{"id":16472,"date":"2021-07-07T15:30:36","date_gmt":"2021-07-07T15:30:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/?page_id=16472"},"modified":"2026-01-28T15:11:20","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:11:20","slug":"equitable-curriculum","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/equitable-curriculum\/","title":{"rendered":"Equitable Curriculum"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”15892″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Equitable Curriculum & Instruction<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JcXhUNV23bM” el_width=”70″ align=”center”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1729187153298{padding-right: 170px !important;padding-left: 170px !important;}”]As part of the East Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) with the University of Rochester, the curricula were completely rewritten from scratch. This video showcases the incredible journey of curriculum development through the EPO, delves into the process of rewriting the curricula, and uncovers the invaluable lessons learned along the way. Hear directly from East administrators, teachers and scholars as they share their insights and experiences. Plus, witness the innovative teaching methods in action as East educators implement the newly crafted curricula in the classroom.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Open Sourced, Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Curriculum & Instruction<\/h2>\n

Guided by theories of Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (Paris & Alim, 2014)<\/span>, Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005), and learning standards (New York State Education Department, 2017), we’ve developed resources which give teachers and curriculum designers tools to create and implement learning experiences that are rigorous and inclusive of all students.<\/p>\n

East High’s Elevated Educator website<\/a> provides access to unit plans that are culturally sustaining for students of color.<\/p>\n

Watch video introduction<\/a> to the website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=7XeT1DAl5I0″][vc_column_text]\"\"<\/a>This \u00a0Visioning Document<\/a> is an example of how a school can use a rubric to guide and evaluate culturally relevant-responsive-sustaining (CRRS) curricula and instruction. At East High (Rochester, NY), it is used to provide clear, specific descriptions and examples of five core elements of CRRS pedagogy in practice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This companion document, a \u00a0CRRS Analysis Chart<\/a>, can be used as a template to give feedback to teachers about the ways in which their work might be considered CRRS.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_custom_heading text=”Antiracist Curriculum Development” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]In the wake of a summer of violence (2020) against unarmed Black men, CUES Director Dr. Shaun Nelms is\u00a0 leading a regional effort to make systemic changes in educational policies and to create an Antiracist Curriculum<\/a> to help students learn about and discuss Rochester’s issues with racism and injustice.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>‘Words Matter’ sample unit from the curriculum: ‘Words Matter’: 8th grade history<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The following school districts (all in New York State) have committed to developing, training teachers, and implementing the curriculum in their U.S. History classes:<\/p>\n

Monroe BOCES 1 \u2022\u00a0Monroe BOCES 2 \u2022\u00a0Greece \u2022\u00a0West Irondequoit \u2022\u00a0RCSD \u2022\u00a0East Irondequoit \u2022\u00a0Spencerport \u2022\u00a0Rush Henrietta \u2022\u00a0Brockport \u2022\u00a0Fairport \u2022\u00a0Gates-Chili \u2022\u00a0HFL \u2022\u00a0Pittsford \u2022\u00a0East Rochester \u2022\u00a0Kendall \u2022\u00a0Penfield \u2022\u00a0Hilton \u2022\u00a0Wheatland-Chili \u2022\u00a0Churchville-Chili \u2022\u00a0Brighton \u2022\u00a0Holley<\/em>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Watch:
\n\u201cPreventing Inaccurate Lessons in Schools Like Slavery Worksheet<\/a>\u201d on Spectrum News
\n\u201cLocal Educators Push for Anti-Racist Curriculum After \u2018Insensitive\u2019 Slavery Worksheet <\/a>\u201d on WROC News
\n“East High EPO Superintendent Nelms Influencing Educational Reform”<\/a> on Spectrum News
\n“Anti-racism curriculum to be implemented in school districts across Monroe County”<\/a> on WHAM News
\n“Anti-racist curriculum to be incorporated in history classes in all Monroe County schools”<\/a> on WROC News<\/p>\n

Read:
\n“How COVID-19 will make fixing America’s worst performing schools even harder,”<\/a> in EducationWeek<\/em>
\n“Embracing and celebrating equity and diversity in East\u2019s classrooms”<\/a> in\u00a0The Warner Word
\n<\/em>“Across Monroe County, students will soon have anti-racist lessons”<\/a> on WXXI News and in City Newspaper[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_custom_heading text=”Additional Resources” font_container=”tag:h3|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Becoming High Academic Achievers: What are the Supporting Factors for African American\/Black Male Students that Make the Difference<\/a> by Cassondra Corbin-Thaddies, PhD[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator][vc_separator][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/2″][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Instructional Resources<\/h2>\n

The provision of the highest possible quality of instruction to all students is at the heart of equitable education. We work with schools to drive this curricular and instructional transformation.\u00a0 The tools below are research-supported and feature their application at East High. They can also be used as templates at other schools.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>This Learning Principles Template<\/a> helps school leaders and personnel align their school’s philosophy of learning with evidence. Once completed, it undergirds the use of other tools (below).<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Derived from the work of John Hattie (2009), the Instructional Foundations Overview Tool<\/a> is a tool for designing, delivering, and evaluating high quality instruction.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Teachers and leaders can use the Lesson Quality Checklist<\/a> to evaluate their work and give themselves feedback. The framework describes critical elements in lesson design.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_custom_heading text=”Mission-Aligned Curriculum” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]\"\"<\/p>\n

This model builds on the Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe) curriculum model.\u00a0 We innovated the bottom row as a conceptualization of how ‘daily lesson plans’ fit into curriculum. Using this model, each content area contributes to a wide variety of learning experiences that aggregate to ensure that a school’s community achieves its mission.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_custom_heading text=”Model of Sustainable Ambitious Math Programs”][vc_single_image image=”23292″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https:\/\/www.msamp.org\/”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

Creating a Model for Sustainable Ambitious Mathematics Programs (MSAMP)<\/i> in High Needs Settings: A Researcher-Practitioner Collaboration<\/i><\/h4>\n

Principal Investigators: Jeff Choppin, William Zahner, Cindy Callard, and Shaun Nelms. Funded through the National Science Foundation (Grant no. 2010111)<\/p>\n

This study is a collaboration between researchers (from the University of Rochester, San Diego State University, and UC-Davis), professional development leaders, teachers, coaches, administrators, and students.<\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”23312″ img_size=”full” onclick=”custom_link” link=”https:\/\/www.model.msamp.org\/#home”][vc_column_text]The model is based on a case study of a school in a high-need setting that has sustained the implementation of an ambitious mathematics program for 10 years (i.e., East High School). The MSAMP team has held several local and national focus group experiences to gather feedback on the model and revise it. You can view the visual model<\/a><\/span><\/strong> and explore the MSAMP website<\/a><\/span><\/strong> that houses discussion guides for the model, Ambitious Math lesson plans, and resources for Professional Learning.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_custom_heading text=”Publications” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]Standards-Based Grading: History, Practices, Benefits, Challenges, and Next Steps<\/a> by Valerie L. Marsh (2023). This brief explores research that: reviews the historical context of grading, defines Standards-Based Grading (SBG), examines the practices, benefits, and challenges of SBG, and recommends the next steps for educators considering a transition to SBG.<\/p>\n

Fighting inequities of design: A conversation with Shaun Nelms<\/a> by Valerie L. Marsh (2022). This conversation\u00a0provides insights from Dr. Shaun Nelms\u2019s history, his perspective on school transformation and education research, and his comments about the most recent initiative of CUES, which is to create an antiracist curriculum for their region of New York State.<\/p>\n

Doing and Being Hip-Hop in School: Best.Class.Ever.<\/a> By Larson J., Atkins, G., & Duret, E. (2022, October). This book explores how how urban youth and their teachers (Larson as co-teacher) design and implement a student led class on Hip Hop.<\/p>\n

Disrupting Segregated Knowledge Flows: Reflections from an Evolving Abolitionist<\/a> by Valerie L. Marsh (2022). In this publication the author recalls an experience of her own racism as a white literacy researcher and ELA educator. She acknowledges and describes her racism as both a means to redesign teaching practice and an invitation to other ELA educators to allow the discomfort that can come with reflection.<\/p>\n

Unbound potential: identity as a process understood through creative writing<\/a> by Eleni Duret & Shana Pies for <\/span><\/span>New Writing (2022). The purpose of this study is to better understand how high school students engage creatively with their own identity and then communicate such engagement through creative writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

2022 Greater Rochester Antiracist Education Conference Report<\/a> by Nahoko Kawakyu O\u2019Connor. A collaboration with all area Schools of Education, the Antiracist Curriculum Project, and Center for Urban Education Success the conference brought together teachers, administrators, parents, students, community members and education advocates to learn from one another.<\/span><\/p>\n

Challenging the Autonomous Wall: Literacy Work in an Urban High School<\/a> by Joanne Larson, Eleni Duret, Jennifer Rees, & Jessica Anderson for the Journal of Literacy<\/em> Research (2021).\u00a0 This article explores how one urban high school under threat of state closure developed a multifaceted literacy program to transform the teaching and\u00a0 learning of literacy in a novel university\/school partnership.<\/p>\n

Sarcasm as Pedagogy of Love: Exploring Ironic Speech Acts in an Urban High School English Classroom<\/a> by Joanne Larson, Timothy Morris, and Kristen Shaw for the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy <\/em>(2019). This article explores how two urban high school teachers build a trusting community through sarcasm.[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_custom_heading text=”Videos from Curriculum Work at East High School” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_column_text]When East High and the University of Rochester began their partnership in 2015, a major aspect of the transformation plan was to redesign curricula in every department, at every level.<\/p>\n

By utilizing research, professional learning focused on curriculum writing, the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework, and a model led by teachers working as coaches, East High (Rochester, NY) spent several years writing, implementing, reflecting, and revising curricula that puts students at the center of learning while also increasing rigor. In this video, East administrators, teachers and scholars as they share their invaluable insights and experiences. Additionally, you\u2019ll witness innovative teaching methods in action as East educators implement the newly crafted curricula in the classroom.[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/JcXhUNV23bM”][vc_column_text]In the earlier years of the East EPO, East teachers, coaches, and East\u2019s Chief Academic Officer described their curriculum development process and candidly reflected on the experience.[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/1xzWf6cEXuk”][vc_column_text]East teachers are creating instructional units that culminate in presentations of student work \u2013 at school, after school, and in the local community. In this video, East\u2019s Chief Academic Officer explains the purpose behind and student response to these performance tasks, which are working their way into curriculum across disciplines at East.[\/vc_column_text][vc_video link=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/JKJADccJIUk”][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_separator][vc_separator][vc_separator][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”15892″ img_size=”full”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Equitable Curriculum & Instruction [\/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”black”][vc_video link=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JcXhUNV23bM” el_width=”70″ align=”center”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1729187153298{padding-right: 170px !important;padding-left: 170px !important;}”]As part of the East Educational Partnership Organization (EPO) with the University of Rochester, the curricula were completely rewritten from scratch. This video showcases the incredible journey of curriculum development through the EPO, delves into the process of rewriting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-16472","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16472","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/62"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16472"}],"version-history":[{"count":83,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16472\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23382,"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16472\/revisions\/23382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/warner\/cues\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16472"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}