OUR JOURNEY TOWARD
EQUITY & SOCIAL JUSTICE
For years, leaders in Mankato’s College of Education assumed they were progressive and unbiased, and they were training teachers and educational leaders with similar qualities. However, as the demographics of the K-12 classrooms continued to change and the achievement disparities between white students and students of color continued to expand, it became clear teacher education and educational leadership programs needed to change. In 2010, the College of Education began a process of selfexamination related to individual and systemic racial bias. In 2018, the new vision statement firmly prioritized its goals to include racial equity and social justice:
TO INSPIRE LIFELONG LEARNING AND PROFESSIONAL ENGAGEMENT THROUGH RACIAL CONSCIOUSNESS, SOCIAL JUSTICE, AND INCLUSION WITHIN A GLOBAL CONTEXT. While other organizations held similar values, few had the courage to use such explicit language. “Dean Haar gets tremendous credit for revising the mission and vision to be explicit,” said Robin White. “It is not the kind of thing you can talk about sometimes. It has to be at the forefront.” Ten years later, the college has integrated its vision into every aspect of its programs and services. Administrators, faculty, staff, students, and partner districts are challenged (and challenge others) to think differently and take responsibility to make change happen. WHY IS RACIAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE SUCH A BIG DEAL IN EDUCATION? White is a consultant who has worked with higher
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education institutions across the country. She helps them implement foundation-funded efforts designed to transformed teacher education. White began working with the College of Education in 2009 as it prepared its proposal for the Bush Foundation’s Teacher Education Initiative. She said training educators and educational systems to recognize and change racial bias may be the most critical determinant of what happens to the next generation of students in the K-12 system. “I don’t believe that having a teacher who may be slightly better at math or chemistry is going to make that much difference. Rather, having a teacher who respects all students, who knows how to practice racial equity and social justice in a classroom and lives that every day to engage students and make them feel valued will make the difference between whether they want to be in school or not.” From the outset, White noticed Mankato was prepared to set the bar high and take some risks. The college established a recruitment goal that 25 percent of its students would be people of color. “Considering the makeup of the national teacher ed pool and the location of the university, this was an especially aggressive and lofty goal.” CHANGE IS REQUIRED BECAUSE ‘THE WAY WE HAVE ALWAYS DONE THINGS’ ISN’T WORKING. Change that moves the college toward that lofty diversity goal of 25 percent requires some deep analysis and system alternations. It takes time. A decade has passed. What, exactly, does this change look like? Guided by the new vision statement, the college routinely reviews all aspects of its services, practices, and policies through a racial equity and social justice lens—from student recruitment and curriculum to partner district interactions and professional development opportunities. Some changes are subtle, while others disrupt the system.
2008–2009
2010
2013
2015
College of Education Identified a goal to achieve 25% students of color in the teaching programs
Teachers of Tomorrow is created—a student organization to support students of color as they navigate academic, licensure and graduation requirements
Created an Advisory Board to guide the college in its equity work.
Reword to: Initiated professional development focused on racial equity; Implemented Courageous Conversation protocol.
