Reclaiming Joy: How Affinity Groups Build Well-Being and Connection

Outline

Introduction

- Begin with a brief story to pique participant interest, followed by an overview of the session goals and outcomes.
- Introduce myself, sharing my background and how my personal experiences and scholarship highlight the critical need to support and retain teachers of color.
- Present high-level national data on the disproportionate turnover of educators of color.
- Ask participants: "What brought you to this session?"
- Use a Slido poll to engage participants and assess their current knowledge or involvement with affinity groups or teacher retention.

Understanding the Challenges

- Present key statistics and national data on under-representation and turnover among educators of color.
- Discuss systemic challenges such as harder-to-staff schools, racial isolation, micro-aggressions, and the toll of tokenism.
- Share a teacher vignette from my book, Support and Retain Educators of Color, to illustrate these challenges.
- Participants move into small breakout groups to reflect on how these issues manifest in their own schools or districts.

Group Discussion and Reflection

- Provide a 5-minute mini-lecture on the key issues that undermine the joy of BIPOC educators and reinforce their disproportionate turnover.
- Facilitate a 10-minute small group discussion where participants share examples of challenges they’ve seen in their own workplaces.
- Groups will share key insights with the larger group via chat or verbal reporting.

Evaluating Current Practices

- Guide participants in reflecting on their school or district’s current practices for supporting educators of color.
- Introduce an evaluation tool to help assess inclusivity, belonging, and support structures for educators of color.
- Participants will self-assess their school’s support structures using the provided framework.
- Share insights with peers using a digital platform (e.g., Padlet or Mentimeter) or in small group discussions.

Designing Affinity Groups
- Present research and literature on how affinity groups foster belonging, emotional well-being, and community for educators of color.
- Highlight best practices for starting and sustaining affinity groups.
- Walk participants through the steps of designing an affinity group tailored to their specific school or district.
- Provide a template to help participants think through the purpose, structure, and logistics of their affinity group.
- Encourage participants to share initial ideas for their affinity groups in pairs or small groups.

Action Planning

- Guide participants in developing a concrete action plan for supporting and retaining educators of color.
- Emphasize culturally affirming design principles and practical, immediate steps.
- Ask participants to share one action step with a neighbor or post it digitally for accountability.

Recap and Q&A

- Recap the session outcomes and open the floor for questions and further discussion.
- Wrap up with closing thoughts and encourage participants to implement changes in their schools or districts.

Supporting research

Dixon, D., Griffin, A., & Teoh, M. (2019). If You Listen, We Will Stay: Why Teachers of Color Leave and How to Disrupt Teacher Turnover. Education Trust.

Pizarro, M., & Kohli, R. (2020). “I stopped sleeping”: Teachers of color and the impact of racial battle fatigue. Urban Education, 55(7), 967-991.

Marx, S., Lavigne, A. L., Braden, S., Hawkman, A., Andersen, J., Gailey, S., ... & Washburn, K. (2023). “I didn’t quit. The system quit me.” Examining why teachers of color leave teaching. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1-24.

Cariaga, S. (2023). The Racial Melancholia of Un-grieved Endings: A Felt Understanding of Teachers of Color Who Leave the Classroom. Journal of Trauma Studies in Education, 2(3), 118-135.

Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Why Black women teachers leave and what can be done about it. In Black female teachers: Diversifying the United States’ teacher workforce (pp. 159-184). Emerald Publishing Limited,

Ingersoll, R., May, H., Collins, G., & Fletcher, T. (2022). Trends in the recruitment, employment, and retention of teachers from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Handbook of research on teachers of color and indigenous teachers, 823-839.

Pour-Khorshid, F. (2018). Cultivating sacred spaces: A racial affinity group approach to support critical educators of color. Teaching Education, 29(4), 318-329.

Gabbadon, A. T. (2023). Support and Retain Educators of Color: 6 Principles for Culturally Affirming Leadership. ASCD.