School Resources

Creating an inclusive classroom starts before a student enters the school building for the first time, and the work continues throughout the entire school year. The Back to School With Belonging Guide, created in partnership with students enrolled in Child Development with Dr. Karen Kochel at the University of Richmond, is designed to provide educators with evidence-based practices that promote inclusion and belonging. It offers practical day-to-day suggestions along with resources and strategies to employ year-round.

VCIC’s Building Inclusive Schools Email Update provides curriculum ideas, sample activities, funding sources, and articles to educators each month during the school year.

Sign up for the email updates today!

Educators across Virginia are asking themselves how they can better work toward creating more inclusive schools where every student knows that they can truly belong, achieve, and contribute to their school community. This question is being asked with more urgency and frequency in response to documented increases in incidents of bias and prejudice at schools and in communities.

To support school administrators, educators, staff, and students, VCIC has developed “Considerations After Incidents of Bias.”

In 2016, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities was overwhelmed with urgent requests from schools after incidents of bias, bullying, and discrimination. A significant number of these incidents were connected to the 2016 Presidential election cycle: students repeating statements they had heard from politicians, educators and parents not knowing how to respond to major events in the news, and a pressing concern about the decline of civility in public discourse. An important lesson from four years ago was the importance of intentional, proactive planning.

VCIC’s Day After Election Guide was designed to support educators and administrators in preparing for the 2020 Presidential election. Content and recommendations can also be relevant for other “day after” situations that school leaders and educators encounter.

At the request of school partners in Virginia, VCIC compiled some resources for parents and educators who want to engage children in conversation and action about the events of June 2020.

Click here to access those links.