Registration now open for free Summer Educational Institute at Wright State

A free Summer Educational Equity Institute, hosted by Wright State University’s Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences, is open to all school workers and teacher candidates in the region.

Tracey Kramer, director of the Office of Partnerships and Field Experiences, said that the institute offers opportunities for educators, future educators and P–16 school personnel to learn from area experts and one another.

“Raising awareness about equity issues in our schools and learning how we can better address these issues to support our learners is critical to creating inclusive school communities and safe learning environments,” Kramer said.

The program, which is co-sponsored by Sinclair Community College’s Education Department, runs from June 13 to June 30. Sessions will be held at Wright State or online.

The Summer Educational Equity Institute is funded by a grant from the Ohio Department of Education to address the underrepresentation of teachers of color.

Institute organizer, Christa Preston Agiro, Ph.D., professor of integrated language arts in Wright State’s School of Education and Leadership, said that the irony of desegregation is that most teachers of color lost their jobs and students of color were integrated into white classrooms and schools with white teachers. This resulted in a lack of exposure to adults of color, leaving all students underdeveloped but having an even more significant impact on students of color.

“Our grant is working to recruit and retain teachers of color in schools. But part of retaining teachers of color is making schools a more welcoming place that is inclusive of and that celebrates all kinds of cultures coexisting,” Agiro said.

Get more information or register for any of the sessions by clicking on the links below.

Registration for all sessions will remain open until they are filled, up to the day of class.

Summer Educational Equity sessions

Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices: June 13, 10 a.m.–noon, 166 Rike Hall
Participants will study and develop an understanding of how to create a class and schoolwide community equity model grounded in the framework of culturally responsive teaching while working in professional learning communities.

Life is a Circle: Cultural Humility Practice: June 14, 1–4 p.m., 166 Rike Hall
In this experiential workshop, participants will explore and practice cultural humility through storytelling, reflection and listening in a restorative circle.

Visible & Resilient in Community and Self: Intentioned Prevention Ed and Supports of/with Q+ Youth and Allies: June 15, 9 a.m.–noon, Room 166 Rike Hall
This workshop will explore why LGBTQ+ youth need educators to be aware, informed and capable of support.

Bridging the Gap Between Preschool and College: Creating Black Boy Friendly Classrooms: June 17, 9 a.m.–noon, 166 Rike Hall
This discussion will introduce the current action steps being taken at the preschool level and how a continuation of this process can give Black boys a stronger foothold into K–12.

Race in Shakespeare’s Tragedies: June 20, 11 a.m.–noon, Virtual
This session will focus on the history of racial impersonation on Shakespearean stages, the culture’s representation of social outsiders, and the powerful dark/light dichotomy as a central trope that continues to inform our understanding of race today.

Trauma Informed Care Strategies: June 21, 7–8 p.m., Virtual
This personalized training focuses on strategies educators can use to support students who have experienced trauma.

Growing Inclusive Excellence in You and Your Learning Community: Case Study-Mason City Schools: June 22, 1–3 p.m., 166 Rike Hall
Participants will learn about the Inclusive Excellence Journey at Mason City Schools.

Cultural Humility: Why Equity Work is Never Done: June 23, noon–2 p.m., Virtual
This session will provide participants with the ability to identify barriers to cultural humility, what transformation can occur with this shift in perspective, and behaviors that can be implemented to affect change at the personal, professional and societal levels.

Educating Toward Critical Consciousness, Community Care, and Co-Conspiratorship: June 29, 4–6 p.m., 166 Rike Hall
This workshop will provide insight into the importance of framing education as a means of developing critical consciousness, engaging in strategies for community care and building a capacity to become co-conspirators with students and colleagues.

Authentic Developmental Relationships for Educational Success: June 30, noon–3 p.m., 166 Rike Hall
This multimedia content workshop will help participants build a community for all cultures in their educational environments by transitioning from transactional to authentic developmental relationships.