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In Pursuit of Equity - A Webinar Series from Division for Early Childhood and Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center
The In Pursuit of Equity series is now available to watch on demand!

 

In this webinar series, DEC and ECTA host various experts in the field of early childhood special education and early intervention in disrupting the pervasive inequities of our systems. Topics include troubling notions of "at risk," challenging biases about families in home based services, suspension and expulsion in early childhood settings, counteracting racism and ableism in early childhood systems, and engaging in systems change in pursuit of equity.  

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In Pursuit of Equity in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education  

Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 4:30 - 6:00 PM Eastern Time 

Presented by Sheresa Boone Blanchard, PhD, and Jen Newton, PhD, chairs of the DEC Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice Committee

Sheresa Boone Blanchard, Ph.D. is an associate professor at East Carolina University in the department of Human Development and Family Science. She primarily teaches courses in the birth through kindergarten teacher education program, a blended licensure area in North Carolina. Her research and teaching focus on family/community engagement, inclusion, families of color, assessment, and improving teacher preparation competencies through lenses of intersectionality, equity, and social justice. Her scholarly interests emerged from over 20 years of experience as a teacher, practitioner and consultant in early childhood, special education, and early intervention. Dr. Blanchard currently serves as co-chair of the Division for Early Childhood’s Inclusion, Equity, and Social Justice Committee and serves as a commissioner for the North Carolina Child Care Commission as well as other state and local level initiatives and boards. 


Jen Newton, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at OHIO University. Dr. Newton's research interests include strengths-based approaches to families, early childhood inclusion, and inclusive teacher preparation through a lens of anti-ableism and anti-racism. She served as an early interventionist and an inclusive prekindergarten teacher prior to pursuing doctoral studies. Dr. Newton earned her doctorate in special education from the University of Kansas and spent four years as an assistant professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., then three years at Saint Louis University before finding her home at Ohio University.  Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @teachingisintellectual.  

In Pursuit of Equity: From Awareness to Action
 

Friday, September 9th, 2022, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM Eastern Time


A one-day virtual summit to extend upon the 2021 DEC/ECTA Equity Series. Presenters included Ki Gross from Woke Kindergarten; then Carla Shalaby, author of Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School; and Deaf educator Akilah English of the Maryland School for the Deaf. Recordings are available for the presentations from Carla Shalaby, MA, MEd and Akilah English, Doctoral Student.

The History of Inequities and Its Impact on Young Children 

Monday, May 24th, 2021, 12:00 - 1:30 PM Eastern Time

Presented by Gloria Neal 

Session Description: You may have heard of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), but what about racial, historical, and generational trauma? This workshop will take you through history to better understand racial inequity and its impact on today's families.
 

About Gloria Neal

From being a tv news anchor and reporter, radio reporter on News radio 850 KOA, a women’s health podcast host, to a radio talk show host, as well as a columnist and now to being a Director of Public Affairs with the Mayor’s office, Gloria Neal’s versatility keeps her very busy all across the country. 

 

With over 30 years of combined experience working with city government, nonprofits and private sector organizations, Gloria brings her passion and problem-solving skills to everything she touches. And it is that drive which enables her to be successful in traditional and non-traditional environments.

 

Gloria is a strong believer in community involvement and in serving the community. She has been heavily involved in mentoring, philanthropic and community driven causes not only in Denver, but also in other cities across the country. 


Currently, Gloria Neal is the Director of Public Affairs for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. 

Bias, Race, and Microaggressions in Early Childhood

Monday, June 7th, 2021, 12:00 - 1:30 PM Eastern Time

Presented by Dr. Rosemarie Allen 

Session Description: ​​This training will engage participants in discussions related to key social justice and equity issues impacting how we lead, serve, and interact within ECSE programs. Implicit bias, color-blind, and culture-blind ideology will be discussed as barriers to addressing racial equity in ECSE. Microaggressions will be examined and practical strategies for how to respond to microaggressions will be presented. 

About Dr. Rosemarie Allen

Rosemarie Allen has served as a leader in early childhood education for nearly 40 years. Her life's work is centered on ensuring children have access to high-quality early childhood programs that are developmentally and culturally appropriate. She is currently an Associate Professor in the School of Education at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. Her classes are focused on ensuring teachers are aware of how issues of equity, privilege, and power impact teaching practices. Rosemarie has served in directorship roles with the Colorado Department of Human Services where she was responsible for the State’s child care licensing program, the federal child care assistance program, the redesign of the State’s quality rating and improvement system, the implementation of the State’s professional development plan, and assisted in the creation of Colorado’s early learning guidelines.  Rosemarie is a respected keynote speaker and has the distinct honor of being appointed as a “Global Leader” to represent the United States at World Conferences across the globe. 


Dr. Allen’s non-profit Institute for Racial Equity & Excellence (IREE) serves as the lead agency for ensuring equity in educational practices throughout the nation. IREE monitors and licenses child care centers using a model she created, “Culturally Responsive Community-Based Licensing”. Rosemarie also served on President Obama’s “My Brother’s Keeper” (MBK) initiative, Early Childhood Task Force. In that role, she was the national expert on implicit bias and culturally responsive practices, speaking at conferences across the country. She also serves as a contractor for the National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations focusing on equity, implicit bias, and culturally responsive practices in the Pyramid Model for Supporting Social Emotional Competence in Infants and Young Children. 


Rosemarie earned her B. A. from California State University, Master’s of Education from Lesley University, and a Doctorate Degree in Leadership for Equity in Education from the University of Colorado, Denver. 

The ABCs of Anti Racist Early Intervention 

Friday, July 23rd 2021, 12:00 - 1:30 PM Eastern Time

Presented by Jen Newton, PhD and Mira Williams, PhD

Dr. Jen Newton is an assistant professor at OHIO University. Dr. Newton's research interests include strengths-based approaches to families, early childhood inclusion, and inclusive teacher preparation through a lens of anti-ableism and anti-racism. She served as an early interventionist and an inclusive prekindergarten teacher prior to pursuing doctoral studies. Dr. Newton earned her doctorate in special education from the University of Kansas and spent four years as an assistant professor at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., then three years at Saint Louis University before finding her home at Ohio University.  Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @teachingisintellectual.  

Dr. Mira Williams is an Associate Professor in the Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities Department at James Madison University. Dr. Williams earned a doctoral degree in Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education from the University of Virginia. She also received her Master’s of Teaching and B.S. in Psychology from the University of Virginia. Dr. Williams taught for six years in inclusive early childhood preschool and elementary classrooms in Virginia. In addition, she served as an educational specialist, consulting with teachers and families of children with disabilities, focusing on differentiating instruction and providing curricular access to all children. She is a strong advocate of high-quality teacher preparation in the area of Early Childhood Inclusive and Special Education and is focused on social justice and equity for young children and their families. She presents locally and nationally on a range of topics related to improving teacher preparation, inclusive practices in early childhood education, and disrupting microaggressions in P-16 educational settings.

Uncovering and Resisting Racism and Ableism in Early Childhood  

Wednesday, August 4th, 2021, 4:30 - 6:00 PM Eastern Time

Presented by Hailey Love, PhD and Maggie Beneke, PhD 

Dr. Hailey Love is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She earned her PhD in Special Education, with a focus on early childhood, from the University of Kansas in 2018. Through her scholarship, Dr. Love aims to advance justice-driven inclusive education for young children with disabilities, particularly multiply-marginalized children with disabilities. Her research includes projects on inclusive and culturally-sustaining practices, teacher preparation and professional development, and family-professional partnerships with families of Color. Dr. Love also examines applications of mixed methods inquiry within early childhood and special education research. 

Dr. Maggie Beneke is an Assistant Professor of Education in the College of Education at the University of Washington. Professor Beneke’s research focuses on re-thinking inclusive, equitable education for children and families from historically marginalized backgrounds. Her work is premised on a view of inclusive education as a social movement in response to the exclusion of children viewed as different (e.g., children with disabilities, children of color) in comparison to an often unspoken status quo (e.g., able-bodied, white). Through critical analysis of the local processes and consequences of identity construction, Professor Beneke highlights and supports early childhood practitioners’ inclusive practices while transforming deficit discourses surrounding young children’s identities and competencies. 

Continuing to Pursue Equity in EI/ECSE: Considerations and Next Steps 

Wednesday, October 20th, 2021, 3:00 - 4:30 PM Eastern Time

Presented by Sheresa Boone Blanchard, PhD; Courtney O’Grady, MEd; Dorothy Shapland, EdD; and Jen Newton, PhD

In Pursuit of Equity: From Awareness to Action - A One-Day Virtual Summit
Lessons in Disruption: Learning Freedom from Our Troublemakers 

Friday, September 9th, 2022  

Presented by Carla Shalaby, author of Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School 

Facilitated by Sheresa Boone Blanchard, PhD, and Jen Newton, PhD, chairs of the DEC Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice Committee

In Pursuit of Equity: From Awareness to Action - A One-Day Virtual Summit
Uprooting Ableism through Intersectional Lens in Early Childhood Education 

Friday, September 9th, 2022  

Presented by Akilah English of the Maryland School for the Deaf 

Facilitated by Sheresa Boone Blanchard, PhD, and Jen Newton, PhD, chairs of the DEC Inclusion, Equity and Social Justice Committee

Recollecting to Connect - The power of stories and storytelling in special education contexts

Tuesday July 9th, 2024, 2:00 - 3:30 PM Eastern Time

Presented by Dr. María Cioè-Peña

Facilitated by Jen Newton, PhD and Sheresa Boone Blanchard, PhD

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Sesson Description: Anchored in themes surfaced from children’s books, in this presentation, participants will uncover connections between the narratives we encounter in books and those that shape our lives. As part of this session, teachers will learn about the descriptive inquiry processes —particularly reflections on words, recollections and descriptive reviews— and their potential for creating fuller and more expansive understandings of culturally and linguistically diverse special education students and their families. Developed by Patricia Carini and educators at Vermont's Prospect School, these processes serve to as a means to go beyond viewing students solely through the lens of their disability- and/or language-related learning needs. Rooted in progressive education, they aim to construct nuanced portraits of children, empowering teachers to deepen their pedagogical approaches and recognize the diverse abilities of their students. By embracing these processes, educators can enhance students' academic and social experiences, providing them with greater opportunities to learn and thrive. 

About Dr. María Cioè-Peña 

María Cioè-Peña is a bilingual/biliterate education researcher and educator who examines the intersections of disability, language, school–parent partnerships, and education policy. Taking a sociolinguistic approach and stance, she pushes and reimagines the boundaries of inclusive spaces for minoritized children. Stemming from her experiences as a former bilingual special education teacher, Dr. Cioè-Peña’s research focuses on bilingual children with dis/abilities, their families, and their ability to access multilingual and inclusive learning spaces within public schools. Her interests are deeply rooted in political economy, raciolinguistic perspectives and critical dis/ability awareness within schools and families.


Dr. Cioè-Peña’s scholarship has won awards from major organizations in the field of bilingual education; first-place winner for Outstanding Dissertation by the National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE) in 2019, and third place winner for Outstanding Dissertation by AERA's Bilingual Education Research SIG in 2020. In 2022, her article “Wanting to Leave; Needing to Stay: Issues for undocumented mothers of children with disabilities” received the Inaugural Outstanding Publication Award from the Council For Exceptional Children's Division for Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Exceptional Learners. She was also awarded the Early Career Award by AERA's Bilingual Education Research SIG in 2022. Prior to arriving at Penn GSE, María was an assistant professor and a Community-Engaged Teaching Fellow at Montclair State University. Her book, (M)othering Labeled Children: Bilingualism and Disability in the Lives of Latinx Mothers, was released May 2021 by Multilingual Matters. 

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