For Truth-Telling in Today’s Education System

Written by Keesha Ceran, Teaching for Change

Teachers around the United States face the challenge of how to teach in the midst of a white supremacist backlash that is manifesting itself everywhere, from local police departments to state legislatures to the halls of Congress.

That is why we are teaching for change — Change in our systems. Change in our communities. Change for the lives of the whole person. Change in our world. At Teaching for Change, we play a central role in grassroots education reform in the DC region and nationally. We provide a carefully curated selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, young adults, and educators. We coordinate campaigns to fill gaps in the curriculum.

Many teachers themselves are just learning about the history of institutionalized racism. Textbooks and the traditional curriculum are of no help. For example, despite large numbers of immigrants from Central America, there is little in the school curriculum about the region, even during Latinx Heritage Month. Therefore, Teaching for Change has a campaign to Teach Central America with lessons, books, and film recommendations, and a growing network of teachers!

In collaboration with Rethinking Schools, we co-direct the Zinn Education Project to bring the history of working people, people of color, and organized social movements into the classroom. Curricular innovation, powerful professional development for teachers, and meaningful parent engagement are now even more critical as racial bias and injustice have emerged as urgent national issues.

We believe that education should help students, parents, teachers, and administrators understand and relate to the histories, cultures, and languages of people different from themselves. But education must also be much more than that. It must be transformative. It must encourage academic excellence that embraces critical skills for progressive social change.

Teachers confronting the realities of their students’ lives and the disparities within their schools or districts are now also being made the scapegoats in political culture wars that put their lives and wellbeing at stake. In spite of legislation in many states and decisions in school boards cultivating an anti-history movement, we continue to see educators committed to teaching truth, teaching outside of the textbook, and refusing to lie to students. Teachers who have signed a pledge to teach the truth are being harassed and, in some cases, threatened with firing. They are accused of being in violation of new state laws against teaching about institutionalized racism or “divisive concepts.” (Read more: Teaching in Dangerous Times)

One devastating result of these attacks is that teachers are leaving the profession. Educators aren’t resigning because they want to. They are resigning because they are forced to — Forced to resign by a system that underappreciates and undervalues them. Forced to resign in the midst of extreme political scapegoating.

We are seeing a continued backlash and censoring of educators and a censoring of future generations’ understanding of the truths of this history and current reality. Educators aren’t being celebrated; instead, their jobs are on the line. Teachers are “first-responders,” as critical to our community as firepersons, police, doctors, and other medical responders. They are the ones who pick up the pieces; they are the ones who notice the experiences that a child is facing — abuse, malnourishment, etc. Being a teacher is a choice to serve others. Often, teachers come from a family of teachers where this tradition of service has been instilled for generations.

As an organization, we will continue our commitment to develop critical thinking that supports students to better understand problems in our society and to develop collective solutions to those problems. We are for truth-telling and uplifting the power of organizing and solidarity that move us toward a more just society.

We invite others to come alongside us to support teachers, students, and families until our work has met its goal and a more just community is actualized.

Keesha Ceran serves as the associate director of Teaching for Change, a pre-K-12 nonprofit organization located in Washington, D.C.

More Than Affordable Housing: Helping Families Thrive with Good Shepherd Housing

More than we realize, many of us likely know a friend or colleague who may struggle with long-term housing instability. Increases in the cost of housing in the DC metropolitan area routinely outpace increases in wages. In Fairfax County, specifically — one of the wealthiest counties in the United States — approximately 18% of households have income levels of $50,000 or less, which is over $20,000 short of the annual income needed to afford the county’s average monthly rent.

For almost 50 years, Good Shepherd Housing (GSH) has been serving the housing needs of Northern Virginia families and individuals. Today, the organization oversees 100+ affordable housing units and, since the start of the pandemic, has distributed over $5 million in rental relief and utility assistance.

The core of their service area is Richmond Highway, where many households spend 50% or more of their monthly income on rent, leaving little money for food, transportation, childcare or healthcare needs. Enormous redevelopment has also been underway, rapidly increasing rents on both newly constructed housing and existing affordable units.

In response, GSH launched The Campaign for Colchester in 2018, its largest capital campaign to date, purchasing 30 units in the Colchester community to ensure that affordable housing units in the neighborhood remain available.

But providing physical access to affordable housing is only one component of their model. Just as there is no such thing as a “typical” homeless person or family, GSH recognizes that affordable housing by itself is not enough. Each individual experiencing homelessness has their own story and set of challenges, which means that what they need to become self-sufficient and stable in their homes is unique.

For example, Heather approached GSH because she was finding it particularly difficult to secure affordable housing that was also wheelchair-accessible for her 11-year-old daughter with disabilities. Though they were approved for a housing choice voucher that allowed them to move into such a home, Heather was not able to cover the security deposit and prorated first month’s rent on her fixed income. GSH offered them $3,000 to cover these moving costs, ensuring they can settle comfortably and safely into their new home.

Heather’s story is just one of more than 500 families and individuals GSH supports every year, 83% of whom are families with children. Including The Campaign for Colchester, they have secured 97 housing units for lower-income families over the last five years, in addition to providing residents with financial literacy and skills training, higher education planning, and other resources through partnerships with neighboring organizations.

“Our vision is to provide the support and resources they need to achieve individual success,” said Chris Reddick, a board member with GSH. “It’s been very successful.”

Still, there is much more than can be done. By one estimate, Northern Virginia needs 66,000 more housing units to address the area’s housing insecurity. Housing prices, too, aren’t staying the same. “The dollars don’t go as far as they used to,” Reddick shared, noting that GSH is trying to maintain their purchasing power.

To cover expenses related to the expansion of their housing inventory, they have a new reach goal to raise a total of $3.5 million by June 30, 2023 — $400,000 above what has already been raised. You can learn more about, and support, their work to reduce homelessness and enable self-sufficiency among working families, senior citizens, and residents with disabilities in the Alexandria area of Fairfax County.