Revising Curriculum With the DEI Lens Tool – A Collectivist Approach

In Jerard Walker’s essay, Dragon Slayers (The Iowa Review, 2006), Walker reflects on his journey as a black professor who realizes that black literature is too often approached as a record of oppression. After deep introspection, he designed his classes to challenge that narrative with a focus on the flip side: black courage and heroism. … Continued

Want to Build Better Writers? Help Students Find Their Own Voice

There were six magic words. Six words that signaled Amani, a student in Ebony’s 5th grade class, was preparing to get laser-focused. “Ms. Lawhorn, can you check this?” When Ebony was in middle school, she remembers struggling to start writing assignments—not knowing the strength of her own voice, or even if she had one. As … Continued