Equity-Minded Teaching and Learning Institute
The goal of equity-minded teaching and learning is to promote a culture of validating
students’ identities and culture, engaging students in their academic work, and recognizing
student capacity. This can be accomplished through the meaningful implementation of
multiple teaching approaches.
The Equity-Minded Teaching and Learning Institute (EMTLI) is a yearly cohort-based
professional development activity in which participating faculty analyze their classroom
data, disaggregate by race/ethnicity, and then make changes to their curriculum and
teaching practices using a culturally responsive teaching and learning (CRTL) framework.
During the first semester of the EMTLI, faculty receive their disaggregate classroom
data to analyze in order to identify strengths and weaknesses in their current practices
and develop goals to address areas of concern. Faculty then participate in a series
of inquiry and thematic meetings, reviewing inequitable historical practice in education
and the California Master Plan, also featuring expert guest speakers and facilitators,
designed to give faculty a foundation in the history of educational practice, student
capacity and CRTL.
In the second semester, once faculty better understand these concepts and CRTL framework, they can then make curricular and/or pedagogical changes intended to close equity gaps, and assess their interventions to promote a culture of continuous improvement.