Districts, families, communities and youth-supporting organizations all have vested interests in supporting the academic journeys of students, yet their decisions affecting education often occur independently. This disconnect is especially evident for students from communities that have historically and systematically been excluded (HSE) from opportunity and access in education: Black, Brown, Indigenous, those experiencing poverty, multilingual learners and students experiencing learning differences.

BIPOC solution providers are for-profit and non-profit education organizations led by people of color who have created programs, tools and models for districts and classrooms.

Despite decades of education reform efforts, HSE students' academic experiences and attainment are still moderated by social position and identity factors, such as race and socioeconomic status. Many seek to address these disparities by implementing education solutions at the district level. However, these solutions are often not co-created with HSE communities and families, and the diversity of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) solution providers does not reflect the HSE student population.

Solving deep-seated equity challenges in education is complex for a myriad of reasons. One key and solvable challenge is for solutions to be informed by the cultural and contextual expertise of the communities in which they’re implemented. One consideration is that BIPOC solution providers and developers likely possess deep community and cultural expertise but often lack the necessary access to share their solutions.

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“And just something didn't feel right about that to say, ‘Hey, why aren’t folks who are from the communities that we serve the folks who are actually building and leading these initiatives, right? Inherently, are we saying that they're not capable of addressing the community concerns that they have, right? Because for whatever reason, we're not creating pathways for folks to actually be able to come into whatever the solutions are.” — Solution Provider

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Digital Promise’s Center for Inclusive Innovation engaged in exploratory research through a pilot initiative called Learning Salons to explore this idea. These BIPOC solution providers hidden in plain sight are people of color leading high-value edtech companies who potentially have created the solutions that can effectively address districts’ needs.

The Imbalance Between the Need and Opportunity

Grounded in the spirit of the Inclusive Innovation Core Tenets, we outlined criteria for consideration when evaluating solutions for promise toward meeting an equity-based challenge:

• Centered in belonging and identity
• Natively designed to meet the needs of diverse students
• Reflective of the culture, languages and experiences of diverse students
• Inclusive of the voice and input of diverse communities

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Image Credit: Digital Promise

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Using criteria such as this will help source education solutions and BIPOC solution providers that wholly embody equity as a starting point for support for HSE student access and support. Still, a larger problem rooted in the stratification of opportunity for BIPOC solution providers remains.

BIPOC solution providers have the ability and determination to develop impactful education solutions. However, they encounter obstacles in establishing district relationships and contracts. Our report describes an effort to address the barriers to opportunity navigated by a sample of BIPOC solution providers we had the honor of working with over the past year, including:

• Human, financial and social capital barriers related to their social and professional networks, funding and the capacity it takes to navigate a complex education solution industry.
• Challenges associated with the nature of industry practice and district procurement practices.
• Sociocultural barriers related to perceptions of BIPOC solution providers and the sociopolitical climate surrounding equity-centered work.

These barriers all have implications for the visibility and success of solutions that are aligned to the needs of HSE students and, ultimately, how many HSE students are able to receive support designed with their needs in mind by people who understand—and in some cases, share—their experiences.

Amplifying BIPOC Solution Providers Through a Learning Salons Model

Digital Promise and our partners designed the Learning Salons model to create opportunities for school districts to broaden their lens on sourcing solutions to meet the needs of HSE students through a rapid-cycle approach anchored in each district’s problem of practice to discover innovative, equity-centered programs and practices.

The Learning Salons engaged district leaders and BIPOC solution providers in a collaborative experience focused on:

1. Defining the root cause of a district’s problem of practice.
2. Identifying a solution pathway to address the problem of practice with the goal of achieving student-centered outcomes.
3. Matching and adapting equity-centered learning solutions aligned directly to a district’s problem of practice to define opportunities for partnership and engagement.

Benefits and impact of Learnings Salons for district leaders and BIPOC solution providers:

• Prioritized opportunities for districts and BIPOC solution providers to collaborate on problems of practice to discover equity-centered, innovative and effective student-centered tools.
• Created a platform for BIPOC solution providers to share their deep content and context expertise on high-priority challenge areas and showcase their solution and its impact.

We supplemented the Learning Salons with a broader opportunity designed to engage leaders and decision makers from states’ district and charter school teams, practitioners, researchers and funders in a showcase of BIPOC-created solutions where they learned about undiscovered teaching and learning solutions and tools.

The Learning Salons approach helps to mitigate the equity gap by:

• Creating awareness of solutions and tools that are unknown to district leaders and decision makers.
• Fostering collaborations on co-designing solutions that align with district-specific challenges or problems.
• Building relationships between district leaders and BIPOC solution providers founded on a shared commitment to an equity challenge.

The Promise of Addressing the Needs of Historically and Systematically Excluded Students

When BIPOC solution providers are intentionally engaged and have a platform to showcase their talent and solutions, the opportunities for addressing inequity abound, informed by:

• The Value of Deep Equity Content and Context Expertise: BIPOC solution providers contribute their extensive knowledge and lived experience to address critical challenges. Their insights offer practitioners valuable perspectives, methods and successful models tailored to HSE students' needs, providing effective solutions for district leaders' equity challenges.
• Surfacing Culturally Relevant Solutions: BIPOC solution providers naturally integrate culturally responsive pedagogy into solutions for HSE youth. With inclusive research and ongoing enhancement, plus careful diversity of representation, they create impactful solutions. Their understanding of excluded students' authentic experiences drives meaningful, resonating change.
• Broadening the Definition of and Measurement of Impact: Like most BIPOC solution providers, BIPOC solution providers design products and programs to meet traditional standards and metrics that demonstrate solution impact. BIPOC providers may offer different perspectives on measures and progress indicators that are most meaningful to HSE students and communities, such as engagement and belonging, identity reflection, agency and other factors that are most important for HSE student achievement in education.

Reimagining a More Inclusive Future

If we are committed to a more inclusive future in education, we must also imagine a path that ensures HSE scholars have the support they need to thrive. Doing so means that we must actively seek out and embrace BIPOC solution providers as experts, given their experience and proximity to the challenges of HSE students. Changes in practice can lift the veil.

Three Practical Recommendations for Change

1. Redefine Solution Development Readiness Criteria: Evaluations of solution provider readiness should include relevant and equitable criteria with a laser focus on sourcing diverse tools, curricula and resources that support the HSE student population with intentionality.
2. Reconceptualize Expertise: Consider the cultural community knowledge and lived experience necessary to inform effective solutions for HSE communities that have historically been left out of district decision-making and education R&D processes.
3. Repave Procurement Pathways: Allow for consideration of lesser-known education BIPOC solution providers who have developed solutions that show promise for meeting the needs of HSE students, such as BIPOC and equity-centered education BIPOC solution providers.

These three small pivots in practice will take a meaningful step toward creating an education system where all students can learn, grow and thrive as their authentic selves with the support and resources they need. Breaking down the barriers makes room for solutions that reflect the growing diversity of the student body.

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To learn more about the Learning Salons and Showcases click here.

© Image Credit: michaeljung / Shutterstock

Personalized learning is an educational approach that tailors the learning experience to the specific needs and preferences of each student. It recognizes and strives to accommodate differences in students' backgrounds, learning styles and abilities. As a result, each student deserves an education that is tailored to their individual needs and characteristics.

Technology plays a pivotal role in facilitating personalized learning, particularly through the application of data analysis and artificial intelligence (AI). Additionally, interoperability is a fundamental component in the realm of personalized learning, significantly enhancing its effectiveness and practicality. Armed with this holistic perspective, educators can make well-informed decisions about tailoring individualized instruction to effectively address the unique needs of their diverse student population.

Justin Rose
Senior Director of Product Management, Anthology

Recently, EdSurge had the opportunity to speak with Justin Rose, the senior director of product management for data and analytics at Anthology, a provider of AI-enabled learning solutions. Rose shared his excitement about using technology to generate “novel, actionable and timely insights” to improve student learning experiences and operational efficiencies.

What does it mean to personalize learning? Why has it been a challenge for edtech companies to deliver effective solutions?

Rose: Personalized learning goes beyond tailoring the pace and the content of education to individual learners, though that is certainly part of the definition. Perhaps more importantly, it's also about creating an effective, ethical and equitable educational experience for every learner. That involves understanding the learner's cognitive style, their cultural background and even their emotional state or sentiment. It's a multidimensional approach that respects the learner's agency and the unique learning pathways that they may be on. And importantly, it also incorporates ethical considerations, ensuring that the technology used is transparent and data privacy is maintained.

I believe that personalized learning can democratize education, making high-quality learning experiences accessible to diverse populations. It can be even more impactful when it is supported by the kind of real-time, data-informed insights enabled by innovative technologies that institutional leaders can leverage for continuous improvement to the benefit of both learners and educators.

Personalized learning goes beyond tailoring the pace and the content of education to individual learners, though that is certainly part of the definition. Perhaps more importantly, it's also about creating an effective, ethical and equitable educational experience for every learner.

However, the challenges that are inherent to effectively implementing personalized learning, powered and extended by solutions that offer advanced analytics and AI, can be daunting. There are ethical considerations around data privacy, algorithmic transparency and equitable access that are paramount to going about this personalized-learning effort. There's also the challenge of ensuring that technology augments the human element in education rather than replacing it. So I think that involves and necessitates a significant shift in mindset for educators who have to learn to integrate technology into their teaching methods both effectively and ethically, but also a shift for administrators, policymakers, and other campus stakeholders who must reimagine conventional higher education technology ecosystems in their lived institutional contexts.

Another challenge that the sector is witnessing, perhaps more in the pedagogical dimension than the technological, involves the role of the educator, whether in-person, online, hybrid, high-flex or what have you, evolving from exclusively functioning as a lecturer to a facilitator or a coach. When this evolution matures, the result is a reshaped learning environment that operates as a dynamic and interactive space where students are actively engaged in their learning journeys as opposed to just having information shared with them. Shifting from teacher-centric to learner-centric education is a paradigmatic shift that we have known is necessary and that has been engaged along a number of fronts for some time now. However, the pandemic, a rapidly changing labor market, skills-based requirements for the occupations of the near and far future, and the evolving technological landscape have catalyzed and accelerated that shift of pedagogical focus from the teacher to the learner in recent years.

How does AI contribute to creating more personalized learning? How do data and analytics tangibly improve the classroom experience?

The perception of AI often simplifies it as one-size-fits-all, but in reality, AI is a diverse field with various algorithms and applications. In education technology, this diversity offers numerous opportunities to enhance personalized learning, from machine learning to predictive analytics, enriching educational experiences.

Recommended Resource:

• Anthology Illuminate

AI can act as a catalyst for educational innovation by providing insights into the most effective types of content and strategies, guiding continuous improvement. It's not only about making education more engaging; it's also about making it more effective. When students are engaged, they're more likely to retain information and apply it in a practical context, which is the ultimate goal of education.

A data-informed classroom provides another lens through which to view and evaluate student performance, complimenting educators’ own expertise and intuition. This allows educators to address issues before they become problems, allowing for more targeted and effective interventions.

However, it's important to note that data does not replace human judgment. Data can be a tool that can greatly enhance the education experience when used responsibly and ethically. Real-time analytics provides a level of granularity that was previously unattainable, enabling ongoing data-informed adjustments to the curriculum.

It's not just about improving academic performance, though that is an important component. It's about making education more equitable and ethical. By continuously monitoring the effectiveness of various educational strategies, instructors, advisors and other key stakeholders can identify and address issues of inequity and bias and ensure that all students have the opportunity to succeed.

The focus really remains on meaningful human interactions. Educators can use data and insights to guide student interactions, ensuring the technology enhances rather than overshadows the human elements of education.

Learners in a personalized education system are active participants in their educational journeys rather than passive recipients of information. AI should empower them to explore their unique strengths and challenges, set their own goals and monitor their own progress. This increases motivation and engagement by instilling a sense of ownership and agency. These are critically important factors in today’s educational environment. Students’ abilities in this environment, such as adaptability, critical thinking and self-directed learning, are exactly what they will need to navigate the complexities of the 21st century job market.

What is the significance of interoperability and integrated data models in the context of education?

It is really a matter of enabling meaningful, impactful decision-making at every level of the institution. Interoperability, integrated data models, advanced reporting and data exploration tools help to democratize insight and institutional intelligence across the organization. This means administrators, leaders and decision-makers are able to be more effective and move from the intuitive and anecdotal to the data-informed.

We know that the demands on and workloads of university faculty and advisors are significant and growing. Anthology offers a forthcoming advising tool that surfaces crucial learner engagement and performance data and helps educators make timely interventions. For example, one advisor shared about reaching out to a student whom they noticed in the progress tracker was having some difficulty in the course. The student later told that faculty member that if it weren't for that contact that the instructor made — if they hadn't reached out when they did — they wouldn't be enrolled anymore. They wouldn't be at the institution! The use of this technology by a human with the capacity to care and reach out made all the difference in helping the student to retain and persist at their institution and to continue their educational journey.

The focus really remains on meaningful human interactions. Educators can use data and insights to guide student interactions, ensuring the technology enhances rather than overshadows the human elements of education.

© Image Credit: metamorworks / Shutterstock

HOUSTON — On a Tuesday in August, one day before the official start of the school year, the halls of Jefferson Early Learning Center were filled with the tinkling chatter of pre-K students who were escorted by their parents to meet the teachers.

But to reach those classrooms, families had to traverse the parking lot in the choking Texas heat, which rolled off the pavement in waves. That month, the temperature reached a record-breaking average high of 102.7 degrees.

Back inside, Glenn Jarrett pointed out features of the school building interior that might be easy for most people to overlook, but that stand out to him as the Alief Independent School District’s director of construction and facilities. Details like the use of earth tones throughout the school and light-colored wooden beams in the ceiling. Those beams support awning-like overhangs, which shield the temperature-treated glass windows of the cafeteria and the tiny, scaled-down furniture within from being beaten by direct sunlight.

In the hallway, Jarrett pointed at more windows strategically placed up high — too high for even the tallest grown-up to see through.

“You have all that light that's coming in naturally up above, and then you have the white walls that reflect it down,” Jarrett explained. He motioned to the lights overhead. “You don't even have to have those on to have light in the building.”

The LED lights are on, though, because it would make people nervous to walk around without them, he added.

The point of all these design choices is to reduce the impact of the scorching outside temperatures. They’re just a few of the ways Jarrett and other experts say excessive heat, along with other environmental issues brought on by climate change, are shifting the way schools are built and renovated.

Extreme heat waves recently caused some schools in the Northeast and Midwest to cancel classes, and rising temperatures are prompting some school districts in states like Utah to add air conditioning to campuses that didn’t need them in years past. More frequent and powerful natural disasters are adding tangible costs, too, pushing thousands more districts to shell out for insurance.

The Jefferson Early Learning Center in Houston was designed with covered walkways throughout campus to protect students, faculty and visitors from the heat. Photo courtesy of PBK.

A Long Time Coming

Dan Boggio, founder and executive chairman of national architectural firm PBK, says his company has been designing schools with extreme heat in mind for about 10 years. But it’s typically architects who bring up the need for climate-related features rather than a conversation initiated by district personnel, he adds.

“When we start a planning process for new schools and renovations, we have an entire list of things we bring forward as a result of climate change,” Boggio says, like the adoption of solar panels to cut down energy use or double-paned glass to keep out heat.

As Boggio explains how climate change has affected his firm’s approach to building schools, he describes changes that touch nearly every aspect of the process, from selection of a building site (preferably somewhere with lots of surrounding green space) to the choice of paint colors (nothing dark that will absorb heat).

“We don’t want to be in a sea of concrete, because that increases the temperature of the microenvironment — we call it a heat sink,” Boggio explains. “We’re saving more trees than ever on these sites. It used to be we would just typically mow down all the trees to get the baseball diamonds and the football practice fields in.”

Much of what Boggio describes about new construction and renovation deals points to a singular goal: reflect as much heat as possible.

His architects are using what he calls “high-performance glass,” once reserved for high-rise buildings, on schools to cut down on solar radiation. School attics are renovated with reflective material that will keep heat from penetrating further down. Brick buildings that are 70 or 80 years old are painted with an elastomeric coating — i.e., rubbery paint — to reflect sunlight that would normally be absorbed by the masonry and create what Boggio calls a “heat battery.”

The buildings themselves and mechanical equipment are being built higher up to protect them from flooding. In Texas, for example, “it used to be that we had to have them out of the 100-year floodplain; now they have to be a certain distance higher,” Boggio says. And for equipment that sits outside, like condensers, “we're raising them up on racks because [of] the increased amount of flooding that is a direct result of climate change.”

Windows at the Jefferson Early Learning Center are shielded from direct sunlight by overhangs. Wood was selected as the material for support beams to reduce the amount of heat absorbed by the school building. Photo courtesy of PBK.

Sites for Resiliency

Beyond their primary use for day-to-day education, schools are also likely to be used as either cooling centers or natural disaster shelters, Boggio adds, which means they need to be outfitted with bigger generators that can offer residents a reprieve from extreme heat in case of a power outage — not simply preserve thousands of dollars worth of food as was expected in years past.

Designing schools that can serve as what architects call “resiliency hubs'' could play a crucial role in protecting vulnerable communities from extreme weather, says Shivani Langer, a senior project architect and senior regenerative design adviser at the firm Perkins&Will Austin. She mentioned the deadly winter storm that knocked out power across Texas in 2021 as an example of a time when such a hub could benefit a whole town.

“Especially in this country, there is always a public school in every community, and the elementary schools are pretty close in distance to where the people live,” Langer says. “Why can't one school, at least, in each community be that place of shelter? If we do that, then we truly will serve all the communities, not just the communities that have the resources to get a true hub that can survive in a climate disaster.”

The design considerations of school-based resiliency hubs would center on keeping the people inside comfortable in the climate conditions of that particular community, Langer explains. In the case of extreme heat, that might mean having sufficient backup power to cool the building during a power outage or being able to collect condensation from the air conditioning system to run sinks and toilets during a water outage. A school cafeteria might even be designed with an exterior window counter, Langer says, where people could walk up and be served meals after a disaster.

Even as architects recommend climate-minded designs, the cost of implementing them can be a deterrent for school districts.

“It's all about survivability, which does mean power backup — which can be expensive,” Langer says. “That's why I think it needs to be something that, as a community, has to be decided.”

For example, she explains, a school district may opt to climate-proof only certain schools, rather than every single possible building. That’s not to say that schools are doing nothing if they don’t have a resiliency hub, she adds. Rather, they may be taking steps like making buildings more energy efficient or choosing landscaping that requires less water, which are better for the environment.

Ultimately, Langer says, it’s important to keep in mind that schools are designed for a vulnerable population: the children who will deal with the effects of climate change throughout their lives. She believes that better school design can be a teaching tool that encourages youth to be better stewards of the environment as they grow up.

“I know we rely a lot on the teachers to do the job for us, but as designers of education facilities, I think we have a big responsibility to also be the teachers for the users that will occupy our buildings,” she says. “These buildings are designed for 50 to 100 years. They are gonna see thousands and thousands of students. So our decisions are very important.”

Keeping the Heat at Bay

At Jefferson Early Learning Center, one of the school district’s newest buildings, adaptations to the heat and risk of flood are woven throughout the design. The large green space on the campus’ right side is planted with native grasses, a project done in partnership with the nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, and it will serve as a retention pond during heavy rains to fight off flooding, explains Jarrett, the district facilities leader.

Jarrett says there are other signs of the rising heat’s impact on schools in the district. The synthetic turf on the high school football field, which at times got as hot as 120 degrees, was replaced at the end of its lifecycle with new turf that didn’t hold onto heat. School visitors won’t find metal slides on playgrounds anymore, he points out, and wooden coverings have replaced canvas coverings as the need to shade students during outdoor activities became more permanent.

Outdoor temperatures have gotten so hot, Alief ISD Police Chief Dan Turner says, that dogs in his K-9 unit have to wear booties to protect their paws from scalding pavement.

Some of the biggest climate-related design changes have been to schools’ heating and cooling systems, says Jeff Delisle, Jarrett’s colleague at the school district and director of maintenance and operations. The systems were once built with the understanding that the highest average temperature outside would be 95 degrees, Delisle explains, but that standard has been increased to 100 degrees.

The black rubber roofs of 20 years ago are gone, he adds, replaced by white painted roofs and double the insulation.

“People that are much smarter than us have seen this coming for a long time,” Delisle says. “It’s the reason energy [standards] have been changing every six or seven years to get more and more stringent in terms of how we're going to conserve energy, how we're going to heat and cool our buildings, how we can do that in a way that's most efficient.”

Key points:

• Student engagement is key to an authentic learning experience
• It also allows students to develop the right attitude to approach learning
• See related article: 4 ways edtech tools drive student engagement and build classroom culture

When you think of education, what is the first thing that comes to mind? For some, it might be a pile of homework or a stack of books that need reading. Others may recall the flashcards they used to memorize specific formulas or expand their vocabulary. All these examples have a place in the learning ecosystem, but true education should be about so much more. Student learning should involve curiosity, discovery, and the opportunity to experiment with a variety of different solutions. To put it more simply: true education requires student engagement.

Every teacher hopes to ignite, empower, and engage the students who walk through their classroom door. Ample research has shown that student engagement is crucial to overall learning and long-term success. However, implementing this is easier said than done. To better ignite student curiosity and interest, teachers should consider trying one of these strategies that help make student engagement second nature:

1. Mystery Box: Start your class by bringing in a mystery box with something hidden inside. Then, have students ask yes or no questions to figure out what is in the box. To ensure this activity stays relevant, it helps to have objects in the box that loosely ties to the content and have students draw the connection. For instance, an old horseshoe could be used in a lesson about the Pony Express, or a piece of amber for a unit on fossils.
2. Taboo Tactics: There’s nothing more tempting than forbidden fruit—so use this strategy to make knowledge a mouthwatering apple. Before you teach new content, close the door. Tell them you don’t want anyone to find out that you’re teaching them this idea. The content should never actually be controversial, but adding an element of secrecy is enough to hold student interest.
3. Make a Mascot: Task students with building a character that represents something you’re learning about. Have them explain the symbolism behind their construction as a means of probing their understanding. Be sure to add constraints as well, so students will need to think critically and creatively. For example, they could construct a mascot that represents how humans impact their environment using only 5 materials provided from a table.
4. Build an Intellectually Safe Culture: Create a culture where students feel free to offer ideas and are encouraged to make mistakes. A simple change in the wording of a question can open up a comfortable space for students to offer solutions. Instead of asking, “What is the answer?” pose the question as “What is an answer?” This allows students to recognize that many solutions are possible.
5. Engage in Project-Based Learning: Project-based learning (PBL) is a teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects that – in ways both big and small – make the world a better place. Consider exploring Blue Apple projects which cover everything from environmental sustainability to responsible money management!

At its heart, student engagement is about tapping into their innate curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking skills. By giving students the space they need to ask questions and pursue ideas, teachers can equip them with a mindset that allows them to tackle any challenge that comes their way – both in the classroom and beyond.

Key points:

• Teachers and librarians play a pivotal role in helping students find what–and how–they like to read
• Let’s take a look at some of the most-read titles by grade level
• See related article: I work with struggling readers–here’s what’s standing in their way

About five years ago, my New Year’s resolution was to read all the books on my bookshelf I’d never managed to crack. While that resolution was a complete failure (I still have unread books on my shelf), it reignited my love of reading.

Each year, I document my #BritReads reading journey on my social media channels. This year, I decided to bring #BritReads to life with my close family and friends. In lieu of a Christmas present, I’m buying each of them four books a year – books I’ve read or those that are at the top of my list to read. Rather than a one-size-fits-all #BritReads Book Club, I’m curating books just for each of them. For example, my Christmas movie-loving, hopeless-romantic childhood friend will not get my favorite thriller or whodunit!

Just like my little book club, as librarians and teachers, I know you’re looking to connect students with their next favorite book, which means you need to be ahead of the trends and know about the titles emerging as the next generation of books to remember. So, let’s take a look at what students are reading in school libraries and classrooms across the country. Here are the top requested titles according to trend reports in our industry:

In lower elementary, the most popular book (and my #BritReads pick for the little ones) is a picture book called The Smart Cookie by John Jory. It’s the fifth picture book in Jory’s series teaching life lessons using food, accompanied by The Cool Bean, which also tops the list. In The Smart Cookie, the cookie realizes that while school can be tough, with hard work, anyone can be smart in their own way.  From friendly food… to animals. In the nonfiction section, the Who Would Win series is also a hit.  Students love to learn about various species of animals like sharks, reptiles, and birds and select which species survives. 

In upper elementary, Dog Man, The Baby-Sitters Club, and the I Survived series continue to be perennial favorites. In the world of nonfiction, students are starting to learn about race and history through books like Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre, We Are Still Here!: Native American Truths Everyone Should Know, and Stamped (For Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You. My #BritReads favorite for upper elementary school is a throwback to my childhood. I read every single book in The Baby-Sitters Club series as a child, so it’s heartwarming to see these Ann M. Martin characters as a part of young lives all over again.

In middle school, books about middle grade students navigating the world dominate the world of fiction, such as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and Jerry Craft’s New Kid. In nonfiction, students and teachers are gravitating toward true stories about normal people who accomplish extraordinary things such as I Am Malala, Hidden Figures, and Undefeated: Jim Thorp and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team. My #BritReads pick is Hidden Figures: The Untold True Story of Four African American Women Who Helped Launch our Nation into Space. I read the adult version as part of #BritReads21, but this one has been adapted for a younger audience, giving students an opportunity to learn about a group of women who were well ahead of their time!

As for high school and adult-level titles, many of the books that students are reading are required as part of the curriculum including classics like The Catcher in the Rye, Of Mice and Men, and A Raisin in the Sun. But the classics sit alongside modern fiction hits like The Hate U Give and The Hunger Games series. I was pleased to see I picked some winners for the first #BritReads Book Club mailing. Each of my journalist friends got a copy of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, which happens to be on the top of the adult nonfiction list.  My #BritReads favorite, The Catcher in the Rye, is one of the inspirations behind my 5-month-old boy’s name – Holden!

Across all age levels, teachers and librarians continue to seek titles written by diverse authors featuring multi-cultural characters with social and emotional learning lessons. If it happens to be a part of a series, or graphic novel or Manga form…even better! You can check them all out on Titlewave.