Ep. 64: Why We ALL Need an Equity Literacy Framework
Today’s episode is extra special to us as we get to chat with two incredible educators who are shaping the profession through their interrogation of the personal and professional ways educators perpetuate white cultural norms in schools.
Our essential question is: How can we “learn to be a threat to inequity in our spheres of influence” in 2020?
Guests: Katy Swalwell, Associate Professor of Social & Cultural Studies in the School of Education at Iowa State University, and Paul Gorski, founder of Equity Literacy Institute and EdChange.
We first heard about the equity literacy framework from our guest Marquita Prinzing in Ep 46: Don’t be a Passive Progressive Educator and were incredibly excited when Katy reached out to us to share how she was using the podcast with her pre-service teachers. We are incredibly grateful she and Paul were able to come on the show.
In this episode Katy and Paul describe how they came to this work, specifically unpacking the idea of equity literacy which “moves us beyond cultural competency.” They share how schools and districts are approaching this differently than a simple list of strategies and emphasize that this work is a mindset shift. We highly recommend that listeners spend some time with the Equity Literacy Institute directly.
Finally, we ask Paul to share the story behind his controversial tweet that calls out white liberalism.
Do Your Fudging Homework:
Hope: Read through the equity literacy framework and do a little audit on your life--start first with classroom (the place you have immediate control), then dept/school (larger circles of control).
Annie: follow Paul on Twitter, follow Katy even though she doesn’t tweet very much. Read their work and buy their book when it comes out.
Paul: Teaching Tolerance & New York Collaborative of Radical Educators (NYCORE), Teachers 4 Social Justice
Katy: Carter Center for Black History, Freeminds Free People, Paul Ortiz’s History Book, Dolly Parton's America, Dr. Noreen Naseem @NaseemRdz, NYCORE, Rethinking Schools, Zinn Education Project
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