Johns Hopkins University

School of Education
Race, Culture, and Equity in Urban Education
ED.811.670.TL51
Summer 2020

Instructor(s):
Name: Dr. Staci Williams
Phone Number: 469-684-2449
JHU E-mail Address: swill285@jh.edu

Credit Hours: two (2) credits

Class Times: 3:00 p.m. – 5:30

Class Dates:
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Thursday, July 2, 2020
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
Tuesday, July 14, 2020
Thursday, July 16, 2020
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Thursday, July 23, 2020
Friday, July 24, 2020

Office Hours: Tuesday & Thursday 5:30- 6:30

Course Description:
In this course, participants will be prompted to see themselves as diversity advocates who
understand and respect differences among learners in their classrooms, schools, and
organizations. They will explore how to become diversity advocates by first
understanding their own beliefs and biases so as to better understand those around them,
particularly those they have chosen to serve: students. They will learn that in order to
become effective teachers who will build upon the strengths and skills of urban students
and their families and communities they will need to build healthy, meaningful
relationships and promote academic achievement. Participants will also explore the
intersection of beliefs and practices through the examination of various learning theories
and frameworks for effective, culturally responsive instruction.

1
Course Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
 Explore their own beliefs and biases in order to facilitate an understanding and
sensitivity to issues of race, culture, diversity, and equity
 Build upon the strengths and skills of urban students in order to facilitate
healthy, meaningful relationships and promote academic achievement
 Demonstrate an understanding of the intersection between theory and
practice by creating a first day lesson that builds community

Course Objectives Assessment

At the end of the course participants will be able to:

Learning Objectives from the Program

A.1 Environment: Foster the physical and cultural environment to Community Immersion
support the development of the whole child

E.3 Locus of Control: Takes responsibility for success and failures Community Immersion

Additional Learning Objectives:

Explore their own beliefs and biases in order to facilitate an Community

understanding and sensitivity to issues of race, culture, diversity, Immersion, Personal
and equity Narrative, Sphere of
Influence Case Study

Build upon the strengths and skills of urban students in order to Community Immersion
facilitate healthy, meaningful relationships and promote academic
achievement

Required Text and Other Materials:

Bajaj, M. (2016). Community walks: A day of learning for schools. Retrieved from
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/community-walks-a-day-of-learning-for-schools
Cambourne, B. (2000). Conditions for literacy learning. Reading Teacher, 54(4), 414.
Delpit, L. (2006). Lessons from teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 220–
231.
Duncan-Andrade, J. (2009). Note to educators: Hope required when growing roses in
concrete. Harvard Educational Review, 79(2), 181–194.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher
Education, 53(106), 106-116.

2
Gorski, P. (2019). Avoiding Racial Equity Detours. Retrieved from
http://www.edchange.org/publications/Avoiding-Racial-Equity-Detours-
Gorski.pdf
Pink, S. (2008). An urban tour: The sensory sociality of ethnographic place-making.
Ethnography, 9(2), 175–196.
Sue, D. W., Capodilupo, C. M., Torino, G. C., Bucceri, J. M., Holder, A. M., Nadal, K.
L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications
for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271–286. doi:10.1037/0003-
066x.62.4.271
Tatum, B. D. (2000). The complexity of identity: “Who am I?.” In Adams, M.,
Blumenfeld, W. J., Hackman, H. W., Zuniga, X., Peters, M. L. (Eds.), Readings
for diversity and social justice: An anthology on racism, sexism, anti-semitism,
heterosexism, classism and ableism (pp. 9-14). New York: Routledge.
Retrieved from https://uucsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The-Complexity-
of-Identity.pdf
Villegas, A. & Lucas, T. (2002). Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Rethinking the
curriculum. Journal of Teacher Education, 53(1), 20–32.
Wheatly, M. (2002). Willing to be disturbed. Turning to One Another: Simple
Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future (pp. 34-36). San Francisco: Berrett-
Koshler Publishers, Inc.
Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of
community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), 69–91.

Self-Selected Readings:

Week 2:
Chang, B. (2017). Asian Americans and Education. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of
Education. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED577104.pdf
DiAngelo, R. (2011). White fragility. International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 3(3), 54-70.
Griffin, A. (2018). Our stories, our struggles, our strengths: Perspectives and
reflections from Latino teachers. Retrieved from
https://edtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Our-Stories-Our-Struggles-Our-
Strengths-FINAL.pdf
Heer, K. (2015). I thought you were one of us! Triumphs and crisis when teaching
your own. Review of Education, Pedagogy, and Cultural Studies, 37(4), 359-
372.
McDaniel, M. (2018). Skinfolk ain’t always kinfolk: The dangers of assuming and
assigning inherent cultural responsiveness to teachers of color. Educational
Studies, 55(2), 241-251.
Navarro, M. (2012). For many Latinos, racial identity is more culture than color. The New York
Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/14/us/for-many-latinos-race-is-
more-culture-than-color.html
Picower, B. (2009). The unexamined Whiteness of teaching: How white teachers
maintain and enact dominant racial ideologies. Race, Ethnicity and Education,
12(2), 197–215.

3
Rahman, Z., & Paik, S.J. (2017). South Asian immigration and education in the U.S.:
Historical and social contexts. Social and Education History, 6(1), 26-52.
doi:10.17583/hse.2017.2393

Week 4:
Collins, C. (2020). What is white privilege, Really? Retrieved from
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really
Hammond, Z. (2015). Unpacking our implicit bias: Culturally responsive teaching and
the brain (p. 54-68). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Kohli, R. (2014). Unpacking internalized racism: Teachers of color striving for
racially just classrooms. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 17(3), 367-387.
Olsson, J. (n.d.). Detour-spotting for white anti-racists. Retrieved from
http://www.culturalbridgestojustice.org/resources/written/detour
Warren, C. (2014). Perspective divergence and the mis-education of Black boys…
Like Me. Journal of African American Males in Education, 5(2), 134-149.

Week 5:

Dallas
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/dallas-tx
City of Dallas. (2019). Dallas equity indicators: Measuring change toward greater equity in
Dallas. Retrieved from https://dallascityhall.com/departments/office-of-equity/DCH
%20Documents/equality-indicators-booklet-2019.pdf
NCTE (2016) Race and Equity: State of North Texas Retrieved from http://northtexascf.org/wp-
content/uploads/2017/03/Race-and-Equity-NTCF-report-20161011-1.pdf
State of Texas Children 2016: Race and Equity. Retrieved from
http://forabettertexas.org/images/KC_2016_SOTCReport_web.pdf

Baltimore
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/baltimore-md
Duncan, I. (2017, December 12). Study finds deep racial disparities in way Baltimore allocates
public construction dollars. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved
from https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-capital-budget-
race-inequality-20171211-story.html 
Mock, B. (2019, February 14). Are reparations Baltimore’s fix for redlining, investment
deprivation? CityLab. Retrieved from
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/02/reparations-baltimore-redlining-segregation-fix-
race/582760/
Wood, P. & Broadwater, L. (2020, February 17). A matter of life and death’: Maryland
lawmakers tackle Kirwan education funding bill with marathon hearing. The Baltimore
Sun. Retrieved from https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-ga-kirwan-
hearing-20200217-vsvwghn2gjgoxkix7pnmoy2tqq-story.html

Washington DC
https://datausa.io/profile/geo/washington-dc
4
Ross, D. (2013, April 8). Next City. Retrieved from https://nextcity.org/features/view/separate-
and-unequal-in-D.C
White, G. (2016, November 23). In D.C., White families on average are 81 times richer than
black ones. The Atlantic Retrieved from
https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/11/racial-wealth-gap-dc/508631/
Strauss, V. (2017). In D.C.’s gentrifying areas, segregation drops in public schools. The
Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-
sheet/wp/2017/12/19/segegation-in-d-c/?utm_term=.8ee205664717

Week 8:

Cambourne, B. (2000). Conditions for literacy learning. Reading Teacher, 54(4), 414.
Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction. American Educator. Retrieved from
https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf

Week 10:
Crenshaw, K. (2016, October). The urgency of intersectionality [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?
language=en
Gonchar, M. (2017, March 15). 26 mini-films for exploring race, bias and identity with students.
The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/learning/lesson-plans/25-mini-films-for-exploring-
race-bias-and-identity-with-students.html
Warren, C. (2015). Conflicts and contradictions: Conceptions of empathy and the work
of good-intentioned early career White female teachers. Urban Education, (50) 5,
572-600. doi: 10.1177/0042085914525790
White, K. (2009). Connecting religion and teacher identity: The unexplored relationship between
teachers and religion in public schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, (25) 6, 857-
866. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2009.01.004
Will, M. (2020, January 14). LGBTQ teachers await decision on discrimination protections.
Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/01/15/lgbtq-
teachers-await-decision-on-discrimination-protections.html

Assignments

Personal Narrative
Due: Session 3; Total Value: 25%

Participants are expected to start their own examination of issues related to race and diversity by
looking inward. In order to do this, they must first unpack their own “story.” In this assignment,
participants will investigate their own beliefs and how they manifest themselves in their daily
lives (words, actions, etc.). By examining themselves, participants will begin to facilitate an
understanding of and grow their sensitivity to issues of race, culture, diversity, and equity.

5
Participants are required to write a narrative addressing their understanding of culture growing
up. This assignment should contain two components. The first should succinctly present your
personal history. The second is a reflection that synthesizes your takeaways about your identity,
making relevant connections to course readings and offering insights into how your experiences
will shape how you show up in the classroom.

Questions to address in the personal history:

 Personal History: Where were you born? What was it like growing up in your household?
Who were the important people in your life? Why were they significant to your
upbringing?
 Community/Neighborhood: What was your community like? What were the
demographics? What languages were spoken in your community? What expectations
were there of you and other children in your community?
 Personal/Identity: What kinds of experiences in your childhood and adolescence shaped
who you are today? What aspects of your identity had the greatest salience for you
growing up? Why? Which are the most important to you now? Why? How have your
priorities, values, beliefs changed?
 Peers: Who were your peers? What were your peers like? What kinds of things were
peers around you doing? What were they interested in?
 Teachers: What role/impact did teachers have in your life growing up? Why? How did
teachers connect with you? In what ways did they not connect? Did you have any
memorable (or not so memorable) experiences with teachers? Explain.
 Social Issues: What kinds of social issues did you encounter? What do you think other
adolescents were struggling with these during this time? How do you know?

Questions to address in the reflection:

 Collectively, how did these experiences shape your identity and support or hinder you in
becoming the person you are today?
 How do these experiences shape the teacher you aspire to become?
 How will your identity—as shaped by your culture, lived experiences, and views about
race—manifest itself in the classroom?
 What did you learn from the reading(s) that connected, extended, or challenged your
views of your own culture and it will impact your classroom?

Sphere of Influence Case Study

Due: Session 6; Total Value: 25%

Participants are expected to continue to grow their understanding of issues related to race,
culture, and equity and further develop the skills needed to become diversity advocates by
unpacking the “story” of someone within their sphere of influence (family, friend, mentor,
significant other).

Participants will interview an influential individual in their lives and explore how their values,
norms, and traditions have shaped their perceptions of race. The interview should cover how
6
these forces impacted the individual at various stages of their life (childhood, adolescence, and
adulthood). By examining their immediate circle of friends/family and their own upbringing,
participants will continue to build an understanding of themselves and develop the skills they
need to become diversity advocates. These include recognizing and naming racial bias, equity
disparities, and cultural competency deficits while seeking to facilitate deeper understandings
and empower change.

This assignment is an extension of the personal narrative and a continuation of the identity work
of this course. Like the personal narrative, it should contain two parts. The first should briefly
present the “story” of the individual interviewed, describing your relationship to that person and
detailing some of the forces that shaped them. The second, a reflection, should present your
takeaways from the interview. This should include a discussion of how the interviewee’s culture,
values, and experiences have influenced your own culture, values, and experiences, and what this
means for the work you will need to do to become a diversity advocate.

In the interview, cover the following topics and/or ask the following questions. It is
recommended that you record the interview for your own personal use; doing so may aid you in
telling the story of the individual and in writing the reflection.

 Personal Background Information: Who raised you and/or was in your circle of
influence? Growing up, what was your community like? Demographics of the
community? Cultural lineage of the family?
 Historical Connection to Personal Background Information: When did you grow up?
What time period was most influential to you? (e.g. Civil Rights Movement, WWII,
Vietnam, Los Angeles Riots of 1992, Nigerian-Biafran War, Thatcherism, Cuban
Revolution, etc.) Describe the challenges/types of oppression that you experienced in
your lifetime. To what degree were you shaped by these challenges/types of oppression?
To what degree were you sheltered from them? How did these experiences impact and
shape who you are today? How are they similar/ different from challenges people face
today?
 Philosophies on Upbringing: What were some of the ideas, philosophies, and values that
were instilled in you? How did you decide to talk about race, culture, and diversity in the
household or with your friends and family? How were sexuality, religion, and other areas
of culture addressed? What are their thoughts on current events such as kneeling during
the national anthem, PRIDE marches, protesting, etc.?

In your reflection, address the following:

 How did your upbringing, including the values and opinions you were exposed to
growing up, shape you as a person? How, if at all, were you shaped by cultural isolation
or cultural competency deficits?
 Based on the work that you’ve done in this class and the ideas you’ve grappled with in
course readings, consider how the perspectives of individuals within your sphere of
influence have impacted your understanding of race and identity. What assets will you
bring to your classroom? What work do you have to continue to do in order to become a
diversity advocate given these findings?
7
Virtual Community Immersion Key Assignment
Due: Session 10; Total Value: 40%

Participants will engage in a virtual exploration of a local area or neighborhood. While gaining
insight into the everyday experiences, local culture, history, and realities of the communities they
will become citizens of, participants will seek to gain a better understanding of the places and
people they may one day serve as teachers. Given the challenges of distance learning, this will
include interviewing at least two community members to gain a better understanding of the area
or neighborhood. You may choose to interview local community leaders, religious leaders,
school leaders, long-time residents, students, or other community members.

The goal of the assignment is to engage in an authentic exploration of a given neighborhood in

your context. Participants will work in groups to engage in virtual ethnographic research that
requires that they become critical consumers of information about the communities where they
will work. Using information gleaned from previous sessions as well as a variety of primary and
secondary sources (statistics, maps, interviews, photographs, websites, etc.), students must
immerse themselves in an understanding the community they will serve. With the knowledge
gained through the virtual immersion, participants will create asset-based presentations of their
communities, highlighting the cultural capital found within them. Additionally, participants will
be prompted to reflect on how they can use the insights gained from their virtual ethnographic
research to build classroom cultures that are respectful of and responsive to the communities they
will serve.

This assignment includes a group presentation and an individual reflection.

Presentation: Combining takeaways from course readings, research about your assigned
community, visuals, and insights from interviews with community members, each team will
prepare and present a 5–7-minute presentation of their findings and discoveries. The team should
also speak to their takeaways from the experience.

Participants should address the following questions in the presentation:

 How does the media narrative about the community compare and contrast with the
opinions and experiences of people who have significant experience in the community?
 What sources of community cultural wealth are found in the community?

Reflection: Reflect on your takeaways from the virtual community immersion and consider how
you can use this experience to build a respectful and responsive classroom community.

Participants should address the following questions in the reflection:

 From what you learned about the community, what artifacts and resources could you
bring into your classroom to make the classroom environment more connected, authentic,
empowering, and engaging for students?
 How do your experiences in the virtual community immersion prepare you to be an
8
 advocate for diversity to empower communities?
 How will the understandings gained from the virtual community immersion play a role in
your development as a teacher?
 What gaps in your understanding are highlighted by the virtual aspect of the immersion?
What action steps will you need to take to get to know your school community when you
arrive at your site?
 How will you continue this growth beyond this experience and this class?

Evaluation and Grading

Personal Narrative 25%

Sphere of Influence Case Study 25%

Community Immersion Presentations 40%

Attendance and Participation 10%

Grading Scale
Proficiency is 80% on all assignments.
A = 95-100%
A- = 90-94%
B+ = 87-89%
B = 84-86%
B- = 80-83%
C+ = 77-79%
C = 74-76%
C- = 70-73%
F = below 70%
The grades of D+, D, and D- are not awarded at the graduate level.

Request for Assignment Extension:

Extensions (and extension due dates) are granted at the discretion of the instructor. If participants
realize within a reasonable period of time before an assignment is due that they will be unable to
complete the assignment on time, they must request an extension in writing through an email to
their instructor. Participants may ask for an extension from the course instructor no later than
twenty-four (24) hours before an assignment is due. Participants must request this extension from
the course instructor in advance and propose a new date to submit the assignment.

In the event of an unforeseen emergency, the instructors may waive the requirement that an
extension be requested at least twenty-four (24) hours in advance. However, participants are still
required to request an extension in writing with a proposed deadline to submit the assignment.
9
Failure to meet any agreed-upon assignment extension due dates will make the penalties for late
assignments take effect beginning at the adjusted due date.

Penalties for Late Work:

Work submitted late without prior approval will not be accepted without penalty.

Any work submitted late without prior approval will result in a five percent (5%) deduction per
day from the total earned score with a maximum deduction of 30%. The assignment must be
submitted within two weeks of the original due date and prior to the last course session. After
two weeks, late assignments for which extensions were not requested will be accepted only at the
discretion of the course instructor and in extraordinary circumstances.

Key Assignment Re-submissions:

Key assignments are the only assignment that can be resubmitted for a new grade. Course
instructors have one week from the published due date to grade and return key assignments to
participants. A participant can re-submit a key assignment only in the case when a participant’s
overall course grade will fall below a B because of the original grade on the key assignment. In
addition, only key assignments that were originally submitted on time and scored above a C-
may be re-submitted. Key assignments and their due dates are clearly indicated on the course
syllabi.

The deadline for re-submission of a key assignment is one (1) week from the return of the
assignment. This re-submission is not mandatory, but participants should note the implications of
choosing not to re-submit an assignment that may impact an overall course grade. Participants
who exercise this option in their final semester will likely be required to delay their graduation to
the following semester.

Participation Rubric
Points Behaviors

10 ● Always arrives on time;

● Consistently participates fully without prompting in every
aspect of class (DO NOWS, general class discussion,
discussions of readings, peer reviews, or critical friends);
● Respects and adheres to the class schedule, including, but not
limited to, timed breaks;
● Does not engage in unrelated (side bar) conversations and
unrelated work;
● Reads every assigned reading and comes to class ready to
discuss and provide thoughtful, reflective comments; and
● Always brings required coursework materials to class,
including course syllabus, binders, lesson plans, readings, and
additional requested materials.

6–9 ● Arrives late no more than one (1) time to class during the
10
 semester;
● Regularly participates in every aspect of the class without
prompting;
● Respects and adheres to the class schedule, including, but not
limited to, timed breaks;
● Rarely engages in unrelated conversations and unrelated
work;
● Reads most assigned readings and comes to class ready to
discuss and provide thoughtful, reflective comments; and
● Regularly brings required coursework materials to class,
including course syllabus, binders, lesson plans, readings, and
additional requested materials.

0–5 ● Frequently arrives late to class (arriving any time after class
start time);
● Occasionally participates (with or without prompting) in every
aspect of class
● Regularly respects and adheres to the class schedule,
including, but not limited to, timed breaks;
● Engages in unrelated conversations and work;
● Frequently comes to class unprepared;
● Frequently does not complete assigned readings and comes to
class unprepared to discuss and provide thoughtful comments;
and
● Regularly fails to bring coursework materials to class
including, course syllabus, binders, lesson plans, readings, and
additional requested materials.

Course Outline
Sessio Topic Advance Readings Assignment(s) Due
n
1 Framing and Gay (2002)
contextualizing
Wheatley (2002)
Building Community

2 Getting to Know Us Before-class: Self-Selected

(PLC) Reading

3 Sharing personal Tatum (2000) Personal narrative draft

11
 narratives

4 Exploring Implicit and Sue, et. al. (2007).

Explicit Biases,
Stereotypes, and Before-class: Self-Selected
Sociotypes Reading

Noticing & Naming

Micro-aggressions
5 Understanding Historical Yosso, T. (2005)
Context
Site-specific readings

6 Community Context and Pink (2008) Sphere of Influence

Connections through
Virtual Ethnographic Bajaj (2016)
Exploration
Site-specific readings
(through research)
7 Race, culture, and equity Delpit, L. (2006)
in schools
Duncan-Andrade, J. (2009)

8 Race, culture, and equity Gorski (2019)

in schools
Self-selected based on
content area
9 Community immersion Virtual Community
presentations Immersion Key
Assignment—
presentations and
reflection

10 Intersectionality and Villegas & Lucas (2002)

Reflecting
In-Class: Self- Selected
Reading

Announcements
During the semester, the instructor may post announcements on Blackboard. It is your
responsibility as a student to read all announcements and to contact the instructor with any
questions that may arise as a result.
12
Policy Statements

Academic Conduct
The School of Education places the highest value on intellectual integrity and personal trust
within our community. All SOE students assume an obligation to conduct themselves in a
manner appropriate to the Johns Hopkins University’s mission as an institution of higher
education and with accepted standards of ethical and professional conduct. Students must
demonstrate personal integrity and honesty at all times in completing classroom assignments
and examinations, in carrying out their fieldwork or other applied learning activities, and in
their interactions with others. Students are obligated to refrain from acts they know or, under
the circumstances, have reason to know will impair their integrity or the integrity of the
University. Refer to the school’s website for more information regarding the academic
misconduct policy.

Please note that student work may be submitted to an online plagiarism detection tool at the
discretion of the course instructor. If student work is deemed plagiarized, the course
instructor shall follow the policy and procedures governing academic misconduct as laid out
in the School of Education’s Academic Catalog.

Attendance
Participants are expected to attend each class session, arriving on time. Absences and
tardiness may result in a lower course grade. It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure
they have a full understanding of the course content and information missed during an
absence. This includes reviewing materials that the instructor has placed on Blackboard,
connecting with peers, and following up with the instructor with any questions/clarifications
ideally within 24-36 hours after the absence. Participants are encouraged to reach out to
instructors during posted office hours for additional support. Multiple occurrences of absences
and/or tardiness in a course may result in the lowering of the final course grade up to one full
letter grade.

All absences should be communicated to the appropriate clinical faculty member by the
participant in advance of the missed class, or, if circumstances do not allow for that, as soon
as possible and including an explanation of the reason it was not communicated in advance.
Absences from coursework for school-related events will not be excused. The Site Team can
help reinforce this policy with principals and school staff, if assistance is needed.

Academic Continuity
Please note that in the event of serious consequences arising from extreme weather
conditions, communicable health problems, or other extraordinary circumstances, the School
of Education may change the normal academic schedule and/or make appropriate changes to
course structure, format, and delivery. (For example, a class session may be delivered online
via Blackboard in the event that the regularly scheduled face-to-face class session is
cancelled.) In the event such changes become necessary, information will be posted on the
School of Education website and communicated to you via email and/or Blackboard.

13
 Classroom Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you are a student with a documented disability who requires an academic adjustment,
auxiliary aid or other similar accommodations, please contact Jennifer Eddinger in the
Disability Services Office at 410-516-9734 or via email at soe.disabilityservices@jhu.edu.

(For more information please visit the School of Education’s Disability Services website.

Diversity
The Johns Hopkins School of Education (SOE) defines diversity as follows:

The United States is rich in diversity and its influence is global. Mindful of this, the SOE
defines diversity in a myriad of ways: by ethnicity, religion, race, gender identity, age,
national origin, exceptionalities, ideology, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status.  The
education of our candidates involves a respect for diversity, meaning that each individual
should be recognized for his or her own abilities, interests, ideas and cultural identity.

Other Policies
This syllabus details certain key policies. You should refer to the online syllabus supplement
webpage for a fuller listing of other important policies of which all students should be aware.

Course Evaluation
Please remember to complete an online course evaluation survey for this course. These
evaluations are an important tool in the School of Education’s ongoing efforts to improve
instructional quality and strengthen its programs. The results of the course evaluations are kept
anonymous – your instructor will only receive aggregated data and comments for the entire class.
An email with a link to the online course evaluation form will be sent to your JHU email address
towards the end of the course. Thereafter, you will be sent periodic email reminders until you
complete the evaluation. There is also a module on the My Institution page where you can access
the evaluation and prompts to complete the evaluation when you log into Blackboard. Please
remember to activate your JHU email account and to check it regularly. (Please note that it is the
School of Education’s policy to send all faculty, staff, and student email communications to a
JHU email address, rather than to personal or work email addresses.) If you are having
difficulty accessing the course evaluation, you haven’t received an email notification about the
course evaluation, or if you have any questions in general about the course evaluation process,
please contact SOEEvalKit@jhu.edu. (Please note that if a course has fewer than three enrolled
students, SOE will not conduct an online course evaluation survey for the course.)

Bibliography
Allington, R. & Gabriel, R. (2012). Every child, every day. Educational Leadership, 69 (6).
Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-
leadership/mar12/vol69/num06/Every-Child,-Every-Day.aspx
Behar, R. (1996). The vulnerable observer. Boston: Beacon Press.
Bronson, P. (2007). How not to talk to your kids: The inverse power of praise. New York
Magazine. Retrieved from http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/
14
Cambourne, B. (2000). Conditions for literacy learning. Reading Teacher, 54(4), 414.
Chang, B. (2017). Asian Americans and Education. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Education.
Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED577104.pdf
City of Dallas. (2019). Dallas equity indicators: Measuring change toward greater equity in
Dallas. Retrieved from https://dallascityhall.com/departments/office-of-equity/DCH
%20Documents/equality-indicators-booklet-2019.pdf
Crenshaw, K. (2016, October). The urgency of intersectionality [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?
language=en
Delpit, L. (2006). Lessons from teachers. Journal of Teacher Education, 57(3), 220– 231.
Duncan, I. (2017, December 12). Study finds deep racial disparities in way Baltimore allocates
public construction dollars. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved
from https://www.baltimoresun.com/maryland/baltimore-city/bs-md-ci-capital-budget-
race-inequality-20171211-story.html 
Duncan-Andrade, J. (2007). Gangsta’s, Wanksta’s, and Ridas: defining, developing, and
supporting effective teachers in urban schools. International Journal of Qualitative
Studies in Education, 20(6), 617–638.
Duncan-Andrade, J. (2009). Note to educators: Hope required when growing roses in
concrete. Harvard Educational Review, 79(2), 181–194.
Dweck, C. S. (2015). The secret to raising smart kids. Scientific American Mind. Retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-secret-to-raising-smart- kids1/
Ethnography, 9(2), 175–196.
Gay, G. (2000). Culturally responsive teaching: Theory, research, and practice. New York, NY:
Teachers College Press.
Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education,
53(2), 106–116.
Goldstein, D. (2012). An Interview with Lisa Delpit on Educating ‘Other People’s Children’.
The Nation. Retrieved from https://www.thenation.com/article/interview-lisa-delpit-
educating-other-peoples-children/
Gonchar, M. (2017, March 15). 26 mini-films for exploring race, bias and identity with students.
The New York Times. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/learning/lesson-plans/25-mini-films-for-exploring-
race-bias-and-identity-with-students.html
Haberman, M. (1995). Star teachers of children in poverty. West Lafayette, IN: Kappa Delta Pi
Publishers.
Hammond, Z. (2015). Unpacking Our Implicit Bias. Culturally Responsive Teaching and the
Brain (p.54-68). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Hord, S. M. (2003). Attributes of professional learning communities. In: Professional learning
communities of continuous inquiry and improvement. Retrieved from
http://www.sedl.org/pubs/change34/4.html
Johnson, D. (2008). Defining dialect. College Composition and Communication, 59(3), 548–556.
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/220693688?accountid=14872
Knorr, L. (2016). Divided landscape: The visual culture of urban segregation. Landscape
Journal, 35(1), 109–126.
Kohn, A. (1996). What to look for in a classroom. Educational Leadership, 54(1), 54– 55.

15
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching! The case for culturally relevant
pedagogy. Theory in Practice, 34(3), 159–165.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). Toward a Theory of Culturally Relevant Pedagogy.
American Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 465-491.
Lee, C.D. (2006). ‘Every good-bye ain’t gone’: analyzing the cultural underpinnings of
classroom talk. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 19(3), 305–
327.
Lowrey, A. (2012). Big study links good teachers to lasting gain. The New York Times. Retrieved
from https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/06/education/big-study-links-good-teachers-to-
lasting-gain.html?
mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=A184124E9454F327D3364B0D25BC20F0&gwt=pay
MDHSLIBRARYDEPT (2014, May 15). A thorny path: School desegregation in Baltimore.
Retrieved from http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2014/05/15/a-thorny-path-school-
desegregation-in-baltimore/
MDHSLIBRARYDEPT (2014, September 25). Are we satisfied?: The Baltimore plan for school
desegregation. Retrieved from http://www.mdhs.org/underbelly/2014/09/25/are-we-
satisfied-the-baltimore-plan-for-school-desegregation/
Mock, B. (2019, February 14). Are reparations Baltimore’s fix for redlining, investment
deprivation? CityLab. Retrieved from
https://www.citylab.com/equity/2019/02/reparations-baltimore-redlining-segregation-fix-
race/582760/
Pink, S. (2008). An urban tour: The sensory sociality of ethnographic place-making.
Ethnography, 9(2), 175–196.
Rahman, Z., & Paik, S.J. (2017). South Asian immigration and education in the U.S.:
Historical and social contexts. Social and Education History, 6(1), 26-52.
doi:10.17583/hse.2017.2393
Reeves, D. B. (2003). High performance in high poverty schools: 90/90/90 and beyond.
Retrieved from
http://www.sabine.k12.la.us/online/leadershipacademy/high_performance_and_beyond.
pdf
Resnick, L. B. (1999). Making America smarter. Education Week, 18 (40), 38–40. Retrieved
from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1999/06/16/40resnick.h18.html
Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction. American Educator. Retrieved from
https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/Rosenshine.pdf
Tatum, B. D. (2000). The complexity of identity: “Who am I?.” In Adams, M.,
Blumenfeld, W. J., Hackman, H. W., Zuniga, X., Peters, M. L. (Eds.), Readings
for diversity and social justice: An anthology on racism, sexism, anti-semitism,
heterosexism, classism and ableism (pp. 9-14). New York: Routledge.
Retrieved from https://uucsj.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The-Complexity-
of-Identity.pdf
Watkins, D. (2014). These are my two Baltimores: black and white. Aeon. Retrieved from
https://aeon.co/essays/these-are-my-two-baltimores-black-and-white
Warren, C. (2015). Conflicts and contradictions: Conceptions of empathy and the work
of good-intentioned early career White female teachers. Urban Education, (50) 5,
572-600. doi: 10.1177/0042085914525790
Wheatly, M. (2002). Willing to Be Disturbed. Turning to One Another: Simple
16
 Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future (pp. 34-36).San Francisco: Berrett-
Koshler Publishers, Inc.
White, K. (2009). Connecting religion and teacher identity: The unexplored relationship between
teachers and religion in public schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, (25) 6, 857-
866. doi: 10.1016/j.tate.2009.01.004
Will, M. (2020, January 14). LGBTQ teachers await decision on discrimination protections.
Education Week. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2020/01/15/lgbtq-
teachers-await-decision-on-discrimination-protections.html
Williams, D.J. (2013). Urban education and professional learning communities. Delta Kappa
Gamma Bulletin, 79(2), 31–39.
Wood, P. & Broadwater, L. (2020, February 17). A matter of life and death’: Maryland
lawmakers tackle Kirwan education funding bill with marathon hearing. The Baltimore
Sun. Retrieved from https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-ga-kirwan-
hearing-20200217-vsvwghn2gjgoxkix7pnmoy2tqq-story.html
Attachments
Appendix A – Dispositions of the School of Education
Appendix B – Rubrics

APPENDIX A
Dispositions of the School of Education
The goal of these dispositions is to illustrate our continued commitment, as a member of Johns
Hopkins University, to produce candidates who are aware and ethical in pursuing their chosen
practice.

All candidates who complete a certificate, master's degree, and/or doctorate in the School of
Education will be:

1. Research Centered

1.1 Committed to Inquiry and Innovation

Candidates will a) be prepared to foster in others and engage in themselves the pursuit of
life-long learning, continuous self-reflection, and research within their own practice or
beyond; b) maintain fluency in scholarship in their field, professional knowledge, as well
as in effective and ethical practices; c) evaluate and effectively implement appropriate
new methods and tools; and d) incorporate appropriate knowledge-building technologies
in their practice.

1.2 Committed to Being a Reflective Practitioner

Candidates will a) actively engage in critical, creative, and metacognitive thinking to
support conceptual understanding; and b) engage in independent and interdependent
problem solving and experiential approaches to learning.
17
 1.3 Committed to Practice-Centered Research
Candidates will a) seek links between research in the field and application in professional
practice; b) define their professional identity not only as scholars, but also as producers of
research as a method of improving professional practice; and c) seek to understand the
context of professional practice to deepen the understanding and application of their
research.

2. Collaborative

2.1 Committed to Creating Positive Climates

Candidates will a) promote a climate in which learning is valued and on-going; b)
provide choices to enable all to share in and contribute to social and intellectual life; and
c) uphold fair and equitable standards for conduct that encourage responsibility, mutual
respect, and civic values, and that safeguard the physical, intellectual, and emotional
well-being of each and every member of the community.

2.2 Committed to Active Engagement

Candidates will a) actively engage in a community of learners that develop relationships,
programs, and projects with colleagues in P-20 schools and educational agencies
designed to improve the quality of education for each and every student and education
professional; and b) contribute professionally to the field at local, regional, state, and
national levels.

3. Socially and Culturally Conscious

3.1 Committed to Fostering Social Justice

Candidates will a) seek to understand their own privileges and/or prejudices, the
stereotypes embedded in educational materials, rules/laws, policies and the cultural bias
that exist in schools and other education-related or societal institutions; b) work toward a
global society where equality is recognized as a basic human right; c) promote social and
environmental responsibility; and d) empower self and others to identify opportunities for
growth toward excellence and equity.

3.2 Committed to Developing Cross-Cultural Competence

Candidates will a) promote respect for self, students, families, and cultures; b)
demonstrate a belief that everyone can learn and values human diversity and equity in the
learning environment; and c) examine own biases and prejudices and develop necessary
awareness, attitudes, knowledge, and skills for effectively and respectfully teaching and
mentoring people whose culture differs from their own.

4. Ethical

4.1 Committed to Acting Responsibly

18
 Candidates will a) act with integrity, are considerate, respectful, punctual, appropriate in
appearance, conduct, and in all interactions with students, families, mentors, and
colleagues; and b) be creative and self-reliant in finding appropriate solutions to problems
and managing dilemmas.
4.2 Committed to Acting with Integrity
Candidates will a) conduct themselves in a professional manner; b) be honest, open to
constructive feedback from others, manage situations of conflict and their own stress
appropriately, and take responsibility for own actions; and c) conduct research and
practice efforts intended to discover what is rather than to prove what may be anticipated.

19
 APPENDIX B Community Immersion Grading Rubric
Program Learning Assignment Beginning Emerging Proficient Mastery
Objective Component (Minimum required of
candidates)
A.1 Environment: Presentation: Presentation does not Presentation provides Presentation provides Presentation provides
Foster the physical and Examination of primary provide information limited information information from information from
cultural environment to and secondary from primary and from primary and primary and secondary primary and secondary
support the development information secondary sources that secondary sources that sources that captures sources that captures a
of the whole child captures aspects of the marginally captures a key aspects of the variety of aspects of the
community (as limited number of community (as community (as
20% described in the aspects of the described in the described in the
assignment guidelines). community (as assignment guidelines). assignment guidelines).
described in the
assignment guidelines). Presentation explores Presentation explores
consistencies and consistencies and
discrepancies in the discrepancies in the
narrative presented narrative presented
about the community in about the community in
different sources. different sources.

Presentation offers
thoughtful takeaways
about becoming critical
consumers of
information about a
given community.
A.1 Environment: Presentation Presentation does not Presentation identifies Presentation explicitly Presentation explicitly
Foster the physical and identify community limited sources of identifies multiple forms identifies multiple forms
cultural environment to Identification of cultural wealth in the community cultural of community cultural of community cultural
support the development community cultural community OR was wealth in the wealth in the wealth in the
of the whole child wealth deficit-based. community. community. community.

20% Presentation explores Presentation explores

how these sources of how these sources of
community cultural community cultural
wealth could be utilized wealth could be utilized
by teachers to maximize by teachers to maximize
authentic learning authentic learning
experiences within that experiences within that
1
 community. community.

Presentation integrates
highly relevant
references to course
readings.
E.4 Professional Presentation Effectively satisfies one Effectively satisfies two Effectively satisfies all Effectively satisfies all
Behavior: of the three criteria: of the three criteria: three criteria: three criteria:
Are consummate
professionals Presentation is between Presentation is between Presentation is between Presentation is between
10% 5-7 minutes. 5-7 minutes. 5-7 minutes. 5-7 minutes.
AND AND AND AND
Presentation is well- Presentation is well- Presentation is well- Presentation is well-
organized and visually organized and visually organized and visually organized and visually
appealing. appealing. appealing. appealing.
AND AND AND AND
Presentation includes Presentation includes Presentation includes Presentation includes
meaningful meaningful meaningful meaningful
representation of representation of representation of representation of
interviewees’ voices interviewees’ voices interviewees’ voices interviewees’ voices
(e.g. audio clips, (e.g. audio clips, (e.g. audio clips, (e.g. audio clips,
substantive quotes, etc.) substantive quotes, etc. substantive quotes, etc. substantive quotes, etc.

AND

Presenters were
engaging.
A.1 Environment: Reflection Does not share Shares limited resources Shares multiple Shares multiple
Foster the physical and resources and artifacts and artifacts from the appropriate resources appropriate resources
cultural environment to from the experience that experience that would and artifacts from the and artifacts from the
support the development would support the support the development experience that would experience that would
of the whole child development of a of a culturally support the development support the development
culturally responsive responsive environment of a culturally of a culturally
25% environment that is that is respectful of and responsive environment responsive environment
respectful of and responsive to the that is respectful of and that is respectful of and
responsive to the communities in which responsive to the responsive to the
communities in which students live. communities in which communities in which
students live. students live. students live.

2
 Explains how these Provides a detailed
artifacts might be used. explanation of how
these artifacts might be
used.
A.1 Environment: Reflection Effectively satisfies one Effectively satisfies two Effectively satisfies all Effectively satisfies all
Foster the physical and of the three criteria: of the three criteria: three of the criteria: three of the criteria:
cultural environment to
support the development Shares insights from the Shares insights from the Shares insights from the Shares insights from the
of the whole child virtual community virtual community virtual community virtual community
immersion experience immersion experience immersion experience immersion experience
that relate to the that relate to the that relate to the that relate to the
participant’s personal participant’s personal participant’s personal participant’s personal
development, detailing development, detailing development, detailing development, detailing
25% instances when the instances when the instances when the instances when the
participant was participant was participant was participant was
challenged, affirmed, or challenged, affirmed, or challenged, affirmed, or challenged, affirmed, or
pushed to dig deeper. pushed to dig deeper. pushed to dig deeper. pushed to dig deeper.
AND AND AND AND
Provides a plan for Provides a plan for Provides a plan for Provides a plan for
continuing growth to continuing growth to continuing growth to continuing growth to
become a diversity become a diversity become a diversity become a diversity
advocate. advocate. advocate advocate.
AND AND AND AND
Makes highly relevant Makes highly relevant Makes highly relevant Makes highly relevant
references to course references to course references to course references to course
readings. readings. readings. readings.
AND
Writing is clear,
concise, and cohesive.