Courageous Conversations About Race: A Field Guide For Achieving Equity In Schools

"Glenn Singleton and Curtis Linton have offered us an important book that provides us with empirical data and well-constructed exercises to help us think through the ways that race affects our lives and our professional practices. My sincere desire is that after you have had an opportunity to read this volume you will, indeed, engage in some courageous conversations about race." -Gloria Ladson-Billings, Professor University of Wisconsin-Madison Author, The Dreamkeepers ." . . challenges educators to talk in honest and open ways about race and provides various tools to stimulate and inform the conversation. Singleton and Linton remind us that the achievement gap will not be eliminated until we learn to talk about race in ways that build bridges of understanding that lead to effective action." -Dennis Sparks, Executive Director National Staff Development Council Deepen your understanding of racial factors in academic performance and discover new strategies for closing the achievement gap Educators are acutely aware of the statistical gaps in achievement between different racial groups. Considering the rapidly changing racial composition of student populations, how can educators reach a level of cultural proficiency necessary to eliminate this disparity? Examining the achievement gap through the prism of race, this comprehensive text explains the need for candid, courageous conversations about race so that educators may understand why performance inequity persists, and learn how they can develop a curriculum that promotes true academic parity. To help guide policy analysis and instructional reform, the authors present a systemwide plan for transforming schools and districts. Practicalfeatures of this book include: Implementation exercises Prompts, language, and tools that support profound discussion Activities and checklists for administrators Action steps for creating an equity team

Only when educators have established both a language and a process for addressing the intersection of race and achievement, will they be able to restructure their schools in ways which improve student performance and fulfill the promise that every child has a right to learn regardless of their race, culture, or class. See Facilitator's Guide to Courageous Conversations About Race