A two-day retreat focuses on issues of dominant group privilege and internalized oppression. Through powerful personal experience and introspection these phenomena are explored for their potential to limit teaching, learning and leadership effectiveness.

Followup sessions focus on school and district leadership team-building and the transfer of retreat insights to school settings, policies and practices – typically four-day sessions totaling 24 hours.

Through a process of challenging introspection and reflection, school professionals learn to identify behaviors and policies that adversely affect how students see themselves and their potential to succeed in school. Participants develop ways to alter or eliminate those behaviors and build positive strategies for their schools and districts to adopt.

Participants are helped to understand and deal with their own issues regarding race, class and gender. The program is experiential, indepth and intensive. Understanding needs to be both on a personal level and in interaction with colleagues, students and parents.

EEC works with districts to schedule retreats and followup sessions. Processes aim to develop a “healing community” among participants and the subsequent transfer of this model to schools and districts.

A highly competent, committed interracial team conducts the retreat on racism and leadership. After this comes 24 hours of instruction during four days on culturally relevant teaching. Emphasis shifts to developing culturally relevant curriculum and teaching strategies. Participants try out new strategies and concepts in their classrooms/schools and bring results to future sessions. Sessions build on the increasing availability of high quality social justice curriculum and video material.

Since its inception in 2001 (then known as Teaching and Leading as Social Justice Advocacy Program or TLSJA), this program has enrolled more than 40 school and district cohorts, each averaging 25 participants.

COST: For the 2009-10 school year a contract with EEC is $28,000 for 28 participants, at least nine of whom must be persons of color. In addition, approximately $7,000 for expenses include contracting with a retreat site, books and meals. This does NOT include the costs of travel and travel time for sites outside St. Louis metro area.

Materials | Comments from participants