Current Professional Learning Opportunities
This page lists upcoming graduate courses and seminars that are open for registration or have wait list spaces available. Additional offerings will be posted as they become available. For information about the DEI Anti-Racism Certificate program, click here.
Download a flyer (PDF) with an overview of the current course offerings. Updated May 15, 2025.
Graduate Level Courses
(2) Credits, (30) Hour Courses
IDEAS 1: Anti-Racist School Practices to Support the Success of All Students
This course is designed to introduce educators to the complex issues raised by race and racism and their impact on student engagement and achievement. This course will provide educators with an understanding of racial identity and the importance of building authentic student teacher relationships. This course will also help educators increase their skills of cultural proficiency.
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Course Dates & Times: Location: Live Virtually via Zoom |
Course Dates & Times: August 6th Location: Live Virtually via Zoom |
| Instructor(s): Jennifer Dirga & Kerryn Hinds | Instructor(s): Lateefah Franck & Patrick Larkin |
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Course Dates & Times: Location: Live Virtually via Zoom |
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| Instructor(s): Ed Byrne & Mark Liddell |
Cost: $650 IDEAS members /$780 non-members
Graduate Credit: Participants may choose to apply for 2 graduate credits for an additional fee of $150, payable to Bridgewater State University.
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this IDEAS1 & IDEAS2 registration form. Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
IDEAS 2: Enacting Systemic Change in Educational Institutions
This 30-hour course is designed to build upon the foundational theories and complex issues studied in IDEAS 1: Anti-Racist School Practices to Support the Success of All Students. Participants will study systemic change models and develop, enact, and evaluate a project to effect change in their educational setting, whether that setting is working with a small group of students, a classroom, a grade level, a school, or an entire district. Successful completion of IDEAS 1 is a prerequisite for the course.
Dates & Times: Thursday, July 31st, 9:00am – 3:00pm
Thursdays, October 6th, November 3rd, December 1st, January 5th, February 2nd & March 2nd; 3:30pm – 6:30pm
Instructors: Lateefah Franck & Rebecca Smoler
Location: 1st Session will meet in person (location TBD) and the rest of the sessions will meet live virtually via Zoom
Cost: $650 IDEAS members /$780 non-members
Graduate Credit: Participants may choose to apply for 2 graduate credits for an additional fee of $150, payable to Bridgewater State University.
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this IDEAS1 & IDEAS2 registration form. Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
(1) Credit, (15) Hour Courses
Building Bridges: Facilitating Difficult Conversations with Students
This course is designed for educators who wish to integrate issues of identity and equity into a subject area through student-centered activities that are designed to promote social justice conversations. Participants will also develop an understanding of “intersectionality,” how multiple forms of oppression (i.e.: LGBTQ, gender/sexism, race) overlap and intersect. Participants will practice skills that encourage students to recognize differences, see inherent values, appropriately handle conflict and misunderstandings, and engage in conversations of equity in order to be prepared to navigate through a world that is increasingly diverse. This course will provide educators with resources to develop lessons and apply research-based strategies to encourage students to work together to build caring and equitable classroom/school communities while growing in their personal identity, confidence, and courage. Activities and discussions from this course can also be integrated into specific “Race/Culture/Identity” courses, and/or be part of programs, such as, Advisory, Open Circle, Developmental Designs, Responsive Classroom, etc.
Dates & Time: Monday & Tuesday, June 23rd & June 24th; 8:30am – 3:15pm
Instructors: Dr. Claudia Fox Tree & Rebecca Smoler
Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
Cost: $325 IDEAS members /$390 non-members
Graduate Credit: Participants may choose to apply for 1 graduate credit for an additional fee of $75, payable to Bridgewater State University.
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this registration form . Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
Co-Teaching with a Culturally Responsive Lens
This course explores co-teaching models to support diverse learners, including students in special education, those with trauma histories, English language learners, and students from racially and ethnically diverse backgrounds. Grounded in Zaretta Hammond’s neurological research and Anne M. Beninghof’s co-teaching strategies, the course emphasizes enhancing attention, retention, and assessment, while integrating humor, movement, and novelty to create inclusive environments. Participants will also examine the work of scholars such as Cornelius Minor, Patricia Devine, Joe Feldman, and Tara Yosso to address implicit bias, apply culturally relevant practices, and develop actionable plans for effective co-teaching. This course satisfies special education endorsement requirements.
Dates & Time: Thursdays, July 10th & 17th, 8:30am – 3:15pm
Instructors: Dr. Claudia Fox Tree & JoAnne Kazis
Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
Cost: $325 IDEAS members /$390 non-members
Graduate Credit: Participants may choose to apply for 1 graduate credit for an additional fee of $75, payable to Bridgewater State University.
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this registration form . Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
Transforming Curriculum through a Social Justice Lens
This course is designed for educators to explore multicultural curriculum transformation. Participants will examine strategies for integrating multicultural perspectives, adapting culturally responsive pedagogy, and addressing systemic racism and bias. Drawing on the work of scholars such as James Banks (multicultural curriculum), Geneva Gay and Zaretta Hammond (culturally responsive pedagogy and neurological research), and Gloria Ladson-Billings (culturally relevant pedagogy), participants will learn to create inclusive curricula. The course also incorporates the work of Michael Eric Dyson and Paul Gorski (race, privilege, and equity literacy), Karen McLean Donaldson (cultural relevance), Peggy McIntosh (white privilege), and Dina Gilio-Whitaker (Indigenous knowledge), helping educators address bias and foster justice-oriented learning. By the end of the course, participants will adapt or develop lesson and unit plans that reflect these principles.
Dates & Time: Tuesday & Wednesday, July 8th & July 9th; 8:30am – 3:15pm
Instructors: Dr. Claudia Fox Tree & Rebecca Smoler
Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
Cost: $325 IDEAS members /$390 non-members
Graduate Credit: Participants may choose to apply for 1 graduate credit for an additional fee of $75, payable to Bridgewater State University.
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this registration form . Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race/Racism with Students, Colleagues and Parents/Guardians
This course is designed to help educators develop a better understanding of ways to address and respond to issues of race and racism on a personal and professional level. Participants will consider the experiences of students and families from ethnically or racially diverse backgrounds in predominantly white schools, and will examine both the barriers to/challenges of talking about race/racism/ethnicity and strategies for engaging in productive discussions.
Dates & Time: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, July 15th – 17th; 8:30am – 12:45pm
Instructors: Ed Byrne & Dr. Paula Martin
Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
Cost: $325 IDEAS members /$390 non-members
Graduate Credit: Participants may choose to apply for 1 graduate credit for an additional fee of $75, payable to Bridgewater State University.
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this registration form . Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
(6) Hour Seminars
CRT vs CRT: Unpacking Culturally Responsive Teaching and Critical Race Theory
An antiracist educator knows that culturally responsive teaching practices are essential for the education of all our students. At the same time, educators and school districts have been facing increasing amounts of scrutiny over whether or not Critical Race Theory is being taught in K-12 schools. What is the difference between these two important CRTs? How do we respond to accusations of teaching Critical Race Theory? Participants in this 6-hour seminar will leave with tools and strategies for responding to questions about these terms when communicating with school and community members.
Dates & Time: Tuesday, July 15th; 9:00am – 3:30pm
Instructors: Dr. Claudia Fox Tree & Rebecca Smoler
Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
Cost: $60 members / $75 non-members
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this seminar registration form. Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
The N-Word
We find that more and more in our school communities, we are having to talk about and grapple with the use of this word and how to handle it when we hear it being used in our schools. This seminar will seek to open the conversation for educators and frame it as an open dialogue to address the issue that if heard or said in our schools, all educators should be able to address it. The seminar will include the history of the word in our society and look at several generations and how some have tried to “reclaim” it. We will also read some articles and view some videos by respected academic scholars who have written and spoken about this dilemma. It is our hope that educators who attend will have a clearer understanding of why they do not want this word used in their school communities by anyone and some strategies on how to address it.
Dates & Time: Tuesday & Wednesday, July 22nd & July 23rd; 9:00am – 12:00pm
Instructors: Ed Byrne & Mark Liddell
Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
Cost: $60 members / $75 non-members
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this seminar registration form. Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
Understanding the METCO Program
This 6-hour professional development seminar offers educators an in-depth understanding of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program’s origins, historical significance, and contemporary impact on students, families, and suburban school communities. Designed for teachers in METCO-participating districts, the course explores the experiences of Boston students in suburban schools, the role of educators in fostering inclusive environments, and the broader implications of voluntary school desegregation. Through historical context, student and family perspectives, and practical strategies, participants will leave better equipped to support METCO students and contribute meaningfully to diverse school communities.
Dates & Time: Tuesday July 29th; & July 30th; 9:00am – 12:00pm
Instructors: Lateefah Franck
Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
Cost: $60 members / $75 non-members
Registration: To register, please complete and submit this seminar registration form. Please ensure that you have approval from your district before registering. Please email any questions to Dana Mullaley – dmullaley@massupt.org.
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation notice must be received 2 weeks prior to the start of the course to be eligible for a refund. IDEAS reserves the right to cancel courses with insufficient enrollment.
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