AA #3702 Culture and Climate:  Addressing Racism in Schools

ACADEMY DESCRIPTION: 
A 3-part webinar series exploring racism, which is typically an "elephant" in the room. It stems from individuals being oblivious to a background outside of their own.  This affects the climate of the school, which becomes expressed in various ways, including discipline issues, teacher strife, and even a lack of pedagogical advances. With the current world climate and the stagnate achievement gap, addressing racism through cultural awareness is important to make all school stakeholders feel welcome.  This is especially true as we mover our teaching and learning online.  Who are the underrepresented populations and how can we reach them in these high-tech times?  The outcome of the course is to understand the importance of  promoting equal learning opportunities; addressing the racial issues in schools; and learning innovative, effective approaches that will benefit not just the school, but the community as a whole. Each of the three weeks will have a reading and/or writing assignment followed by an one-hour webinar/mastermind session with Kiera Vargas. Participation in each of the three webinars is required for Administrator Academy credits.  $199

INSTRUCTOR:  
Kiera Vargas, JD, MLIS, MEd. Kiera is an educator, lawyer, and mentor who realizes that one of the key components in life is to love.  She has taught grades from K-12- college seniors. She has taught in North Carolina, she was the 2019 Teacher of the Year for Madison Florida, and she recently taught for a Department of Defense Education Activity School.  Currently she also conducts professional development for a novel company (www.epifhanyshappen.com) that she created centering on exposing students and assisting educators from less diverse backgrounds with understanding the importance of climate and culture in the school house. She is currently teaching at Tennessee State University and working on the desegregation resolution regarding Brown v. Topeka Board of Education with the American Bar Association's Education Committee of the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice.

FALL 2020 ACADEMY DATES/TIMES:
Webinar #1 - TBD
Webinar #2 - TBD
 Webinar #3 - TBD
Wednesday, June 10  - Action & Dissemination due
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*TeachIllinois reserves the right to cancel or reschedule if the minimum number of participants is not achieved.  No refunds for missed webinars if the course starts and you miss a session. Webinars will NOT be recorded. Minimum class size = 10; Maximum = 15.

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