A quick intro on CRE

Hear parents, teachers, and students introduce the meaning and impact of Culturally Responsive Education.

Watch the short version here.

CRE Stories Documentary Series

The CRE documentary series by award-winning filmmaker Manauvaskar Kublall examines what it would take to establish a positive school culture that respects and honors youth of all races, cultures and abilities and values families and communities as assets and experts to help build the capacity of school staff to engage cultures effectively.

Across nine episodes, we meet parents, teachers, principals and students who share their experiences of racism and bias in public school systems, and why culturally responsive education is an effective strategy to combat those forces. Our shared future must include school cultures and climates where children see themselves reflected and respected in their curriculum—in every class, every grade, every day.

Jump to an episode

1. Seen in the classroom

2. bEING culturally responsive as a white teacher

3. The Archaeology of the Self

4. RACE CONVERSATIONS IN THE CLASSROOM

5. breaking the Stereotype of the Uncaring Black Parent

6. Raising a Critically Conscious Teaching Force

7. A Principal's Perspective

8. Relearning History, Telling New Stories

9. Practicing Culturally Responsive Education

WATCH (3:14)

Seen in the Classroom

The Story

What becomes possible when students learn from educators that share part of their cultural experience? Or when they learn curriculum that honors and sustains their distinct history?

Aaron Harris, a New York City public school teacher, is one of just four male teachers of color at a school with a predominantly Black student body. A Washington, D.C. native, Aaron shares his experiences as a teacher of color in the classroom, and how race and ethnicity inform the role educators play in their students’ lives. 

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Jamal Tenth, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

WATCH (3:38)

Being Culturally Responsive as a White Teacher

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Jamal Tenth, Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

The Story

When Erin Dunlevy left her hometown in suburban New Jersey to teach in the South Bronx, she was shocked to see a line of 2,500 students wrapped around the school building waiting to pass through the only operational metal detector on campus.

Erin shares her learning about what it means to be an ally who is responsive to community needs and to honor community voices.

This is especially important when we consider that over 80% of teachers nationally are white. In New York City schools, white teachers make up 70% of the teacher workforce in schools that predominantly serve students of color in under-resourced communities.

WATCH (3:23)

The Archaeology of the Self

The Story

How do issues of race, class, religion, and sexual orientation live within us? How does our societal conditioning shape the way educators show up in classrooms?

Bronx native Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz challenges educators to examine their views on the communities and students they serve.

Using an archaeological approach, Sealey-Ruiz mentors educators of all backgrounds on how to do the "deep work" of excavating their personal histories and activating their racial consciousness as a precursor to theorizing about pedagogy.  

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Associate Producer: Piper Anderson

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Jamal Tenth, Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

WATCH (5:58)

Race Conversations in the Classroom

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Jamal Tenth, Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

The Story

Jillian McRae and Sam North co-facilitate a course about classism, sexism, and racism at Ossining High School in Westchester County, New York that creates space for students to have courageous conversations and make intentional choices about their involvement in their communities.

How do students react when the conversation centers institutional structures rather than individual acts?

What happens when high school students frame their examination of systems around those who benefit the most from them, and are encouraged to have honest discussions about the “-isms” these systems create with their peers?

WATCH (3:02)

Breaking the Stereotype of the Uncaring Black Parent

The Story

Before her appointment to the Parent Teacher Association at her youngest child's school, Zakiyah Ansari raised and supported four of her children through college.

Despite her demonstrated interest in the future of her children and their education, Zakiyah is often met with cynicism and low expectations held by other adults who believe black and brown families are unconcerned about their children’s studies.

This animated film shares Zakiyah's testimony about how stereotypes function in schools and shape the students expectations for themselves and their learning environments.

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Animation: Patricia Battles

Editor: Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Jamal Tenth, Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

WATCH (5:51)

Raising a Critically Conscious Teaching Force

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Nenman Walbe, Jamal Tenth, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

The Story

To what extent are we influenced by our inherent biases? Can honest, genuine, and critical human connection serve as a solution to institutional racism? If so, what does that look like in practice?

Paul Forbes and Natalie Zwerger work to develop individual school and district-wide understandings of race, power, and privilege.

WATCH (3:57)

A Principal's Perspective

The Story

What happens when the racial makeup of a community changes? How does the historical context of the American public education system affect students learning in a more diverse society?

When a fight occurs at a school basketball game, racial tensions run high and spill into the community. In its wake, Ann Dealy’s stance ensures that institutions respond to the needs of each and every student, particularly students of color. Using her privilege, voice, and position as a school principal, Dealy demonstrates what it looks like to hear, see, and respect students.

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Nenman Walbe, Jamal Tenth, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

WATCH (6:25)

Relearning History, Telling New Stories

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Associate Producer: Piper Anderson

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Jamal Tenth, Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman

The Story

As a child, New York Times bestselling author Daniel José Olde, was unable to see the world he was experiencing represented in the books he read. As an adult, he creates characters which bring the realities of young people of color to life.

Karyn Parsons, actress, author, founder of Sweet Blackberry, saw disparities between the facts she discovered as an adult and those taught in the history classes of her youth.

How does representation (or a lack thereof) in curricula affect the way children view themselves? How much agency do students deserve in their classroom? Motivated by their own childhood experiences, Daniel and Karyn tell new stories and surface tales of the past to ensure the stories of today are a more accurate illustration of history, truth, and lived experience.

WATCH (9:57)

Practicing Culturally Responsive Education

The Story

Whose voices are heard and unheard in the classroom? What do students have to teach their teachers? How can teachers overcome taboos around race talk?

Current and former teachers share their experience learning and practicing culturally responsive education in their classrooms and beyond.

Credits

A Media Sutra production

Director: Manauvaskar Kublall

Executive Producers: Richard Gray, Natalie Zwerger, Megan Amelia Hester

Editor: Nenman Walbe, Manauvaskar Kublall

Camera: Nenman Walbe, Jamal Tenth, Manauvaskar Kublall

Sound Recording: Nadia Bourne

Music Production: Gerald Trotman