JUST ICE ISN’ T BLIND
Continued from page 13
why diversity, equity, and inclusion matter
in all aspects of our work.
Would you design a house without win-
dows... and mirrors? Who were you being at
the time?
Students learn self-regulation best when
they feel connected and safe, and they
feel connected and safe when educators
focus on building empathy instead of
doling out punishment.
–Nathan Maynard & Brad Weinstein
As we do work with our faculty and con-
sultancy with other schools, we ask educa-
tors to consider the diversity of their teams.
Who reflects the student community and
what are the myriad of social dynamics that
may be at play, including sexual orientation,
socio-economic status, race, and gender?
Are there faculty members of color? What
affinity groups exist? We all have biases, and
have experienced bias, so how can we make
sure that we disrupt our own patterns of
thinking in order to support one another? 3
Whether we are making advisory lists, cre-
ating student groupings, or revamping cur-
riculum, we consider the ways our young
people’s identities will be reflected and sup-
ported. This now includes our approach to
behavior and consequences. Inspired by Bryan
“Whether we are making
advisory lists, creating stu-
dent groupings, or revamp-
ing curriculum, we consider
the ways our young people’s
identities will be reflected
and supported.”
Stevenson’s seminal work on the justice sys-
tem, Just Mercy (2014), and a commitment
to anti-bias work, we guide students and
faculty so that when we make mistakes and
experience conflicts there can be opportuni-
ties for redemption and reflective growth. 4
When individuals have different perspec-
tives and/or interpretations, and when
they communicate with each other, they
are obviously likely to arrive at better so-
lutions than they might in isolation from
each other. –Dr. Scott E. Page
One size does not fit all: Does the conse-
quence help us grow?
We continue to evolve as a school and con-
sider all learners by incorporating Universal
Design for Learning into our teaching prac-
3. Consider Jennifer Eberhardt’s text Biased (2019) that analyzes social biases that impact American education and society.
4. In 2017, as part of our diversity, equity, and inclusion work, we read excerpts from Just Mercy and watched the docu-
mentary, Thirteenth (Netflix, 2016) as a school faculty to discuss the impact of racial bias and systems of inequality that
have influenced our American justice system.
Page 14 Winter 2019
CSEE Connections