Educator Workshops

Professional Development Workshops:  Leadership Development and/or Faculty Formation

We are pleased to offer a series of 90-minute professional development workshops designed to address issues inequity through leadership and faculty formation. These workshops are tailored for schools that have already conducted data reviews, such as climate and culture assessments and have initiated equity and inclusion work with their faculty and staff.

Each workshop in this series is designed with clear goals and outcomes, intended to build upon your school’s existing efforts. To ensure that school leadership is well-prepared to engage with the content and effectively support their faculty and staff, we strongly recommend that school leadership and administration participate in the workshops alongside their teams. This collaborative approach will help leaders articulate the purpose and anticipated outcomes of the workshops, enhancing the overall impact for everyone involved.

Additionally, we advise that school leadership receive an overview of the content prior to the start of the workshop series. To further prepare, it is beneficial for leadership to participate in at least one session with the facilitators. This preparation will enable school leaders to be fully equipped to support and guide their teams throughout the series.

Understanding DEIB as Mission Critical

How does this work connect to the mission and needs of the community at this point? How does our mission call us to this work?

Session 1: Context and Experience: Unlearning and Relearning -

In our educational journeys, we often encounter miseducation about crucial topics such as race, gender, and ability. This first workshop aims to address these issues by reviewing the context of our educational settings, including systemic roadblocks.

Our focus will be on unlearning processes required for educators to become truly committed to all their students. We will delve into two key documents that will guide our exploration and discussion, working through them to uncover and address biases and assumptions that impact our educational practices.

Join us as we begin the journey toward becoming educators who are not only aware of systemic injustices but are also actively working to counteract them.

1. Unpacking the Invisible Backpack - Peggy McIntosh
2. Tools for Addressing White Dominant Culture -Tema Okun 

Session 2: Reflection and Evaluation: Unlearning  and Navigating Difficult Conversations

In the second session, participants will reflect on their experiences and insights gained since the first workshop. Facilitators will model techniques for engaging in difficult conversations with vulnerability and courage.

We will explore how concepts such as white dominant culture, white privilege, and supremacy contribute to environments of anti-Blackness within schools. By understanding these dynamics, we aim to address how they impact our educational practices and the broader mission of our institutions, ultimately affecting both our personal growth and the success of our students.

This session is designed to deepen our collective understanding and commitment to creating equitable and inclusive educational spaces.

Session 3: Action and Commitment—Pathways to Anti-Racist Practice

In our third session, participants will focus on translating insights into action. We will explore strategies for both personal and professional practices that support anti-racism. Participants will be guided through the process of creating a personal mission statement and will commit to actionable steps for becoming anti-racist educators within their school community.

The session will include two workshop activities designed to help participants develop and refine their action plans. We will encourage deep reflection on how to integrate these commitments into their daily practices and school environment.

Join us as we move from understanding to action, ensuring that our efforts to combat racism have a meaningful impact both personally and professionally.

Continuing the Work: Sustaining  New Practices

To deepen and sustain our commitment to being a  welcoming and inclusive school, BERC offers an optional ongoing training program for employees. This advanced training consists of 6 sessions designed for individuals who wish to further their anti-racist education and practice. The sessions will provide an in-depth exploration of white supremacy culture and offer strategies for creating systemic change within schools. Depending on participants' availability and interest we can offer these workshops outside of normal school hours 

6 - 10 participants. 6 workshops, resources, and 1 individual session

After completing and evaluating the initial round of optional training, we hope schools expand the program by offering these workshops to various clusters within the school community. This could include school leadership, department chairs, individual departments, coaches, parents, board members, staff, and alumni, among others. This broader engagement will help embed anti-racist practices throughout the entire school community.

By continuing this work, we aim to ensure that anti-racist principles are woven into the fabric of our schools, fostering an environment of ongoing growth and systemic transformation rooted in mission and identity.