In recent years there has been a sharp uptick of white people in the fields of education and community engagement who have begun using antiracist language and acknowledging their whiteness. And still, many white people are struggling when it comes to living out the changes that they want to be a part of.

Meanwhile, public schools and school board meetings have become battlegrounds. A growing movement targets education, fomenting fear and division. Districts and curricula that give attention to issues of equity face strong backlash. But we refuse to be passive.

IDEA’s Antiracism Course is a unique opportunity to reflect on your own experiences, connect with like-minded peers, and get support and accountability to take action towards greater equity in education. None of us can do this work alone. Join our growing community of educators who are standing up for justice and collective liberation.

1. To deepen white educators’ analysis of the structural impacts of inequity on the schools and communities they work in, and the role that they, as white educators, play in perpetuating inequity.
2. To equip white educators with the tools and support to identify and respond to harmful actions, words, and policies within their schools and communities.
3. To grow white educators’ capacity to support, lift up, and act in solidarity with teachers, students, and families of color in their schools and communities.

• Twelve two-hour-long video calls
• Weekly assignments
• Readings, videos, and podcasts to read/view/listen
• 1:1 conversations with another member of the course for more personal reflections
• 1:1 sessions with course facilitators
• Action steps to take throughout the course

In this course you will join in community with other white educators and those working in youth, family, and community engagement who share your passion for building an antiracist practice and who are committed to exploring how our identities, histories, and biases impact our work and relationships. You will examine the conditioning that shaped you and learn how to question it. You will gain tools that enable you to stand with BIPOC students, families, and fellow educators. You will grow your skills in disrupting inequity and transforming educational and community spaces. You will be prepared to help cultivate a culture of empathy and justice where you work and live. And you will find community to break the isolation that so many of us feel and that prevents us from showing up with integrity.

White people working in the fields of education and youth, family, and community engagement who are looking for support and accountability as you seek to embody antiracism in your daily personal practices and at the schools/communities/organizations you are part of.

Individuals in any role in education or youth, family, and community engagement work: teachers at any level (early childhood, k-12, higher education, adult education), community and family engagement specialists, guidance counselors, youth workers, administration, social workers, staff at schools, public education advocates, camp counselors, etc.

Twelve two-hour-long sessions starting October 2025 – January 2026.

While the course experience is unique to each individual, past participants report spending between 2-5 hours a week on homework that includes: 1-2 articles, a podcast or video, and some form of reflective writing or similar assignment.

Participants who complete this course can receive a certificate for 24 continuing education hours.

– Sarah Norsworthy, 4th Grade Teacher in Portland, Maine

“Reflecting on this course, I have to say that the biggest impact it had on me is that I feel now more than ever that I have the language, theoretical, and other foundational knowledge needed to have more productive, impactful, and organized action-oriented conversations around antiracism…. The diversity of speakers who came to the course, as well as the readings that we did (grounded in two texts and all of supplementary readings as well), have really helped me feel confident in having these conversations in my school buildings and with the organizations that I support and work with… I cannot recommend this course highly enough for other educators, whether in K-12 or beyond. It was really a great opportunity for learning.“

– Brittany Johnstone, School Psychologist in Baltimore, Maryland

Modalities of learning will include: text based discussions of books, articles and audio; personal story sharing; examination of internalized habits and mentalities; mapping of systemic oppressions; and building an accountability practice.

IDEA’s antiracism coursework includes and stands on the shoulders of many activists, thinkers, ancestors, and leaders who have been pushing for justice, equity, and sovereignty including Bettina Love, Resmaa Menakem, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, adrienne marie brown, Ijeoma Oluo, James Baldwin, Tawana Petty, Sandy Grande, Ibram Kendi, Vincent Harding, Tema Okun, Kenneth Jones, Bob Moses, Norma Wong, and Justo Méndez Arámburu.

• Registration for this course is limited, and applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
• Sliding scale fees from $550 to $1550. In order to make this course as accessible as possible, we encourage you to pay a fee that is in line with what you are able.
• If your place of work might be willing to pay for this course from professional development funds, reach out to us and we can provide you with any information they may require. Workplaces are encouraged to pay the full course fee.

For more information about the course for white educators, please watch this brief informational video. There is also this blog post that offers an inside-look at the course from the perspective of course designers and participants.

Jonah Canner

Jonah Canner is an ambassador for the world we have not yet built. He believes in people, community, and the obligation we have to make positive change in the world around us. Jonah’s primary areas of focus include equity, restorative justice, experiential education, and working through conflict. In his free time Jonah is writing a collection of memoir essays that explore questions of grief, identity, ancestry, and place.

Jill (Yill) Ruchala

Jill Ruchala has been an educator, facilitator, and coordinator of educational programs, events, and gathering spaces for 20 years in the US and abroad. She’s passionate about cooperative learning models, adult education, antiracist education (in small and large scale), and language acquisition. See also: hiking, plants, and buy nothing groups/swaps. Yill lives in Washington, DC, on ancestral land of the Nacotchtank people, where taxation without representation is a daily experience. 

Dana Bennis

Dana is Director of Programs & Research at IDEA. He collaborates with others locally, nationally, and internationally to raise up and support education that is equitable, that meaningfully involves young people and communities, and that is directed towards freedom, liberation, and sovereignty.

Erin Dunlevy

Erin Dunlevy (she/her/hers) is a lifelong educator and learner deeply committed to the possibilities that equity creates in our world. Erin proudly served NYC young people as a teacher and Restorative Justice Coordinator for 14 years before moving into full-time equity and restorative justice consulting and facilitation in 2015. Currently Erin works on projects around the country training stakeholders from learning institutions, districts, community organizations and companies interested in furthering their equity journey. As a cis, white woman devoted to the ongoing, day-to-day work of undoing racism in herself, her family and her community, Erin advocates for story-telling and deep inquiry as models to re-imagine and recreate our world.

Aimee Craig

Aimee Craig is an experienced facilitator and strategist. She is skilled at guiding groups to shared decisions and creating processes that honor lived experience and diverse perspectives. Aimee works with leaders to clarify and live their mission, vision, and values through their meeting and process design, engagement, and communications. Directing communications and public affairs in the non-profit and government sectors, Aimee has led engagement processes with students, teachers, families, and school administrators and designed multi-year strategic communications plans. With partners in early learning, K-12 education, and philanthropy, Aimee has facilitated multi-year learning communities and short-term, decision-making workgroups. She prioritizes joy and connection as tools for change.

* This course was designed in collaboration with a multiracial group of educators. BIPOC guest speakers and conversation partners will join to provide additional perspectives, accountability, and critical analysis.