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The ‘Call to Courage’: standing up to intolerance & injustice in K-12 schools

Drs. Shelley Berman and Luvelle Brown

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Overview

Effie A. Jones Humanitarian Award-Winner and former New York State Superintendent of the Year Dr. Luvelle Brown has emerged as a leading voice in Elementary and Secondary education. Dr. Sheldon “Shelley” Berman has long been among the leaders when it comes to improving outcomes for diverse student populations.

In their new book, A Call to Courage, Brown and Berman issue a clarion call to stand up to (and speak out against) rising instances of unjust and intolerant attacks on K-12 public schools.

In this five-session cohort, Brown and Berman share ideas for dealing with and managing these attacks, while giving your teams practical tools and strategies for responding and reclaiming the narrative, and instilling courage to change the culture in your schools and your community.

Dates

Weekly sessions starting in November 2024

Cost

$495 per person
(discounts available for teams)

Who should attend

Superintendents, assistant superintendents, central-office teams, building teams, school board members, central-level coordinators

Dr. Luvelle Brown

Dr. Shelley Berman

Meet your instructors

A former New York State Superintendent of the Year, Dr. Luvelle Brown has emerged one of the nation’s foremost voices on innovation and school/district culture in K-12 schools. His book, Culture of Love, has been called “transformative” and “powerful.” Dr. Brown recently received the 2022 AASA Dr. Effie Jones Humanitarian Award for his work and international and national leadership.

Dr. Sheldon (Shelley) Berman, AASA’s Lead Superintendent for Social-Emotional Learning, has served as superintendent in four districts over 28 years and authored five books on democracy, education, and social responsibility. His work spans social-emotional learning, special education, and education reform, contributing to the Ethical Educator column since 2012. A former Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents President, Berman has received numerous awards, including the 2003 Massachusetts Superintendent of the Year, the 2011 Sanford McDonnell Lifetime Achievement in Character Education, and the AASA’s Distinguished Service Award in 2022 for his contributions to education.

The experience

Join A Call to Courage co-authors and career educators Dr. Shelley Berman and Luvelle Brown for a collaborative, practical and action-oriented virtual cohort-based learning experience.

90-minute live-virtual collaborative learning sessions

Engage with Drs. Shelley and Brown and colleagues from around the world via a series of (5) live virtual learning sessions, conducted online via Zoom, featuring discussion, interactive polls, breakout sessions & more.

Access to the RocketPD Learning Portal

Access session recordings and related practical learning resources, including tools, learning guides and discussion boards, via your own password-protected learning portal.

Plus, a copy of Berman & Brown’s new book

You’ll also receive your very own copy of Berman & Brown’s new book: The Call to Courage: Standing Up and Speaking Out Against the Assaults on Democracy, Educators, and Students in America's Schools. Published by Rowman & Littlefield.

The outcomes

Whether you’re an experienced school leader looking to bring your team together around these critical issues, or a new leader, looking to develop the capacity for change, you (and you team) will emerge from this experience with understanding and capacity to:

  • Define & speak to critical issues around diversity & academic excellence & inclusion for all
  • Engage students (and staff) in productive conversations & programs to promote safer, more inclusive & effective learning environments
  • Build stronger & effective support structures & relationships to power this work & achieve your goals for it
  • Establish metrics & a repeatable system for defining & communicating success to stakeholders
  • Invite & lead challenging conversations with productive outcomes for students, families, board and community members

What educators are saying…

“The Call to Courage responds to the urgent need for educative leadership in times of political divisiveness. Its pragmatic ideas for reducing polarization while advancing justice will serve the field for years to come.”

Linda Darling-Hammond

professor emeritus, Stanford University; president of the Learning Policy Institute

“The Call to Courage will inspire and sustain leaders who want to do the right thing, even when it is difficult.”

Joshua P. Starr

managing partner, Center for Model Schools; former superintendent; former CEO of Phi Delta Kappa International

“The Call to Courage is a must-read for those fighting to ensure public schools continue to be students’ and families’ pathway to success.”

Gustavo Balderas

superintendent, Beaverton School District, Oregon; president-elect, AASA; president, Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents

The sessions

Session #1

November 13, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:00 PM EST

A Call to Courage: Why, What, and How?

Explore how current political divisiveness is compromising school operations, coherent policy directions, and student achievement and why the courage of education leaders is so critical. Participants will have the opportunity to think about models of courageous action that have influenced their lives and work and how those can serve as a resource for courageous action now.

  • Analyze assaults on education – including origins, motivations, & strategic goals.
  • Learn to talk about what motivates you as an educator.
  • Describe current challenges, both personally and organizationally.
  • Explore different hot-button terms, including Culture, Equity, Diversity, and Anti-Racism.
  • Explain the reasons these elements are important to the well-being and education of children.
Session #2

November 20, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:00 PM EST

Define Your Journey

Discuss what motivates people to take courageous action and how these sources of courage can serve as resources for our own action. Participants will have the opportunity to think about courageous actions that they have taken, what moved them to action, and how that motivation can be applied to current challenges.

  • Describe real-life examples of courageous actions to uphold the mission of public education.
  • Identify sources of courage and how these can serve as resources for courageous action.
Session #3

December 4, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:00 PM EST

What’s Happening? And What Do You Do About It?

Review current and anticipated conflict and sources of divisiveness that participants are experiencing and how this prevents us from doing what is right for students.

  • Recognize the underlying rationale that motivates resistance in pursuit of equity, inclusion, and the social-emotional well-being of students.
  • Learn to mitigate and manage the resistance to directives through leadership actions.
Session #4

December 11, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:00 PM EST

How to Reclaim the Narrative

Share messages and strategies used to reframe issues in a way that reduces divisiveness and reclaims the narrative for students.

  • Frame messages that communicate the importance of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social-emotional learning programs and build common ground among constituents.
  • Enact strategies for reclaiming the narrative and taking courageous stands in contentious environments.
  • Identify metrics to measure the effectiveness of inclusive and differentiated initiatives.
  • Monitor, track and communicate with various stakeholders about student achievement and the positive influence of equity, inclusions, diversity, and social-emotional learning.
  • Respond to questions and resistance about diversity, equity, inclusion, social-emotional learning, and other significant initiatives.
Session #5

December 18, 2024 | 3:30 - 5:00 PM EST

What will you do tomorrow, next year, over the next five years?

Master strategies that defuse divisiveness and promote common understandings as well as how education leaders can respond directly to those who take extreme and uncompromising positions in their attacks on public education.

  • Adopt an inclusive and equitable lens when facilitating community and internal team discussions and decisions.
  • Learn to communicate to internal and external stakeholders districtwide decisions to promote inclusive and equitable outcomes.
  • Enact practical strategies that reduce divisiveness.
  • Learn how to respond to individuals who attack the actions and directions of the school or district in a way that effectively addresses issues and moves the organization forward.

Register now

Build a team of any size and save.

Individual

$495

per person

Access to (5) live 90-min. sessions

Practical action items

Access to the RocketPD Learning Portal

Plus, Shelley & Luvelle’s new book

Sign up at RocketPD

Team of 5

$480

per person

Access to (5) live 90-min. sessions

Practical action items

Access to the RocketPD Learning Portal

Plus, Shelley & Luvelle’s new book

Sign up at RocketPD

Team of 10

$465

per person

Access to (5) live 90-min. sessions

Practical action items

Access to the RocketPD Learning Portal

Plus, Shelley & Luvelle’s new book

Sign up at RocketPD

Want to bring a team of 10 or more?

Contact us for large group rates.

Contact RocketPD

Frequently asked questions

What is the A call to courage: standing up to intolerance in K-12 schools cohort?

In their new book, A Call to Courage, award-winning educators and speakers Drs. Sheldon Berman and Luvelle Brown issue a clarion call to stand up to (and speak out against) rising instances of unjust and intolerant attacks on K-12 public schools. In this five-session cohort, Brown and Berman share ideas for dealing with and managing these attacks, while giving your teams practical tools and strategies for responding and reclaiming the narrative, and instilling courage to change the culture in your schools and your community.

Why do this as part of a cohort?

The RocketPD cohort experience is designed to give school district leaders an actionable, affordable and convenient way to facilitate difficult but necessary strategic conversations and initiatives at a time when schools and school communities face both intense initiative fatigue and competing distractions. Districts can register select members of their building or central-office teams for open cohorts.

What’s included in this program?

Attendees will participate in (5) collaborative 90-min. virtual learning sessions (all over Zoom). During the cohort, they will also have access to RocketPD’s password protected Learning Portal, where they can access recordings and resources provided by Drs. Shelley Berman and Luvelle Brown and any special guests. All attendees will receive a copy of Drs. Shelley Berman’s and Luvelle Brown’s book, The Call to Courage.

Who should participate?

The A call to courage: standing up to intolerance in K-12 schools cohort is designed for Superintendents, Assistant Superintendents, Central-Office and School Administrators, Directors, Coaches and Team Leads.

How will this help my team?

The nation’s K-12 schools have endured tremendous criticism in recent years, much of which detracts from their ability to effectively serve students and communities.

The goal of this cohort is to empower school leaders and public school supporters to take action to either meet the resistance in the community or state or, if their state and/or district are already supportive, to have them take proactive action to further advance that work on a state and national level within their professional organizations and legislatively. 

How can I participate?

If you’re interested in joining A ‘Call to Courage’: standing up to intolerance & injustice in K-12 schools cohort, save your spot by completing the registration form on this page. Once you sign up, you’ll receive more information about the program, including payment and invoicing details. You’ll also receive a detailed follow-up email with information about your cohort, including scheduled session dates and times. Should you have questions at any time throughout the process, you’ll receive the phone and email of our project coordinator to ensure a positive experience.

At RocketPD, we have one goal: to provide you (and your team) with an engaging, collaborative and high-quality professional learning experience. Should you have any questions, at any time, email us at [email protected].

Sign up for A ‘Call to Courage’: standing up to intolerance & injustice in K-12 schools

with Drs. Shelley Berman and Luvelle Brown

Give your school leaders and teachers the help and support they’ve been looking for.

Sign up at RocketPD