Category: Racial Justice

  • Ideas for Teaching Self-Advocacy and Contribution in the Classroom

    We believe fighting anti-blackness and speaking out against oppression of all forms deeply matters to the health of our communities and classrooms. As educators, we can create opportunities for young people to reflect on injustices, advocate for themselves, and contribute to their community for a more just world. Meaningful contributions not only help our community,…

  • DOOL Youth Inspire Educators to Share Power and Create Equitable Learning Environments

    DOOL Youth Inspire Educators to Share Power and Create Equitable Learning Environments

    On October 8th a diverse crowd of educators filed into the Laser Dome at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center. However, none of them were there to see a laser show! They had all come to experience an immersive workshop designed and facilitated by youth from Sound Discipline’s DOOL program. DOOL (Designing Our Own Learning) is in its…

  • Changing the World, A Classroom at a Time

    Changing the World, A Classroom at a Time

    We’ve been head down, all of us, chipping away at the tough stuff in front of us for the last few years.  At Sound Discipline’s board retreat last week, we stepped back and took a look around at the world that is the context for all of our work in schools: The pandemic Division and…

  • An Interview with Tonya Wilson

    “It would be easy for someone to have looked at my mom’s life and to look at all effort expended on her behalf as wasted resources.” – Tonya Wilson, from her 2015 TEDx Talk Cracked Sidewalks   On March 15, 2022, from 12-2pm PST, Sound Discipline is hosting our next We Belong & Matter Community…

  • Lakeridge Elementary’s Journey

    What is it like to transform a school into a place where all young people feel they belong, they matter, and they can grow as learners? Lakeridge Elementary, in the Renton School District, has been on just such a journey. In the spring of 2020, while navigating remote learning during school closures, the skilled Lakeridge…

  • The Problem with ‘Learning Loss’ Part 1: Outcomes vs. Experiences

    “The learning loss narrative does not bring us together. It’s not the teacher’s fault; it’s not one school. It’s a systemic problem that goes back to before the pandemic.” – Regina Elmi, Co-founder of Supporting Partnerships in Education and Beyond   As the country emerges from a global pandemic, we at Sound Discipline are paying…

  • Black History and Belonging in School

    When we say, “what if every child knew they belonged?”, what exactly do we mean?   Recently, I explored this question over Zoom with Dr. DeLeon Gray, Associate Professor of Educational Psychology and Education Equity at North Carolina State University and a leading researcher on the intersection of race, belonging, and motivation in school.  …

  • Washington State Racial Disparities in Discipline

    How is Washington State doing in its effort to reduce racial disparities in discipline? According to a recent report by The Education Trust, we have a long way to go. In her November 22 feature for EdLab, Seattle Times reporter Joy Resmovits details the report’s findings, with school suspension data at the top of the…