Episode 68: Equity and School Culture with Emily Affolter

Dr. Emily Alicia Affolter is the director of and faculty for Prescott College's Sustainability Education Ph.D. Program.Prior to serving in this role, she worked as a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Washington’s Center for Evaluation & Research for STEM Equity (CERSE).Emily earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on Multicultural Education from the University of Washington working alongside Dr. Geneva Gay, founder of culturally responsive teaching.Emily's current scholarship, dissemination, and facilitation revolve around culturally responsive pedagogy for teachers and leaders in K-12 settings and STEM higher education, and harnessing equity literacy in teaching methods, content, policy, and leadership.FocusED Show Notes with Guest Emily AffolterWas I silent during a time when I had the currency to speak up and disrupt something? ~ Dr. Emily AffolterEmily starts with a quote from a book called Belonging Through a Culture of Dignity.We quickly dig into some of the indicators associated with inclusivity, including problems that stem from exclusivity.Don’t miss what she says about the need for transparent communication as well as formal feedback mechanisms. Feedback can be anonymous, but leaders need to hear as many voices as possible.Huge Question: Are leaders in the organization committed to humility in the way that they engage with systems of power?Emily starts from a point of curiosity regarding the content that is being taught in the classroom. She hopes to see at least 50% of the people being portrayed in the curriculum as being BIPOC and coming from the LGBTQ+ community.You want to hear what she says about “grit” as a core value.You don’t have to be the school leader who knows things, but you do have to be curious and ask questions. ~ Dr. Emily AffolterEmily teaches us to ask this about our schools: What are our unquestioned assumptions about our organizational culture?There’s a really metacognitive-style reflective practice that she describes for teachers and leaders regarding being critical about our own understanding of power (what we have inherently and what we’ve accrued in our lifetime).We gravitated toward what she says about teachers’ use of asset versus deficit thinking when it comes to what students know and don’t know.Joe asks about how our profession can catch newer teachers up to speed faster regarding some of the things that master teachers have learned over time within their careers.There’s no single teacher or classroom that is truly culturally responsive, period. Instead, we’re always learning and evolving. Any increment matters.Find out about her 7 aspects of culturally responsive teaching.Don’t miss what she says about “teacher transformative self-study.”Check out: Social Justice Training Institute (SJTI)Emily talks about the concept of “reflexivity” as a personal growth strategy.Emily and her colleagues are working on a book about regeneration from trauma in education. In other words, we’ve all experienced trauma in education or as learners and how can we comeCheck out: A Decolonial Framework for Pedagogy & Practice