Socially Just Education

University of Denver

Center for Community Engagement to advance Scholarship and Learning (CCESL)

Our course focuses on education inequities in the K12 system, though students are able to select any issue that is relevant to them and their community. The past two years, students have sought to address youth gun violence, student mental health, and this year they are wanting to address school safety / violence. The proposals that students put forth the past couple of years have fallen into "institutional arrangement" vs. policy categories, strictly speaking (advocating for a class/training, advocating for a mental health space), and we will see what the class wants to work on this year.

I have taught/supported/facilitated this class for three years in different roles. This has included direct, collaborative planning and instruction with students over an academic year, high-level syllabus collaborative planning with a DMLK instructor, and advisory training and support of DU students in collaboration with DMLK students and the DMLK instructor. Some important insights that come to mind from my experiences include the following: critical awareness of students and their educational context; building authentic relationships and trust with students; encouraging student reflection and relevant meaning-making; encouraging democratic and/or consensus decision-making with students; centering youth's experiences and ideas; talking about racism and other dynamics of oppression; encouraging critical and focused problem analysis and an understanding of one's context; supporting strategic thinking and strategic solutions and plans; engaging with community members and the importance of relationships; the need to build power; adultism dynamics; supporting rigorous and authentic teamwork/committee work; timeline and capacity challenges; and the power and impact that come from taking action together and using one's voice. Our curriculum's historical approach has taken more of a consensus organizing approach (historically connected to Public Achievement), so there is not much guidance on campaigns or more conflict-oriented approaches, especially in a class context. Therefore, I am interested in learning more about campaigns and how to support them in a class context.

What interests me about participating in this course development program is that the program is designed to support the teaching of social action in a school context (i.e., a class). This is precisely the work that I undertake in collaboration with DU students, DMLK students, and a DMLK instructor. Therefore, I am interested in learning about planning, frameworks, pedagogical approaches, timing and assignment considerations, and assessment of social action that is done via a class. I am particularly interested in learning how to address timeline challenges and scaffolding challenges when running on an academic calendar, how to support authentic social action and learning in a more artificial, compulsory context than free organizing (i.e., a class in which students receive grades), and how to best address concerns from power-holders about conflict that accompany social action approaches. I have been doing a lot of translating of social action / public work concepts and practices to the classroom context, but I am interested in learning about social action teaching that is built for/from the classroom.

I was made aware through a class announcement in a graduate higher education class I took. I believe an alumnus was aware of the institute and informed the professor, who then informed the class.

It is currently being taught this year, and I anticipate it being taught yearly.

mid-Jan, ‘24: sent email