Building upon the strategic plan the SJSU Lurie College of Education established in January 2020, we have identified several racial justice priorities to continue to decolonize our own institution and the systems within which we operate.
Strategic Plan Identity Statement
At the SJSU Lurie College of Education, we prepare transformative educators, counselors, therapists, school and community leaders. We do this through an emancipatory approach across our teaching, scholarship, and service with a focus on the four areas below.
Community-Engaged: We strive to become the hub for community-centered, educational transformation in the region.
Examples of racial justice priorities:
- Strengthen outreach and recruitment for prospective students with an emphasis on recruiting BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) applicants who are committed to racial justice
- Identify/strengthen collaborations, student teaching, and internship placements/MOUs with local schools and colleges with high enrollment of BIPOC students and that are committed to anti-racist policies and practices
- Strengthen outreach to BIPOC alumni to provide ongoing professional support and encourage their engagement with current students as mentors, fieldwork supervisors, and advocates
- Provide open-access extra-curricular seminars, workshops, and colloquia for students and community partners to engage in interdisciplinary conversations to cultivate anti-oppressive, anti-racist policies, practices, and pedagogies within educational institutions
- Launch of the Institute for Emancipatory Education. The mission of this P20 focused institute is to create more equitable and inclusive educational systems that nurture the creativity and brilliance of all learners so that our diverse, democratic society can truly thrive. The guiding principles of IEE are to center historically marginalized learners and communities, partner with community, and build bridges across institutions from preschool through post-secondary
- Launch of the Healthy Development Clinic to be located in East Side San Jose to strengthen collaboration and engagement with local communities with an emphasis on equity through wellness for children, youth, and families
Culturally Sustaining: We value and sustain the linguistic and cultural practices of the communities we serve and make that the foundation of our work.
Examples of racial justice priorities:
- Increase scholarship supports for BIPOC students committed to anti-racist priorities
- Strengthen inclusion of BIPOC researchers and theorists in course syllabi
- Recognize, value, and highlight scholarship from our faculty and students that focuses on issues of racial justice, educational equity, and culturally sustaining pedagogy and provide multiple venues to showcase this research for internal and external audiences
- Implement learning outcomes assessment practices with an equity and culturally-sustaining approach
Holistic: We foster a caring and supportive community of belonging, connectedness, and appreciation.
Examples of racial justice priorities:
- Cultivate a sense of belonging and connectedness with current students and provide intensive advising across the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development to ensure students, particularly those from BIPOC communities, are valued and included
- Increase scholarship supports for BIPOC students committed to anti-racist priorities
- Strengthen efforts to recruit diverse faculty and staff through targeted outreach, DEI training for hiring committees, and critical assessment of application review and interview procedures
- Grow student representation in department- and college-level committees, including continued presence on the college strategic plan steering committee
Interdisciplinary: We learn together across and beyond the college, transforming schooling and benefitting our communities.
Examples of racial justice priorities:
- Provide anti-racist, culturally sustaining, and intersectional professional learning workshops to faculty and staff. These may be led by internal faculty experts and/or external consultants
- Engage faculty and staff in college-wide anti-racist affinity groups for BIPOC faculty and staff and white faculty and staff
- Develop and launch new courses and programs that directly address issues of race, justice, and intersectionality
- Critically examine coursework and pedagogical practices to ensure they reflect a lens of racial justice. Update course content, syllabi, and assignments to address systemic racism, racial justice, and intersectionality