Administrative Leadership in Restrictive Times: Navigating Gag Orders, Book Bans, & Teacher Advocacy

Outline

Proposed Outline:

1. Introduction (5 minutes)
• Content: Overview of the current landscape of book bans, gag orders, and content restrictions affecting educational environments, particularly those impacting DEI content in ELA, Civics, and STEM classrooms.
• Engagement: Use a live poll to gauge participants’ familiarity with content restrictions, focusing on how these challenges impact their role as administrators.

2. Understanding the Impact of Restrictions (10 minutes)
• Content:
o Discuss real-world implications of content restrictions, using examples that administrators have encountered in supporting their teachers.
o Share testimonials from administrators who have navigated these challenges, highlighting their strategies for maintaining educational integrity.
• Process: Encourage participants to reflect individually on similar challenges they've faced, focusing on their role in guiding teachers through such restrictions.

3. Strategies for Supporting Teachers (20 minutes)
• Content:
o Present 3-4 practical strategies tailored for administrators to coach and support teachers in maintaining diverse perspectives and compliance within restrictive environments across ELA, Civics, and STEM.
• Process: Participants will listen to these strategies, with emphasis placed on how they can adapt them to provide effective leadership and guidance to their educators. The facilitator will illustrate each strategy with relevant examples of how administrators have successfully implemented them.

4. Amplifying Student Voices and Advocacy (10 minutes)
• Content:
o Explore methods that administrators can encourage teachers to use in empowering student voices, even despite restrictive mandates, while advocating for inclusive practices in the classroom.
• Process: The facilitator will share case studies demonstrating how administrators have supported teachers in fostering student engagement and discourse, prompting participants to consider how they can replicate these successes in their schools.

5. Creating an Action Plan (10 minutes)
• Content:
o Guide participants through the process of developing an actionable plan to support their teachers in navigating content restrictions.
• Process: Each participant will complete an action plan template, focusing on specific steps they can implement as administrators to empower teachers in maintaining content. This ensures that attendees leave with a concrete plan tailored to their role as educational leaders.

6. Q&A and Closing (5 minutes)
• Content: Address participant questions and provide additional insights on supporting teachers effectively.
• Process: Open the floor for questions, allowing administrators to seek clarification or share their own experiences. Conclude with a summary of key strategies and a call to action for continued support of educators.

Supporting research

These recent findings from PEN America reveal a troubling trend: approximately 1.3 million teachers—around one-third of full-time classroom educators in the United States—are now operating under "educational gag orders." As of November 1, 2023, PEN has identified 40 legislative measures restricting teacher speech across 22 states, including policies like the "Don't Say Gay" bills.

For those interested in learning more about this critical issue and finding resources to navigate and respond to these challenges, here are some valuable links:

PEN America - Book Bans: Detailed information about book bans across the country. PEN America - Book Bans (URL: https://pen.org/book-bans/)
National Coalition Against Censorship - Middle School Teaching Guide: Provides guidance for middle school educators on addressing banned books in the classroom. NCAC Teaching Guide (URL: https://ncac.org/resource/banned-books-week-inquiry-centers-middle-school-teaching-guide)
American Library Association - Banned Books: Offers resources on banned books and how to address censorship in educational settings. ALA Banned Books (URL: https://www.ala.org/bbooks)
Unite Against Book Bans: A campaign that provides resources and advocacy tools to oppose book bans. Unite Against Book Bans (URL: https://uniteagainstbookbans.org/)

These resources offer guidance, teaching strategies, and insights to help educators and administrators advocate for academic freedom and the inclusion of diverse perspectives in the classroom.