Services.

The Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Coalition consists of many dedicated Ethnic Studies scholars and practitioners throughout the state of California and throughout the United States. Our coalition consists of experts in each of the disciplines that comprise Ethnic Studies.  We have packages and experts that can help you with your Ethnic Studies professional learning needs.

Anti-racist Culturally Responsive Institute

​Are you looking to establish an anti-racist, culturally responsive, social justice and humanizing school community?

The LESMC ARCR Institute focuses on  theoretical and applied research and pedagogy that assists school communities in establishing anti-racist and culturally responsive school climates, practices and policies. LESMC Institute is intentionally focused upon modeling educational practices that schools and districts may use throughout the academic year.
The two-day institutes are co-constructed with district or school-wide personnel. For example, a two-day intensive may emphasize the following: 

1. Strengthen participant understanding levels and forms of  racism (interpersonal to institutional racism) and manifestations of white supremacy culture in schools and communities, including defining and challenging racial micro/macroaggression, deficit perspectives of BIPOC students. 
2. Engaging participants in constructive and meaningful dialogues on how race, ethnicity and culture differ, practice and construct “talking back” counter narratives productively, and learn methods for interrupting racism.
3. Using a racial equity lens, participants will design a process for challenging systemic structural racism and white supremacy culture in schools.

Year-long Ethnic Studies District Advisement & Implementation Track

Are you implementing a new Ethnic Studies requirement in your district/school?

LESMC faculty will work with local districts and schools to establish develop a program and process for the implementation of ethnic studies either as a districtwide graduation requirement, a course infusion into existing Social Studies or English courses or stand-alone elective course. It is also possible for LESMC to design an elementary model of for Ethnic Studies teaching and learning.
All Ethnic Studies programs are co-constructed with District/School personnel so that the desired outcomes address the needs of school district and the community. In order to conform with District expectations, we require engagement and collaboration with teachers and educators in creating rigorous ethnic studies electives and/or courses. We expect to design courses that meet California’s A-F ethnic studies requirements. LESMC faculty have administrative and leadership experience are familiar with the parameters of how to implement said requirements within public school districts. Moreover, we customize professional development to meet the needs of administration, teachers and varied stakeholder groups.

1. Needs Assessment/Gap Analysis-LESMC faculty begin with an analysis of District progress in Ethnic Studies, we build on existing programs providing feedback and developing timelines, and strategies for effective implementation. We analyze the impact that the graduation requirement will have on master schedules and offer a variety of options for meeting the requirement so that individual high schools and students can successfully implement the requirement with the least amount of disruption to existing pathways and the maximum amount of benefit. For example, ethnic studies courses that are A-F core courses may be developed or cloned in order to offer students the opportunity to count said courses as core or elective courses. This possibility frees up students to meet the requirement or to pursue further courses of interest in ethnic studies. An ethnic studies statistics class could potentially count as a math class or as a math elective. If the proposed model requires the creation of the course, review of an existing course model or development of new course content, lesson plans, and unit construction, LESMC is positioned to meet those needs.
2. Community Engagement- Our teachers, board members, administrators and university professors have experience presenting to the public, school boards, and school districts about the nature of ethnic studies, ethnic studies curriculum, as well as experience with successfully navigating the controversial issues that arise during public meetings. We will seek input from the various stakeholder groups to inform implementation.
3. Professional Learning Plan-LESMC faculty have experience in building capacity by establishing a Ethnic Studies cadre. We assist the cadre in developing short-and long-term plans comprised of monthly professional development meetings with cadre, coaching, ethnic studies institutes, and organizational planning sessions. LESMC will assist with the operational and instructional aspects of the professional learning plan, set goals, and review progress towards those goals and make adjustments as necessary. As ethnic studies practitioners we have a solid foundation in the academic discipline of ethnic studies and a particular strength with ethnic studies pedagogy. LESMC has a bank of signature ethnic studies pedagogical strategies and methodologies that are immediately applicable to the classroom. For example, we have innovated a “layering” method to infuse ethnic studies pedagogy into core content courses as well as signature strategies such as utilizing an ethnic studies matrix to categorize themes in social studies from an ethnic studies perspective.

Ethnic Studies Professional Learning Institute

Are you planning to implement Ethnic Studies classes at your school district or looking for ways to support your current Ethnic Studies teachers and programs?​​

Our Ethnic Studies PD will help develop teacher capacity for the implementation of Ethnic Studies in your school district through custom educator training experiences, as well as help your current Ethnic Studies program reach even higher academic outcomes for your students.  LESMC faculty are some of the leading K-16 Ethnic Studies educators in the nation who have experience in program and curriculum design, and creating Ethnic Studies programs that have eliminated the achievement gap. Custom services include, but are not limited to: 

1. Be introduced to the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum framework, specifically the seven guiding principles and the five s’s (self, stories, systems, solidarity and social movements) which are the foundation of LESMC units and lessons.
2. Become engaged in the process of lesson development, be privy to the lessons on “self”  presented by members of the LESMC team and will receive copies of all completed lessons. ​
3. Be available for consultation and advisement on curriculum and professional development.