Developing Critical Communities for Critical Conversations in K-12 Classrooms

Ur Dad Is My Gardener: Antiracist Conversations for Educational Leaders

“…Racism is sanctioned through multiple levels of society, and framing dialogue on race, equity, and social justice is complicated because there are still significant issues of racism in society and how racism presents in schools. Critical conversations about race infrequently occur in political and educational arenas (Griffin et al, 2012; Singleton, 2015; Svrcek & Miller, 2021). For educators, few frameworks bridge the gap between law and policy and areas not often discussed, like how to be antiracist actively on a school campus (Welton et al, 2018).…”

“…As Frantell et al (2019) note, IGD may not be used consistently in different contexts and has other limitations, including a lack of cause-and-effect relationships between IGD and antiracist action or continuity in the measures or program protocols used with different groups. Despite these limitations, IGD is an antiracist intervention that reduces prejudice and increases critical consciousness development through critical conversations (Griffin et al, 2012; Gurin et al, 2013; Nagda, 2019; Svrcek & Miller, 2021; Zúñiga et al, 2007).…”

“…The framework consists of pedagogical features like content learning, structured interaction, facilitation, and a communication process enforcing critical communication. The outcomes create intergroup understanding, relationships, and collaboration through affective positivity and cognitive involvement (Gurin et al, 2013; Svrcek & Miller, 2021).…”

“…In practice, the simple protocol is to form relationships, learn skills for dialogues, explore within—and between-group similarities and differences, dialogue about social conflict, and conclude with social action planning (Griffin et al, 2012; Svrcek & Miller, 2021; Zúñiga et al, 2007). Through this process, participants develop a critical awareness of their social identities and associated privilege and/or oppression within a system (Svrcek & Miller, 2021; Zúñiga et al, 2007).…”