Roberto Germán [00:00:01]:
Welcome to our classroom. In this space, we talk about education, which is inclusive of, but not limited to what happens in schools. Education is taking place whenever and wherever we are willing to learn. I am your host, Roberto Herman, and our classroom is officially in session. Welcome back to Our Classroom, the podcast where we dig into the real work of creating equitable, inclusive schools. I'm your host, Roberto Herman, educator, poet, and co founder of Multicultural Classroom. Today I'm going to be speaking directly to the schools and educators who are trying to do the work, but they feel stuck. We're going to be talking about why your DEI initiatives are falling flat and what to do about it.
Roberto Germán [00:00:56]:
Hey, man, let's. Let's dig in. Let's jump right in. Here's the hard truth. A lot of schools think they're making progress on equity because they've checked the boxes. They hired a DEI coordinator. They scheduled an implicit bias training. They added a multicultural book to the classroom library.
Roberto Germán [00:01:17]:
Very nice. Very nice. But then the climate survey results roll in, and students of color still say they feel invisible. Staff of color are still the first to leave. There's disproportionate discipline. Right? That's. That's still a thing. So what gives? Listen, performative equity work is about looking the part.
Roberto Germán [00:01:44]:
You know, I'm saying, being actors. Transformative equity work is about shifting the culture. And, and that takes more than good intentions. It takes action, strategy, accountability. And so here are three warning signs I often see when schools reach out to us at Multicultural Classroom. The first is surface level pd. Come in with that one. And done.
Roberto Germán [00:02:14]:
Equity training, you call it transformation, but it does not produce growth. You're not going to get growth from a 90 minute slideshow. The second thing I see is that there's no strategic plan for equity. You've got goals for test scores, but not for belonging. So where's the plan to measure equity? To center voices that have been marginalized. And then the third thing I see is that DEI is isolated. What do I mean by that? Well, your DEI work lives in a silo. There's one person, there's one committee.
Roberto Germán [00:02:59]:
It's not embedded across the leadership curriculum and culture. Does this sound familiar? If so, you're not alone. You are not alone. Y' all remember that song? All right, My bad, my bad. I'm not a singer. But the point is, it's not too late. All right? And you're not the only one going through this. You're not the only institution going through this.
Roberto Germán [00:03:23]:
And we should consider what real progress looks like. Let me Tell you, this is what I've actually seen work in schools that we've partnered with through Multicultural Classroom. First, you got to build out a clear framework. We build out a clear framework, one that helps leadership name values they say they stand for and turn them into practice. And that could look like our rise model where we center on relationships and identity and structure equity in action. And then you move into the second piece, which is we engage students as co creators. So not just surveys. All right.
Roberto Germán [00:04:13]:
But we really welcome them into opportunities. We run poetry workshops. We do identity mapping listening sessions. Why? Because the power of student voice is transformational. And then the third thing we do is we equip staff beyond the buzz words. Teachers leave our trainings with tools that they used the next day. We want to make this as practical as possible. Not the abstract theories, but actual strategies that shift classrooms.
Roberto Germán [00:04:48]:
One teacher told me after recent pd this was the first time I didn't feel like I was being taught that. I felt like I was being built up. That's what we want to do. We want to be build folks up. We want to build up institutions. We want to build teams again. We want to shift culture. And that requires a call to courage.
Roberto Germán [00:05:13]:
So here's what I want to say to you. From a former school leader to another one. You school leaders that are listening. And you leaders in different institutions and different organizations for profits nonprofits. If your DEI work feels stuck, it doesn't mean you failed. It means the moment is calling for a deeper commitment. So what's next? Well, build your team's capacity. Create a strategic vision.
Roberto Germán [00:05:45]:
Partner with someone who gets it. That's what we do at Multicultural Classroom. We don't sell templates. We co create transformation. We with you and we welcome you into that opportunity. Listen, if this resonates with you, share with a colleague, reflect with your team. And when you're ready to take your equity efforts deeper, we're here. Holla at us.
Roberto Germán [00:06:14]:
Visit multiculturalclassroom.com Schedule your discovery call. Let's talk about how we can partner to move your school from performing formative to purposeful. Know what I'm saying? We bout that life. So until next time, keep showing up, keep growing. And remember, hope is a verb. Peace. As always, your engagement in our classroom is greatly appreciated. Be sure to subscribe, rate the show and write a review.
Roberto Germán [00:06:49]:
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 Herman.
