SCIRA Spring Virtual Conference 4/21/21

This past year has centered the need for racial and social justice movements in the classroom, but how do you go from consuming information to turning it into action? In this session, participants will explore what it means to develop your anti bias anti racist (ABAR) lens, and apply it to working with youth. We will look at examples of ABAR lessons and units of study across disciplines in a range of grade levels, and discuss strategies to create a long lasting, sustainable practice.

Liz Kleinrock is an anti-bias anti-racist educator and consultant based in Washington, DC. A transracial adoptee, Liz was born in South Korea and grew up in DC before attending Washington University in St. Louis, MO. After graduating, Liz moved to Oakland, California, where she served as an AmeriCorps teacher with Girls Inc. and Super Stars Literacy for two years. Following her service, Liz moved to Los Angeles, where she attended UCLA's Teacher Education Program, where she earned her M.Ed . After spending a year student teaching a 5th grade class in Watts, Liz joined the founding faculty of a startup school in East Hollywood where she spent seven years teaching 1st through 4th grades. 

In addition to classroom teaching, Liz also works as an anti-bias anti-racist facilitator for schools, organizations, and companies across the country. Her work has gained national recognition through a documentary short produced by Fluid Film, and media outlets such as CNN, The Washington Post, NPR, and BBC. In 2018, Liz received Teaching Tolerance's 2018 Award for Excellence in Teaching, and currently serves on the Teaching Tolerance Advisory Board. Liz is proud to share her 2019 TED Talk from "Education Everywhere" on building foundations of equity with young learners, and is working on her first book with Heinemann Publishing.