Teachable Moment: CT Dept Of Ed Addresses George Floyd Death

CONNECTICUT —The state Department of Education has assembled numerous written resources, and is curating a number of online seminars, in the hopes of transforming the unrest following the death of George Floyd into a "teachable moment" for the state's youth.

Floyd was a black man who was killed while in the custody of the Minneapolis police on Memorial Day. His death has triggered protests across the U.S. and Europe, and rekindled a nationwide conversation about modern race relations.

In an email to teachers, students and parents, Miguel A. Cardona, Connecticut's commissioner of education, provides "insights and strategies to help engage in a dialogue about racism, hate, violence, and other tragic events." The list (below) includes scholarly works, pedagogical tools and a calendar of upcoming online seminars focused primarily on racial justice.

"If we are to prepare our students to become productive members of a diverse society who embrace diversity and foster school communities in which all members feel valued, respected and safe, remaining silent on these current events is not an option," Cardona said.

The resources and seminars are designed to help students make sense of "the emotions that incidents of racism and violence, and the consequences, evoke," according to the email.

"As we find the academic year drawing to a close, we at the Connecticut State Department of Education feel a very real sense of urgency to make sure our educators and families are supported and have the necessary tools needed to have these conversations and promote anti-racist learning environments," Cardona said.

The commissioner said that adults and educators "must be proactive about making this a teachable moment" by addressing issues of racism and inequity head-on.

"It starts with ensuring children and teenagers know their schools are safe places to learn and grow," Cardona said. "It involves providing age-appropriate information to allow them to cope with and form an understanding of upsetting current events as well as asking what they may understand already about the situation and, just as importantly, listening to their perspectives."

Written Materials

• Teaching Tolerance – Tolerance.org, Race & Ethnicity
• “Avoiding Racial Equity Detours” - Paul Gorski, EdChange
• “The Critical Work of Racial Identity Development” - Dr. Daren Graves presentation to CSDE
• State Education Resource Center’s (SERC) “Equity in Education: A Transformational Approach to Teaching and Learning”
• The National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement developed a guide -- Talking to Kids about Tragedies (Such as Shootings and Terror Attacks) in the News – which helps explain for parents and guardians the importance of discussing the event with children and helps inform parents of common questions children ask in the aftermath of tragic events.
• Compilation of Racial Identity Models - Racial Equity Tools
• “A look at Implicit Bias and Microaggressions” – Todd Finley, Edutopia
• Association of Middle Level Instruction and Microaggressions in the Classroom – Rick Wormeli, AMLE
• “How White Parents Can Use Media to Raise Anti-Racist Kids” - Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media
• The National Education Association (NEA) has several online resources for teachers, students and parents to help engage in a dialogue about racism, hate and violence which can be accessed and found on NEA’s website here.
• Resources for Addressing Trauma, Violence, and Grief is a compendium produced by CSDE staff. Please consult this guide for links to additional resources.

Racial Equity Online Discussions

On the following Thursdays from 4:30–5:30 p.m., participants in these facilitated online discussions will have the opportunity to share their perspectives around a specific topic.

• June 4 - Our Youth Speak: COVID-19 Virtual Learning. Register Here.
• June 11 - COVID-19 and Anti-Asian Racism: Supporting Asian Students, Families, and Educators. Register Here.
• June 18 - Distance Learning and Family Engagement: The Perspective of Communities of Color. Register Here.
• June 25 - Mental Health and Racial Equity. Register Here.
• CSDE Leadership Webinar: "Schooling For Critical Consciousness: Engaging Black and Latinx Youth in Analyzing, Navigating, and Challenging Racial Injustice;" Tuesday, June 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon. Register Here.