Purpose: Research demonstrates that the quality of relationships between an educator and a student relate to improved outcomes for academic achievement and social and behavioral development. The purpose of this project is to develop a professional development training program with resources to support educators in building relationships with all students, and to identify and overcome unconscious bias and stereotypes among students from diverse backgrounds.

Project Activities: In Phase I, the project team will develop a prototype app with training modules to support educators to learn about social, behavioral, and academic outcomes for students from diverse backgrounds, and to practice skills to build relationships and learn to recognize and interrupt unconscious biases. At the end of Phase I, a pilot study will be carried out with 30 educators across grades 1 to 12 and 5 administrators. The research team will examine if the prototype functions as intended, if educators and administrators complete the training and use the modules during a trial period, and if educators and administrators perceive that the program shows promise for educators to learn to recognize and interrupt unconscious bias and improve relationships with all students.

Company Website: https://innocentclassroom.com/