In less than 10 years, the term “woke” has been resurrected as shorthand for antiracist and social justice consciousness, appropriated to disparage liberalism, deployed to polarize and obscure dialogue about the urgency and relevance of DEI work in our communities, and misused to object to just about anything perceived as progressive. Increasingly challenged for being too woke or not woke enough, organizations are playing heavy defense, too often on someone else’s terms. At stake aren’t just equity and inclusion initiatives, but the promise of mission and core values, and the mutual safety, dignity, belonging and thriving of our communities. In discussion with each other, participants will:_x000D_ • Deepen understandings of “wokeness” and “anti-wokeness;” _x000D_ • Recognize how the “woke” v. “anti-woke” tug-of-war sets us up and prevents progress; and_x000D_ • Practice using the language of mission and core values to engage resistance to DEI, and clarify and own what their community stands for.
Let's talk about your organizational strategy for DEI. How you're building a culture grounded in your diversity, with equity and inclusion as the core design principles of your systems, structures, programs and everyday practices. With curiosity and accountability for realizing the... Read More →
The 3-part Degrees of Impact series is grounded in NNSP's signature summer programming that has successfully run for the past five summers. The series will guide educators in structuring or redesigning a comprehensive community engagement program. Each session builds on the last, offering a step-by-step approach to align mission and outcomes, repurpose existing programs, and integrate meaningful opportunities into the curriculum.
Part 3: Assessment, Reflection, and Curriculum Integration Discover how to assess the effectiveness of engagement programs, reflect on their impact, and incorporate these opportunities into your curriculum. Educators will explore methods for embedding social impact lessons into various subject areas and creating a sustainable framework for civic learning. Gain actionable strategies to ensure these programs enrich students' academic and personal growth.
Director of Innovation and Collaboration, The Hockaday School
Currently working on many public private partnerships in Dallas. Would love to talk about that or anything related to changing a city with the power of student voices!
This session focuses on the transformative power of service-learning in fostering civic engagement and community involvement among students in diverse educational settings, including charter, private, and independent schools. We will explore how service-learning can be a bridge for students from varied backgrounds, promoting equity and understanding. Attendees will learn innovative strategies for integrating service-learning into their curricula, regardless of school type, and see how these approaches can lead to increased student retention and engagement. Participants will leave with actionable insights and adaptable models that can be implemented in their unique contexts, creating empowered students ready to make a difference in their communities.
The 174-year-old Hill School is closely tied to Pottstown, Pa. – and, in 2014, a variety of factors led it to strengthen its connections to this “gritty” small city by creating Hobart’s Run, a comprehensive initiative to make Pottstown safer, cleaner, and more inclusive. Learn about this now 8-year-old, still-evolving neighborhood engagement project and how it has made a tangible, appreciated impact on our hometown while addressing School concerns such as Pottstown’s role in student and faculty recruitment and enhancing Hill’s community service culture.
Participants will discuss and learn more about the recent focus on "learning service" (versus service learning). In addition, I will share the details and outcomes of a recent large-scale event we organized here for 10th graders on the subject. This year we reimagined our annual 2-day service retreat for 10th graders into a 2-day focus on a specific social issue. 155 students were broken into 11 different groups focused on different social issues. Over their 2 days of their "microcourse" they engaged in both learning inside the classroom, service in the community, and conversations and meetings with local experts and nonprofit organizations. The outcome was multiple groups of a students who deepened their understanding of a complex social issue and made connections for future volunteer work.
Discover an innovative fellowship initiative powered by a dynamic partnership between Drew Charter’s Office of College and Career Readiness (CCR), its Early Learning Program, neighborhood early learning centers, and the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy. This collaborative "Grow Your Own Teacher" program bridges K-12 education with early childhood education, offering high school graduates a two-year, paid immersive experience in the field. It presents a unique, partner-driven model for workforce development in early learning.
This workshop will delve into how educators can effectively integrate community and civic engagement into the curriculum. Participants will explore systemic issues within their communities and how these can be woven into academic learning, fostering empathy and leadership among students.
As educators, our collective aim to prepare students to navigate a complex and polarized world, is more vital than ever. The fracturing of civil society across the nation and around the world underscores our duty to equip students with the skills they need to engage in respectful dialogue in order to promote equity, belonging and inclusivity. Recognizing this profound responsibility, this workshop empowers teachers and school leaders to advance civil discourse within their institutions. Formalizing a civil discourse statement fosters a collective commitment to the ideals it represents. It also encapsulates the essential work of schools and produces a roadmap that ultimately serves to ground programming across academics, advisories, co-curricular activities, athletics, and the arts._x000D_ _x000D_ This workshop invites participants to consider how they might lead their schools through the process of drafting a statement on civil discourse and provides suggestions for how to begin integrating it into academic and social programs. We will begin by exploring research by Cohen, Spencer, Brookfield, and Preskill, examining the crucial role of civil discourse education in safeguarding democracy, nurturing belonging, and promoting humanity. We'll share our school's journey in crafting a statement aligned with our mission to graduate students who “act knowledgeably, lead thoughtfully, share generously and contribute meaningfully.” Attendees will explore our methods for collecting and analyzing feedback from faculty in all three divisions, from administrators and senior leaders, members of the Board of Trustees and Parents Association, students, and staff members. They will examine how our collaborative process produced a statement that informs practices, policies and initiatives; shapes programming and instruction in academic classes and in social-emotional spaces; and further defines our identity, ethos and community interactions. We will demonstrate how we leveraged AI to synthesize large amounts of data to generate themes and patterns. Finally, we will offer practical examples of how schools can shift from drafting a statement to actualizing it in classrooms and in social-emotional learning spaces._x000D_ _x000D_ Through facilitated discussions and reflective exercises, participants will explore how to adapt the methods and frameworks to their own schools, drawing on their mission statements, visions and values. The workshop is designed to be adaptable, allowing participants to tailor the approach for specific divisions, departments, or a whole-school initiative. We welcome cohorts of cross-divisional school leaders and faculty seeking to partner with one another in pursuit of creating a statement on civil discourse.
I believe that my session could be successful as either an Engage Workshop or an Inspire Mini-Session. _x000D_ _x000D_ In this session I will discuss the concept of sustainable travel and how to combine service-learning and travel in a way that uplifts communities and prepares students for a meaningful experience that will inspire them to think deeper and take action. I will discuss the pre and post work necessary for non-harmful and meaningful service-learning travel and how you can "make global local" and use travel as a catalyst for creating civically engaged global citizens. _x000D_ _x000D_ As a mini-session on trips I have led or as a 45-min session I would use ~20 min to present and the remaining time I would lead participants through the planning and research process of an intentional service-learning trip.
As we set our sights on the 250th anniversary of our country in 2026, we are building support, programs, and vision for both digital and onsite connection to quality Civic Learning and Engagement for educators across the country. Learn and share with our team as we explore the future of the National Mall. After an overview of Beyond Granite, March On, and virtual classroom programs, join a facilitated session on how education leaders can envision Civic Learning and storytelling in 2026 and beyond in onsite and digital environments. The 2026 commemoration on the Mall will be an opportunity to elevate the stories that have gone untold. Participants will be able to provide feedback and insights from their schools that will inform the future of the Nation's 'front yard."
