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IN THIS ISSUE

Table of Contents

Letter from the President: Connecting the Dots

Notes on the Right: The Enduring Importance of Strategy

EJS December 8 Fundraiser Features Harriet Tubman Jazz Oratorio

Vote Yes on 89: 'Clean Money' Initiative

First California, Now Michigan: Putting Race up for a Vote

Supreme Court to Revisit Brown v. Board in School Cases

EJS, CTA Look at Unconscious Bias in Schools

U.N. Committee Criticizes Racism in U.S.

New Voting Rights Act Under Attack

A First Look at the Roberts Court

Latina/o Law Student Symposium

Foundations Support EJS Efforts to Balance Racial Justice Debate

Farewell from our Irmas Fellow

Staff News and Notes

Newsletter Editors:
Elaine Elinson
Miguel Gavaldón

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EJS and CTA Travel Country Sharing Strategies to Address Unconscious Bias in School Communities

By Kimberly Thomas Rapp

This summer, EJS and its partner, California Teachers Association (CTA), hit the road calling attention to the impact of unconscious bias on student learning.  After completing the first phase of our pilot project in Davis, California with the Davis Joint Unified School District in the spring (see article in our Summer 2006 newsletter), news of this innovative project traveled quickly throughout California and across the country.  Representatives from Washington, D.C., Texas, Georgia, Colorado and Virginia are enthusiastic about bringing strategies to address the negative impact of subconscious bias to their public school communities.

In July, representatives from CTA and EJS traveled to Washington, D.C. for the National Education Association (NEA) Quality School Systems Special Projects Training.  The training featured representatives from Texas, California and Georgia presenting new strategies to address the achievement gap among students in their states.  

 “By working to eliminate unconscious bias, we are encouraging healthy and successful public school systems,” explained Dr. James Thrasher, Assistant Executive Director of CTA.  Thrasher, who oversees CTA’s Human Rights Department and CTA consultant Rowena Russo, presented effective strategies employed in California during the training.   “A healthy and successful public school system includes empowering members of the school community as effective agents of positive change,” he emphasized. 

EJS President Eva Paterson told the group, “The reinvigorated momentum towards educational and life success for all children is building nationwide.”

The trainers from Georgia included representatives from the Georgia Association of Educators, East Augusta Middle School and the Augusta-Richmond County Community Partnership for Children and Families, Inc.  Dr. Verma L. Curtis, Principal of East Augusta Middle School, explained that their strategies sought to “increase parental involvement at school and create shared responsibility among teachers, staff and parents to improve education and learning at school.”

Wanda Huckaby, Principal at Comstock Middle School in Dallas, Texas spoke of her district’s efforts to “increase attendance, increase test scores, lower the dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate” of students.  Other trainers from Texas included representatives from the Texas State Teachers Association, NEA-Dallas, and H. Grady Spruce High School.

In August, EJS joined CTA speakers at the Modesto Teachers Association’s annual Board of Directors Conference in South Lake Tahoe at the invitation of Barney Hale, Executive Director of MTA.  Again, the focus was to explain unconscious bias, its implications in the classroom, and the status of the CTA/EJS pilot project initiated in Davis.

The final trip of the summer was to Denver, Colorado where the EJS and CTA team  participated in an Emerging Issues Roundtable sponsored by NEA.  This convening sought to bring together practitioners, researchers and visionary leaders from across the country to address emerging issues impacting the future of quality schooling practices. 

The EJS and CTA speakers highlighted unconscious bias as one of the emerging priorities for educators between now and 2010.  “Addressing unconscious bias is one of the best ways we can prepare to effectively promote 21^st century learning skills and leverage new opportunities to create the most effective public school system for all students,” Dr. Thrasher stated.

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