How can students, their families, and their teachers all work together towards common educational goals?

Teachers want the best for their students, and a student’s family wants the best for them too. But what “best” looks like can be different for everyone. A student’s social identity and family context will have a significant impact on how they and their family define success at school. It is crucial for teachers to be aware of their own social identities, those of their students, and how these various identities might intersect, in order to understand what success might look like for each child in their classroom.

Exploring various aspects of social identity – including gender identity, race, ability and disability, and socioeconomic status– this book tackles the question of how teachers can work together with their students, as well as how social identity will inform various kinds of advocacy from parents, carers, and family. Vital reading for teachers and educators in practice and in training, this book features suggested discussion questions, practical extension activities, and real-life case studies from the context of K-12 schools in the US.

0: Introduction
1: Race and ethnicity
2: Ability
3: Gender identity
4: High socioeconomic status
5: Conclusion

Liz Dempsey Lee PhD is an educator, consultant, and writer. Her field of expertise is in the interactions among and between families, schools, and communities, and how the concept of equity relates to those interactions. She strongly believes that equity is central to creating just schools, organizations, and communities, and through her company LizDempseyLee Consulting, she works with parents, students, schools, and organizations towards that goal.

For more about this book, you are cordially invited to the next seminar in our Topics in Education Studies series: From “My Child” to “Our Children” – Fostering Positive Family Advocacy as a Path to Educational Equity

This free seminar is a conversation between author Liz Dempsey Lee and Janise Hurtig, Lived Places Publishing Collection Editor. They will discuss how recognizing and addressing family advocacy is critical to creating educational equity. They’ll also explore how conflict is a normal and expected byproduct of the family-school relationship and how demystifying and educating families around effective advocacy can build relationships and move educational communities from a focus on “my child” to a focus on “our children.”

Join us: Thursday April 25, 2024 at 12-1 pm ET >> REGISTER HERE

THIS SESSION IS FREE AND OPEN TO ALL WHO WISH TO ATTEND