1. society
2. racism

2014 National Summit for Courageous Conversation
Program and Schedule Overview
All events will be held at The Sheraton N ew O rleans Hotel, 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA.
Saturday and Sunday, October 25-26, 2014 Pre-Summit Institutes
8:30 am to 4:00 pm each day
Saturday and Sunday (Two-Day Institutes):
Beyond Diversity: Introduction to Courageous Conversation & A Foundation for De-institutionalizing Racism and Eliminating
Racial Achievement Disparities
Beyond Diversity II: Advancing the Courageous Conversation and Defining Courageous Leadership in Education
Brown Space: The Civil Rights Struggle in Black & Brown
Dare 2 Be Real: Systemic Anti-Racist Student Leadership Development
Trust Me, Gay Is Not the New Black…or Brown, Yellow or Red for That Matter!
Echoes of the Past, Voices of Today: A Courageous Indigenous Conversation About Making the Invisible Visible in Education
SP/ELLing Out Institutional Barriers to Equity and Excellence for Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners
Saturday only (One-Day Institute):
Courageous Conversation Intensive: Training the Trainers through Protocol
Sunday only (One-Day Institute):
Black Males: A Courageous Leadership Response to the Systemic Educational Destruction and Demise of Young Men of Color
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Sunday, October 26, 2014
2014 National Summit for Courageous Conversation Welcome Reception
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Monday, October 27, 2014
7:00 am to 8:00 am
Breakfast
8:00 am to 9:15 am
National Summit for Courageous Conversation ’14 Welcome and Opening Master Class
9:30 am to 12:00 pm
Morning Concurrent Sessions
12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
Master Class II (Luncheon, Asa Hilliard Award Ceremony, Keynote Speaker: Anton Treuer)
3:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Afternoon Concurrent Sessions
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
7:30 am to 9:30 am
Breakfast, Master Class I I I (National Summit ’14 Awards Ceremony, Keynote Speaker: Geneva Gay)
9:45 am to 12:15 pm
Morning Concurrent Sessions
12:15 pm to 1:30 pm
Master Class IV (Luncheon)
1:45 pm to 3:00 pm
Racial Affinity Group Session / Superintendents / Racial Equity Leadership Forum
3:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Summit Elective and Meet with the Author(s)
6:00 pm to 10:30 pm
Dinner and Dance Party at the Legendary New Orleans House of Blues
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
7:00 am to 8:00 am
Breakfast On Your Own
8:00 am to 10:30 am
Morning Concurrent Sessions Led by Pacific Educational Group’s Equity Transformation Specialists
10:45 am to 1:00 pm
Master Class V (Jazz Brunch, Keynote Speaker: Michael Skolnick, and Closing Remarks)
1:00 pm
2014 National Summit for Courageous Conversation Adjourns
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Preview of Summit for Courageous Conversation 2014 SESSIONS
*NOTE: We will offer keynotes, meals, and opportunities for group learning in between the sessions below. Please be sure to
select from these sessions when you register on OUR REGISTRATION SITE
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Breakfast On Your Own Breakfast On Your Own
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
BEYOND DIVERSITY: Introduction to Courageous Conversation & A Foundation for
Deinstitutionalizing Racism and Eliminating the Racial Achievement Gap – Two-Day Institute
BEYOND DIVERSITY is a powerful, personally transforming two-day seminar designed to help
teachers, students, parents, and administrators understand the impact of race on student learning and
investigate the role that racism plays in institutionalizing academic achievement disparities. Engage in
a thoughtful, compassionate exploration of race and racism and grapple with how each influences the
culture and climate of our schools; and practice using strategies for identifying and addressing policies,
programs, and practices that negatively impact student of color achievement and serve as barriers for
ALL students receiving a world-class education.
Lead Facilitator: Leidene King, e q u i t y t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s p e c i a l i s t , Pacific Educational Group,
San Francisco, CA.
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8:30 am – 4:00 pm
BEYOND DIVERSITY II: Advancing the Courageous Conversation and Defining Courageous
Leadership in Education – Two-Day Institute
Nearly two decades ago, Beyond Diversity was introduced to offer educators a foundation for
examining the impact of race on student achievement. Today thousands of seminar participants utilize
the Agreements, Conditions, and Compass to explore racial issues in their lives and in their schools.
Now, BEYOND DIVERSITY II is offered to: deepen our understanding and personal progression in
racial identity development; examine and practice a protocol for converting Courageous Conversation
into Courageous Leadership using contemporary challenges in education; and explore the concept of
racial transcendence and the characteristics of a post-racial school and society. This intensive, two-day
seminar is designed to challenge Summit participants who have successfully completed Beyond
Diversity. BDII participants must be grounded and practiced in utilizing the Agreements, Conditions,
and Compass. Enrollment is indication that you are poised for more rigorous inquiry into your own
personal investment in racism and desire greater accountability surrounding your professional
leadership for racial equity. (Prerequisite: Completion of Beyond Diversity)
Lead Facilitators: Courtlandt Butts, equity transformation specialist, Pacific Educational Group, San Francisco,
CA. and Christine Saxman, English teacher, Township District 113, Deerfield High School, Deerfield, IL.
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8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Brown Space: The Civil Rights Struggle in Black & Brown – Two-Day Institute
At our 2013 National Summit for Courageous Conversation, Latino educators and community
members convened for the third consecutive year in our "Brown Space" Pre-Summit Institute to
explore the intersection of race, language, ethnicity and national identity with respect to what it
means to effectively lead for racial equity in education. In New Orleans, we invite Latino/as to join
together and continue that progression of focused racial identity and equity leadership
development. This year as a Latino/a community we will examine how to galvanize our collective
voices and what strategies from the past we can draw from in crafting a compelling, united and
powerful Black/Brown common voice for racial equity transformation. With the second presidential
term of Barack Obama nearing its conclusion, the American Dream has continued to evolve into a
mighty, multiracial imagery. Communities of Color, of which Latinos are the largest, must drive the
present and future narrative through a collective and coherent voice. To that end, join in
examining some essential questions designed to advance the racial equity conversation: How do
we enhance the traditional Black and White r a c i a l binary narrative? What are the commonalities
of Black and Brown people in America’s civil rights struggle? How do Latinos help shape and offer
a coherent Black and Brown voice to the national equity conversation? Begin the process of
crafting an influential Brown narrative that will serve to transform America’s educational systems
into powerful multiracial, multilingual and multiethnic learning communities. (Prerequisite:
Completion of Beyond Diversity)
Lead Facilitators: Barbara Flores, California State University, San Bernardino, CA; Mario A. Zuniga,
special education coordinator, Mesa Vista Schools, Los Lunas, NM; Luis Versalles, director, PreK-12
District Partnerships, Pacific Educational, Group, San Francisco, CA.
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8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Dare 2 Be Real: Systemic Anti-Racist Student Leadership Development – Two-Day Institute
Hone your leadership skills, engage in collaborative inquiry, and examine the impact of privilege, power,
and prejudice through a racial lens in this two-day introduction to the Dare 2 Be Real student leadership
framework. Learn the 10 tenets of systemic student anti-racist leadership development along with a
structure for starting, sustaining, and strengthening racial equity work with students in grades 6-12 and at
colleges and universities. Engage in activities that develop students’ racial equity leadership capacity and
strengthen their individual and collective racial identity. Practice using evaluation tools and strategies to
self-assess your schools and programs vis-à-vis the 10 tenets, and collaborate on activities that will
strengthen your will, skill, knowledge, and capacity as a racial equity leader. (Prerequisite: Completion
of Beyond Diversity)
Lead Facilitators: Patrick Duffy, director of leadership development, Saint Paul Public Schools, St.
Paul, MN; and Anthony Galloway, Student Learning Program specialist, West Metro Education
Program, Minneapolis, MN.
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8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Trust Me, Gay Is Not the New Black…or Brown, Yellow or Red for That Matter! – Two-Day Institute
Days Although the second condition of Courageous Conversation calls on us to “isolate race,” for many
racial equity leaders, this request seems unnecessarily difficult, if not impossible. Some believe they are
being asked to place their racial experience at a higher, more important level than other categories of
their personal identity. Nothing is further from the truth. In this exploration of intersectionality, examine
how multiple subordinated categories, i.e. race, gender, sexual orientation, etc., contribute
simultaneously to systemic injustice and social inequality. Revisit the concepts of intersectionality and
cultural layering that Dr. Lori Watson introduced in the first phase of “Trust Me…” and delve deeper
into the complexities of dismantling white supremacy not only in the White culture at large, but also in
White gay culture, in this Phase 2 seminar. Journey back to a time when homosexual men and women
were exalted in their native cultures (”Two Spirits”), only to have it stripped away when Eurocentric
ways took control. Use the CCAR protocol to strategically and purposefully venture into the intersection
of race and sexual orientation, and discover new and deeper meaning for more fully self- expressed,
powerful racial equity leadership. (Prerequisite: Completion of Beyond Diversity)
Lead Facilitator: Lori A. Watson, REACH Education Coordinator, San Lorenzo Unified School
District, San Lorenzo, CA.
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8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Echoes of the Past, Voices of Today: A Courageous Indigenous Conversation About Making the
Invisible Visible in Education – Two-Day Institute
Understanding the American Indian educational experience and perspectives has profound
implications for both policy and pedagogy when transforming systems to educate all students.
Through counternarratives shared by American Indians, learn about the rights, responsibilities, and
misinformation surrounding Indigenous people and education. Apply the Courageous Conversation
protocol to interrogate the presence and role of whiteness; recognize and appropriately address the
American Indian students’ struggles and emotions connected with educational assimilation; and
understand the concepts of "invisible identity" and "walking in two worlds." Leave with enhanced
knowledge, skills and capacity to engage in Courageous Conversation about indigenous issues in
personal, local, and immediate contexts, regardless of the uniqueness of your educational setting or
the specificity of your professional role. (Prerequisite: Completion of Beyond Diversity)
Lead Facilitators: Ramona Kitto Stately, Indian Education – Success For the Future Program, Osseo
Area School District 279, Brooklyn Park, MN, and Rev Hillstrom, assistant administrator, Racial
Equity, Office of the Superintendent, Saint Paul Public Schools, Saint Paul, MN.
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8:30 am – 4:00 pm
SP/ELLing Out Institutional Barriers to Equity and Excellence for Students with Disabilities
and English Language Learners – Two-Day Institute
What does race have to do with the ways in which two learner groups – students with disabilities and
English language learners (ELL) – have historically and contemporarily received services in our schools?
E x p l o r e h o w , for decades, special educators have been trained to view their work primarily through
the lens of disability and compliance, while language has been the central factor for ELL teachers. In
this Pre-Summit experience, we invite you to isolate race and critically unpack the historical, social,
and political contexts in which race operates, setting a foundation for the current day inequities faced
by these two departments and learner groups. Through PEG’s Systemic Racial Equity Transformation
Framework, explore a critical perspective about the impact of race and institutionalized racism on
access to culturally relevant, inclusive learning environments for Special Education (SP) and ELL
students. Understand the adaptive leadership challenges faced by Special Education and ELL
departments as they shift their focus from compliance to equity and excellence. Hear about districts
that are interrupting inequitable practices for SP/ELL students b y e n g a g in g in sy ste m ic e q u ity
tra n sfo rm a tio n , a n d d isc o v e r h o w y o u c a n a m p lify th e se p ro m isin g p ra c tic e s in y o u r
sc h o o l d istric t. (Prerequisite: Completion of Beyond Diversity)
Lead Facilitators: Luis Versalles, d i r e c t o r , P r e K - 1 2 D i s t r i c t P a r t n e r s h i p s , and Deborah
McKnight, S p e c i a l E d u c a t i o n e q u i t y t r a n s f o r m a t i o n s p e c i a l i s t , Pacific Educational Group,
San Francisco, CA.
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Sunday, October 26, 2014
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Courageous Conversation Intensive: Training the Trainers through Protocol – One-Day Institute
If you think you know the Courageous Conversation protocol and want to test your
knowledge, comprehension, and internalization in real conversations, join this in-depth
review of the protocol learning cycle as practiced in PEG’s Affiliate Program (Practice.
Reflection. Coaching. More Practice.) Engage in conversations about race (the same
conversations you have at home, at school, and in your workplace; the ones that catch you
off-guard and make you wonder if you should enter the conversation from Condition One, or
first locate yourself on the compass). Boost your protocol skills in order to engage more deeply
and take full advantage of the National Summit for Courageous Conversation. Leave this
session prepared to support Summit session presenters by being readily able to use the protocol
and help other attendees to see how effective conversations about race can transform
interracial discourse. (Prerequisite: Completion of Beyond Diversity)
Facilitators: Shaundra Williams, equity transformation specialist, Pacific Educational Group, San
Francisco, CA; Devon Alexander, program coach and 6th year Affiliate, teacher and coordinator
of the CCAR Facilitator Development Program, Oak Park River Forest High School, Oak Park, IL;
Andrea Johnson, 6th year Affiliate, director, Equity and Grants, Township High School District
113, Highland Park, IL.
8:30 am – 4:00 pm
Black Males: A Courageous Leadership Response to the Systemic Educational Destruction and
Demise of Young Men of Color – One-Day Institute
In his powerful research, Garrett Duncan wrote that black boys are "Beyond Love" as it relates to their
experiences in schools. This laser-like focus on the plight of black males in schools today provides
greater understanding of the unique circumstances facing black males in our society, shows how this
societal experience plays out in schools, and explores ways in which the system institutionalizes
practices that marginalize, and perhaps criminalize, black males. Discover and examine ways to
transform our school environments into places that nurture the spirit and foster high-level engagement
and achievement of our lowest performing student population.
Lead Facilitator: Tony Hudson, d i r e c t o r , E d u c a t i o n a l E q u i t y , O s s e o A r e a S c h o o l s , M a p l e
G r o v e , M N , a n d Pacific Educational Group Affiliate .
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October 25 – 29, 2014
Sheraton New Orleans Hotel | 500 Canal Street, New Orleans, LA
Monday, October 27, 2014
Block A Concurrent Sessions: 9:30 am to 12 pm
Strand Key: EL (Equity Leadership), L&T (Learning & Teaching), CE (Community Empowerment), and SATC (Students At The
Center)
SET
A
A01
Strand
EL
Session Title/Presenter
Building Capacity for Race Conscious Decision Making: Systemic Racial Equity in Baltimore County
Public Schools
Baltimore County Public Schools (MD) stepped into the challenge of disrupting institutional
racism at the district level in 2013. Join BCPS leaders to explore their first-year systemic racial
equity transformation process. Learn how to use the Courageous Conversation protocol to assess
organizational planning and begin to examine district practices and procedures using a racial
equity lens. Analyze the critical role of adaptive leadership for educators who are advancing an
agenda to eliminate racially predictable achievement outcomes. Leave this session with
information and insights about how you can begin to address racial disparities systemically in
your school district.
Presenters: Lisa Williams, director, Office of Equity and Cultural Proficiency; Tracey Durant,
special projects manager; Candice Logan-Washington, specialist; and Jennifer Audlin, resource
teacher; Baltimore County Public Schools, Baltimore, MD.
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Difficulty
Level
Beginning
A02
EL
Climate Change – From Theory to Practice: Saint Paul Public Schools’ Operations Division’s
Journey to Interrupt Systemic Racism
Explore the presence and role of Whiteness in district operations that support educational
systems. Learn how to impact changes in district climate and procedures through applying the
Courageous Conversation protocol. Deepen your understanding of the role that “non-classroombased” personnel play in creating an equitable climate of learning for students. Hear how Saint
Paul Public Schools is taking on the challenge to develop a racial equity lens for operational
services.
Intermediate
Presenters: Nicole Coppage, human resources consultant; Tom Parent, manager of facility planning;
and Rev Hillstrom, assistant administrator for racial equity; Saint Paul Public Schools, Saint Paul, MN.
A03
EL
Staying In: Identifying, Understanding, and Working with the Challenges of Facilitating
Courageous Conversation with Peers
Explore the challenges unique to facilitating Courageous Conversations About Race (CCAR) with
peers, through this interactive session. Identify strategies for moving equity work forward with
the people you work next door to every day. Join this experienced Equity Team from Portland, OR
as they share stories of success and impasse from the past five years of facilitating CCAR in a
primarily white, upper middle class K-12 school. Be ready to risk exploring what causes you to
step into or out of the racial equity dance as a facilitator.
Presenters: Michelle Lloyd, primary teacher; Kelly Cox, middle school teacher; Stephen Lambert,
high school teacher, Ruqayya Jarad, educational assistant; and Michael Barber, special education
teacher; Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR.
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Intermediate
A04
L&T
Creating a CARE-ing model around Common Core State Standards Instruction: Using the
Successful Schools Framework to accelerate learning for Emergent Bilingual, Special
Education, and General Education Students
Intermediate
What does effective instruction look like for emergent bilinguals, special education, and ‘mainstream’
students? Learn how Portland Public Schools educators are collaborating to examine this
question and align Common Core best practices of effective education, instructional interventions,
and student engagement to accelerate learning for all three groups of students. Understand the benefit
of utilizing students’ cultural and linguistic assets in instructional interventions via PEG’s CARE
framework, and examine how emergent bilingual and special education students can access
rigorous content in mainstream classrooms through effective instructional practices aimed at
cognitive rigor development. Leave this session with ideas for how central office instructional
departments can accelerate racial equity transformation through authentic collaboration.
Presenters: Veronica Magllanes, Director of ESL, Ewan Brawnley, Director of Instruction, Curriculum
and Assessment, Ed Krankowski, Director of Special Education; and Kehaulani Haupu, Equity
Coordinator; Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR.
A05
L&T
R.E.A.L: Race, Equity, and Leadership – A Unique Course for High School Students
Experience a unique high school course that is grounded in the Courageous Conversation
protocol and designed on a college seminar model with an online platform. Through interactive
activities, videos, and discussion prompts, develop a deeper understanding of culturally relevant
pedagogy and how it empowers students to become leaders for racial equity. Practice using the
Courageous Conversation protocol, and experience how the protocol effectively guides the
teacher’s decision-making and lesson design processes.
Presenter: Andrea Haynes Johnson, director of equity and grants, Township High School
District 113, Highland Park, IL.
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Advanced
A06
L&T
The Courageous Conversation Colleague Circle: Strengthening the Skills of Leaders for Racial
Equity
Engage with a network of “journey partners” – racial equity leaders from across the country – to
examine real ‘problems of practice’ using the Courageous Conversation protocol. Discover the
power of collaboration and collegial dialogue to boost your effectiveness as a racial equity
leader. Recharge your protocol skills and share effective tools and strategies. Leave with a
network of colleagues who will continue as journey partners beyond the National Summit for
Courageous Conversation…engaging, reflecting, and supporting one another to Stay On Track.
Intermediate/
Advanced
Presenters: Rhonda Threet, teacher and clinical resident instructor, and Susan Loskoch, teacher,
Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh, PA.
A07
EL
Distinguished National Educator: Garrett Albert Duncan
Garrett Albert Duncan is Associate Professor of Education in Arts & Sciences at Washington
University in St. Louis, MO. Duncan’s research focuses broadly on race, culture, education, and
society. His larger program of research, “Schooling as a Moral Enterprise,” examines the moral
and political contexts of the education of black students in urban and suburban schools in postcivil rights era North America. This work is largely concerned with questions of race,
citizenship, and democracy in the context of post-industrialism and globalization and how these
forces fuel the school-to-prison pipeline. Among his many publications, racial equity leaders
will recognize Garrett Duncan for his 2002 essay, “Beyond Love: A critical race ethnography of
the schooling of adolescent black males. Published in Equity and Excellence in Education.
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All Levels
A08
L&T
Native American Heritage Month is in November, but We Are Here All Year
Intermediate
Native people’s history with the U.S. education system includes forced relocation, kidnapping,
rampant abuse, loss of language, loss of family ties, and generations of distrust and maligned
appropriation. Thus, how do White teachers have Courageous Conversations that address and
confront mountains of suspicion from Indigenous families about the education of their children?
Learn about the proactive approach that Lawrence Public Schools is taking to examine these
issues and guide teachers to reach both Native and non-Native students. Applying the
principles of Adaptive Leadership, scrutinize commonly used texts and media representations
with a critical Indigenous-tinted lens. Leave with tools to examine and guide your interactions
with Indigenous students and families.
Presenter: Jennifer Attocknie, coordinator, Native American Student Services, Lawrence Public
Schools USD 497, Lawrence, KS.
A09
EL
From Theory to Practice: Leading and Coaching District Departments through
Transformational Change
In it’s third year of systemic racial equity transformation, Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) has
intensified its coaching support for district departments and divisions to accelerate leadership
development and organizational progress. Learn about the coaching and system tools SPPS has
used to move departments from theory to practice. Examine the role of whiteness and the
“dangers” of adaptive leadership in transforming systems. Understand and leave with key
coaching strategies for helping leaders develop effective departmental racial equity action plans.
Presenter: Michelle Bierman, director, Office of Equity, Saint Paul Public Schools, Saint Paul,
MN.
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Intermediate
A10
EL
Black Males Turn Up! A Leadership Counternarrative of Transformational Resistance from the
Margins to the Center of Systemic Equity Transformation
Intermediate/
Advanced
Learn how Black male central office and site leaders in a Minnesota school district have
engaged Black Male Transformational Resistance to move their leadership from the margins of
the district to the center of efforts to eliminate institutionalized racism in special education,
suspension disproportionality, and beyond. Hear their counternarratives and examine your
racial/gender beliefs about Black male leaders. Explore your barriers – personal, professional,
organizational – to having Black males move to the front and center in leadership around issues
that will not be solved without their voices. Be a part of removing the barriers and welcoming
Black Male Transformational Resistance Leadership. They say that Critical Race Theory has an
activist dimension; well this is Black Male Leadership Turnt Up!
Presenters: Tony Hudson, director of educational equity, and Broderick Powell, equity
specialist, District 279 Osseo Area Schools, Maple Grove, MN.
A11
CE
Collective Impact & Adaptive Leadership for Community Integration
The Bellevue (WA) School District is racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse, with more
than 85 languages spoken and 54% students of color. Discover how Bellevue has developed a
unique Family and Community Engagement Framework that is aligned with its Equity Plan and
draws on research-based strategies and PEG’s Systemic Equity Transformation Framework. Learn
about the powerful integration of collective impact and adaptive leadership – and understand
the critical role of cultural integration – when engaging families and communities. Learn how to
develop and implement a Family and Community Engagement Framework for your school
district.
Presenters: Silvia Honores and Nikum Pon, family and community engagement specialists,
Department of Equity, Bellevue School District, Bellevue, WA.
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Beginning
A12
L&T
Dispatches from Behind the Pine Curtain: Courageous Conversations in Awareness,
Acceptance, and Action
As schools seek to address disproportionality and disparities, their framework for discourse often
seems to revolve around three activities: burgeoning awareness, admiration of the problem, and
a call for immediate action. Learn how equity-planning leaders in the Region 7 area of eastern
Texas are implementing the principals and protocol of Courageous Conversation to find ways to
engage in a more productive second step…that of acceptance. Explore how to build skills for
higher levels of inquiry and collaboration to meet the challenge of equity work in education.
Beginning
Presenters: Henryett Lovely-Watson, special education coordinator; Stacy Akin, special
education specialist; and Susan Lay, special education specialist; Region 7 Education Service
Center, Kilgore, TX.
A13
EL
L&T
CE
The Latino Experience Through Language
Latinos have long had to navigate in a system that attempts to take away their language and
culture. In response, they have begun to negate their own cultural and linguistic heritage to
accommodate “Whiteness.” Use the Courageous Conversation Protocol and components of
PEG’s Systemic Equity Transformation Framework to examine the consequences of such
accommodation for Latino people. Explore ways to empower ourselves and impact systems of
education and beyond to recognize the interconnectedness of language and culture, and how
they are critical predictors of personal and academic success for Latino students. Take this
journey into deeper understanding: when we honor the whole child – their family, language,
and culture – we will fully educate ALL students.
Presenters: Antonio Lopez, regional administrator, and Marti Diaz, principal, Portland Public
Schools, Portland, OR.
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Beginning/
Intermediate
A14
L&T
CE
Courageous Conversations with Children: Creating Environments for Positive Racial Identity
Development for Students in Grades K-4 and Beyond
Providing spaces for Courageous Conversations with and among young children is essential to
the educative process. Research strongly supports the importance of early conversations about
race. Learn how to develop a curriculum that supports children and gives them the language to
talk about their racialized experiences in developmentally appropriate ways. Understand how to
facilitate structured activities that help students think critically about the systems of oppression
that frame their lives. Develop strategies to support partnerships with families and colleagues
around this work.
Beginning/
Intermediate
Presenters: Elena Jaime and Ana Catalina Duque, head teachers, The Cathedral School of St.
John the Devine, New York, NY
A15
EL
L&T
Intermediate
Interrupting Predictable Practices of Segregation in Special Education: You Have to Have the
Will!
Saint Paul Public Schools (SPPS) is undoing decades of racial isolation for Black and Brown
special education students by examining their programs and practices for EBD
(emotional/behavioral disorder) students…the most segregated of all. Learn about the factors of
greatest predictability for Black boys in EBD programs. Explore how SPPS has leaned into the
Courageous Conversation protocol to examine the beliefs and practices that have resulted in EBD
enrollments of 80% Black boys, and discover the new system that is emerging where EBD
students learn in general education classrooms with a co-teaching model. Through personal
stories and student-created videos, engage with the multiple perspectives that are shaping this
journey, and understand the significant impact it is having on both students AND adults.
Presenters: Elizabeth Keenan, assistant superintendent, and Gail Ghere, supervisor, Office of
Specialized Services, Saint Paul Public Schools, Saint Paul, MN; and Deborah McKnight, special
education equity transformation specialist, Pacific Educational Group, San Francisco, CA.
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A16
EL
L&T
Intermediate
The Freedom Schools Experience – The Way School Should Be!
What does your mind conjure up when you think of “summer school?’ Is it a place where
(mostly) children of color go for remedial learning because “regular” school has failed them all
year long? What if you saw children laughing and learning to fall in love with books and
reading? Welcome to the Children’s Defense Fund Freedom Schools program! Learn how CDF
Freedom Schools provide summer and after-school enrichment programs that strengthen
student’s self-esteem and promote positive attitudes toward learning. Understand and be able to
implement the five essential Freedom School components. Use the Courageous Conversation
protocol to examine the role and presence of Whiteness in schooling, and explore how schools
“should be:” transformative, emancipatory, relevant, engaging, celebratory, and equitable.
Presenters: Courtney Caldwell and Keisha Davis, equity teachers; and Bo Powell, Becca
Studaker, and Sharla Foster, equity specialists; Osseo Area Schools, Brooklyn Park, MN.
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Monday, October 27, 2014
Block B Concurrent Sessions: 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Strand Key: EL (Equity Leadership), L&T (Learning & Teaching), CE (Community Empowerment), and SATC (Students At The
Center)
SET
Strand
Session Title/Presenter
B
B01
Difficulty
Level
EL
Leading for Excellence and Equity from the Bottom of the Well: Applied Critical Leadership in
K-12 Schools
School and district leaders carry the big picture and the systemic knowledge needed to push the
system and support adaptive change. Or, do they? Discover how two central office
administrators of color have strategically used their racial realities to lead the charge to disrupt
the legacy of academic apartheid in a high-performing, suburban school district. Informed by
the tenets of Critical Race Theory and Freire’s concept of critical consciousness, learn how
these two administrators are using their roles and racial positionality to reframe “achievement
gap” discourse, thereby leveraging equity for racial minority students.
Presenters: Robyn Duran, executive director of excellence and equity, and Floyd Cobb,
executive director of curriculum and instruction, Cherry Creek School District, Centennial, CO.
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Intermediate/
Advanced
B02
EL
What Are We Modeling? – Developing Adaptive Interracial Equity Leadership
Leading school staff and students in developing the will, skill, knowledge, and capacity to
achieve racial equity requires that we study our roles as equity leaders in interracial partnerships.
Discover how such examination may reveal that our attempts to eliminate systemic racism may
inadvertently perpetuate the very thing we claim to be standing against – white supremacy.
Investigate how racism can manifest in interracial partnerships, and consider the impact of
whiteness in equity leadership. Learn and practice a series of dialogues (in protocol) for
examining ourselves as equity leaders as we engage in Courageous Conversations About Race.
Advanced
Presenters: Pat Savage-Williams, special education coordinator, New Trier High School District
#203, Northfield, IL, and Josh Seldness, History Division head, Oak Park and River Forest High
School District #200, Oak Park, IL.
B03
L&T
SATC
The Journey to Identify Mentacidal Learning Environments
Bobby Wright (1974) first coined the term mentacide in reference to the collective stripping of
the intellectual power and knowledge of Black people. Azibo (1989) similarly incorporated the
term in his extensive research on healthy and destructive Black personality classification. Learn
how the combination of these two scholars results in a description of mentacidal behaviors that
result from Black people’s adoption of values, belief systems, and ideas that lead to the denial of
self-knowledge and knowledge of themselves within a positive African context. Explore a
classification system designed to better organize the magnitude of mentacidal behaviors, to
increase educator awareness, and ultimately lead to the development of interventions that
support Black student achievement.
Presenter: Timothy Warren, Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, University of Minnesota,
Minneapolis, MN.
23
Advanced
B04
L&T
Its Just Good Teaching: A Look at Culturally Relevant Frameworks and Imaginative Education
for Lesson Planning
Finding instructional practices that are rigorous, relevant, real, and engaging can be challenging
for teachers in todays policy environment of NCLB and Common Core. Explore and learn how to
create learning environments that meet the needs of disenfranchised students by drawing on
PEG’s framework for culturally relevant instruction (CARE) and on the cognitive tools and
understandings of Imaginative Education, an approach that effectively engages students’
imaginations in learning. Activate your passion and belief that all students can succeed through
culturally responsive learning environments that recognize their cultural integrity.
Beginning/
Intermediate
th
Presenter: Todd Stewart-Rinier, 6 grade humanities teacher/CARE Team member, Portland
Public Schools, Portland, OR.
B05
EL
I Am George Zimmerman: A Courageous Conversation about White Supremacy, White
Privilege, and Oppression
Examine issues of white supremacy, white privilege, and other forms of oppression in this
interactive session. Explore how they show up in our thoughts, interactions, institutions, and
cultural practices – creating divisive environments and outcomes, despite our best intentions.
Practice conversational tactics that deepen understanding and engagement, especially when
viewpoints differ and tensions run high. Leave with new insights, skills and tools to empower
your activism as a role model and agent for social and institutional transformation.
Presenters: Eddie Moore, Jr., director of diversity, Brooklyn Friends School, and Debby Irving,
racial justice educator and writer; Brooklyn, NY.
24
Intermediate
B06
EL
Accelerate the Achievement of Students of Color by Decentering Whiteness in School
Discipline
Intermediate
Students of color demonstrate accelerated achievement when they are welcomed into a
culturally responsive school environment that prioritizes their presence, engagement, and
learning. Explore and practice preventative/interventional measures that address student
behaviors before they result in out of school time. Build on your school’s collective
understanding of community, accountability, and discipline as a learning opportunity, in this
highly interactive session. Leave with a perspective on an inclusive approach to school
discipline and how this approach can accelerate the learning of students of color.
Presenters: Hanif Fazal, associate director, and Elizabeth Jensen, Open School principal, Open
Meadows Alternative Schools, Portland, OR.
B07
EL
Distinguished International Educator: Malcolm Fialho
Engage, Empower, Enact: Ushering in Courageous Conversations About Race in the South Pacific
In 2009, the University of Western Australia (UWA) supplemented its existing cultural competence
(including Indigenous cultural awareness) initiatives with an innovative organizational change
program, Courageous Conversations about Race (CCAR). CCAR is based on the successful North
American ‘Beyond Diversity’ model. Examine the findings of a comprehensive 2013 evaluation of
the CCAR program conducted across the higher education sector in AustralIa. This evaluation
outlines processes and outcomes of a unique international collaboration across three sectors
(community, government and higher education) and 2 countries (Australia and New Zealand.
implementation of CCAR Protocol specifc to each country’s context is currently being developed
at more than fifteen institutions across Australia and New Zealand; as is a partnership which will
better align South Pacific CCAR efforts with the US enabling enhanced benchmarking, collaboration, quality and consistency.
Presenters: Mr. Malcolm Fialho, Senior Diversity Officer, University of WA, Ms. Fadzi Whande,
Diversity Consultant, CommunityWest and Dr. Matthew Farry, Associate Dean, Faculty of Social
and Health Sciences, Manager Equity and Diversity of Organizational Development
25
All Levels
B08
EL
Talking the Talk: North of the 49th
One of the barriers to having courageous racial discourse is the lack of attention to building an
atmosphere and climate that promotes safety and moves the conversation forward. Join with
equity leaders from Nova Scotia for an international glance at the effectiveness of the
Courageous Conversation model. Examine your own racial identity, culture, and values while
exploring the history of education and race in Nova Scotia. Take part in learning activities that
model the importance of creating safe and authentic conditions for effective conversations about
race, and leave with tools and insights that will help you to reach new levels of engagement and
racial consciousness in your school and district.
Intermediate
Presenters: Jude Gerrard, student services consultant, Mi’kmac Services Division; Sheridan
Hassanali, multicultural education consultant, Student Services Division; Steven Carrington,
student services consultant, African Canadian Services Division; Nova Scotia Department of
Education and Early Childhood Development, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
B09
L&T
SATC
Student Voices: Lunch Talks About Race and Identity
Adults often say that students are not ready to have conversations about topics such as race,
when, in reality, our students want to engage in these discussions; it’s the adults who are
hesitant. Explore what it would be like for educators to facilitate and guide students as they talk
about culture, identity, race/racism, and strategies to overcome challenges. Learn about a model
that has been used with middle school students to create a safe and supportive space for kids to
speak openly and honestly about their experiences and racial identity development. Through
video, sharing, and role-play, take a look at the games, student presentations, and open-ended
question prompts used to engage students in discussions about race, and understand the impact
of these discussions in creating equitable learning environments and increasing students’
connection to school.
Presenters: Monica Lozano Caldera, minority achievement coordinator and HILT resource
counselor, and Timothy Cotman, Jr., minority achievement coordinator, Arlington Public
Schools, Arlington, VA.
26
Beginning
B10
L&T
Ease on Down to Equity: Exploring Effort and Engagement in African American Males
Applying the Courageous Conversation protocol, and drawing on parallels from The Wiz (the
film retelling of The Wizard of Oz in the context of African-American culture), examine trends in
student engagement data for African American Males in Pittsburgh Public Schools and gain
insight into their experiences and perspectives through personal narratives. Identify the parallels
between African American males and the plight of the Scarecrow in The Wiz. Reflect on various
examples of individual and systemic racism as it shows up in classrooms, schools, and
community (think, “crow behaviors” in The Wiz), and identify strategies for interruption.
Beginning/
Intermediate
Presenters: Kim Basinger, director of professional development; Jason Rivers, project manager,
We Promise; and Allyce Pinchback, project manager, Professional Development; Pittsburgh
Public Schools, Pittsburgh, PA.
B11
EL
Business Equity Matters – A Blueprint for Supporting the Work of Education through
Procurement Operations
Portland Public Schools (PPS) has connected the dots from Central Office Operations,
particularly Purchasing and Contracting, to eliminating achievement and opportunity disparities
for students of color in PPS schools. Using the Courageous Conversation protocol and Critical
Race Theory as guides, follow the roadmap PPS has taken to develop business equity practices.
Explore the possible challenges that districts may encounter while developing business policies
through an equity lens. Discover the impact business equity can have in your district.
Presenter: Lee Fleming, former senior contract analyst and business equity lead, Purchasing and
Contracting, Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR.
27
Beginner
B12
EL
Moving Racial Equity from a “Featured Guest” to the HEAD of the Table
What does powerful equity leadership look like when districts engage fully in ALL components
of systemic transformation? What challenges can threaten to keep equity work at the covert
level, progressing minimally or stagnating? Learn how Lawrence Public Schools is examining
their equity progress with intentionality and action. See how targeting areas for improvement
and taking deliberate actions where equity efforts are lagging has sparked a leadership
transformation in Lawrence that has shifted racial equity work from the covert to the overt.
Discover assessment strategies and tools to take the pulse of equity work in your district, with a
focus on leadership support and accountability.
Intermediate/
Advanced
Presenters: Danica Moore, equity TOSA, and Angelique Kobler, assistant superintendent,
Teaching and Learning, Lawrence Public Schools, Lawrence, KS.
B13
L&T
CE
Reducing Discipline Disparities: Combining Cultural Responsiveness and PBIS to Transform
School Culture
At Irvington K-8 School in Portland, OR, a new administration faced the challenge of
transforming a culture of traditional discipline into a community focused on finding culturally
responsive strategies that reengage all students in learning. Hear about Irvington’s
transformative process and get a feel for the resources and practical tools they used with staff
and community members. Examine the data that sparked equity concerns, and explore how
discipline data can help inform classroom instruction and equity practices. Discover the
strategies and interventions to reengage students in learning.
Presenters: Lisa McCall, principal, and Kathleen Ellwood, assistant principal, Irvington School,
Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR.
28
Beginning/
Intermediate
B14
SATC
“Educate Not Escalate:” The Power of Using Your VOICE (Valuing the Opportunity to
Include Courageous Conversations Everyday)
Help students of color to use their powerful VOICES against racial discrimination by developing
their self-esteem and engaging in Courageous Conversations about such topics as race,
prejudice, and stereotypes. Teach students to recognize and challenge racist behavior in
strategic and intelligent ways. Practice using the Courageous Conversation protocol to examine
real-life student scenarios, and learn about other processes to help students discover their
individual, creative VOICE.
Beginning
Presenters: Deirdre McKinley, principal, Bellevue Public Schools, Bellevue, NE. and Toribio
Juarez, Guidance Counselor at Bellevue East High School/Co-director of MANDATE
B15
EL
Exploring “Black Privilege” and Native Invisibility: A Conversation With and Between Anton
Treuer and Glenn Singleton
In his keynote remarks at the 2013 National Summit for Courageous Conversation in St, Louis,
Dr. Treuer created significant disequilibrium among participants by suggesting that White
privilege is not the only transaction of racial power that diminishes American Indian presence
and participation in historic and contemporary American culture…people of color, and
particularly African American people play a significant role in this process of perpetuating White
power and supremacy as well. Come examine how this assertion, when taken to heart, can
unlock a deeper understanding of race and racism in this country and beyond. Explore ways in
which non-indigenous, racially oppressed groups in the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, and
Canada have been socialized to advocate for their own liberation, perhaps at the physical,
psychological, and cultural detriment and peril of our original custodians of these lands.
Facilitators: Anton Treuer, Bemidji State University, Bemidji, MN, and Glenn Singleton, Pacific
Educational Group, San Francisco, CA.
29
Advanced
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Block C Concurrent Sessions: 9:45 am to 12:15 pm
Strand Key: EL (Equity Leadership), L&T (Learning & Teaching), CE (Community Empowerment), and SATC (Students At The
Center)
SET
Session Title/Presenter
Strand
C
C01
Difficulty
Level
EL
Depicted, Despised, and Dismantled: How Urban Schools Are Failing Black Boys
Deficit thinking currently drives educational decisions about black males and it must be
disrupted. Examine how leadership based in equity must confront the beliefs and systems that
continue to depict our black boys as problems, teach them that they are despised, and ultimately
dismantle their human identity. Develop the skill and will that is necessary to lead courageously,
using the Compass, the Agreements, and the Conditions of Courageous Conversation.
Understand how bold initiatives like ending non-violent suspensions positively impact the lives
of our students of color and transform educational spaces into places where humans are built up
rather than torn apart.
Presenters: Kevin Bennett, principal, and Mike Elston, partnerships and community relations
specialist, The Fair School, West Metro Education Program, Minneapolis, MN.
30
Intermediate/
Advanced
C02
EL
L&T
Helping Communities Re-slice the Opportunity Pie
Changing programs to provide equitable opportunities for communities of color can be difficult
when the status quo has reinforced white privilege for so long. Learn how Portland Public
Schools’ Office of Dual Language Immersion is using the Courageous Conversation protocol
and other tools to banish “perspective poverty,” empower traditionally marginalized
communities, respond to criticism, and bring about change in district level programs. Discover
how shifts in dual language programming are benefitting African American and linguistic
minority students, as well as white students. Prepare to be outraged and inspired, and leave
with technical skills for making policy and program changes to re-slice the opportunity pie.
Intermediate
Presenters: Debbie Armendariz, director, Dual Language Immersion Programs; Vân Troung, ESL
director; Michael Bacon, assistant director; Rosanne Powell, administrative secretary; Monica
Lou, Confucius teacher coordinator; Richard Gilliam, community organizer; and Jon Issacs,
senior policy advisor to the superintendent; Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR.
C03
EL
L&T
Cherish the Children: Changing Awareness to Action and Equitable Results in Indian
Education
The recent release of graduation data from the U.S. Department of Education was shocking to
the nation. But for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian communities, the
data simply confirms what is already well known: Indian Education is in a state of emergency!
Engage with educators from across our system as we examine Indian Education – past, present,
and future. Learn about legislation that is already in place for our Native American students,
and how, with our support, it will positively impact their achievement. Discover one
particularly successful Indian Education program in Minnesota and how it is getting 100%
graduation rates.
Presenter: Ramona Kitto Stately, American Indian culture and language specialist/K-12 teacher,
American Indian Education Program, Osseo Area Schools, Brooklyn Park, MN.
31
Beginning/
Intermediate
C04
EL
CE
Who Drives Your Equity Work and Keeps District Leaders and School Board Members
Accountable Towards Transformational Change?
Through the vision and planning of equity leaders, Topeka Public Schools established the
District Equity Council in 2012, engaging and empowering the community as partners in
achieving racial equity. Learn about the Equity Council’s successes and challenges. Understand
how linking the District’s strategic goals to the Council’s work has accelerated the move from
goal to action. Hear about the Council’s partnership with local library systems to host an All City
Book Read featuring Courageous Conversations About Race, in commemoration of the 60th
Intermediate
Anniversary of the landmark school segregation case, Brown v. Topeka Board of Education.
Explore a plan for making the Equity Council a part of your district’s equity strategy, and discover
ways to solicit your community for support and membership.
Presenters: Tammy Austin, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning, and Janel Johnson,
school board member, Topeka Public Schools, Topeka, KS.
C05
EL
Using Protocol and Inquiry Skills to Examine the Presence and Role of Whiteness
Examining the presence and role of Whiteness and its impact on schools is often met with
resistance, frustration, and misunderstanding. Learn about explicit frameworks and skills to
promote engagement through listening, speaking, and reflecting. Understand how to
intentionally use prompts and structures that create space for inquiry within Courageous
Conversation. Practice the skills of mindful and critical inquiry to fully engage with mind, body,
and soul.
Presenters: John Lenssen, faculty, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, and Mari Roberts, assistant
professor, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA.
32
Intermediate
C06
EL
L&T
Special Education/EBD: Dismantling a Segregated System
Students with emotional, behavioral disorders (EBD) have long been viewed through a deficit
lens, treated as a troubling population with significant needs, few skills, a drain on limited
resources, and an anchor on test scores. Examine the mindset that allows for these students –
disproportionately Black boys – to be removed from ‘mainstream’ classrooms and segregated in
specialized programs. Understand how structural and cultural forces in schools support racial
inequalities in special education and ELL programming. Learn about one school’s efforts to
interrupt and dismantle this segregated system through Courageous Conversation and Adaptive
Leadership for racial equity.
Intermediate
Presenters: Stacy Kadrmas, principal; Cleo Sykes, cultural specialist; Jerry Burch, behavior
intervention specialist; Betsy Braman, special education building coach; Jennifer Stokes, Special
Education Teacher and Somthavin Chounlamontry, General Education Teacher, Frost Lake
Elementary School, Saint Paul Public Schools, MN.
C07
L&T
Distinguished National Educator: Dr. Patrick Camangian
Patrick Camangian is an assistant professor in the Teacher Education Department at the
University of San Francisco. He was an English teacher for seven years at Crenshaw High School
in Los Angeles, where he was awarded “Most Inspirational Teacher” by former mayor Richard
Riordan and the school’s student body. Camangian currently volunteers at the Mandela High
School in Oakland, CA, teaching tenth grade English. He has collaborated with groups such as
California’s Association of Raza Educators, the Education for Liberation national network, and
San Francisco’s Teachers 4 Social Justice. Patrick Camangian received his Ph. D. in Education
from the University of California, Los Angeles. His research is focused on critical pedagogy and
transformative teaching in urban schools, action research critical literacy, culturally empowering
education, and urban teacher development.
33
All Levels
C08
L&T
I’m White? I’m White: Increasing White Racial Consciousness To Expand White Racial
Consciousness
How do you examine your personal racial consciousness as a White person engaging in racial
equity work? How do you support White people in schools that require racial consciousness?
Engage with the Courageous Conversation protocol and the work of Dr. Janet E. Helms to
understand a model of White Racial Identity Development. Personally apply the model in
individual consciousness work and share your insights. Examine the intersections of the model
and the Six Conditions in order to increase White racial consciousness in your school and/or
district.
Intermediate
Presenter: Christine Saxman, English teacher, Deerfield High School, Deerfield, IL.
C09
EL
Reconciliation Thru Remembrance: Walking Through History in Order to Build Bridges and
Find Healing
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa only catered to a small minority
of individuals who suffered severe atrocities under apartheid. Those who suffered the everyday
violence of apartheid had no space in the TRC process. The Reconciliation thru Remembrance
(R thru R) process aimed to provide space for these individuals to deal with their apartheid
experiences. Through video, observe the facilitation and the conversations among R thru R
participants from different racial groups. Learn the Process Walk facilitation skills for facilitating
a cross-racial dialogue about race. Understand how people from different races and of different
ages were impacted and continue to be impacted by apartheid, and how they are dealing with
it. Learn what project participants were inspired to do as a result of being part of this courageous
conversation.
Presenter: NtombiZandile “Zed” Xaba, Johannesburg, South Africa.
34
Beginning/
Intermediate
C10
CE
Engaging a New Perspective: Building and Sustaining Key Partnerships to Bring Multiple
Perspectives Into Our Schools and Districts
School districts often believe that they alone must provide every aspect of leadership, system
change, and student support to bring about long-term academic success for students of color.
Learn about one district’s process to build community partnerships that led to academic gains for
its highest-risk students of color. Hear about ways to identify, analyze, and develop critical
components of quality partnerships. Leave with an understanding of a sustainable partnership
approach that brings in multiple perspectives and leads to success for students of color.
Intermediate
Presenters: Ernie Guerrero, director, Step Up Program, Open Meadow Alternative Schools, and
Dunya Minoo, educational partnerships manager, Portland Public Schools; Portland, OR.
C11
SATC
Raising Rosa Parks: Developing Racially Conscious Student Leaders through Intentional and
Critical Pedagogy
Many of us are called to action by an urgency to address the racial predictability of
achievement. Too often, this manifests solely in plans to raise test scores, but not to raise racially
conscious student leaders. Ask yourself, is your school preparing students to be leaders who
have the passion and persistence to transform their environment for racial equity? Learn about
specific and systemic ways to develop students’ individual and collective will, skill, knowledge,
and capacity to have Courageous Conversations and to lead for equity. Explore strategies for
engaging students and parents in this work. Understand that it takes a village to raise a child…it
takes a village focused on racial equity to raise a Rosa Parks.
Presenter: Patrick Duffy, director, Leadership Development, St. Paul Public Schools
35
Intermediate
C12
EL
Distinguished National Educator: Margaret Montoya
All Levels
Margaret Montoya was the first Latina to be accepted to Harvard Law School. When she
graduated with her law degree in 1978, she won the prestigious Harvard University’s Sheldon
Traveling Fellowship, which allowed her to travel through Europe and Asia, studying affirmative
action in Malaysia and India. Montoya has been a member of the University of New Mexico law
school faculty since 1992. In her seminars, she examines issues of race, ethnicity, gender,
culture, and language. She has been working to create P-20 pipeline partnerships with the New
Mexico Hispanic Bar Association, the public schools, the judiciary, nonprofits and policymakers.
Her work on pipeline and other health disparity issues led to her assignment as the senior adviser
to the executive vice president at the UNM Health Sciences Center.
Co-Presenter: Diana Martínez, HCOP program manager, Office for Diversity, Health Sciences
Center, University of New Mexico
C13
L&T
Creating Culturally Relevant Classrooms by Removing the Sand and Interrupting Whiteness
Join members of the CARE team from Portland DART School and share their journey to establish
Culturally Relevant Classrooms using the Courageous Conversation protocol as a tool for
interrupting white-normed ways of teaching and learning. Hear how DART has created
classroom climates where dialogue opens doors to multiple perspectives, increases awareness of
racial norms, decenters whiteness, empowers students to question, and improves engagement of
all students. Participate in personal reflection, small and large group discussions, and a fun game
of Courageous Conversation Vocabulary BINGO! Take home resources and examples of
outcomes.
Presenters: Julie Palmer, Barbara Stonecypher, and Mary Ventura, teachers and CARE Team
members, Portland DART School, Portland Public Schools, Portland, OR.
36
Beginning/
Intermediate
C14
EL
I Could Be Invisible…Hence, Safe? Narrative Space for Unpacking the Asian Model Minority
Myth through Critical Race Theory
“Of the different voices in which I speak, I have been most comfortable with the one called
silence. Silence allowed me to escape notice when I was a child. I could become invisible, and
hence, safe.” What detriment has the conversation of race had by overlooking the highly
racialized experience of Asian Americans? Consider how the Asian American experience has
often been used as a tool to devalue the racial experiences of others. Practice using the
Courageous Conversation protocol to hone your racial discourse skills, engage multiple
perspectives, and contextualize the Asian American experience via Critical Race Theory.
Through the power of personal narratives, discover how perpetuating the “model minority” myth
fosters racism, promotes inter-racism, and ultimately perpetuates white dominance. Explore how
including this overlooked perspective can deepen our understanding as racial equity leaders.
Intermediate/
Advanced
Presenter: UnSuk Zucker, teacher leadership coordinator, Denver Public Schools, Denver, CO.
C15
EL
It Ain’t H1N1, But It’s Just as Deadly: The Negative Effects of White Privilege for People of
Color
Explore the realities of white privilege and the deep wounds that many people of color have felt
due to this ugly reality. Hear historical perspectives and learn how the evolution of white
privilege has been parented by white supremacy, racism, and institutional racism from the past
to the present. Take a different look at white privilege and consider how many people of color
have been conditioned to believe that they shouldn’t be afforded the privilege that white folks
receive, which gives white privilege the power to positively affect many white people and
negatively affect all people. Engage in this challenging opportunity to examine yourself critically
and to look at the effects that white privilege has had on society and communities of color.
Presenters: Marcellus Davis, Kenneth Turner, and Alexander Hines, Minneapolis, MN.
37
Advanced
C16
CE
LET ME SEE YOUR I.D! This time we mean your identity as a Black Male and Knowledge of Self
which when explored for its value has been an effective approach to behavior modification and a
path to academic success.
According to Tracy and Sedlacek, the academic success of African Americans depend on cognitive
factors, such as an ability to navigate racism, realistic self-appraisal and a positive self-concept.
Goggins states that there needs to be a process in which academic success is achieved by maintaining
a positive sense of self as students interact socially, culturally, and psychologically with an oppressive
system. Inspired by the work of Dr. Tania Chance, learn techniques and processes used in a
collaborative effort by professional educators and community partners that have had an immediate
and profound impact on middle-school Black Males students. Discuss how to access community
resources that are critical to the success of the project. Explore your own sense of self.
Presenters: Courtlandt Butts, Equity Transformation Specialist, Pacific Educational Group, Jamal
Abdur Salaam, Administrator, St. Paul Public Schools & CEO, Mindful Equity, Tonicia Abdur
Salaam, Associate Director, Partnership Academy & COO, Mindful Equity
37
Intermediate/
Advanced
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Block D Affinity Group Sessions: 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm
SET
Strand
Session Title/Presenter
Difficulty
D
Level
D01
Racial Affinity Group Session: American Indian
All Levels
D02
Racial Affinity Group Session: Asian/Pacific Islander
All Levels
D03
Racial Affinity Group Session: Bi-Racial
All Levels
D04
Racial Affinity Group Session: Black
All Levels
D05
Racial Affinity Group Session: Brown/Latino
All Levels
D06
Racial Affinity Group Session: White
All Levels
The Courage to Lead: A National Forum for Superintendents Developing as Racial Equity
Leaders
Join facilitators Glenn Singleton, Melissa Krull, and Bill Tobin and superintendents from around
the country in this special learning community designed to build and support great leaders of
educational equity. Engage in collaborative dialogue, problem solving, personal reflection, and
investigation of the difficult issues that arise for executive leaders at the intersection of race and
schooling. Discover opportunities for personal, professional, and organizational development
that is specifically designed to help top district leaders examine the serious problems that arise
from systemic racism, and grapple with how these issues interfere with student achievement,
school district success, and community support. Learn from and leverage the collective
experiences of your superintendent colleagues from around the country, each bringing unique
insights and expertise to address the challenges and opportunities of creating and sustaining
equitable schools for all children. (Only superintendents may register for this session.)
All Levels
D07
EL
38
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
Block E Concurrent Sessions: 8:00 am to 10:30 am
Strand Key: EL (Equity Leadership), L&T (Learning & Teaching), CE (Community Empowerment), and SATC (Students At The
Center)
SET E
Strand
Session Title/Presenter
Difficulty
Level
E01
CE
Families Front & Center: Fostering Community Empowerment to Accelerate Racial Equity
Transformation
District leaders spend millions on professional development programs believing these efforts
alone will produce the equity outcomes they wish to see. Most often, they don’t. Successful
professional development requires a strong, positive organizational culture and highly functional
systems that support effective implementation. Learn about the characteristics of positive
organizational culture. Explore ways to explicitly cultivate the voice and social capital of families
and communities to help shift and shape culture. Consider how these often-unheard voices can
inform systems in ways that accelerate productivity and accountability for racial equity. Work
with the five components of PASS (Partnerships for Academically Successful Students) that lead
to empowerment for students of color, their families, and the communities that nurture and
support them.
Presenter: Courtlandt Butts, Equity Transformation Specialist, Pacific Educational Group,
San Francisco, CA.
39
Advanced
E02
EL
The Protocol and ME
Advanced
Are you challenged by the Courageous Conversation protocol? Stuck in a corner of the compass?
Do the agreements and conditions have you confused and walking in circles? Join in a facilitated
process of self-discovery to deepen your awareness and understanding of these foundational
tenets for racial equity. Discover and work through the aspects of CCAR that prevent you from
fully living the protocol in your personal and professional life. Get ready to hang on the edge of
your zone of productive disequilibrium, to know yourself more deeply, and to stretch your
capacity for effective and authentic racial discourse beyond your previous limits.
Presenter: Leidene King, Equity Transformation Specialist, Pacific Educational Group, San
Francisco, CA.
E03
EL
Becoming Our Brother’s Keepers: Interrupting White Racism Among and Between Ethnically
Diverse Black Males
President Obama has challenged the nation to intensify the support and development of young
men of color, particularly Black males. This begins with African Americans, Afro-Indigenous,
Afro-Latinos, and African Nationals reflecting on our own personal, local, and immediate
relationship with internalized White racism. Join this affinity space for Black Males who are
poised to have a Courageous Conversation about race. Engage deeply with one another at a
pivotal time for healing, discovery, and unity. As one community, safely explore and effectively
address ways in which intra-racial White racism is manifested to create divisions among us.
Examine and challenge Whiteness as we discover that becoming Our Brothers’ Keepers begins
within and between Black males, across our various ethnic and national identities.
Presenter: Luis Versalles, director, PreK-12 District Partnerships, Pacific Educational Group, San
Francisco, CA.
40
Advanced
E04
EL
Engendering Race, Racializing Gender: Exploring the Intersectionality of Race and Gender in
Pursuit of Achieving Equity
The phrase “isolate race” may sometimes be interpreted to mean that race is the only
conversation, when what is really being asked is that we always keep race on the table so that
we can consciously and fully examine how it impacts all aspects of our lives and work. For our
schools and organizations to be truly equitable, we must also create space to examine other
‘ways of being’ that have been institutionalized. Join this Courageous Conversation at the
intersection of race and gender, and explore a different set of questions that must be asked to decenter Whiteness in the gender context. Identify gender-specific factors that may be contributing
to inequity, and learn to examine these issues in ways that honor both our racial and gendered
selves, without creating an environment of competing empowerment and/or victimization.
Engage in deep listening and dialogue to hear and understand the often-missing perspectives in
this conversation, and leave with tools and strategies for providing leadership to ensure there is
space in your organization for critical dialogue about the intersectionality of race and gender.
Presenters: Andrea Johnson, Director, Equity and Grants, Township High School District 113,
Highland Park, IL., and Christine Saxman, English teacher, Township District 113, Deerfield
High School, Deerfield, IL.
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E05
EL
Educating Black Males: Understanding Federal Policy, Programs, and the Practices of a
Advanced
Successful Black Father
Engage in this Courageous Conversation about the state of black males in K-12 education, the
government’s response, and the beliefs, values, and practices of a black father raising two black
sons. Through interactive activities, videos, music, and discussion prompts, explore how
education policy has shaped and guided the public’s perception – and the lives – of black males,
through schooling. Examine principles and practices to awaken, fortify, and liberate black males
in the resurrection of self-determination.
Presenter: David Davidson, Equity Transformation Specialist, Pacific Educational Group, San
Francisco, CA.
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You Can’t Know If You Don’t Teach: Training the Trainers through Protocol
Pacific Educational Group’s Affiliate program provides educators with intensive practice and
coaching, helping them to integrate their theoretical knowledge with their everyday lived
experience. Discover how the Affiliate program develops the individual and organizational
capacity that is essential for effective racial equity leadership and facilitation. Learn about the
program’s on-line coaching and face-to-face development model, and how participants are
guided through a process to deeply internalize the Courageous Conversation protocol and
apply it in various ways in their schools, districts, and organizations. Engage in the Affiliate
learning cycle (Practice. Reflection. Coaching. More Practice.), and test your Protocol acumen.
Consider how the Affiliate program can help to accelerate and sustain equity progress in your
organization through more effective facilitation of interracial conversations about race. Don’t
miss out!
Presenters: Shaundra Williams, equity transformation specialist, Pacific Educational Group, San
Francisco, CA; Andrea Johnson, director, Equity and Grants, and Christine Saxman, teacher,
Township District 113, Highland Park, IL; UnSuk Zucker, teacher leadership coordinator,
Denver Public Schools, Denver, CO; and additional PEG Affiliates.
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