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Racial Justice in Education

Supporting Racial Justice for All Students
We are joining together across race and place to ensure every student has the opportunities they need to succeed.

How to use this toolkit

  • Learn about how racial bias in things like school resourcing and discipline impacts students of color.
  • Find out how your school can adopt anti-racist curriculum that offers a full picture of our nation's history.
  • Take action to advocate for racial justice at school, and to support educators who foster dialogue on racial inequality in our communities.

Getting Grounded in Racial Justice

Context

Most of us believe that every child, no matter what they look like or where they come from, deserves a safe, just, and welcoming school where they can thrive.

But certain politicians try to divide us by sending police to monitor and punish Black and Brown students in schools that have been denied funding to even cover the basics, while ensuring well-resourced schools with mostly white students have enrichment activities, teacher training, and parent engagement.  

By joining together across race and place, we can rewrite the rules to ensure every student—whether Black, Brown, or White—has up-to-date learning materials that give a full picture of our nation’s history, the support of educators who are prepared to foster dialogue on racial justice and its impact on students and communities, and a well-resourced school environment.

Celebrating our Diversity

Use these resources to better understand where biases come from, and undertake the work of breaking down the walls that divide us.
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What the Research Says

An established body of research affirms what educators have long known: a culturally responsive and racially inclusive education benefits all students – and is the most effective pedagogical approach.
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Cultural Competency Training

Expand your capacity to students from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
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10 Tips for Talking About Race in School

Creating space to talk about race can open powerful learning for you and your students. Here's how to get started.
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If we don’t share our stories and we don’t take time to listen to other peoples’ stories, we will continue to live in a world that is very limited in knowledge and understanding.
Quote by: Winter Marshall-Allen, Program Director for Intensive Needs Inclusion Community-based Instruction

Fostering Cross-Cultural Understanding

Implementing Restorative Practices

As the scrutiny over “zero tolerance” discipline policies has intensified over the past decade, more school districts across the country have been looking at alternatives. Alternatives that don't push out an excessive number of students, don't create wide racial disparity gaps, and that overall foster a more inclusive and constructive learning environment. To many, the answer has been restorative practices. Learn more about restorative practices and incorporate them into the classroom with our resources below.
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Restorative Practices Guide

This toolkit from the Schott Foundation helps educators understand what restorative practices are and how they foster safe learning environments through community building and constructive conflict resolution.
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Micro-Credentials for Restorative Practices

This stack of five micro-credentials is intended to give educators an understanding of Restorative Practices.
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Listen: School Me Podcast

Educator Robin McNair answers our questions about how restorative practices can change school environments for the better (and for all students).

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Achieve with NEA-Alaska

Professional development workshops, leadership trainings, mentorship, and network — NEA-Alaska offers everything you need to succeed in your classroom and career.
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Build your career and find opportunities to lead.

Whether you're focused on your classroom, community, or capitol, we have tools to help you transform teaching and learning.
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Reach. Teach. Inspire.

NEA-Alaska advocates for an excellent public education for each child in Alaska and advances the interests of public school employees.