The purpose of this study is to explore how teachers using culturally responsive instructional practices negotiate a high-stakes testing environment (HSTE). Culturally responsive pedagogy, an asset-based approach to improving student outcomes for marginalized students of color, has been established as an effective means of closing the 'opportunity…

The Zeitgeist of our time calls on social workers and the social work profession to reconsider the ways in which we practice, teach, and learn. The COVID-19 pandemic and the 2021 reawakening of the racial and social justice movements profoundly influence how social workers approach the directive from our accrediting body (CSWE) calling on us to…

The authors enter this conversation on equity, inclusion, and belonging in early care and education with abolition and ethnic studies as necessary standpoints that must be embodied to build what the world can and should be for its youngest inhabitants. Early care and education systems have been marked by damaging practices, pathologizing…

This volume explores mindfulness and other contemplative approaches as strategic tools for cultivating anti-oppressive pedagogies in higher education. Research confirms that simply providing students with evidence and narratives of economic, social, and environmental injustices proves insufficient in developing awareness and eliciting responses of…

This article aims to deepen understanding of the assets within working-class academics (WCA). It is organised into three themes: 1) Class Solidarity, 2) Supporting Students, and 3) A WCA Pedagogy. Within Class Solidarity, the study reveals class unity demonstrated through shared experiences and joint efforts in creating spaces for working-class…

In this plenary discussion, Dr. Chao presents his research framework and reflections from engaging in Digital Mathematics Storytelling within Black, Asian American, and Asian American communities in multiple countries. The framework, based heavily around storytelling, counter-storytelling, and Critical Race Theory, has been employed as a workshop…

In this article I discuss the ways in which writing poetry and reflecting on its meanings may be a valuable tool for promoting an educator's reflexivity surrounding issues of reconciliation. As Canada embarks on the work of healing the difficulties its colonial past has caused its original inhabitants (i.e. Indigenous peoples), educators must…

Learn how to cultivate a commitment to justice with young children in developmentally appropriate ways (pre-K-grade 6). Transformative social and emotional learning (TSEL) is an asset-based, culturally responsive way of teaching that sees social and emotional learning and social justice as inextricably linked. This practical guide will support…

Recent research points to the importance of teacher educators teaching "for" diversity in initial teacher education programmes. Teaching "for" diversity is an approach to teacher education in which an understanding of specialist literature and a focus on critical thinking supports a social justice agenda as opposed to merely…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is a crucial part of student wellness and academic achievement, but teachers' own SEL is often overlooked. This qualitative study examines educators' perceptions of their own university-level teacher preparation programs to better understand the ways in which teacher educators can support pre-service teachers'…

Transformative social and emotional learning (Jagers et al., 2019), a form of social-emotional learning (SEL) specifically focused on equity, is an important part of student overall well-being and success. However, there is limited research on how to effectively prepare teachers to bring SEL to their classrooms, especially SEL grounded in social…

This book provides concrete examples of humanizing collectivist critical pedagogy, which creates a learning space with students, values their mutual-agency, and invites them to play a leading role in remaking higher education. It redefines student success to include an understanding of positionality, macro social structures, and agency. Each class…

Language teacher identity (LTI) has become an increasingly central focus in language teaching recently, perhaps because identity is now defined as multiple, complex, shifting, socially constructed, and a site of struggle (Norton, 2013; Song, 2016)--and thus a construct that can and should be intentionally influenced (Varghese, Motha, Park, Reeves,…

This new conceptualization of youth success draws from more than 180 sources and makes an argument for new definitions to propel practice and policy that addresses educational and racial equity. The paper: (1) Introduces a formula and a rationale for addressing thriving, equity, and learning and development together that helps us better focus on…

The adult learner population attending higher education has been on the rise for decades and is continuing to exceed expectations in regards to enrollments. However, today's higher education institutions still cater to traditional age learners when creating and delivering curricula. By incorporating social justice courses into the curriculum,…