Improving Student Access to Empowering, Rigorous Content Webinar Series
Empowering our nation’s students to become well-rounded individuals — equipped to navigate the complexities of our world, contribute to an inclusive society, and achieve their own biggest dreams — starts in the classroom. The books our students read, the curriculum and corresponding instruction, and the rigor of the content all play a crucial role in laying a foundation for students’ future success.
To help advocates improve access to a high-quality and culturally relevant curriculum, materials, coursework, and class offerings, The Education Trust hosted a series of webinars to discuss why empowering, rigorous content is a key component in the fight for resource equity — and provided attendees with new resources to use in their own policy and advocacy work.
Embedding Equity in Middle School Advanced Coursework to Foster STEM Identities
Middle school is a crucial time for students to develop college and career aspirations. In this session, we shared Ed Trust’s recent findings on advanced coursework in middle school, including how to foster STEM identities for Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds. Attendees also heard from community and district leaders in Maryland about their STEM makerspace program, which is one of the largest in the region.
Leveraging High-Quality Instructional Materials to Accelerate Student Learning
Expanding access to high-quality, standards-aligned curricular materials can significantly improve student outcomes, especially when teachers have the professional learning opportunities they need to make the most of those materials. In this webinar, participants heard from Tennessee SCORE and district leaders in Tennessee in the LIFT Network, as they shared core insights with the group, reflected on their successes and lessons learned, and passed along advice on building the capacity of teachers and leaders to deliver standards-aligned literacy instruction and improve literacy outcomes in their district.
Analyzing Representational Balance in Language Arts Curricula
Authentic, uplifting representation that captures the diversity of cultures in our nation’s classrooms helps create affirming environments and ignite learning. In this session, participants learned about a new Ed Trust report on curriculum representation and heard strategies for integrating book reviews into a broader approach to curriculum change within a local context. Participants also learned to use the report’s accompanying tool to analyze the quality and the representation of people, groups, and topics in the books kids read.
