Course Description
Over the last year Critical Race Theory (or what some folx mistakenly label as Critical Race Theory) has been at the center of a national debate on education, culture, and politics. These attacks are the latest iteration of the political Right’s long established strategy of preventing efforts to provide historically accurate information about US slavery, racism, and the contributions of Black and Brown folx in the formulation of this country. In this self-paced course you’ll learn what Critical Race Theory is (and is not), why it is under attack, the political landscape of these attacks and how they attacks relate to current New Jersey education policy and policymaking, as well as strategies for organizing against these attacks and for greater educational justice.
Course Outline
Module 1: What is CRT?
- What are the origins of CRT?
- What is the permanence of racism? What is interest convergence?
- What is counter-storytelling? What is whiteness as property?
- What is critique of liberalism / race as a social construct? What is intersectionality?
- How is CRT related to radical pedagogies?
Module 2: Why is CRT under attack?
- Are CRT attacks new?
- What is the current educational political landscape in the US?
- How are national politics showing up in NJ?
Module 3: What are the curricular policies in NJ?
- What is the policymaking process in NJ?
- What is the Amistad act?
- What is the LGBTQ+ and disability act?
- What is the Diversity Inclusion act?
- What is the AAPI act?
- What oppositional/anti-CRT bills have been introduced in NJ?
Module 4: How can we organize for educational justice?
- What are the sites of struggle for educators?
- What is creative insubordination?
- How do I organize in my community?
Additional Course Features
Access for 16 Weeks
Earn PD Hours
Self-paced program, with no set meeting time
Purchase orders accepted
Closed captions on all videos and descriptive text for all images
Pay what you can option (Coupon Codes: SlidingScale75off, SlidingScale50off, or SlidingScale25off)
Workshop Overview document that you can refer back to after workshop access has ended.
Access to the Radical Pedagogy Institute Facebook group to continue learning and supporting individuals during and after the series.
Testimonials
What Members Are Saying
“As educators, we need to question longstanding practices both within our own classrooms & in our schools more broadly. The Radical Pedagogy Institute gives educators language & frameworks to use to make systemic inequities visible & to raise the questions necessary to start dismantling inequitable practices & policies…I’ve re-conceived of my central role as an educator. I see a lot of value in Dr. Awo Okaikor Aryee-Price’s idea that being an educator is about being a healer.”
Shannon Faulkner, NJ High School ELA Teacher
“I have found a new series of lenses to evaluate my successes & failures in the classroom, as well as a range of ideas of what I could do better to create something joyful & authentic for students…Without space like this, it is alienating & isolating to hold a love of education & the joy it can bring while being fundamentally dissatisfied with the institutions which uphold the status quo. Studying & practicing alternatives allows us to envision & then try to create something better, rather than to leave the field.”
Jessica Vavrek, MD Middle School Science Teacher
“As a previous K – 6 educator & current Program Coordinator, I have enjoyed the opportunities to connect & learn from educators who are also committed to critical pedagogies & their implementation in our classrooms &/or other settings. Professional Development sessions are interactive & create spaces for engagement with other attendees. I especially appreciate Radical Pedagogy Institute’s focus on organizing & taking action….As we expand our understanding of critical pedagogies & how to implement them in our educational contexts, we can feel isolated, uncertain & even fearful. Spaces that encourage growth, accountability, support & action are rare. Radical Pedagogy Institute is one of those rare spaces.”
Jessica Hunsdon, NJ Education Program Coordinator
“Being a part of RPI has helped me grow in awareness of just how important it is to keep my students’ diverse identities at the center of my curriculum & instruction. A significant proportion of my students identify as LGBTQ+ or are passionate about LGBTQ+ issues. Participating in RPI events & conversations has been instrumental in my creation of spaces that affirm & honor my students’ ways of knowing & being.”