The Equity Hour

43 Episodes

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Learning to Relearn: Building Identity-Affirming Classrooms

2025-10-2801:02:02

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Equity Hour, Dr. Tami Dean sits down with Kwame Sarfo-Mensah—founder of Identity Talk Consulting and author of Learning to Relearn—to unpack what it really takes to create identity-affirming, culturally responsive classrooms. They explore how “compliance culture” undermines agency, the history behind school policies (from uniforms to hair), and practical ways educators can “clean the lenses,” confront bias, and center joy, belonging, and critical thinki...

Equity Starts Here: Why Joy Requires Belonging

2025-09-3050:40

Send us Fan Mail What if “joy in schools” isn’t possible without belonging? Dr. Tami Dean and Dr. Max Weinberg unpack how humane, trauma-informed practice—and real partnership with families, paraprofessionals, and communities—creates conditions where every student is seen, safe, and able to learn. What You’ll Learn Why belonging is the prerequisite for joy—not the other way around.How testing culture and scripted curricula erode critical thinking and equity.Practical ways to center in loco pa...

The False Choice: Equity, Adoption & Abortion

2025-09-1748:05

Send us Fan Mail Author and PhD student Shannon Quist joins Dr. Tami to unpack the false binary of adoption vs. abortion—and the equity issues hiding in plain sight. We trace the Baby Scoop era, Roe v. Wade, evangelical politics, and present-day practices like safe haven boxes and sealed birth certificates. Shannon shares her adoptee journey, the identity costs of transracial adoption, and why open records and community care matter. If you’ve wondered who profits, who’s protected, and who’s e...

From Deficit to Belonging: Equitable Math Instruction & Instructional Coaching Strategies

2025-09-0247:52

Send us Fan Mail In this energizing conversation, Dr. Tami sits down with Laneshia—math coach, curriculum designer, and host of Make Math Happen—to unpack what equitable math instruction actually looks like day-to-day. From combating deficit narratives to designing joyful, rigorous lessons, they explore why Tier 1 planning is urgent, how instructional coaches serve as “knowledgeable others,” and practical ways teachers can build classroom belonging, agency, and discourse. You’ll hear actionab...

From Bias to Breakthrough: Inclusive Hiring Strategies for Modern Workplaces

2025-08-1938:24

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of The Equity Hour, host Dr. Tami sits down with Jenn Tardy, founder of Jenn Tardy Consulting and author of The Equity Edge, to unpack the realities of bias in hiring and what leaders can do to build truly inclusive workplaces. With two decades of experience in recruitment and DEI, Jenn brings a clear, actionable perspective on why representation matters, how subtle and underexplored biases derail talent pipelines, and what organizations can do to move f...

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