The curriculum design of educational programs is pivotal to the success of Black students in mathematics and science. It is essential to implement a curricular approach that values the experiences of Black students. In this "Equity by Design" brief, we will provide an overview and framework of/for socially transformative curriculum, and…

This Equity Tool is for educators who want to offer comprehensive and inclusive age-appropriate sex education to students, and are wondering how. This tool delineates what must be included (and excluded) in curricula and appropriate pedagogies at various grade levels; discusses how to navigate conservative backlash teachers might encounter; and…

This "Equity Tool" is meant to help teachers to critically think about their own beliefs, thoughts, feelings, language, and ideas regarding Latinx students with Learning Dis/abilities (LDs), and their students' social and emotional well-being and sense of self.

The DAPP (Difference & Dissonance, Assumptions, Power, and Patterns) Tool is intended to help educators, leaders, teams, schools, districts, education agencies, and other organizations to engage in the type of critical reflection necessary to build critical consciousness, and undertake more equitable and just actions, toward learning,…

This "Equity by Design" brief summarizes the key features and considerations for planning, implementing, and evaluating social, emotional or behavioral screening within multitier systems of support (MTSS), to advance educational equity.

In this "Equity by Design" brief, we outline the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on student learning and wellness. Next, we critique common narratives and responses to student educational difficulties following the start of the pandemic. Finally, we conclude with key considerations for educational decision-making, prevention,…

This "Equity by Design" research brief discusses the impact of COVID-19 on school segregation and integration in public schools. COVID-19 raised a lot of discussions already occurring around school choice, which connects to a larger conversation on the purpose of education and it being one of the most important public goods in American…

In this "Equity by Design" brief, the authors describe the F.a.M.I.L.Y (Fostering and Maximizing Interdisciplinary Learning Year-round) Project and discuss the Project's importance and impact on Black girls and their caregivers. The brief ends with a discussion of strategies implemented during the F.a.M.I.L.Y Project to create a holistic…

"Multitier systems of support" (MTSS) are widely understood as an evidence-based framework for coordinating integrated delivery of a continuum of layered services to support students' development. Traditionally, MTSS includes three tiers. Tier 1 refers to universal supports that are system-, school-, or classwide; tier 2 includes…

When asked about school mathematics, students rarely describe it as meaningful or relevant. Research shows that students are more engaged when they are challenged to think critically, and can connect the content to their lived experiences. This "Equity Tool" is designed to assist educators in reviewing curricula to determine if it…

Nearly 70 years after one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court rulings was handed down in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) declaring segregated schools unconstitutional, the promise of desegregation has remained unfulfilled. However, there are still actions that can be taken to address the extant disparities in schools that exist in large…

The purpose of this "Equity by Design" brief is to aid administrators in protecting sexual and gender minority students from discrimination and harassment. Specifically, this Brief presents Title IX's conceptualizations of sex and harassment to identify who is protected, and from what. Further, it discusses how to navigate backlash…

This brief discusses how teaching and learning can be understood as two interconnected "cultural" endeavors that support learning, particularly for Students of Color. Although culture can be a powerful idea to bring to teaching and learning, it can also be confusing. Teaching and learning are undoubtedly connected activities, yet they…

This brief presents Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) as a transformative exploratory tool for critical and curious educators. YPAR has been defined as a collaborative method of youth, with the support of caring adults, participating in research to explore social issues that impact them, with the end goal of taking action to improve the…

Psychiatrist and professor Dr. Chester Pierce coined the term microaggression in the early 1960s to describe modern-day racism in the U.S. Pierce stated that most racial offenses are "subtle and stunning" and that the "enormity of the complications they cause can be appreciated only when one considers that the subtle blows are…