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Identity Safe Classrooms,  Grades 6-12 - Book Cover

Identity Safe Classrooms, Grades 6-12

Pathways to Belonging and Learning
By: Becki Cohn-Vargas, Alexandrea Creer Kahn, Amy Epstein

Foreword by Claude Steele

Welcome to Identity Safe Classrooms!

In identity safe classrooms, students facing negative stereotypes or viewed as different are “seen,” accepted, and valued for who and what they are. Their identity is embraced as an asset not a barrier for school success. Identity safety is a research-based set of practices that counter the harmful effects of stereotype threat and allow our students to reach their full capacity for learning, foster positive relationships, and better appreciate the full spectrum of human differences.

The second of a two-volume set, Identity Safe Classrooms, Grades 6-12, is a call for educators to come together and realize a vision of schools as transformative places of opportunity and equity for all students. Inside you’ll find:

  • Design principles for promoting belonging and a welcoming classroom environment
  • Compelling evidence from identity safety research on ways to mitigate stereotype threat along with counter-narratives that challenge societal biases about gender, race, and other differences
  • Pragmatic strategies for student-centered teaching, including trauma-informed practices, that hold high expectations and validate each student’s background as a resource for learning
  • Vignettes with concrete examples and try-it-out activities and prompts for self-reflection
Devour Identity Safe Classrooms, adopt its practices, and soon enough you’ll inspire in all of your students a greater sense of empathy and agency in their educational experiences.

Dr. Becki Cohn-Vargas along with Alexandrea Creer Kahn and Amy Epstein show us the intersections between adolescent identity development, racial identity development, and social-emotional development so we know how to use the diversity in classrooms as our strength.

--Zaretta Hammond, Author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

“Identity Safe Classrooms should be in the hands of every educator who walks into a school. It's clear and accessible, grounded in research, thought-provoking and engaging, and actionable, and fills a crucial gap in our resources for creating just and liberated schools.”

--Elena Aguilar, Author of The Art of Coaching

The authors have done an excellent job showing how an identity safe classroom integrates the growth mindset in a secondary school. When students feel accepted and valued, when they feel safe learning from mistakes and encouraged to continually grow as learners, they can reach their highest potential.”

--Carol Dweck, Stanford University

Full description


Identity Safe Classrooms,  Grades 6-12 - Book Cover
Product Details
  • Grade Level: 6-12
  • ISBN: 9781544350387
  • Published By: Corwin
  • Year: 2020
  • Page Count: 312
  • Publication date: August 04, 2020
Price: $34.95
Volume Discounts applied in Shopping Cart

Review Copies

Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.

Description

Description

Welcome to Identity Safe Classrooms!

In identity safe classrooms, students facing negative stereotypes or viewed as different are “seen,” accepted, and valued for who and what they are. Their identity is embraced as an asset not a barrier for school success. Identity safety is a research-based set of practices that counter the harmful effects of stereotype threat and allow our students to reach their full capacity for learning, foster positive relationships, and better appreciate the full spectrum of human differences.

The second of a two-volume set, Identity Safe Classrooms, Grades 6-12, is a call for educators to come together and realize a vision of schools as transformative places of opportunity and equity for all students. Inside you’ll find:

  • Design principles for promoting belonging and a welcoming classroom environment
  • Compelling evidence from identity safety research on ways to mitigate stereotype threat along with counter-narratives that challenge societal biases about gender, race, and other differences
  • Pragmatic strategies for student-centered teaching, including trauma-informed practices, that hold high expectations and validate each student’s background as a resource for learning
  • Vignettes with concrete examples and try-it-out activities and prompts for self-reflection

Devour Identity Safe Classrooms, adopt its practices, and soon enough you’ll inspire in all of your students a greater sense of empathy and agency in their educational experiences.

Dr. Becki Cohn-Vargas along with Alexandrea Creer Kahn and Amy Epstein show us the intersections between adolescent identity development, racial identity development, and social-emotional development so we know how to use the diversity in classrooms as our strength.

-Zaretta Hammond, Author of Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain

“Identity Safe Classrooms should be in the hands of every educator who walks into a school. It's clear and accessible, grounded in research, thought-provoking and engaging, and actionable, and fills a crucial gap in our resources for creating just and liberated schools.”

-Elena Aguilar, Author of The Art of Coaching

The authors have done an excellent job showing how an identity safe classroom integrates the growth mindset in a secondary school. When students feel accepted and valued, when they feel safe learning from mistakes and encouraged to continually grow as learners, they can reach their highest potential.”

-Carol Dweck, Stanford University

Author(s)

Author(s)

Becki Cohn-Vargas photo

Becki Cohn-Vargas

Becki Cohn-Vargas, EdD, spent over 35 years as a teacher, principal, curriculum director, and superintendent in rural, urban, and suburban districts. In each setting, she focused on educational equity and strategies for diverse populations. When she learned about research on identity safety classrooms where teachers strive to assure students that their social identities are an asset rather than a barrier to success in the classroom, it became her educational mission. Partnering with Dorothy Steele, identity safety researcher, she coauthored “Identity Safe Classrooms: Places to Belong and Learn,” aimed at K–5 teachers. Subsequently, she co-authored “Identity Safe Classrooms Grades 6–12: Pathways to Belonging and Learning”, and “Belonging and Inclusion in Identity Safe Schools: A Guide for Educational Leaders.”

Currently, Becki is an independent consultant and presenter. She was hosted at the White House by President Obama’s education staff and has worked to create identity safe school climates in over 150 schools across the U.S.

Website: http://beckicohnvargas.com.

Alexandrea Creer Kahn photo

Alexandrea Creer Kahn

Alexandrea Creer Kahn, MAed, after earning her BA at UC Berkeley and MA in Education from Stanford University, started her career in education, working to support elementary school teachers and leaders to engage in the school improvement process. Over the course of her career focusing on educational equity, Alex has worked in several roles in K–12 and higher-ed including teacher, school coach, principal, and district leader, as well as lecturer for Stanford University. Recently, Alex coauthored the book Identity Safe Classrooms: Grades 6–12: Pathway to Belonging and Learning. Alex currently oversees the clinical practicum program for Alder Graduate School of Education as the senior director of Academic Programs. Alex’s areas of expertise include school leadership, school transformation, teacher education, coaching, professional learning, and curriculum and instruction. A Bay Area native, Alex enjoys spending her time with her husband and two sons, writing, and spending time outdoors.


Amy Epstein photo

Amy Epstein

Amy Epstein, MSW, is the founding partner of Data for the People, working to transform data into valued and accessible information centered in the knowledge and priorities of those closest to a context, problem, or goal. She has worked as an administrator and consultant with many school districts, schools, foundations, and other nonprofit organizations to advance equity in education, particularly in the areas of evidence-based inquiry and dialogue, coordinated services/tiered support systems, data systems and processes, and assessment. Amy was a coauthor in 2020 of Identity Safe Classrooms: Grades 6–12: Pathway to Belonging and Learning. Amy lives in San Francisco, CA, with her wife, Liat. She is anchored and made joyous by drumming, singing, meditating, and spending time outdoors.


Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword


Acknowledgments


About the Authors


Part I. Welcome to the Identity Safe Classroom and School


Chapter 1. The Introduction

Chapter 2. Educator Identity Safety and the Importance of Self-Awareness

Big Ideas: Welcome to the Identity Safe Classroom and School

Part II. Student-Centered Teaching


Chapter 3. Listening for Student Voices

Chapter 4. Teaching for Understanding

Chapter 5. Focus on Cooperation

Chapter 6. Classroom Autonomy

Big Ideas: Student-Centered Teaching

Part III. Cultivating Diversity as a Resource


Chapter 7. Using Diversity as a Resource

Chapter 8. High Expectations and Academic Rigor

Chapter 9. Challenging Curriculum

Big Ideas: Cultivating Diversity as a Resource

Part IV. Classroom Relationships


Chapter 10. Teacher Warmth and Availability for Learning

Chapter 11. Positive Student Relationships

Big Ideas: Classroom Relationships

Part V. Caring Classroom Environments


Chapter 12. Teacher Skill

Chapter 13. Emotional and Physical Comfort

Chapter 14. Attention to Prosocial Development

Big Ideas: Caring Environments

Epilogue: Closing Thoughts


References


Reviews

Reviews

Price: $34.95
Volume Discounts applied in Shopping Cart

Review Copies

Review copies may be requested by individuals planning to purchase 10 or more copies for a team or considering a book for adoption in a higher ed course. To request a review copy, contact sales@corwin.com.

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