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 December 3, 2025.
Graduate Level Courses
(2) Credits, (30) Hour Courses
IDEAS 1: Anti-Racist School Practices to Support the Success of All Students
This 25-hour foundational course invites educators to critically examine how identities and lived experiences shape our understanding of privilege and systemic injustice, across racism and other forms of identity-based oppression, and our role in challenging them. Participants will explore what it means to develop a conscious racial identity while working toward equity and justice, and how this process strengthens our capacity to build inclusive, equity-driven learning environments.
Through reflection, dialogue, and applied practice, participants will:
- Investigate racial identity development frameworks and their relevance to fostering belonging.
- Examine the ways privilege and power operate within classrooms, schools, and communities.
- Build skills to recognize, interrupt, and transform systems of oppression at personal, interpersonal, and institutional levels.
- Strengthen the knowledge, awareness, and strategies needed to move from intention to meaningful impact in anti-racist practice.
By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with practical tools and deeper self-awareness to advance equity and justice in their teaching and leadership. Successful completion earns 25 professional development hours, 2 graduate credits through Bridgewater State University (optional), and PDPs for hours attended (Certificates of Completion).
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Course Dates & Times: Location: Live Virtually via Zoom
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| Instructor(s): Monique Schramme & Patrick Larkin |
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 (2) Credit Course 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.
Restorative Practices for Educators: Building Relational Schools Foundations & Practices
This 2-credit graduate course equips educators with the knowledge and skills to integrate restorative justice practices in schools. Rooted in Indigenous traditions and anti-racist frameworks, the course emphasizes building equitable, relational, and accountable classroom communities. Participants will experience and facilitate restorative circles, practice tools for addressing harm and discipline, and explore strategies for fostering community, belonging, care, and social-emotional growth. Through readings, reflective practice, and leading circles, educators will gain the confidence to design, lead, and sustain restorative processes in their own settings.
Dates & Times: Saturdays, March 21st, April 11th, May 2nd & May 30th; 9:00am – 3:15pm
Instructors: Jennifer Dirga & Kerryn Hinds
Location: 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 IDEAS (2) Credit Course 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
Understanding Self-Efficacy: Helping Students Do Their Best Work
This course provides participants with an opportunity to explore concepts of self-efficacy, effective praise, and attribution theory. Research by Carol Dweck, Claude Steele, and others is highlighted through experiential activities. Participants will examine how a student’s perception of him/herself as a learner influences their academic engagement and performance. Participants will learn how to use a “strengths approach,” create a growth mindset environment, emphasize mistakes as part of the learning process, and give constructive feedback to promote student success in the school setting.
Dates & Time: Tuesdays, March 10th, March 17th, April 7th & April 14th; 4:00pm – 7:15pm
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.
Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race & Racism with Students, Colleagues & 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: Wednesdays, March 4th, March 11th, March 18th & March 25th; 4:00pm – 7:15pm
Instructors: Dr. Paula Martin & Edward Byrne
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.
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