multilingual learners, addressing their unique characteristics.Brings together research-active experts and topics from different fields (counseling and mental health, trauma, teaching pedagogies) that are not often integrated into one resource.

This practical book explores evidence-based practices that K–12 educators can use to encourage and support the participation of all students in classroom discussion.Research shows that when students participate in classroom discussions they grow cognitively, socially, and academically. Let's Discuss offers guidance for creating classrooms committed to student “talk” that is active and supports participation by more than just a few students. The authors, who have taught and worked with teachers at a wide range of grade levels, highlight core, research-informed strategies from multilingual education, literacy education, arts education, and disability studies—all adaptable to different age students. This book balances intellectual and theoretical material with practical implementation advice, making it appropriate for education certification and literacy methods courses, as well as in a PLC or professional development context.Book Features:Guidance on how to make classroom discussion inclusive, academic, and ambitious.High-leverage practices and concepts that have been widely used and researched in the fields of literacy teaching, multilingual studies, and literacy studies.Helpful “snapshots” of teaching practices at different grade-bands, exposing educators to core practices that are transferable across age levels.A strong focus on instructional practices rooted in dialog and dialogic education, such as exploratory talk, question generation, and collaborative reasoning.Appropriate for teachers of diverse populations of students, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities.

This guide will help higher education institutions create a more purposeful and supportive learning and cultural environment for their multilingual international students.Through a lens of equity and social justice, this volume offers a comprehensive look at the education of multilingual international students (MISs) in higher education. Featuring contributions from leading scholars, this collection tackles issues of inequity in admissions, language testing, mentoring, mental health, and more. It provides critical insights into the diverse experiences of MISs on multilingual and multicultural campuses, along with evidence-based practices and policy recommendations. As universities increasingly recruit international students, this book will help a wide range of professionals to address the specific linguistic, academic, and sociocultural needs of this student population.Book Features:Designed as a practical resource for faculty, administrators, advisors, and decision-makers.Fills a crucial gap in higher education by centering the voices, goals, and needs of MISs and advocating for more just and inclusive institutional policy and practices.Offers a focus on the intersection of both international students and multilingual learners, addressing their unique characteristics.Brings together research-active experts and topics from different fields (counseling and mental health, trauma, teaching pedagogies) that are not often integrated into one resource.

This practical book explores evidence-based practices that K–12 educators can use to encourage and support the participation of all students in classroom discussion.Research shows that when students participate in classroom discussions they grow cognitively, socially, and academically. Let's Discuss offers guidance for creating classrooms committed to student “talk” that is active and supports participation by more than just a few students. The authors, who have taught and worked with teachers at a wide range of grade levels, highlight core, research-informed strategies from multilingual education, literacy education, arts education, and disability studies—all adaptable to different age students. This book balances intellectual and theoretical material with practical implementation advice, making it appropriate for education certification and literacy methods courses, as well as in a PLC or professional development context.Book Features:Guidance on how to make classroom discussion inclusive, academic, and ambitious.High-leverage practices and concepts that have been widely used and researched in the fields of literacy teaching, multilingual studies, and literacy studies.Helpful “snapshots” of teaching practices at different grade-bands, exposing educators to core practices that are transferable across age levels.A strong focus on instructional practices rooted in dialog and dialogic education, such as exploratory talk, question generation, and collaborative reasoning.Appropriate for teachers of diverse populations of students, including multilingual learners and students with disabilities.

Readers of Community-Centered School Leadership will come to appreciate the awesome power of the principal to shape, influence, support, and change a school. Written by a successful elementary school principal, this book sheds light on everyday practices and shares practical strategies that support leaders' growth and commitment to equity. The author chronicles her formative years, education, and 24 years of experience as a principal, reflecting on the critical role of school leadership in the age of accountability and a political environment that influences the work of educators. Agna uses examples of social justice pedagogy to show how a principal's role and responsibilities can be adapted to include being a change agent, as well as real-life stories that illustrate how leadership is manifest in a school committed to antibias education. This lifetime journey has been defined by a commitment to developmentally appropriate, inclusive, and antiracist practices to improve education for all children. Book Features: An insider view of how childhood and educational experiences shape the educator, and how to lead without compromising your principles and ethics.Approaches for meeting state and national curriculum standards while integrating social justice in all that occurs in teaching and learning.Strategies for encouraging and incorporating teacher and student empowerment and voice in the operation of a school.Encouragement for classroom teachers to consider the principal's job as an option on the career ladder.Photographs that illustrate the main points, as well as educator-friendly forms and templates principals can use with staff.