Our Commitment to DEI at BetterLesson
An excellent education for all is the cornerstone of an equitable society. BetterLesson is committed to pursuing diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work with educators and school systems as well as within our company. We are committed to helping educators develop cultural competence so they are better prepared to design and sustain equitable learning environments that equip all students to succeed. We are equally committed to fiercely pursuing an equitable and inclusive company by continuously developing our own critical consciousness, examining and confronting our individual biases, and building those values and skills into our team culture, practices, and policies.
Our Growth Path in DEI
We all have many parts to our identities – race, ethnicity, gender identity/expression, language, social class, age, ability, religion, and more. We may experience privileges and advantages or marginalization and disadvantage due to different aspects of our identities. At BetterLesson, we work to develop and sustain our awareness of the intersectional nature of our identities as well as how systemic injustice has impacted our society.? We learn about and act to correct over or under representation or barriers to resources and opportunities. We are committed to a redistribution of power between the advantaged and the marginalized. We engage in this work through Friday discussions, racial equity training, and holding ourselves accountable to continuous growth and development along a diversity, equity, and inclusion continuum as we move toward anti-bias, anti-racist mindsets, decisions, and practices.
Friday Discussion Groups: (Some of) What We're Reading and Watching Together
Deepening Our Learning
BetterLesson has committed to providing every member of our team with racial equity learning experiences. So far, nearly half of our staff have participated in the Racial Equity Institute‘s (REI) two-day Phase I workshop, REI’s virtual session about The Groundwater Approach, or Point Made Learning’s Look Deeper: Race digital course to explore race and racism. These learning experiences offer important frameworks and perspectives about the systemic nature of racial inequities.
Our Work in Action
We support educators in their DEI growth by offering Virtual Workshops and coaching, and by sharing actionable instructional strategies created by experienced educators.
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Strategies
Culture is central to learning- it informs how students communicate, think, learn, and interact. In our Library, BetterLesson shares a wealth of free instructional strategies to help teachers create responsive and inclusive learning environments for all students.
Culturally Responsive Teaching and Learning Master Teacher Project
Launched in 2019 with support from The Kauffman Foundation, this project provided professional learning for 21 Kansas City-area educators to write CRTL instructional strategies based on their experience and research. The goal is to provide actionable resources for educators across the country to build inclusive learning environments.
Social Justice and CRTL Virtual Workshops
BetterLesson’s virtual workshops are highly collaborative opportunities for educators to dive deeply into a topic and create action plans. We offer virtual workshops where educators can discuss issues of race/racism in a safe space, reflect on their own biases to better support all learners, and design systems that create equity instead of perpetuating systemic racism.
Racial Equity Webinar
In Looking Upstream: Unpacking the History of Racial Inequities in Education, BetterLesson’s Afrika Afeni Mills and Chloe Davis-Carden explore historical facts and root cause analysis related to systemic racism in schools.
From the BetterLesson Blog
What Do You Mean When You Say “Those Kids Don’t Want to Learn?”
A veteran teacher’s perspective on creating a classroom that engages students and meets their needs.
Classroom Management Reconsidered
When are classroom rules helpful, and when are they barriers to student success?
To Improve Equity in Your School, Try Shared Leadership
Distributed leadership means sharing power with staff. Shared leadership means building a school community with students, parents, teachers and leaders.
Distance Learning: How One Teacher Engaged K-2 Students with Disabilities
Teachers can make distance learning student-centered for students with a range of needs.
Teaching Math isn’t Just About Numbers. It’s About Us.
Math is rooted in our diverse histories, cultures, and experiences. Students engage when they’re honored.
Connect With Us
We love to connect with fellow travelers in their racial equity journey and co-conspirators in anti-racist education. Please feel free to reach out with questions, review our Virtual Workshop and coaching options, or apply for our open positions.