Race and Equity

  • Support for Trans and Non-binary Students Creates Equitable and Inclusive Learning Communities for All – Four Things Educators Can Do

    All young people deserve and require acceptance and support from their communities to learn and thrive. Prioritizing building inclusive classrooms for all students, regardless of their identity, can quite literally save lives. According to Child Trends, a recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health demonstrates the power of affirming transgender youth’s identities: For…

  • Youth Inspire Educators to Share Power and Create Equitable Learning Environments

    Youth Inspire Educators to Share Power and Create Equitable Learning Environments

    On October 8th a diverse crowd of educators filed into the Laser Dome at Seattle’s Pacific Science Center. However, none of them were there to see a laser show! They had all come to experience an immersive workshop designed and facilitated by youth from Sound Discipline’s DOOL program. DOOL (Designing Our Own Learning) is in its…

  • An Interview with Tonya Wilson

    “It would be easy for someone to have looked at my mom’s life and to look at all effort expended on her behalf as wasted resources.” – Tonya Wilson, from her 2015 TEDx Talk Cracked Sidewalks   On March 15, 2022, from 12-2pm PST, Sound Discipline is hosting our next We Belong & Matter Community…

  • Lakeridge Elementary’s Journey

    What is it like to transform a school into a place where all young people feel they belong, they matter, and they can grow as learners? Lakeridge Elementary, in the Renton School District, has been on just such a journey. In the spring of 2020, while navigating remote learning during school closures, the skilled Lakeridge…

  • Celebrating Black History Month

    To celebrate Black History Month each year, we feature interviews with local Black leaders in education, equity, and social emotional learning.   Our Sound Discipline colleagues shared with us how they came to their current work and their personal inspirations. Sylvia Hadnot, Facilitator & Social Media Coordinator Teague Parker, Facilitator Brook Afework, Program Operations Coordinator…

  • Repackaging Consequences Does Not Create Equitable Learning Communities

    As the new executive director of Sound Discipline, I spend a lot of time studying everything I can about education equity, and social emotional learning. A few weeks ago, I read an article that I found disturbing:  “How Novice and Expert Teachers Approach Classroom Management Differently.” Citing a 2021 study, the author asserts that it…