Roberto Germán [00:00:00]:
And Our Classroom is officially in session. Lee and Low is the largest and most trusted multicultural children's book publisher in the US. A family run, independent and certified 100% minority owned business enterprise, Lee and Low produces high quality books about everyone for everyone, along with free educator resources to make meaningful use of each book in today's classroom. Email quotes today to start building a custom collection tailored to your unique needs, goals and budget.
Roberto Germán [00:00:44]:
Welcome back to another episode of Our Classroom. HR is on vacation, so Lorena is actually back again.
Lorena Germán [00:00:55]:
I'm back.
Roberto Germán [00:00:57]:
Listen, people, we. I don't know, we gotta either nothing.
Lorena Germán [00:01:02]:
You gotta nothing.
Roberto Germán [00:01:03]:
Cut down the vacation time.
Lorena Germán [00:01:04]:
No.
Roberto Germán [00:01:05]:
And Multicultural Classroom, it's all good. Or there's gotta be.
Lorena Germán [00:01:10]:
You're the only person that's worried I might have to report you to HR.
Roberto Germán [00:01:14]:
Maybe HR needs an assistant, but that's not in the budget right now. So we gon proceed. So, Lorena, you want to get into telling the whole story, and I'm curious to know what it is you want to tell the whole story about.
Lorena Germán [00:01:37]:
Yeah, good question. So this Saturday, March 30, Towanda and I are going to host this workshop because so many reasons. But let me just start at the conceptual place, which is, you know, the way that data is being used in schools.
Roberto Germán [00:01:57]:
Is it data or data?
Lorena Germán [00:01:58]:
Data.
Roberto Germán [00:02:00]:
Okay, you sure?
Lorena Germán [00:02:01]:
I say data. All right, well, or data.
Roberto Germán [00:02:05]:
I don't know. You know, might have to.
Lorena Germán [00:02:07]:
I switch it up.
Roberto Germán [00:02:09]:
I like data.
Lorena Germán [00:02:10]:
Find data. The way data.
Roberto Germán [00:02:12]:
I mean, you can say data. You could say data. I like data.
Lorena Germán [00:02:16]:
You gonna let me talk?
Roberto Germán [00:02:17]:
Go ahead.
Lorena Germán [00:02:18]:
So the way data is used in the education field, in schools all around the country is quite problematic in the context of No Child Left Behind act and standardized testing, it is overused, it is manipulated. Data has caused people's quality of life to actually suffer. And let me explain how there are states where the data corresponding to the standardized testing is now tied to teachers evaluations. So based on how these kids are doing in schools, like my job now depends on that, right? And if I don't have a job, well, that's going to impact my quality of life. For some students in different states throughout the country, their high school graduation depends on them passing their state's standardized assessment. What is anybody going to do in 2020 four's economy without a high school diploma? This is gonna affect quality of life. And so Towanda and I wanna talk a little bit about data and how it is that we can actually do it differently in Our Classrooms and our schools.
Roberto Germán [00:03:26]:
Well, some people will push back and say, well, shouldn't the students be able to pass the test?
Lorena Germán [00:03:30]:
Oh, my goodness. Why you gotta ask me questions that make me mad?
Roberto Germán [00:03:36]:
This. Well, I'm the interviewer. It's what I do.
Lorena Germán [00:03:41]:
The test is a problem. And I feel like our listeners know this. Right? That's why y'all are here. But the test itself is a problem. We don't know who designs these tests. We don't know what their backgrounds are. And research has already shown a number of things about these standardized tests. One, high stakes testing actually inhibits, you know, comprehensive learning, critical thinking and all of that, you know, part of education that we actually use in the real world.
Lorena Germán [00:04:12]:
Two, these tests are pretty biased in how they are designed, in the knowledge that they require, and in the way that the thinking functions in the person in order to do well on these tests. So they're very much like a westernized method of assessment. And so in that way, it is culturally exclusive. And so these tests, what we've seen is, is that they actually can. They can highlight social class issues and race issues better than they can determine any kind of intellectual growth or learning. So these tests have already been, you know, like, the research is out. The articles have been written demonstrating how these tests actually just kind of line things up according to social class, according to, you know, like family income. That's what I mean.
Lorena Germán [00:05:08]:
So the kids whose parents are making more, they do better. So that does not mean that they are smarter. Right. Things like that. So these tests are actually really biased, and they're really problematic in how they've been designed, and then their results are problematic in how they are used disproportionately to negatively impact our communities throughout the country.
Roberto Germán [00:05:30]:
What do you have to say to the folks that would argue, well, you know, there are plenty of teachers and there are schools, and they have the data to prove that regardless of the kids socioeconomic background, regardless of the family's household income, these kids at these particular schools, whether we're talking about, like, a high performing charter school or a traditional public school where they are crushing these tests.
Lorena Germán [00:06:03]:
Yes.
Roberto Germán [00:06:03]:
So other schools should be able to do it.
Lorena Germán [00:06:05]:
Okay, so I have a couple things to say to that. One, just because one teacher can do it or even a whole school can do it does not make this a quality practice. So, for example, just because a big percentage of, let's say, black men do not get accosted or don't get assaulted by police doesn't mean that for the ones that do, it's okay, right? Because they're the minority. No. So in the same way, just because some schools can do it doesn't mean that it's still working. Now, number two, the other thing that we have to look at is, okay, so the goal is to get these kids to pass a test. Okay, well, how are these kids doing when they get to college? And we continue to see dropout rates, high dropout rates for latino students throughout the country, across all types of universities. And we see the same for black students, less drop out.
Lorena Germán [00:07:01]:
But my point is that you passing these state standardized tests are not indicative of lifelong success or college completion.
Roberto Germán [00:07:12]:
Y'All. You and Dr. Towanda Harris, you have a lot of experience. National leaders in the field of literacy have designed humanizing approaches to teaching, data included. And this workshop is going to focus on humanizing data. What is that? What is humanizing data? How do you humanize data?
Lorena Germán [00:07:36]:
Yes.
Roberto Germán [00:07:37]:
How do you design humanizing approaches to teaching, including data?
Lorena Germán [00:07:43]:
Yeah, yeah, yeah. So one of the many years ago, Lisa Delpit wrote a book called multiplication is for white people. And when I read it many years ago, it just really, really validated.
Roberto Germán [00:07:57]:
Lisa Dope is a legend.
Lorena Germán [00:07:59]:
Yes. It validated a lot of my concerns and personal feelings around standardized testing, but also experiencing it as a teacher. Right? So I had my feelings as a student, and then I had feelings as a teacher watching this system do this and me having to play a role in it. Right? And so I read her book, and I remember one of the things that she said in there was that standardized testing and this data that comes out of it simply continues the status quo. It just continues to tell me, right, people of color, that I am not measuring up to white standards of success? And so when I think about that, immediately I'm like, oh, okay, well, then what data can I collect to show my students growth, to celebrate who they are, to honor what it is that they can do? And so that's what we're going to talk about. We're going to go over, like, how can I measure what my students are actually doing, what they're actually learning, right? So that when someone comes in for my evaluation or when we're debriefing some of my lessons or when I've been sat down because my kids continue to, you know, quote unquote, not do well on these different assessments, how can I respond? And so Towanda and I have discussed, like, well, what would it be like to measure joy? How do you measure unity in a classroom? How do you measure different aspects of growth that are also academic but also behavioral, considering how our nation is currently facing a really difficult situation with misbehaviors in schools. How can we actually quantify, measure, celebrate that growth that is part of being human in our schools? And it's not just about numerical data on a multiple choice test.
Roberto Germán [00:09:42]:
Fine. Well, if data doesn't have to be biased, can you give our audience three. Three steps, three steps that they can implement to help them reframe or to help them utilize a different approach just to at least give them a taste of what you and Dr. Towanda Harris are talking about? And I know you're drawing from Textured Teaching.
Lorena Germán [00:10:12]:
Yeah, yeah.
Roberto Germán [00:10:13]:
A Framework for Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies and the Right Tools. Right, doctor Towanda Harris? The Right Tools. And so here we have two powerful and great resources that certainly inform practitioners. But can you offer our listeners right now three practical steps as it relates to what we are discussing?
Lorena Germán [00:10:41]:
Yeah. And let me just add that we're also pulling from Jamila and Shane's Street Data.
Roberto Germán [00:10:49]:
Oh, facts.
Lorena Germán [00:10:49]:
We're also pulling from that book and concepts from that book. And fun fact, I'm not answering your question yet, but fun fact, Jamila was gonna join us, but it didn't work out in terms of, you know, just scheduling. I know, but I think that I might do a follow up just with her. So we'll see. But anyway. Yes.
Roberto Germán [00:11:06]:
Oh, that's gonna have to be a live session.
Lorena Germán [00:11:09]:
I know, I know. So what we're, what we're gonna do and also just some, like, just to give you a little heads up of what's coming. Right. So three things that you can take away or three things that you can do to kind of shift your mind around data. And this is for anybody who is in any kind of learning space, really. Number one, you want to think about data as an opportunity to celebrate. So what is it that I can celebrate? Often when we're looking at data or quantifying things, we. We want to notice gaps and we want to notice what's missing.
Lorena Germán [00:11:38]:
And I get that that's important, but, like, if that's all we're doing with data, then data becomes this negative, you know, thing that or experience, really, that incites fear and incites rejection. Right. I don't want to be a part of that. I don't want to participate in your data collection because all you're going to do is tell me what I'm not doing and can't do, and, you know, what isn't working. Number one, try to think about data as an opportunity to celebrate immediately. I'm hopeful that new ideas will come up for you. Right. Number two, how can I incorporate the student, or, like, whoever is on the other side, the person whose data is being collected, how can they participate? So that you have a balance between qualitative and quantitative data, and we're actually breaking down what that type of data is and other types of data on Saturday.
Lorena Germán [00:12:29]:
But, you know, so think about how they can participate in the process. And then a third one is, I think we have to also keep in mind that data is a process. Unfortunately, we have commodified data so much that we just want the numbers to make some kind of statement. Oh, well, 50% of our students are at level four, and so, boom, that's our data, and we can use that for funding. I get it. I get how we got here. But I think the more open we are and flexible we are, when we're thinking about data, it's actually going to help us, because if we think about it as a way to celebrate and we get students or whoever it is that's participating in this, adult learners or whatever, somebody at your corporation, right. When we can get them involved in it, and this becomes an opportunity to celebrate, then we actually have people wanting to redo, to retry, to take a second attempt, and we can see actual growth that is much more authentic.
Roberto Germán [00:13:34]:
So just to recap that, three steps for implementation. Three things to take away, three things to consider as it relates to data. One, the opportunity to celebrate. See data as an opportunity to celebrate. Two, incorporate the learner as it relates to considering the data and analyzing the data and processing data. And three, maintain the understanding that data is a process, data is a journey. Is that accurate?
Lorena Germán [00:14:14]:
Yeah. Yeah.
Roberto Germán [00:14:16]:
Wonderful. So, telling the whole story. Your workshop for best practices using data. When is this taking place? What day, what time? What is the fee? And will this be available for those who are not able to participate in this live webinar?
Lorena Germán [00:14:38]:
Okay, all good question. So it's happening March 30, Saturday morning. So get you a cup of coffee and a little notepad and join us. It's virtual. It is at 11:00 a.m., eastern, which then means 10:00 a.m. Central. 09:00 a.m. Mountain time.
Lorena Germán [00:14:56]:
08:00 a.m.. Pacific, which is super early for our Pacific people. I'm so sorry. And that means you have the rest of the day to yourself. It's only dollar 27. That's the minimum. You could certainly contribute more as a donation towards our intellectual property and our time. As Roberto said, it's called telling the whole story because we are concerned about the gaps that data continues to offer and tell about all of us.
Lorena Germán [00:15:23]:
And instead, we want holistic data. We want information that really tells you who these kids are, who you are as a teacher. It will be recorded. So even if you register but can't attend, you will have access to the recording. The other thing that I want to add is that for those of you that come live, well, everybody's going to get a downloadable packet.
Roberto Germán [00:15:46]:
Oh, free is for me.
Lorena Germán [00:15:47]:
Okay. It's free. It's included.
Roberto Germán [00:15:49]:
Let's go.
Lorena Germán [00:15:50]:
And this packet, I'm not even kidding. This packet, really? We should be. We should probably be selling it because it has like, wait, wait, student, we're.
Roberto Germán [00:16:00]:
Giving a free package.
Lorena Germán [00:16:01]:
We're giving it away. We didn't discuss this, right, but we're giving it away because we are like, we don't want any barriers to this. Come to this workshop. Understand this idea of using data differently, and then take this thing and go use it. You're going to have student facing materials ready. So even if you register but you can't attend, you will get that. Okay? So anybody who registers will get that packet. Those who come live, though, will be entered into a giveaway.
Lorena Germán [00:16:32]:
And so you will get an extra little goodie there if you come live. And we originally were gonna do this in like an hour, but we were like, no, let's make this a real workshop and really spend some time. And so we're aiming for 2 hours. Might end a little earlier, but certainly wanting to be as thorough as possible with all of you.
Roberto Germán [00:16:55]:
So this is a collaboration between Multicultural Classroom and Harris Innovation Consulting, facilitating the telling the whole story workshop. A workshop for best practices using data will be Lorena Germán and Dr. Towanda Harris. They'll be drawing from Textured Teaching and the Right Tools. Folks, there you have it.
Lorena Germán [00:17:20]:
Come, come.
Roberto Germán [00:17:21]:
We are offering resources, we are equipping y'all. We're trying to meet the needs. Yes, hearing. Hearing what folks want and then just responding to that. So we, we appreciate y'all share this. Be present this Saturday, March 30th 11am eastern.
Lorena Germán [00:17:45]:
Yeah.
Roberto Germán [00:17:46]:
And you can go right now and register. Go to Multicultural Classroom. Go to any of our platforms, any of our platforms. And if you go to the bio, there's a link that will bring you to the registration, that the link will be included in the show notes here also. And so we look forward to seeing you this Saturday. Now, again, for those who are not able to attend, this will be available afterwards. All right. There will be a recording.
Roberto Germán [00:18:21]:
It will be available, it will be accessible to you. So, Lorena, any final words before we wrap this up?
Lorena Germán [00:18:33]:
Just come, come. Bring a friend. And I would also just like to say that I am grateful to be allowed back on the show to be here with you.
Roberto Germán [00:18:47]:
Yes, I appreciate that, my boo.
Lorena Germán [00:18:50]:
I love.
Roberto Germán [00:18:52]:
All right, all right now. All right now, my sugar. Listen, HR is going to be back next week, so.
Lorena Germán [00:18:58]:
Well, the show is pretty much over, so I feel like I get a little something at the end. I behaved.
Roberto Germán [00:19:05]:
All right, folks, I'm trying my best. I'm trying my best not to ban your girl.
Lorena Germán [00:19:13]:
You can't ban me. That's just not okay.
Roberto Germán [00:19:16]:
We'll see you on Saturday. Share this with a school leader. Share this with a classroom teacher. Share this with an instructional aide. Share this with a parent. Share this with a board member. We welcome you all. As always, your engagement in Our Classroom is greatly appreciated.
Roberto Germán [00:19:40]:
Be sure to subscribe, rate the show, and write a review. Finally, for resources to help you understand the intersection of race, bias, education, and society, go to multiculturalclassroom.com. Peace and love from your host, Roberto Germán.
