Founded in 2001, Center for Racial Justice in Education’s mission is to train and empower educators to dismantle patterns of racism and injustice in our schools and communities. We envision a world where all young people learn and thrive in racially equitable, liberating, and empowering educational spaces. CRJE delivers professional development training, coaching, consultation, and in-depth programming that supports PreK-12 educators in classrooms, schools and educational organizations grounded in racial justice and equity.
If you are interested in bringing CRJE to your school or organization, please fill out our inquiry form.
Racial Justice in Organizations (RJIO) Program
At Center for Racial Justice in Education, we believe that racial justice work is a journey and requires an ongoing commitment to racial justice education, self-reflection, and community engagement.
Is your school or organization ready to partner with CRJE for a deeper commitment? In this year-long partnership, schools and organizations will demonstrate their sustained commitment to dismantling institutional racism by partnering with CRJE to engage in long-term strategy and execution.
RJIO consists of the following phases: building community and vision, racial equity audit, planning for racial equity action, and implementation and reflection. We embed our work within the multiple layers of an organization, starting with the self, and moving outward to influence colleagues and the system itself. Through training, assessment and customized coaching, organizations in RJIO (formerly Racial Justice in Schools, RJIS) gain strategies and resources to build culture, practices, and policies grounded in racial justice and equity. Participating organizations join a cohort of educators and schools that are actively building an anti-racism practice in their communities. RJIO consists of:
- Two separate 6-hour trainings with up to 35 participants per training
- Racial Equity Audit where, through a community-driven and data-informed ‘racial equity audit’ process, CRJE will uncover the most pressing racial justice needs within the community. Organizations will gain a set of recommendations for building a stronger institutional foundation for racial equity work.
- Racial Equity Leadership Council for up to 5 hours per month
- Executive Coaching for up to 3 school leaders
Professional Development Training and Workshops
Talking About Race (6 hours):
In this flagship 6-hour training, participants will strengthen their analysis of how racism manifests in their environment and learn how to support a culture of equity, inclusivity, and belonging. Through interactive activities and dialogue, participants will deepen their knowledge of the history and definition of race and racism, enhance their understanding of the how race and racism manifests in institutions and the lived experiences of youth, apply a racial equity lens to scenarios related to race and racism, practice utilizing tools to address issues of race and racism with children, and gain strategies for creating racial equity.
This training is tailored for each audience:
- School-based Teachers and Leaders: Participants will learn selected history of racism in education with a potential to focus on the local context of their school. They will learn to apply a racial equity lens in order to identify issues of racism that occur in classrooms and schools, relevant to the developmental level of their students. This training focuses on schools as sites for experiencing and disrupting racism.
- Youth-Serving Nonprofit Educators and Leaders: Participants will learn how a history of racism in education manifests in their educational organization. Focusing on the mission of the organization and the population they serve, participants will learn to apply a racial equity lens in order to identify issues of racism that occur in their organization and in their work serving youth. This training focuses on non-profit educational organizations as sites for experiencing and disrupting racism.
- Parents, Guardians, and Caregivers: Participants will learn how children see race and gain skills for approaching age-appropriate conversations using a racial equity lens. They will practice strategies to promote positive racial identity development in children, including addressing misconceptions about race and reversing unconscious racial bias. This training focuses on the home as a setting for learning about race and culture.
Taking Action: Strategies and Scenario Role Playing Practice (3 hours):
In this training, participants will reflect upon learning from previous training and will gain strategies to address issues of race and racism within educational institutions. Participants will spend time practicing addressing race and racism in their schools through role play. In this practice, participants will explore their own racial identity as it pertains to their pedagogy as educators and will debrief learnings with their school colleagues. Prerequisite: Talking About Race
Talking About Impact: Unconscious Bias in Classrooms (6 hours):
This 6-hour follow up to the Talking About Race training dives into how internalized and interpersonal racism manifest as unconscious bias and microaggressions in school settings. Participants will explore the impact of unconscious bias on the academic and social emotional development of students, learn how these biases affect their educational practices, and gain tools to recognize and address their own racial biases. Prerequisite: Talking About Race
Senior Leadership Training (3 hours min):
This small group training is designed to support leaders in identifying and analyzing opportunities for racial equity in their school or organization. Participants will learn the critical elements of the meaning of educational equity; understand the dynamic interplay of systemic oppression and their own racial identity; grow their understanding of liberatory consciousness through an awareness, analysis, action, and accountability cycle; and identify a preliminary Equity Opportunity and plan next steps for leading for educational equity.
Facilitating for Racial Justice (20 hours):
In our commitment to building facilitator capacity to lead conversations about race and racism, this training is designed for educators and leaders who are spearheading racial justice work in their school or organization. Over the course of 20 hours together, participants will share stories grounded in a systemic racial analysis, engage in self-reflection using a race-equity lens, explore their racial identities, practice strategies to engage with resistance, and receive feedback on facilitation. Prerequisite: Talking About Race
Coaching and Consultation
Executive Coaching:
School and organization leaders are provided with individualized coaching to support the development of their leadership practice for racial equity. Coaching sessions are customized to the short- and long-term goals and needs of each leader, with a focus on deepening leaders’ positive racial identity and change management for racial justice.
General Consultation:
Schools and organizations are matched with a facilitator who provides ongoing support of a Racial Equity Leadership Council (RELC) / DEI Committee charged with collectively leading the racial justice work in your organization. Over the course of several emergent sessions, the RELC is supported through:
- Shared visioning
- Council processes of inquiry
- Curated resources and materials to support the pursuit of racial equity in the organization
- Consultation and support for planning racial equity initiatives across the organization
Racial Affinity Group Facilitation:
In facilitated sessions, a selected group of educators from the community will engage with two (2) CRJE facilitators to explain the history of racial affinity spaces in the school and plan for group sessions. Up to two (2) CRJE facilitators will lead and/or support racial affinity group spaces in both separate and cross-racial settings. Participants will explore how racial identity is developed, as well as the impact of their own racial identity development on their work with students. Participants will also further explore their racial identity and internalized racism in racial affinity spaces in community with their colleagues.
Evaluation and Assessment
Racial Equity Audit:
Through a community-driven and data-informed ‘racial equity audit’ process, CRJE will uncover the most pressing racial justice needs within the community. The audit includes interviews with up to three (3) leaders, focus groups with up to two (2) groups of adults and two (2) groups of youth, surveys for staff, youth, and family community members, and document analysis. Organizations will gain a set of recommendations for building a stronger institutional foundation for racial equity work.
