In recent months, districts have been moving to integrate updated materials and re-examined practices to ensure a more equitable education for every student. Educators serve an important role in empowering youth and giving them the proper tools to effect change in their communities.
This month, DataHaven released a series of classroom materials designed by educators for educators. By incorporating data and excerpts from various DataHaven reports, the assignments encourage students to engage with broad concepts in the context of local Connecticut communities. Some of the topics covered include, gender-based discrimination, rediling, opioid crisis, climate change, civic engagement, and immigration. The materials are grouped under four themes– gender, race, health, and civics–and can be publicly accessed at www.ctdatahaven.org/classroom.
“In an increasingly fractured global society, we as educators owe it to our students to help them develop informed perspective and their active voice,” said Sarah Wiederecht, a social studies teacher in Manchester, Connecticut and primary author of the DataHaven classroom materials. "I believe learning about the struggles our society faces, like racial and gender based violence, socioeconomic inequities, and challenges to civic engagement are pivotal first steps towards positive and transformative change. I hope these materials will inspire teachers of all content areas, backgrounds, and experience to open their classrooms to challenging but necessary learning and reimagine the power of education and their students.”
For more information, please contact Mark Abraham, Executive Director, DataHaven, info [at] ctdatahaven.org.
About DataHaven
DataHaven is a New Haven-based non-profit organization with a 25-year history of public service to Connecticut communities. Its mission is to empower people to create thriving communities by collecting and ensuring access to data on well-being, equity, and quality of life. Learn more at ctdatahaven.org.
