Equity

In the 2018-19 edition of Research That Matters magazine, the University of Washington College of Education explores the promise and possibilities of advancing educational justice, from early childhood through higher education. Stories in the new issue, available online, investigate the changes in how our students learn, how we teach and how we prepare educators to drive this work forward.

From her first experiences teaching English as a New Language in Washington, D.C., Emily Machado recognized the power of teachers to advance equity in their classrooms. She also saw how many students weren't able to bring their languages and identities into school.

Excited conversations filled the Intellectual House at the University of Washington until the side doors of the gathering hall had to be propped open to make room for the heat and energy.

UW College of Education students and faculty gathered the evening of August 10 for a joint showcase of teacher candidates’ culminating projects for their course “Understanding Tribal Perspectives: Implications for Teaching and Learning” and the first graduates of the UW’s Native Education Certificate Program.

The benefits of study abroad are well documented, from increased confidence to an expanded worldview — and college students who study abroad are more likely to do better in school and graduate on time.

But that experience is often unattainable for a particular group of students: men of color. Of the more than 300,000 U.S. undergraduates who study abroad each year, an overwhelming majority are white women.

For students at the University of Washington, the Brotherhood Initiative wants to help level the field.

For more than a quarter-century, the University of Washington’s Center for Multicultural Education has been a world leader in advancing multicultural education, producing landmark publications and educating a generation of influential scholars in the field.

That impact and the future of the center’s work were featured during its 30th symposium, “Commemorating the Past and Envisioning the Future: Making a Difference for 26 Years,” held on April 27. 

Examples of sustained instructional improvement across an entire school district are rare, but a five-year research-practice partnership between the University of Washington College of Education and a mid-sized urban district highlights the power of networked educators.

As a 6th grade math teacher in Highline School District, Raphael Munavu’s passion for social justice defines his approach to teaching math.

With every lesson, he strives to help students connect math to their own lives, enabling them to think critically about the world around them.

Two ongoing partnerships between Puget Sound area school districts and University of Washington College of Education researchers are being extended with support from two new grants from the Spencer Foundation.