Teachers: 3 tips to help become a more culturally focused educator

To educators who want to improve and continue to be culturally competent teachers. Here are two articles from Geoff Master and Kathy Deady that establish easy steps towards a better classroom.

In his article “What is ‘equity’ in education?” Master shows that it is better for classrooms to be fair than to be equal. In a perfect world children are in conditions where they all have the same starting point, but there are going to be students who need extra resources. For students who have learning needs or unequal socioeconomic backgrounds, teachers recognize that students will need extra assistance and an equitable education is giving them the resources to make excellent progress in their learning. Students can’t choose their paths in life but educators can take steps to giving each student the opportunity to excel.

Photo from: https://www.profellow.com/fellowships/18-teaching-fellowships-abroad/

As more than 50 percent of public school students will be POC (People of color), Kathy Deady explores different tools to becoming a more culturally responsive teacher. Deady's 5 steps to becoming a culturally responsive teacher details the importance of being aware of the mindset you bring into the classroom and of the community. In the classroom it makes a big difference when you get to know students and create a space where students can become critical thinkers. Once you start thinking about the content you will teach its vital to involve multiple learning styles and cultures so that student can receive as much context as possible.

Based on these two articles and my own experiences as a student I have developed three action items you should consider…

·         Think Fairness- Recognize that being a good teacher means understanding which students need extra attention/ resources to attain a quality education.

·         Reflect on Identities- Examining and reflecting on how the identities you hold affect a classroom dynamic, is a big step towards becoming a better educator.

·         Vary your Content- Students have different learning styles, so being flexible provides your students the best chance to succeed.

The teaching landscape is quickly evolving and becoming a culturally competent teacher will give you the confidence to uplift the next generation of students.

Fredrick Bugyei is a Northwestern senior studying Radio/Television/Film. He enjoys building community through his work as an RA and is involved with improv and a Capella groups. He plans to be a teacher through Teach For America 

School PR Professionals: 3 Tips to Better Engage the Public in Public Education

You plan for months and months for an event; the night of the meeting you’re excited to share with everyone your budget for the upcoming year, but three people show up. I used to have these experiences in my role in marketing/communications for public schools, and through my current graduate program at Northwestern University’s Medill Integrated Marketing Communications program, I have found two articles related to public engagement that you might find interesting. 

In his article "From Short-order Cooks to Gourmet Chefs: Recipes for Innovation in Public Engagement," Matt Leighninger, executive director of the Deliberative Democracy Consortium in Washington, D.C. and Hamilton, Ontario, talks about how the core goals of public engagement have not changed. Rather, what’s changed is the use of innovation in “…trying to develop more productive, dynamic, and long-term relationships…” He talks about the changes that have taken placed in the past 10 years to engage the public in decision making and problem solving. Leighninger then talks about the limitations of these strategies to produce long-term changes in the ways schools operate. After presenting the basics of engaging audiences, he presents several ways in which some educators are using innovating techniques to engage the public in day-to-day life of schools through interaction and collaboration.

In another article titled “Community Engagement Builds Trust for Redistricting,” Kelly Avants, director of communications for Clovis Unified School District in California, talks about community engagement from a perspective of decision making, specifically regarding redistricting. She lays out four steps for building community trust and support for change (through engaging key audiences). Her strategies are not only tactical, but also strategic as well. For example, she talks about really listening to what people are saying and being prepared to use and act on that information.

Based on these two articles and what I am learning in my graduate program at Medill, here are three action items you can do now to better engage the public education in your district:

• Map Your Stakeholders: Determine who your stakeholders are what their interest in your district is.

• Find Your Stakeholders: Look for the places where your stakeholders interact so you know where to reach them (don’t forget to find which online communities they’re a part of).

• Consistency, Consistency, Consistency: Don’t wait until key decisions are to be made or issues arise; engage your stakeholders throughout the year to developing lasting relationships.

As a school PR professional, these are simple tips you can start using today to continue engaging your stakeholders in your school district. Engaging the public in your district is a key element to success in continuing to improve education for all students.

Jane Flis is currently a graduate student in Integrated Marketing Communications at Northwestern University, expecting to graduate in 2015. Before starting graduate school, she worked as a marketing and communications specialist for an urban public school district of 20,000 students in Wisconsin for four years. Prior to that, she was a marketing and communications coordinator for a community education program shared jointly by three public school districts in Minnesota and an intern for another public school district in Minnesota. She holds a bachelors degree in communications from the University of Minnesota.