The NYC CRSE definition we developed was done for, with, and by the communities of NYC. It was eventually adopted by the NYC Department of Education. This definition builds on the New York State CRSE Framework, which takes an in-depth look at the political and pedagogical implications of this work, informed by scholars past and present who cultivated the language we use today. Our team found it necessary to reframe this work for the city with the largest public school system in the country, full of the promise and energy all of our children deserved. We laid the expertise bare in the experiences of the students, parents, and educators we asked to inform our succinct yet profound statement of education justice in our schools. This guide is for those wanting to facilitate and expand the work of CRSE in their schools, classrooms, and beyond. When we first endeavored on creating this guide, we had two important and interwoven questions to answer:
- What can we do to hold our schools and institutions accountable to the CRSE definition?
- What will we do if our schools and institutions don’t respond in kind to our efforts?
This guide, our byproduct, attempts to answer these critical questions. We envisioned this as veteran educators continually seeking community with colleagues, parents, students, and communities ready to see education justice come to the fore in our policies and practice. This isn’t just a guide, but a documentation of the connective tissue between those of us who speak a similar language about the work. We do this by laying out resources that helped form our zeitgeist, supporting people who want to do this work, and creating a cohesive professional development experience that’s both scalable and malleable to the local contexts of our schools.
This guide was created by members of the NYC Culturally Responsive Education Working Group: Joyce Smith, Jodi Friedman, José Luis Vilson, Huiying B. Chan.
If you are looking to expand your network of passionate educators and stakeholders engaged in the work towards racial justice, know that you are not alone, consider connecting with and supporting the organizations listed below. We stand in solidarity with these and the many others across our city fighting for the liberation of communities of color. If you benefit from this facilitator’s guide, we encourage you and your group to make a financial donation to one of these organizations:
- NYC Coalition for Educational Justice
- Alliance for Quality Education
- EduColor
- Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools
- The NY Immigration Coalition
For further questions, further training and professional development opportunities, you can contact: nyu-ejroc@nyu.edu.
