Critical Race Theory (CRT) has been the subject of many headlines over the past year. Since January 2021, 36 states have taken measures to ban or restrict how educators can discuss race in the classroom. Out of these 36 states, 14 have successfully implemented these restrictions, with the rest working to have their own measures implemented. 

These measures are unfortunately rooted in a deep misunderstanding about what Critical Race Theory is and its intended purpose. Despite becoming a household term within the past year, the concept has existed for more than 40 years and was created by legal scholars. The practice, which has been primarily taught in law schools and in higher education, can be applied to many areas in life and is a valuable tool in helping students understand inequities in their society. 

It is important to understand the many ways that students learn. Some students learn better visually, which is through seeing; some are auditory learners, which means they learn easily by listening; and still others are hands on learners and learn best by doing. This last category of learners is kinesthetic learners, and they need to engage in something physical to get the best learning experience. 

Teachers who took part in our December 2021 Twitter Chat addressing safe learning environments reported increased capacity for reducing incidents of harassment, intimidation and bullying in schools. Because school safety is vital for student academic performance and their social-emotional well-being, it is important that new teachers gain awareness and confidence in this area early in their careers.

In fall 2021, Rutgers Alternate Route launched its Content Conversation Series. The Content Conversation Series is an initiative created for educators to learn collaboratively. A volunteer facilitator is selected by Rutgers Alternate Route to lead a virtual hour-long session on a skill, topic, or resource relevant to an instructional content area. For the fall Content Conversation, attendees discussed implementing the Next Generation Science Sciences (NGSS) from veteran science educator, Minal Thakur.