At CASDA, we believe that equity needs to be front and center in our work in every school district.

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Through our partnerships with Common Thread Consulting and the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education, we offer a comprehensive approach to addressing implicit bias at the individual and systems levels. Educators need to value and embrace their students’ diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds as a cornerstone of effective instruction. This requires honestly examining our own beliefs and training to develop curriculum that meets the needs of all students. CASDA is ready, able and dedicated to supporting your district’s work ensuring all of your students experience culturally responsive curriculum and instruction as we prepare them for their futures.

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CASDA regularly produces Research Briefs centered around equity issues that offer concise distillations of educational research drawn from our work in the field and peer-reviewed publications. They aim to provide the practitioner with clear, focused material that will help serve the needs of students. Through these Research Briefs, CASDA presents to the practitioner common findings and questions for consideration. Our hope is practitioners will find the information helpful, engaging and user-friendly. CASDA's in-house research briefs include:

• Integrating Self-Regulated Learning in Culturally Responsive Practice

• Improving Achievement with Metacognitive Instruction

• What Does Parent Empowerment Look Like? 

• Emerging Research Highlights Promise of Student Empowerment

• Considerations for Student Graduation Support Systems

• Research and Resources for Equitable and Safe Schools

• Communication Challenges and Their Impact on Special Education​

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CASDA's Podcasts often explore equity issues with area educators and experts in the field. A few examples include:

• Engagement, Equity and Social Justice: Educators of Tomorrow Share Their Vision with Royalty, Liza, Jaislyn, and Charles - four student leaders at Schenectady’s Oneida Middle School who are active in both the Educators of Tomorrow and Oneida Students for Anti Racism groups (OSAR)

• Every Student is a Gift: Transforming Schools Through the Power of Belief with Dr. Eric Cooper and Dr. Yvette Jackson of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education

• Developing Antiracist Building Leadership with Aaron Thiell, Principal at Latham Ridge Elementary in North Colonie Central School District

• Exploring Equity in Digital Learning with Dr. Delicia Greene, Assistant Professor, Literacy and Learning Department, UAlbany School of Education

• Exploring Equity in Schools with Kathleen McLean, CEO of the McLean Group and Tracy Sangare, ENL teacher, Latham Ridge Elementary School in North Colonie

• The Journey to the Work with CASDA Executive Director Michael Piccirillo, Ed.D and Kathleen McLean, CEO of the McLean Group

• Exploring Student Empowerment with Ricarlo-Luis Grevely, senior at Schenectady High School

• Instruction for Equity: Culturally Responsive Text Sets for Literacy and Content Engagement with Carmella Parente and Kerri Messler of Schenectady City Schools

• Alternative Educators: Serving Students Beyond the Stigma with CASDA Faculty Gregg Weinlein and Mike Schell, Social Studies teacher at HFM BOCES Adirondack Academy

• Exploring Culturally Responsive Practices in Odds-Beating Schools with Dr. Kristen Wilcox of UAlbany's School of Education and NYKids Program

• Confronting the Dropout Stigma with CASDA Faculty Gregg Weinlein

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Learn more about how CASDA can help foster and guide the equity work in your district. Contact CASDA Executive Director Timothy Backus at tbackus@casdany.org today!