Even as we find time to relax, summer also brings opportunities for teaching and learning. Here’s what I’m up to:

Foundational Perspectives on Education Reform (graduate course at the University of Michigan School of Education)

This course critically examines education reform efforts, from Common Core to charter schools. The course is rooted in the principles of social justice and democratic education: equal opportuity, human dignity, and a teacher’s ethical responsibilities to challenge injustices that hold kids back.

We go beyond surface analysis to unearth the beliefs and values that are embedded in schooling and examine ways they manifest in school structures, policies, governance, and classroom instruction. The readings span a range of ideologies and philosophies, from John Lewis, Paul Gorski, Bettina Love, and Michael Apple to Chubb and Moe and Ruby Payne. We also look at primary source documents including excerpts from legislation and seminal works such as A Nation at Risk.

You can also catch me at the conferences below:

I’ll be providing a (virtual) orientation to my book, Reframing the Curriculum at Dallas County College’s Conference Day. The session will help prepare faculty to participate in professional development workshops based on the book. These workshops, focused on creating a course ‘makeover’, are delivered facilitated in-house by faculty who attended my Facilitator Training program. Interested in bringing the programming to your institution? Contact me and let’s talk.

June 28th: Green Schools Conference

I’m pleased to speak during a Thought Leadership session, “From Eco-Anxiety to Radical Healing: A Path Towards Environmental Justice.” Here’s a preview:

Eco-anxiety—persistent worry about the declining state of the environment—is increasingly recognized as one factor contributing to the spike in mental health concerns among youth. Yet not all populations and communities are equally impacted by crises such as climate change, amplifying mental stress among those who disproportionately bear the burdens—typically low-income communities of color. This session will examine eco-anxiety as a form of environmental injustice and introduce a model for healing at the community level through critical consciousness, social-emotional skills, and more.

At this global, virtual conference, I’ll be speaking on the panel titled "Responding To Climate Change And Sustainability In Education.") Together with colleagues from multiple countries, the panel these questions.

1. What are successful examples for the integration of sustainability into teacher education and leadership?

2. How can transitional forms of education for sustainability best be designed, organized, supported and evaluated?

3. What are the barriers and drivers for educators and academics in integrating sustainable education?

4. What are the steps that need to be taken with implications of a more ecological/sustainable approach to teaching and learning for teacher training and professional development?