Explorations: Building More Inclusive Schools with Facing History

We know that many schools and educators are committed to:

• Encouraging deep academic learning
• Meeting the social, emotional, and physical needs of  adolescent learners
• Teaching democratic values while also fostering civic skills and knowledge
• Centering equity education to address academic engagement and achievement

Join us for our two-day Explorations workshop and learn more about how the principles behind Facing History’s programs and our approach to SEL, equity, and civic education can help you meet your goals and transform your school. 

This team-based learning experience will offer resources designed to support educational leaders working to improve school culture, deepen academic engagement, and build schools where every student and every teacher feel that they belong.

“This workshop far exceeded my expectations and opened my eyes to the possibility of so much more for the students in my district.” — Explorations Participant

Workshop participants will develop their capacity to:

1. Deepen a Sense of Purpose: Educators will deepen their sense of purpose and their appreciation of the role of education in democratic and just societies.
2. Nurture Relationships: Educators will understand that building positive, identity-affirming relationships with fellow educators, staff, and students is foundational to learning.
3. Cultivate Equity Mindsets: Educators will engage in self-reflection about their identity and practice, including developing consciousness of how power and bias shape teaching, learning, and other structures within schools, such as discipline and tracking.
4. Center Students: Educators will learn approaches to creating student-centered classes that are relevant, reflective, and affirming.
5. Embrace Continuous Learning: Educators will understand that the practice of good teaching involves lifelong learning and will feel empowered to create and sustain a culture of personal and professional growth in schools.

“After experiencing this workshop, I believe Facing History can bring our [school] community into a new age of deeper understanding and openness about very difficult subjects to approach.” — Explorations Participant

What’s Included in Explorations: Two-day online workshop for a design team (up to 6 people) and two 90-minute planning meetings with a Facing History Program Associate. 

Who Should be on Your Design Teams: School or district design teams of up to 6 stakeholders, including school leaders and administrators, middle and high school classroom teachers, guidance counselors or social workers, and/or other school and district leaders. The ideal team size is 4–6 people. Please contact us at support [at] facinghistory.org if you have any questions about who should be a part of your design team.

Facing History is committed to making this workshop accessible to any school or district team that would like to participate. 

The cost of the workshop has been covered by generous funding from Facing History & Ourselves donors and partner organizations.

Workshop Schedule:

Wednesday, October 11, 2023:  11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET (see in your time zone)

Thursday, October 12, 2023 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET (see in your time zone)

Workshop Time Commitment: 2 days, approximately 4.5 hours per day (plus some breaks) 

Workshop Format: Facilitated Zoom meetings with workshop materials in Canvas

Accessibility: Facing History is committed to creating and maintaining a welcoming and inclusive educational environment for educators of all abilities. If you have an accessibility need, please contact us at support [at] facinghistory.org (support[at]facinghistory[dot]org). If possible, requests should be made at least two weeks in advance. Please note: we will make every effort to secure services, but all are subject to availability

This workshop is directed towards design teams of educators from a school or district.