Rise Up Conference

Dr. John Pascarella
John Pascarella
Ph.D.
USC Race and Equity Center
John Pascarella
John Pascarella is Chief Academic Officer of USC Race and Equity Center and Professor of Clinical Education in the USC Rossier School of Education. As a leading expert in racial equity and teacher education, he has published more than two dozen publications including peer-reviewed articles in Cultural Studies  Critical Methodologies, Educational Studies, and Taboo: The Journal of Culture and Education. John has appeared as a featured expert on The Dr. Phil Show and Ethical Schools podcast, has published Op-Eds in Education Week, and has given over 100 invited talks and conference presentations dedicated to advancing equity-driven K-12 schools, colleges, and universities. Before joining USC Race and Equity Center, John served as Chair of the Master of Arts in Teaching programs, Director of Clinical Experiences, and USC Faculty Fellow in Residence. Prior to his appointments at USC, he taught English Language Arts and Literature in urban New Jersey high schools and served as an Adjunct Professor at Montclair State University, a Course Lecturer at McGill University, and a Visiting Researcher at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. John earned his Ph.D. in Culture and Values in Education from McGill University, an M.A. in Teaching from Montclair State University, and a B.A. in English Literature and African American Studies from the University of Central Florida.

SESSION OVERVIEW

Embracing Intersectionality and Confronting Internalized Racism to Advance Racial Justice as Social Workers, School Counselors, and Mental Health Professionals
As the backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in K-12 schools continues to proliferate the nation and California communities, many school social workers, counselors, and mental health professionals have questioned how to advance racial equity efforts in K-12 schools and other educational contexts. This session will engage participants in a series of learning experiences that advance how they think and talk about the concepts of intersectionality and internalized racism to unearth the ways our commitments to racial justice might be undermined by hidden biases we have internalized due to socialization in schools and universities that perpetuate campus climates, curricula, and policies that promulgate white superiority. In order to unearth how those socializing forces have impacted educators, this session will include meaningful reflective exercises for participants to story their own intersectionality and evaluate case-scenarios in which biases overshadowed educators’ best intentions to serve racially and culturally diverse K-12 students’ needs. Credible and current research will inform this engagement, which will introduce content and strategies that offer participants multiple and varied opportunities to learn and practice building racial literacy knowledge and skills. Drs. Pascarella and Lyons-Moore will present contemporary cases of racial problems in K-12 schools, concrete examples of racial literacy-in-action, and practical strategies that educators can immediately use with colleagues, staff, faculty, and students.