EdChange is a team
of passionate, experienced educators dedicated to
educational equity and justice. With this
shared vision, we have joined in collaboration to develop
resources, workshops, and projects that contribute to progressive
change in ourselves, our schools, and our society.
We offer a variety of projects and
resources, workshops and consulting
services, and scholarship
grounded in equity and social justice in schools and communities. For
more about our philosophies and ideas, visit our Philosophy page or the Equity Literacy Institute site.
Our
Bios
[ Paul C. Gorski | Julie Landsman | Seema Pothini | Robert W. Simmons
III | Katy Swalwell]
Paul Gorski
[click name to send email]
Founder, EdChange and the Equity Literacy Institute
Paul's
Personal Web site
Paul is the founder of the Equity Literacy Institute and EdChange. He has more than 20 years of experience helping educators, nonprofit workers, and others strengthen their equity efforts. He has worked with educators in 48 states and a dozen countries. Paul has published more than 70 articles and has written, co-written, or co-edited twelve books on various aspects of educational equity including Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap and Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education (with Seema Pothini). He is the author of the Multicultural Pavilion, an online compendium of free resources for educators. Paul earned a PhD in Educational Evaluation at the University of Virginia. He was a teacher educator at several universities for 15 years. He is also a published poet, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and the biggest fan of Buster, his cat.
Areas of specialty:
- Equity literacy framework
- Racial equity in schools and school
districts
- Poverty and class equity in schools and community
organizations
- Research-based, holistic strategies for addressing achievement
(or opportunity) gaps
- Activist burnout and resiliency
- Leadership development and the training of trainers for equity
Robert W. Simmons
III [click name to send email]
Educational Equity and Diversity Consultant and Author
Detroit, Michigan
Robert W. Simmons III is an
educational equity consultant based in Detroit, Michigan. Robert’s doctoral dissertation explored the experiences of African American teachers. His current research agenda
is focused on exploring the experiences of African American teachers
and urban education. Robert taught middle school science in Detroit,
MI, in the Detroit Public Schools, as well as 2nd grade and 4th grade
in the Dominican Republic and Minnesota. In addition to teaching in
K-12, Robert has explored international education issues through work
in the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Costa Rica. Robert's experience
as an award winning science teacher, nominated twice as the national
teacher of the year, adds to his expertise and understanding of what
it takes to be a successful teacher in urban schools and working with
African American students. Robert is a contributing author to
White Teachers in Diverse Classrooms: Creating Community,
Combating Racism (2006).
Areas of specialty:
- Urban education
- Education of African American children
- Multicultural curriculum development
- Eliminating the achievement gap
- School-community partnerships
- African American teachers
Seema G. Pothini [click
name to send email]
Educational Equity and Diversity Consultant and Author
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Seema G. Pothini's passion for
creating equitable classrooms and schools drives her commitment as an
advocate for underserved youth. Her extensive experience improving
student success in historically underperforming schools began by
teaching elementary school in Houston, TX. She was elected Teacher
of the Year in her region and was appointed to the superintendent's
advisory committee, which addressed the achievement gap in Houston's
schools. Seema also has trained new teachers to work in underserved
communities, providing a foundation of teaching skills and
self-awareness regarding how their biases can impact equity in the
classroom. In addition to classroom teaching, she has worked as a
K-12 cultural integration specialist. She improved student outcomes
by creating family, school, and community partnerships, by providing
staff development, and by facilitating student groups. Seema is a
qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory
and serves on boards for the Minnesota chapter of the National
Association for Multicultural Education and Avenues for Homeless
Youth, a shelter in Minneapolis.
Areas of specialty:
- Parent/guardian and community involvement in schools
- Assessing intercultural competence using the Intercultural
Development Inventory (IDI)
- Student success through high expectations and interest
- Strategic planning to move from "celebrating diversity"
to ensuring equity
- Conflict resolution amongst students, families, and staff from
diverse backgrounds
Katy Swalwell
[click name to send email]
Assistant Professor, University of Maryland--College Park
Katy Swalwell's research
focuses on teacher activism and social justice education with a
special focus on race and class issues within social studies teaching
and learning. She is the author of Educating Activist Allies: Social Justice Pedagogy with
the Suburban and Urban Elite, as well as several articles and
blog posts in academic journals and publications like Teaching Tolerance and Rethinking
Schools. Before becoming a professor, Katy taught social
studies at a public high school in St. Charles, Minnesota and a
boarding school summer program in Connecticut. She has facilitated
learning communities of practicing K-12 teachers across disciplines,
supervised student teachers, and taught a variety of teacher
education courses at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, the
University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse, and George Mason University.
Originally from Iowa, Katy currenty lives in Washington, DC, where
she is a research fellow with the Zinn Education Project.
Areas of specialty:
- Social justice and multicultural education
- K-12 social studies curriculum and instruction
- Equity and schooling
- Students and teachers in elite school settings
- Teacher activism and teacher leadership
- Action research
Julie Landsman
[click name to send email]
Educational Equity and Diversity Consultant and Author
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Julie Landsman taught in
the Minneapolis public schools for 28 years. She has recently taught
at Carleton College and has been an adjunct professor at Hamline
University and St. Thomas in St. Paul. She has just published the
book, Growing Up White: A Veteran Teacher Reflects on Racism
with Rowman and Littlefield. Her books, Basic Needs: A Year With
Street Kids in a City School and A White Teacher Talks About
Race, are memoirs about her days in Minneapolis Public Schools.
She co-edited White Teachers in Diverse Classrooms: Creating
Community, Combating Racism with Chance Lewis, released in April
2006. She and Chance are completing a DVD and workbook to accompany
their text. She has edited two books for young people: From
Darkness to Light and Welcome to Your Life with David
Haynes. She's also published Diversity Days, a book of
activities to help teachers create a community of voices in their
classrooms and Tips for Creating a Manageable Classroom.
Julie recently won a Loft Literary Center Career Grant, which she
used to give talks in various schools and literary centers in New
York. Her poem, "Laos on the Radio" appeared in the
February, 2004 issue of Paj Ntaub, a magazine centering on Hmong
experience and culture. Her short story "Suspension"
recently won the New Letters Award in Fiction. Landsman has been a
featured speaker on White Privilege in many venues. She is a frequent
contributor to Educational Leadership magazine.
Areas of specialty:
- Building inclusive schools, classrooms, communities
- Anti-racism activism: how do we do it?
- Creating community in the classroom
- White privilege: how it plays out in our lives
- Fighting the racism of low expectations
- Creating classrooms of hope
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