DTEC-TAG September 2019 E-News
DTEC-TAG Updates
5th Annual Professional Development Series for Educators at the Congressional Black Caucus
2019 Annual Legislative Conference

DREF President Carolyn E. Lewis addresses the crowd ahead of the conference's "The Power in Us" Luncheon
To hear her comments, click on the image.
Our very own DTEC-TAG Change Agents Keisha Chander, Dr. Char-Shenda Covington, and Tia Gilliam Wilson pose with National Project Director Dr. Johni Cruse Craig ahead of their "Teaching the Whole Child" Presentation
DTEC Change Agent and Equity Warrior Raechel Broussard speaks on the "Power in Us" at the CBCF Professional Development Series for Educators Luncheon alongside fellow panelists Dr. Lynn Jennings, Dr. Susan Green and Moderator, Fedrick Ingram
To hear the panelist's opening comments, click on the image.
LaToia A. Jones, Tiffany D. Cross and David J. Johns are presented with awards of recognition for their leadership in creating the Professional Development Series for Educators
CBCF Event Organizers Delisa Saunders and Muriel Cooper with DTEC-TAG National Project Director Dr. Johni Cruse Craig and (not pictured: Dr. Rosalind LaRoque)
Thank you to all of our DREF Supporters, DTEC Change Agents and TAG Partners who joined us at The Professional Development Series for Educators during the Congressional Black Caucus' Annual Legislative Conference. The day was truly a transformative space for teachers to learn about the educational impact on public policy, prioritizing literacy and supporting multilingual learners from some of the top educators in the nation.
Thank you to the ALC Daily for featuring the Professional Development Series for Educators in Thursday’s edition of the publication. We appreciate the highlight of our DTEC Change Agents, panelists, organizers and attendees! Visit https:// pageturnpro.com/CustomNEWS/900 94-ALC-DAILY--THURSDAY/0/mindex.html… and catch us on page 4!
Educational Equity Advocacy Around the Country
Senator Katrina Robinson, TN-SD33
We love to shine a spotlight on our advocates for educational equity - both near and far! With that being said, congratulations to Senator Katrina Robinson for her awesome work on addressing adverse childhood experiences for the children of Tennessee!

Via Facebook, Senator Robinson writes: Today was a HUGE day for Tennessee kids! I was honored to have Gov. Bill Lee sign my ACEs Before Discipline bill into law. For those who don't know, ACEs are adverse childhood experiences-- the traumatic experiences children face that shape their lives before they turn 18 (i.e. hunger, unavailable parents, violence in the home, etc) This bill requires Local public schools and public charter schools to adopt a trauma-informed discipline policy that takes these things into account before progressive discipline -- a major step towards giving our kids the holistic attention they need. Find out more about the bill here!

The Education Task Force of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights has recently developed the Civil Rights Principles for Safe, Healthy, and Inclusive School Climates. The Leadership Conference s eeks to inform any federal legislation that focuses on improving school climate supporting practices that we know help to guarantee that schools are safe, welcoming, and inclusive for all and moving away from strategies that criminalize and marginalize children.
In order to ensure that all students are learning in safe, healthy, and inclusive environments, The Leadership Conference seeks PK-12 school climate legislation that incorporates the attached principles.
You can view these principles online here.
Screening Opportunity:
Pushout, The Documentary
Opportunities are available now to bring the screening of this transformative project to your region! If you would be interested in showing the Pushout documentary near you, please contact pstreeter@deltafoundation.net for details and visit www.pushoutfilm.com for more information.

With an incredibly packed house at the world premiere of the Pushout Film during CBC Week in Washington, D.C., stories of the criminalization and attempted derailment of Black girls in schools across America are in desperate need of attention. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) was in attendance at the event and echoed the unfair impact school criminalization has on African American female students in this Essence article.

Take a look at the official trailer of the Pushout film
#TeacherTalkTuesday Social Media Campaign
Make sure you visit our social channels to catch the first episode of #TeacherTalkTuesday! If you’ve been following us these past few weeks, you’ll notice we’ve already rolled out a smaller weekly version called Teacher Tip Tuesday. The “talk” aspect of this campaign is where you come in! We want to engage our audience in a new refreshing way and since most of them are educators, we believe that discussions that directly affect how educators are supported and guided in the workplace will benefit them the most.

We will be looking to produce a podcast on the topic of educational advocacy in the realm in which we feel you are most knowledgeable. Your interview with our Project Director, Dr. Johni Cruse Craig, will be posted on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter on the last Tuesday of each month. We ask that once it is released, you will share our posts with your personal and professional networks as we build this platform to help educators.

If interested, these are the topics we’d like you to consider honing in on for this conversation:
1. Teacher Efficacy
2. Student Engagement & Instructional Best Practices
3. Advocacy in Action

If you have any further questions about the set-up, please do not hesitate to reach out via e-mail to pstreeter@deltafoundation.net. We hope you’ll join us and support our efforts to launch educators into Advocacy in Action!

If you are interested in this opportunity, please fill out the survey below:



A special thanks to DMV DTEC-TAG Change Agent and Special Education Advocate Danielle Miles for being apart of our first edition of #TeacherTalkTuesday. The episode is NOW AVAILABLE on our SoundCloud , Twitter, Instagram and Facebook platforms!
TAG Activations
Georgia
Teacher Preparedness Symposium
Congratulations to the  GA Dream Team  on hosting a powerful and transformative Teacher Preparedness Symposium. Held at Stone Mountain High School, educators gathered to discuss teaching best practices, culturally relevant pedagogy and restorative justice as it relates to the Every Student Succeeds Act. Through the comprehensive and impactful discussions, it was easy to see that each educator came in hungry to learn and eager to share their educational experiences through transparent and passionate dialogue. Thank you to the sponsors and presenters for your time, instruction and HEART work!
Educators collaborate to discuss how to be equipped and prepared to tackle educational advocacy in their communities.

Click the image to learn more about the day's activities!
Florida
Grandfamilies
Dr. Oliver Edwards, school psychologist, delivered the Keynote address to the more than 200 attendees at the first grand families event held on Sunday, September 8 from three to 5:30 PM in Orlando Florida. 75 nominated members of the community were acknowledged for their special role in their families lives! Specific information about the Every Student Succeeds Act, family engagement strategies with the schools, and other resources were shared with all those in attendance.
UCF Doctoral students and Central Florida DTEC-TAG members
Florida DTEC-TAG Change Agent Dr. Connie Goodman sits with Dr. Edwards ahead of the event luncheon
Dr. Oliver Edwards, Keynote Speaker
A snapshot of some of the "Standing in the Gap" recipients along with committee members from the Orange County Head Start & Central Florida DTEC-TAG team members

All photos taken by Michael Gilliam
North Carolina
What the ESSA 2.0
Pamela Criswell and Tia Gilliam-Wilson of North Carolina DTEC-TAG hosted a conversation around the Every Student Succeeds Act and how that impacts students and families in NC on Saturday.


The event was a time for parents and the wider community of Burlington, N.C. to engage in dialogue about public education and the Every Student Succeeds Act.
Click above to watch an overview of Titles I, II, III, IV, and V of ESSA, presented by Change Agents
Advocacy In Action
Levatta Levels


Congratulations to Levatta Levels as she accepts the Juanita Craft award, one of the highest honors of the Dallas NAACP! The Dallas NAACP celebrates Levatta as a "standard bearer in making sure that every citizen, especially minorities have the same opportunities to experience their American Dream."

The award is presented in the spirit of the late Dallas City Councilwoman and NAACP icon Juanita Craft. The chapter recognizes her commitment to remain steadfast and immovable in her convictions of freedom, equality, and justice for all.

Raechel Broussard
Raechel used her visit to Washington, D.C. to not only serve on the Professional Development Series for Educators luncheon panel, but she also made sure to reach out to her representatives on Capitol Hill from her home state of Texas! Thank you, Raechel, for taking the initiative to convene in these spaces and let our nation's lawmakers know about the work we're doing on the ground!
Pamela Criswell
We shine a spotlight on NC TAG Team Change Agent Pamela for being innovative with her Advocacy in Action! Thank you for always being ready and willing to educate others on the importance of ESSA and educational equity advocacy!
Please send in updates about the HEART work you are putting in in your respective districts!
Got Updates?
Send in information from your region to be featured on DTEC-TAG social media and newsletter!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Education Matters Summit
Saturday, September 28, 2019
The DMV TAG Team will be set up at the Education Matters Summit at Charles Herbert Flowers High School.
In addition to supporting their advocacy endeavors, volunteers are needed to manage their space from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
If interested in volunteering, contact Krystal Phauls at kphauls@gmail.com

Event registration is available on Eventbrite.com
ESSA Town Hall
Wednesday, October 2, 2019


DTEC-TAG Change Agent Danielle Miles is hosting an ESSA town hall at Kenmore Middle School in the Black Box Theater in Arlington, V.A. October 2, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The town hall will be held in partnership with the Arlington Education Association.

Danielle kindly requests a moderator to partner with the AEA to facilitate the conversation during the event. If interested, contact Danielle at drmiles73@gmail.com
Bridging the Gap to ESSA
Town Hall Meeting
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Dr. Renata A. Hedrington-Jones invites all Richmond-based and surrounding area DTEC-TAG partners to attend the "Bridging the Gap to ESSA" Town Hall Meeting at Martin Luther Kind Middle School. The event is a call to action to "reconvene the village" and provide parents with crucial information about the Every Student Succeeds Act. To learn more about the event, contact Lola McDowell at lolavannn@gmail.com
RESOURCES

How ESSA Could Complicate Rural Turnarounds
Why Black Girls Are Important in the Decriminalizing of Black People
This educational program is made possible by the Delta Research and Educational Foundation.
To donate, click here:  
DTEC-TAG| DREF | 202-347-1337 | DTEC-TAG@deltafoundation.net | www.deltafoundation.net