Last month, I had the opportunity to take part in racial equity training hosted by IPS in partnership with the Racial Equity Institute. This two-day training equips businesses and organizations with the tools needed to understand structural racism and its cultural and historic roots. I was blown away by the wealth of knowledge I received….
Diverse books are important. They allow children of color to see themselves represented in literature, and they help all students see the world from new perspectives. Historically, the majority of the books touted as “classic books” or canonical works of literature have been written by white people. Some of these books normalize racism, sexisim, and…
As schools prepare to reopen in the fall, parents are grappling with what’s best for their children in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Despite various local school districts requiring masks and promising to keep children a few feet apart, Indiana parents are divided on if reopening schools is the best option. Some families feel…
Education is often hailed as a great equalizer. We teach children that good grades lead to good jobs, which in a just and equitable world would give all students access to opportunities. However, we often fail to acknowledge that prejudice, inequality, and racism doesn’t disappear when the school bell rings. Black students often face systematic…
Behind every teacher, there are instructional assistants, cafeteria workers, custodians, and other classified staff members working diligently to keep schools running smoothly. In a typical public school, non-teachers comprise almost half of the workforce. While teachers and certified staff are typically paid on salary, classified staff are generally paid hourly when school is in session….
When Indianapolis Public Schools teacher Tamika Manson returned to work after a trip to Canada, she could sense something was off. “I was refreshed, recharged, and ready to go. I walked in the door and headed to our staff meeting, but the faces I saw were really sad and defeated.” At that meeting, Manson learned…
More than 150 young people gathered at Georgetown Cinemas on Jan. 24, but they were not lining up to see the latest Marvel flick. Derris “Dee” Ross, the founder of the Ross Foundation, rented the theater for a screening and discussion of “Just Mercy.” The award-winning film tells the heartbreaking true story of an inmate…
For prior generations, earning a bachelor’s degree was seen as an opportunity to obtain financial stability and break cycles of poverty. As the national student loan debt rises beyond $1.5 trillion, Americans are starting to question if college could have the opposite effect. Here’s what local educators have to say about the cost of college….