The (B)lack Narrative: Moving Beyond Deficit Ideologies in Literacy

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This live webinar course will help participants recognize and challenge deficit ideologies surrounding Black literacy. We will discuss the pervasiveness of deficit ideologies and their role in perpetuating inequities in school and beyond. Participants will gain insights about fostering equity and inclusivity while exploring strategies to build upon the cultural and linguistic funds of knowledge that Black students bring to the classroom.

This course is offered for 0.1 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate Level, Related Area)

*To inquire about future offerings or to schedule a session for your department, please contact CETeam@iREACT.org

COURSE OBJECTIVES

Upon course completion, participants will be able to:

· Identify at least three practices that contribute to deficit ideologies.

· List and employ three strategies to counteract deficit thinking in educational contexts.

· Identify three strategies to build upon the preliteracy skills of Black youth.

COURSE DETAILS

Date and Time: 01 Dec 2025 ▪ 12:00 pm-1:00pm CT

Course Cost: $20

Subject Code: Related Area 7030

Completion requirements: Self-assessment, course review completed within 5 days of attending the webinar.

For additional information about this course, please contact the REACT Initiative, Inc. Continuing Education Team at CETeam@iREACT.org. For more information about REACT and our services, please visit www.iREACT.org.

COURSE AGENDA

10 min – Introduction | Framing Deficit Ideologies

15 min – Historical and contemporary literacy practices in the Black community

15 min – Black language and preliteracy

10 min – Countering deficit discourses

10 min – Conclusion / Q & A

PRESENTER BIO

Dr. Latimer-Hearn holds a Ph.D. in Instructional Leadership for Changing Populations and has served as a multilingual speech-language pathologist and educational consultant in the US and abroad since 2002. She is a recipient of the AERA Minority Dissertation Fellowship Award. Her internationally recognized research focuses on AAE, cultural-linguistic diversity, and race and class issues in education. For more information visit www.dlhearn.net.

PRESENTER DISCLOSURES

Financial Disclosures:

Dionna Latimer-Hearn is an employee of REACT Initiative, Inc. and she will receive payment for presenting this course. Dionna Latimer-Hearn is also a recipient of the American Education Research Association (AERA) Minority Dissertation Fellowship Award which was used to fund a portion of her doctoral research. Nonfinancial Disclosures:

No relevant nonfinancial disclosures exist.

CONTINUING EDUCATION COMPLAINT RESOLUTION POLICY

REACT Initiative, Inc. views feedback as a vital part of our ongoing improvement process sand it enables us to more effectively carry out our mission to advocate for equity in education.

The Continuing Education Team at REACT Initiative, Inc. welcomes feedback from all participants and encourages the prompt resolution of grievances in a professional and timely manner. Feedback can be provided in any number of ways including but not limited to: our comments system, customer surveys, social media, website, and face-to-face interactions. The Continuing Education Team seeks to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair manner. Grievances regarding a course, event, or conference should be directed to Board@iREACT.org. The complaint will then be sent to the Continuing Education Team Administrator for review. All grievances are kept confidential and all persons are treated with respect and kindness as the parties involved work to resolve the grievance. If the grievance remains unresolved, it will be directed to the REACT Initiative, Inc. Board President to resolve. Individuals not pleased with the grievance resolution provided by REACT Initiative, Inc. have the option to appeal to the Board of Directors if they are displeased with the decision or any part of the resolution process. (For additional information about our policies, please visit www.iREACT.org/policies

CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY

Cancellation by REACT Initiative, Inc.:

REACT Initiative, Inc. reserves the right to cancel any program. In the unlikely event of cancellation, registrants will be provided with written notice and will receive a full refund of the registration fee. The refund will be returned within 30 days of the cancellation date in the same manner as the original payment. REACT Initiative, Inc. will not be responsible for any expenses incurred by the registrant (i.e., hotel and travel costs) for the purposes of attending the event.

Cancellation by Customer:

All cancellation requests must be submitted in writing via email to CETeam@iREACT.org. If the customer cancels up to two weeks prior to the workshop or professional development session, a full refund less a 25% administration fee will be provided. No refunds are offered for cancellations less than two weeks prior to the session; however, credit may be given for a future course or workshop.