EPISODE 5: The Education All Students Deserve: Dinah Becton-Consuegra and Carlos Moreno on Equitable Education Through PBL

In this episode of The Project, Stanley and Laureen are joined by guests, Dinah Becton-Consuegra and Carlos Moreno! Carlos Moreno is an educational trailblazer committed to supporting school and district leaders in creating high-quality, non-traditional schools designed to tackle systemic issues related to equity in education. He currently serves as Executive Director for Big Picture Learning, a nonprofit organization that, since 1995, has developed over 150 such schools in the United States and throughout the world.   Dinah Becton-Consuegra is currently an equity consultant for PBLWorks, and previously served as the organization’s Director of Partnership Development. Prior to her roles with PBLWorks, Dinah was the West Regional Director for EL Education, a K-12 PBL-focused non-profit partnered with more than 150 schools in 31 states. A focus on closing the opportunity gap has been a primary driver in Dinah's 20 years in education.   Together, Carlos and Dinah explore the topic of equitable education and what we can do as teachers and leaders to close the opportunity gap. They speak about the sorts of schools they’re working for, how they are redesigning them with equity in mind, and the important hallmarks of equitable education. They also offer advice to teachers and leaders about what they can do to make PBL more accessible and how they can begin to make a shift toward more equitable outcomes for Black and Brown students.   Key Takeaways: [:32] About today’s episode and guests! [1:48] Stanley and Laureen welcome Dinah and Carlos to the podcast. [1:54] Kicking off the podcast with a fun question, Stanley asks Dinah and Carlos who their favorite rap artists are (and their favorite hip-hop lines)! [4:18] As Executive Director of Big Picture Learning, Carlos’s focus is redesigning schools with equitable education in mind. What types of schools are they working with? And what are some of the hallmarks of equitable education? [8:44] Dinah chimes in with what she believes to be the hallmarks of equitable education. [10:46] Bringing project-based learning into the mix, Carlos elaborates on his quote, “PBL isn’t just curriculum; for some students, it’s a lifeline.” [14:23] What does meaningful learning look like with all of this emergency, remote learning? And how can we support equitable access to it? [22:27] Dinah shares the advice she would give to teachers or leaders about what they can do to begin making a shift toward more equitable outcomes for Black and Brown students. [26:22] Carlos speaks about the notion of love, equity, and what teachers should spend time on before stepping into the classroom. [28:27] Laureen and Stanley thank Carlos and Dinah for joining The Project!   Mentioned in This Episode: PBLWorks Big Picture Learning Carlos Moreno’s LinkedIn Dinah Becton-Consuegra’s LinkedIn EL Education Bryan Stevenson’s TEDTalk: “We Need to Talk About an Injustice”   Twitter Quotes (for Social Media Use):   “There’s no better time for PBL to support equitable access to authentic learning for students.” — Dinah Becton-Consuegra   “I think the first piece [of advice] I would give teachers or leaders is just to start with [themselves]. … Do the internal work of examining your own racism, your own hidden biases, and how they’re impacting your teaching or leading.” — Dinah Becton-Consuegra   “Pay attention to power dynamics. Pay attention to who speaks. Pay attention to who doesn’t. Pay attention to which students are engaged [and] which ones aren’t … and do some follow-up. … Strive to be constantly adaptable and … willing to … shift.” — Dinah Becton-Consuegra   “In my own organization, we’ve been grappling with the question of what the future ... should look like. … The most important step for us, … was to … acknowledge that this [pandemic] was something very different than anything any of us had experienced.” — Carlos Moreno   “We have to ensure that all of the strengths, challenges, and opportunities that come along with these awesome groups of young people in communities that they belong to, are being considered in every fabric of this new design that folks are working on.” — Carlos Moreno   “These … different times just require teachers letting go of this structure [and] power dynamic where they feel like they have all the answers or need to have all the answers.” — Carlos Moreno