Welcome
Welcome to 2024 Sources of Urban Educational Excellence and CREATE Project Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Conference.
This collaborative conference joins the long history of community engagement and powerful beloved community research traditions of the Crim Center’s Sources Conference with the CREATE Project’s focus on supporting educators working together to strengthen their understanding and use of culturally relevant pedagogy in their work.
We offer this conference in remembrance of those who came before us. We honor those educational trailblazers who provided a pathway of resilience and resistance and our using their works as a catalyst for the work we continue to do. Our requiem is never-ending and is a celebration of those individuals, groups, movements, ideas and ways of knowing that have come before us and on whose shoulders we stand in this work.
At the same time, we must collaboratively showcase, uplift and center the voices, experiences and knowledge of historically marginalized communities and work to collectively imagine and enact ways of doing and being that dissolve barriers and pave the way for liberation. We must prioritize critical consciousness, community empowerment and social justice. We must draw inspiration from liberatory spaces to rebirth new spaces for learning. We must challenge dominant, deficitfocused narratives.
Acknowledgments
We’d like to thank our funders:
We’d like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to organizing the 2024 Sources - Culturally Relevant Pedagogy Conference:
Safia Azungah, Tiffany Armstead-Flowers, Stephanie Cross, Lawanda Cummings, Rosalynne Duff, Patriann Edwards, Flavia GordonGunter, Lisa Harley, Kimberly Hobley, Renata Love Jones, Hilary Meister, Claire Miller, LaCretia Plane, Samara Ryce, Dana E. Salter, Chenoa Smith, Melissa Speight Vaughn, Tyler Tabron, Angela Turk, Ivan Vassall, Ashley Vierra, Rhina Williams
Event Contact
Dana E. Salter
Director, Community Engagement and Continuing Education, The CREATE Project dsalter@gsu.edu
Lawanda Cummings, Ph.D.
Director, Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence lcummings1@gsu edu
Wifi Connection
Connect to the GSU-Guest wireless network
Open an Internet browser and go to wireless.gsu.edu
Enter the following credentials to connect:
Username: LawGuest2024
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The Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence
Website: crim.education.gsu.edu
Tel: 404-413-8070
Email: cueeinfo@gsu.edu
The CREATE Project Teacher Residency
Website: thecreateproject.education.gsu.edu
Tel: 404-413-8060
Email: createcodirectors@gsu.edu
Agenda
Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
8:00 am - 5:00 pm
8:00 AM: Registration (Main Floor Lobby) and Breakfast (Room 0002ABC)
9:00 AM - 9:15 AM: Opening Remarks (Room 0002ABC)
Lawanda Cummings, Alonzo A Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence
Dana E. Salter, The CREATE Project
9:15 AM - 10:15 AM: Keynote Address by Dr. Daniel Black (Room 0002ABC)
10:25 AM - 11:25 AM : Block A Concurrent Sessions
*If you are not in a workshop, please attend the 11:30 am session titled “Your Turn: Working Together on Your Work, Pt 1ʺ when your session ends
11:30 AM - 12:00 PM: Your Turn: Working Together on Your Work, Pt. 1 (Room 041)
Often during conferences we hear great ideas, have many questions and have amazing conversations with fellow attendees. But when it’s time to go back to our lives-work-communities, we may forget or lose the energy around what we learned and experienced during the conference. Specifically, wouldn’t it be great to be able to work in your curriculum or idea during this conference? During this time, you’ll have opportunities to collaborate and work on your work so that when the conference finishes tomorrow, you’ll have had some time to work on your ideas.
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM: Lunch and Learn with Dr. Daniel Black, hosted by Dr. Catherine Adams and Dr. Lawanda Cummings (Room 0002ABC)
Conversation between Dr. Black and Dr. Catherine Adams/ Dr. Lawanda Cummings with audience questions
1:25 PM - 2:25 PM: Block B Concurrent Sessions
2:35 PM - 3:35 PM: Block C Concurrent Sessions
3:50 PM - 4:45 PM: Your Turn: Working Together on Your Work, Pt. 2 (Room 0002ABC) & CWC: Create Year 1 Residents And Their Cooperating Teachers Only (Room 242)
4:45 PM - 5:00 PM: Closing Remarks (Room 0002ABC)
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024
9:30 am - 1:00 pm
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM: Registration, Breakfast, Opening of Day (Room 0002ABC)
10:10 AM - 11:10 AM: Block A Concurrent Sessions
11:35 AM - 12:35 AM: Block B Concurrent Sessions
12:35 AM - 1:00 PM: Your Turn: Working Together on Your Work, Pt. 3 (Room 0002ABC)
What’s next for you, your ideas and this work?
1:00 PM: Closing Remarks (Room 0002ABC)
Lawanda Cummings, Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence
Dana E. Salter, The CREATE Project
Sessions
BLOCK A CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
PANEL: Teaching for Transformation: Theories and Practices to Guide Justice-Centered Teaching & Teacher Education
10:25 AM -11:25 AM | Rm 242
NadiaBehizadeh,JenniferBroman-Fulks,LeonardDega,AliyahGilenson,KristyJones, RomondaMiddlebrooks-Jefferson,PeterNguyen,ElyseJohnson,CarolineB.Rabalais, AprilRemy,KatherineSamford,BrittanyWhite,GeorgiaStateUniversity
In this session, practicing teachers and teacher educators, who are also all researchers, will share justice-centered theories and practices that can guide curriculum, pedagogy, and policy in teaching and teacher education. In particular, panelists will emphasize theories of humanizing pedagogy, African American pedagogical excellence, and queer pedagogy, along with practical tools of critical reflection grounded in embracing different ways of knowing and being and developing oppositional consciousness; ways to broaden curricula to be more interdisciplinary and draw on Black Studies, ethnic studies, women’s studies, and African American history; strategies for embracing discomfort in teaching; and policy advocacy strategies and opportunities that position teachers and teacher educators as active policymakers and policy shapers
WORKSHOP: Coping with Secondary Traumatic Stress in Education: Practices for Healing and Building Resilience
10:25 AM -12:00 PM | Rm 345
DarrellGreen,ProfessionalExcellenceProgramChildWelfareTrainingCollaborative, SchoolofSocialWork,GeorgiaStateUniversity
This workshop will assist educators in navigating the challenges of secondary traumatic stress (STS). Participants will explore how their emotional and mental well-being can be affected by the trauma faced by their students, especially those from marginalized communities. Participants will gain insight into the signs and symptoms of STS and also explore practical strategies for self-care and resilience-building Strategies learned in the workshop can be used to develop a personalized STS management plan. Developing this plan will empower educators to better support themselves while they continue to provide crucial support to their students. *Please note the time: 10:25am – 12:00pm
PANEL: Building on Our Ancestral Legacy: Cultivating HumanitiesBased Scholar-Activists through Cultural Preservation, SolutionsOriented Research, and Visionary Leadership
10:25 AM -11:25 AM | Rm 246
AlisonGiseJohnson,CatherineL.Adams,GenesisMiller,MelodyWoodruff,Bethany Scriven,AlexisSingleton,KyraSmith,IsabellaDixon,ClaflinUniversity
In January 2024, the Mellon Foundation announced that Claflin University was awarded $1,489,000 to establish a Humanities Hub focusing on place-based collaborations, embedding social justice content in the general education curriculum, and communityparticipatory research. The first cohort of ten (10) Claflin Humanities Hub Scholars was selected in April. The Hub Scholars promote race/gender equity, environmental justice, and community well-being. The Hub approach centers on recruiting and nurturing students in the humanities as scholar-activists committed to cultural preservation, solutions-oriented research, and visionary leadership. The proposed panel wants to share the experiences of the Freeland Scholars and the program that integrates humanitiesbased approaches to train students as scholar-activists, equipping them with the skills and knowledge to become effective social justice advocates and change agents. The panelists will present reflections, experiences, and research that combine academic study with activism, emphasizing the role of humanities in understanding and addressing social issues
WORKSHOP: “Unpacking Our Stories: “Leveraging SEL to Heal and Empower Black Educators”
10:25 AM -12:00 PM | Rm 245
KofiKinney,GeorgiaStateUniversity
This workshop delves into an often overlooked aspect of trauma-informed teaching: the influence of educators’ own K-12 educational experiences on their current practices. While traditional training focuses on strategies to support students with trauma, this session offers a reflective space for educators particularly Black and Brown educators to unpack their own educational traumas and examine how these shape their teaching and perceptions of students. Many educators, especially from marginalized communities, have faced harm within the K-12 system, and this workshop acknowledges that reality by fostering a safe environment for personal exploration. Through the use of liberatory practices, the session encourages healing and self-awareness Participants will engage in creative reflection and introspection to rediscover their own stories and address the biases that may stem from past experiences. By examining these personal experiences, educators can reconnect with their stories, uncover potential biases, and renew their commitment to creating more empathetic and inclusive learning environments for their students. This reflection ultimately strengthens their capacity to engage and support all learners. *Please note the time: 10:25am – 12:00pm
BLOCK B CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
CWC: Every Thought is a Dream: Breathing Life and Hope into Language Arts Through Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and the Speculative Fiction
1:25 PM - 2:25 PM | Rm 245
RenataLoveJones,GeorgiaStateUniversity
Visionary author Octavia Butler has been hailed for exploring the past and present while also writing Black people and women into science fiction and the future Shifting narratives and challenging stereotypes across gender and race, Butler expressed that she wrote speculative stories so that she could see herself in them Relatedly, educational scholars of color have argued that dreaming ourselves into futures that were liberatory, innovative, and filled with joy is what continues to spur activism and trailblazing today (Love, 2019; Toliver, 2021)! And from Woodson’ The Year We Learned to Fly which draws on Hamilton’s speculative fiction that Black people could fly to Mercardo’s Sci Fu where a teen and his friends master the intergalactic musical martial art to save Earth, there is not shortage of fantastic stories with dark folx at the center to inspire our youth in vivid ways. I argue that in today’s world plagued by necessary concerns for racial, climate, technological, and economic justice, educators must explore what it means to help our children craft innovative hope filled futures. Such that connecting dreams and futures remains integral to dark folx survival (Love, 2019), I invite the audience to join me in exploring ways to incorporate speculative fiction including science fiction, fantasy, and other subgenres across modalities into curriculum in order to propel youth of color into fantastic possibilities. I invite the audience to join me in exploring ways to incorporate speculative fiction into curriculum for propelling youth of color into fantastic futures. Participants will leave the session with literacy block resources and inspiration for breathing new life and hope into endarkedend futures through the use of speculative, fantastic, and afrofuturistic texts across modalities.
1:25 PM - 2:25 PM | Rm 342
CWC: Atlanta Streets Alive EPIC Course in partnership with CREATE Project Focus 15 Presentations
Chantee Earl, Georgia State University
This presentation highlights the experiences of teachers in a community-based educational course. Atlanta Streets Come A-Live is a community-based educational course that explores and celebrates Atlanta’s African American educational history and culture. Through historical site visits, oral histories and primary sources, and neighborhood walks, participants experience in-depth study of Atlanta
Diversifying the Teacher and Leader Workforce through the PROPEL Project
DaShaunda Patterson, Georgia State University
The PROPEL Project (Partnership for Residency Opportunities for Paraprofessionals, Educators, and Leaders) is a Teacher Quality Partnership Grant funded by the USDOE. The purpose of the PROPEL Project is to increase the number of highly qualified teachers in high need content areas; contribute teachers and leaders who are committed to rural and urban schools; prepare teachers who are equipped with knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and support long-term retention in the educational field for their entire career PROPEL will engage urban/suburban partners including: Clayton County Public Schools and Gwinnett County Public Schools and rural partners: Fort Valley State University and several related school districts PROPEL will impact the education workforce by exposing 300 secondary students and pre-education majors to the field of education, recruiting 100 paraprofessionals towards an MAT in special education and 144 science/math candidates in the MAT in middle or secondary education, and supporting 50 teachers in the Tier 1 and Tier 2 leadership certification and/or degree programs.
Early Childhood Reading with JumpSTART
Clarissa Cole, Georgia State University
Jumpstart is working toward the day every child in America enters kindergarten prepared to succeed College students serve as Corps Members in local Atlanta preschools to provide language, literacy, and social-emotional programming for preschool children from underresourced communities
Results from a recent comparison study found that Jumpstart children make 1.5x greater gains in important literacy skills, as compared to those who don’t receive the Jumpstart program Program features and efforts with the Crim Center will be discussed in new synergistic efforts in the Critical Conversation Series to help early readers see themselves in stories of freedom and joy in alignment with CRP theory.
Georgia State University College of Education and Human Development/ Project Vista
Kris
Vargas, Georgia State University
The outreach program will work with local street outreach organizations to build out their outreach teams, connect LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness with community services and provide resource kits. They developed an LGBTQ+ sensitivity and trauma-informed care program to train staff in community organizations, school systems, religious organizations and other groups working with this population, and offer internships for LGBTQ+ homeless youth to gain valuable work experience This work is critical, given that homeless and runaway LGBTQ+ youth make up 30-40 percent of the youth homelessness population in the U.S., and they are at much greater risk for suicide, sexual assault and human trafficking compared to their heterosexual peers.
BLOCK C CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Friday, Nov. 8, 2024
CWC: “The Lies Get Me Vexed-er”: Examining the Liberatory Possibilities of Hip Hop Pedagogy
2:35 PM - 3:35 PM | Rm 242
CaseyWong,GeorgiaStateUniversity
Since Cindy and Clive Campbell’s (DJ Kool Herc) Back to School Jam in August 1973, at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, New York, Hip Hop has arguably grown to become one of the most widespread artistic and cultural movements across the globe. In this session, we’ll critically reflect upon the widespread growth of Hip Hop education in the past two decades. We’ll work from a pedagogical piece that has been argued to be one of the greatest Hip Hop productions of all time, released during what “heads” have referred to as the “golden age.” We’ll take time and space to listen, learn, think, and commune with each other, critically appreciating Hip Hop pedagogy from the perspective of what Cedric Robinson (1983) and scholars have referred to as the “Black Radical Tradition(s),” through the lens of the artist and “the people” themselves
FOCUS 45: Culturally Relevant Science: Making K-12 Science
Curriculum Accessible and Relatable for Underrepresented Students, Teachers, and Schools
2:35 PM - 3:35 PM | Rm 246
MeaganNaraineandNatalieS.King,GeorgiaStateUniversity
Culturally Relevant Science is a nonprofit dedicated to making K-12 STEM education accessible and engaging for underrepresented students, particularly Black and Brown youth. This presentation emphasizes the importance of incorporating diverse representations in science instruction to foster a strong science identity among these students. Participants will learn about the detrimental impact of the traditional, white, male-dominated narrative in science on student engagement and achievement and discover how Culturally Relevant Science is actively addressing these issues. Tailored for pre-service and in-service teachers, doctoral students, professors, and community members in STEM education, the session offers practical strategies and resources to create culturally relevant science experiences. Attendees will gain immediate access to a free YouTube channel and a learning hub with inclusive, innovative teaching materials. They will leave inspired and equipped with actionable strategies and a comprehensive toolbox of resources to ensure all students feel represented and valued in their science education.
FOCUS 45: Above S.E.A. Level: Conquering the Deficit Perspective
2:35 PM - 3:35 PM | Rm 345
NicholasW.CollinsandNatalieS.King,GeorgiaStateUniversity
This session emphasizes how educators view students’ ability to improve their own Skills, Efficacy, and Achievement in engaging with STEAM education and accessing STEAMrelated opportunities. In creating an environment where scholars are challenged and supported through STEAM education, educators cancel the notions that “students can’t” and “students won’t,” which often goes beyond what educators can “SEA.” This session will uncover the impacts that conquering the deficit perspective has on making learning accessible for all students, setting high expectations for students, and student achievement outcomes in accessing STEAM.
BLOCK A CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024
WORKSHOP: Escuelitas on Buford Highway: Bilingual Cultural & Political Education on the Road to Liberation
10:10 AM - 11:30 AM | Rm 346
JonathanPerazaCampos,LauraAlcantar,andVicAlarcon,EscuelitasonBufordHighway People’sHub
Teachers from the Escuelitas program at the Buford Highway People’s Hub will orient participants in our educational model. Participants will engage with the movement education frameworks and history that inform the Escuelitas program They will also acquire insight into the importance of bilingual cultural and political education in working-class, immigrant Latinx and Global South communities on Buford Highway and beyond. *Please note the time: 10:10am – 11:30am.
FOCUS 45: TechKnowledge for Teachers: The New Necessity for Teacher Tech Literacy in Education
10:10 AM - 11:10 AM | Rm 346
YolandaPayne,TechKnowledgeforTeachers
oThe world of education was shaken through the COVID-19 era as students and teachers had to migrate to full or partial virtual learning strategies The stark differences in resources and technological literacy by district and region revealed an area of PD training that TechKnowledge for Teachers uniquely filled Ms Payne is a former teacher that integrated raspberry pi and microbits into her curriculum as a teacher. She saw critical skill gains and linkages to core curricula among her students that helped student engage technology as creators, and not just consumers. She will share new approaches, resources, and programs that teachers and school leaders can use to increase Tech literacy and class integration.
BLOCK B CONCURRENT SESSIONS
Saturday, Nov. 9, 2024
PANEL: Requiring Care and Love for Students and Their Families as Praxis: Reflections on Building Relationality
11:35AM - 12:35PM | Rm 346
DaishaDenson;CamronJohnson;YamiletPinzon;RenataLoveJones,GeorgiaState University
In this presentation, three CREATE Alumni and a faculty educator/researcher discuss the topic of building strong relationships with students and their families. These three elementary school teachers have drawn on their collective culturally relevant teaching philosophies and desire to foster healthy community and belonging in the classroom They share experiences and approaches for cultivating bonds with both students and families for the sake of students’ holistic growth They and the faculty member will lead attendees in reflecting on and planning effective approaches in their own classroom space for building powerful relationships
WORKSHOP: Using Technology Integration Across the Curriculum to Equip Students from Low-resource Schools for Inclusion in Tech
11:35AM - 1:00PM | Rm 0002ABC
LawandaCummings,YolandaPayne,NadiaMonroseMills,AlonzoA.CrimCenterfor UrbanEducationalExcellence,TechknowledgeforTeachers,VI-EPSCoR(UVI)
The role of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy in efforts in the USVI to support STEM 6-12 grade teachers spans content areas through focused efforts in Tech integration to enhance student engagement With the impacts of natural disasters and COVID-19, the use of technology in the classroom (many times was virtual for months) became a necessity Additionally, the Virgin Island Institute for STEM Education Research and Practice, sought to address the lack of CS Educators to build student exposure and capacities for inclusion in the future Tech workforce In this workshop, the role and identity of learners as innovators/creators will be discussed for education technology. We will reframe CS education using the CRP model to ground education in the lives of our students, create opportunities for students to teach, and embrace cultural knowing in the construction of a digital world Examples of Tech inclusion across the curricula will be shared along with hands-on activities with Micro-bits and Windows MakeCode.
*Please note the time: 11:35am – 1:00pm
FOCUS 45: Healing the Classroom: Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival as a Blueprint for Liberation and Belonging
11:35AM - 12:35PM | Rm 245
PatriannEdwards,GeorgiaStateUniversity
In this 45-minute session, “Healing the Classroom: Trinidad & Tobago’s Carnival as a Blueprint for Liberation and Belonging,” we’ll explore how the spirit of Carnival can transform classrooms, and community spaces into places of healing, community, and cultural pride. We’ll begin with a vibrant look into T&T’s Carnival a tradition born from resistance, now celebrated as an expression of freedom and joy. Together, we’ll dive into Carnival’s core principles: ‘Mas’ (masquerade), which lets participant explore identities “Safely; Freedom, to build classrooms where every voice can be heard; and “Limin’ (social gathering), emphasizing the Trini way” in which we uphold community and belonging. Through shared reflection, will discover how to bring Carnival’s liberating essence into their teaching practices, creating spaces where students can feel safe to be themselves and connect with others in meaningful ways Like Carnival, teaching should be celebrated as an act of liberation and celebration, where classrooms are built to inspire community, resilience and pride in every learner