We offer a variety of projects and resources, workshops and consulting services, and scholarship grounded in equity and social justice in schools and communities. For more about our philosophies and ideas, visit our Philosophy page or the Equity Literacy Institute site.

Our Bios

[ Paul C. Gorski | Julie Landsman | Seema Pothini | Robert W. Simmons III | Katy Swalwell]

Paul Gorski [click name to send email]
Founder, EdChange and the Equity Literacy Institute
Paul's Personal Web site

Paul is the founder of the Equity Literacy Institute and EdChange. He has more than 20 years of experience helping educators, nonprofit workers, and others strengthen their equity efforts. He has worked with educators in 48 states and a dozen countries. Paul has published more than 70 articles and has written, co-written, or co-edited twelve books on various aspects of educational equity including Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap and Case Studies on Diversity and Social Justice Education (with Seema Pothini). He is the author of the Multicultural Pavilion, an online compendium of free resources for educators. Paul earned a PhD in Educational Evaluation at the University of Virginia. He was a teacher educator at several universities for 15 years. He is also a published poet, a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and the biggest fan of Buster, his cat.

Areas of specialty:

• Equity literacy framework
• Racial equity in schools and school districts
• Poverty and class equity in schools and community organizations
• Research-based, holistic strategies for addressing achievement (or opportunity) gaps
• Activist burnout and resiliency
• Leadership development and the training of trainers for equity

Robert W. Simmons III [click name to send email]
Educational Equity and Diversity Consultant and Author
Detroit, Michigan

Robert W. Simmons III is an educational equity consultant based in Detroit, Michigan. Robert’s doctoral dissertation explored the experiences of African American teachers. His current research agenda is focused on exploring the experiences of African American teachers and urban education. Robert taught middle school science in Detroit, MI, in the Detroit Public Schools, as well as 2nd grade and 4th grade in the Dominican Republic and Minnesota. In addition to teaching in K-12, Robert has explored international education issues through work in the Dominican Republic, Japan, and Costa Rica. Robert's experience as an award winning science teacher, nominated twice as the national teacher of the year, adds to his expertise and understanding of what it takes to be a successful teacher in urban schools and working with African American students. Robert is a contributing author to White Teachers in Diverse Classrooms: Creating Community, Combating Racism (2006).

Areas of specialty:

• Urban education
• Education of African American children
• Multicultural curriculum development
• Eliminating the achievement gap
• School-community partnerships
• African American teachers

Seema G. Pothini [click name to send email]
Educational Equity and Diversity Consultant and Author
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Seema G. Pothini's passion for creating equitable classrooms and schools drives her commitment as an advocate for underserved youth. Her extensive experience improving student success in historically underperforming schools began by teaching elementary school in Houston, TX. She was elected Teacher of the Year in her region and was appointed to the superintendent's advisory committee, which addressed the achievement gap in Houston's schools. Seema also has trained new teachers to work in underserved communities, providing a foundation of teaching skills and self-awareness regarding how their biases can impact equity in the classroom. In addition to classroom teaching, she has worked as a K-12 cultural integration specialist. She improved student outcomes by creating family, school, and community partnerships, by providing staff development, and by facilitating student groups. Seema is a qualified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory and serves on boards for the Minnesota chapter of the National Association for Multicultural Education and Avenues for Homeless Youth, a shelter in Minneapolis.

Areas of specialty:

• Parent/guardian and community involvement in schools
• Assessing intercultural competence using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)
• Student success through high expectations and interest
• Strategic planning to move from "celebrating diversity" to ensuring equity
• Conflict resolution amongst students, families, and staff from diverse backgrounds

Katy Swalwell [click name to send email]
Assistant Professor, University of Maryland--College Park

Katy Swalwell's research focuses on teacher activism and social justice education with a special focus on race and class issues within social studies teaching and learning. She is the author of Educating Activist Allies: Social Justice Pedagogy with the Suburban and Urban Elite, as well as several articles and blog posts in academic journals and publications like Teaching Tolerance and Rethinking Schools. Before becoming a professor, Katy taught social studies at a public high school in St. Charles, Minnesota and a boarding school summer program in Connecticut. She has facilitated learning communities of practicing K-12 teachers across disciplines, supervised student teachers, and taught a variety of teacher education courses at the University of Wisconsin--Madison, the University of Wisconsin--LaCrosse, and George Mason University. Originally from Iowa, Katy currenty lives in Washington, DC, where she is a research fellow with the Zinn Education Project.

Areas of specialty:

• Social justice and multicultural education
• K-12 social studies curriculum and instruction
• Equity and schooling
• Students and teachers in elite school settings
• Teacher activism and teacher leadership
• Action research

Julie Landsman [click name to send email]
Educational Equity and Diversity Consultant and Author
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Julie Landsman taught in the Minneapolis public schools for 28 years. She has recently taught at Carleton College and has been an adjunct professor at Hamline University and St. Thomas in St. Paul. She has just published the book, Growing Up White: A Veteran Teacher Reflects on Racism with Rowman and Littlefield. Her books, Basic Needs: A Year With Street Kids in a City School and A White Teacher Talks About Race, are memoirs about her days in Minneapolis Public Schools. She co-edited White Teachers in Diverse Classrooms: Creating Community, Combating Racism with Chance Lewis, released in April 2006. She and Chance are completing a DVD and workbook to accompany their text. She has edited two books for young people: From Darkness to Light and Welcome to Your Life with David Haynes. She's also published Diversity Days, a book of activities to help teachers create a community of voices in their classrooms and Tips for Creating a Manageable Classroom. Julie recently won a Loft Literary Center Career Grant, which she used to give talks in various schools and literary centers in New York. Her poem, "Laos on the Radio" appeared in the February, 2004 issue of Paj Ntaub, a magazine centering on Hmong experience and culture. Her short story "Suspension" recently won the New Letters Award in Fiction. Landsman has been a featured speaker on White Privilege in many venues. She is a frequent contributor to Educational Leadership magazine.

Areas of specialty:

• Building inclusive schools, classrooms, communities
• Anti-racism activism: how do we do it?
• Creating community in the classroom
• White privilege: how it plays out in our lives
• Fighting the racism of low expectations
• Creating classrooms of hope