CEU Courses

Amplifying Voices: Speaking Up, Speaking Out for Children

The Institute for Urban Education is proud to present three conversations grounded in equitable education practices through the eyes of participants and students of the global majority.

The 1-hour, pre-recorded sessions will be held in a podcast format with a facilitator supporting the conversation. Participants will watch video sections and answer questions to gain CEU’s.

Disparities in Special Education

The first session, Disparities in Special Education, addresses the inconsistencies in special education referrals, qualifications, and provision of services for students of color. From the article: Race, Poverty, and Interpreting Overrepresentation in Special Education: “We do not want to live in a society where parents describe access to dyslexia (or other) services as “a rich man’s game.”

• Both underrepresentation of students of color who truly need special services and overrepresentation of students of color with perceived behavior issues in special education are equally as damaging.
• Registration Link: Disparities in Special Education CEU Course

Disparities in School Discipline

The second conversation, Disparities in School Discipline, will cover discipline inequities in school districts. From the article Disproportionality in Student Discipline: Connecting Policy to Research: “Major racial disparities in student discipline rates have been documented for decades. Most recently, the 2013-14 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) documented that black students, who make up 16 percent of enrollment, accounted for 40 percent of suspensions nationally.”

• The Zero Tolerance policies were implemented in the 1990’s after the Columbine shooting. Many students under strict zero-tolerance policies are punished without a second thought. This type of disciplinary procedure has been proven in research to have an overall negative effect on students, and a disproportionately negative effect on minorities.
• Registration Link: Disparities in School Discipline CEU Course

Literacy and Social Justice

The third session, Literacy and Social Justice, will cover how the teaching of reading is deeply connected to social justice. For example, in Wisconsin, 11% of Black children read proficiently. Latinx, Asian, and Native American students throughout Wisconsin also experience lower rates of reading proficiency. In this session, education leaders of reading will join the panel to discuss:

• How reading is a form of social justice for children in educationally marginalized communities.
• Registration Link: Literacy and Social Justice CEU Course