We took a hiatus from blogging as we re-doubled our efforts to build our racial equity programming and our work on personalized learning and equity. As the 2018-19 school year is about to commence, we are excited to be back on our blog!

Watch this blog for new posts and follow the Creative Corridor Center for Equity’s Facebook page for important articles and happenings around eastern Iowa.

The West Wind Open House was a success! We enjoyed catching up with long-time friends, colleagues, family, and connecting with new faces. We especially appreciate the Dream Divas who rocked Eastdale Plaza!

If you’re less familiar with the Dream Divas, this is a team of young ladies, ages 4-23, who are sponsored by the Dream Center and perform at venues around Iowa. One of the larger performances from this year happened in January when the girls performed at the 17^th Annual I’ll Make Me a World conference in Des Moines, IA. Each year, I’ll Make Me a World celebrates African-American arts, culture, and contributions. The Dream Divas were part of a cohort of dance teams that highlighted the performance arts. Continue reading “Thanks to All Who Attended the West Wind Open House”

The annual Open House for West Wind Education Policy Inc. is March 2nd from 4-6 p.m. We look forward to your visit and are excited to announce the Dream Divas dance team, sponsored by the Dream Center, will entertain with a short performance around 5 o’clock. Come enjoy light refreshments, great conversation with friends and colleagues, and hear about some of our new work, including our collaboration in the Creative Corridor Center for Equity (C3E).

Our office is on the second floor of Eastdale Plaza, 1700 S. First Ave. We hope to see you Monday! Don’t forget to send your RSVP to [email protected].

Kind regards from the staff of West Wind Education Policy Inc.,

Circe, Alecia, Bonnie, Kathy, Mandi, Sally, and Tina

I recently heard yet another story of black youth who feel left out of their school community year round, but who feel it especially strongly during Black History Month, which has gone mostly unrecognized at their school.  I hope that voices of these youth will spark a review of curricular offerings, celebrations, and school culture in their buildings–because I believe ALL youth will benefit from a more inclusive school curriculum and community. Continue reading “Black History Month Events in Iowa City”

Due to the winter storm, we postponed our annual Open House, which had been scheduled for February 2. We’ll post the new date at this website and send an announcement via email.

We look forward to sharing with you some of our new work, including our collaboration in the Creative Corridor Center for Equity (C3E). We’re plugging away at our first initiative, titled the Black and Brown Educator Recruitment and Retention (BBERR) project. BBERR is an impressive program that attracts and retains talent of color from Iowa and across the nation to schools in Waterloo and the creative corridor. In addition to the Center for Equity, we’ve also launched a new program around Competency Based Education, headed by staff memeber Mandi Bozarth. She’ll work with leaders in Iowa and the Midwest to develop and disseminate resources about competency-based learning. These are certainly exciting developments, and we look forward to sharing the latest news of our work with you. Continue reading “West Wind Open House (Postponed)”

Recently, a University of Iowa grad student invited me to speak at a panel titled Teaching Ferguson: Race, Riots and Critical Reflections for Classroom Teachers. The invitation was timely, as I’d just read an editorial from Michelle Alexander, an author and criminal justice reform advocate. Michelle describes challenges she encountered as she told her 10-year-old son about Ferguson. Several questions popped when I finished the editorial. How can adults best facilitate a conversation about Ferguson and related topics with youth, some of who are too young to grasp the dimensions of this issue? And for those who can grasp the gist of Ferguson, what can educators do to accurately convey the subject in a manner that is respectful and values differences of opinion? Another event required my attendance, so I was unable to appear at the panel. This blog captures my talking points. Continue reading “On Teaching Ferguson Part One”