EPISODE · Mar 28, 2023 · 40 MIN
Teaching for Racial Equity with Tonya Perry, Steven Zemelman and Katy Smith
from The Authority Podcast — Expert Insights and Fresh Ideas for Education Leaders · host BE Podcast Network
Today, we welcome the three co-authors of Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters, published by Stenhouse. The book was named as one of three winners in the Best Book for Educators category of the inaugural Excellence in Equity Awards, presented by the American Consortium for Equity in Education. The discussion includes:What it means to be an “interrupter”Critical love, critical humility, and critical reflectionHow the authors collaborated and learned from one another“Find your people”The “a-ha moments” with studentsExamples from the book’s educator contributors that simply illustrate “good teaching,” with respect to engaging students and getting them into the materialWhere readers can begin with the book, based on their prior level of experience with explicit equity work and researchOur guests’ book recommendations for educators: Not Light, but Fire by Matthew Kay, Cultivating Genius by Gholdy MuhammadRecommendations for students: Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas SmithTeaching for Racial Equity is available from Stenhouse. Find it here: https://bit.ly/3jZN5RV Subscribe to The Authority to get more deep-dive interviews with education authors. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit https://bepodcast.network to learn more about the Be Podcast Network for educators. About today’s guestsTonya B. Perry is a Professor of Secondary English Education and serves as the Executive Director for GEAR UP Alabama and the Red Mountain Writing Project at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Steve Zemelman is a founder of the Illinois Writing Project. He’s helped start innovative small schools in Chicago and promotes student civic engagement there. His most recent book is From Inquiry to Action: Civic Engagement with Project-Based Learning in All Content Areas. Katy Smith is a Professor of Secondary Education and a Department Chair at Northeastern Illinois University, where she and Steve Zemelman direct the Illinois Writing Project. She has dedicated her career to developing and enacting equitable classroom practices, first as a teacher of high school students and now as a teacher educator.About the hostRoss Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies LLC. He is a leadership development and performance coach for professionals in a range of industries and consults with organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry to help communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano and LinkedIn
What this episode covers
Today, we welcome the three co-authors of Teaching for Racial Equity: Becoming Interrupters, published by Stenhouse. The book was named as one of three winners in the Best Book for Educators category of the inaugural Excellence in Equity Awards, presented by the American Consortium for Equity in Education. The discussion includes:What it means to be an “interrupter”Critical love, critical humility, and critical reflectionHow the authors collaborated and learned from one another“Find your people”The “a-ha moments” with studentsExamples from the book’s educator contributors that simply illustrate “good teaching,” with respect to engaging students and getting them into the materialWhere readers can begin with the book, based on their prior level of experience with explicit equity work and researchOur guests’ book recommendations for educators: Not Light, but Fire by Matthew Kay, Cultivating Genius by Gholdy MuhammadRecommendations for students: Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, illustrated by Nikkolas SmithTeaching for Racial Equity is available from Stenhouse. Find it here: https://bit.ly/3jZN5RV Subscribe to The Authority to get more deep-dive interviews with education authors. It’s available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit https://bepodcast.network to learn more about the Be Podcast Network for educators. About today’s guestsTonya B. Perry is a Professor of Secondary English Education and serves as the Executive Director for GEAR UP Alabama and the Red Mountain Writing Project at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Steve Zemelman is a founder of the Illinois Writing Project. He’s helped start innovative small schools in Chicago and promotes student civic engagement there. His most recent book is From Inquiry to Action: Civic Engagement with Project-Based Learning in All Content Areas. Katy Smith is a Professor of Secondary Education and a Department Chair at Northeastern Illinois University, where she and Steve Zemelman direct the Illinois Writing Project. She has dedicated her career to developing and enacting equitable classroom practices, first as a teacher of high school students and now as a teacher educator.About the hostRoss Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies LLC. He is a leadership development and performance coach for professionals in a range of industries and consults with organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry to help communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano and LinkedIn
NOW PLAYING
Teaching for Racial Equity with Tonya Perry, Steven Zemelman and Katy Smith
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m
Feb 18, 2026 ·11m
Feb 11, 2026 ·45m