The NJEA Consortium is proud to announce that a growing collection of curricular resources, Scholar Talks, and professional learning materials has been endorsed by several of our strategic partners. These endorsements reflect a shared commitment to providing educators with high-quality, engaging content that advances inclusive education, equity, literacy, civil rights, cultural understanding and student well-being. Through these collaborations, the Consortium Repository of Resources continues to serve as a trusted source of meaningful, classroom-ready resources for New Jersey educators.
Elevating Resources
Our strategic partners have identified resources that align with their missions and support educators in creating learning environments where every student can thrive. From disability advocacy and inclusive practices to student voice, civic engagement and culturally responsive teaching, these endorsements showcase the breadth and quality of content available through the Consortium Repository.
Creating Inclusive Learning Environments
All in for Inclusive Education
All In for Inclusive Education has endorsed three resources that support educators in creating schools where all students are welcomed, valued, and empowered:
- NJEA Consortium Macro Curriculum by Dr. Kim Pinckney
- Performance Task: 008E All the Way to the Top by Erin Putman
- Content Scholar Talk: Disability History as Empowerment: 250 Years of Advocacy by Richard Cairn
Together, these resources help educators strengthen their understanding of disability history, advocacy, and inclusive practices. During the Strategic Partner Convening, the organization praised the resources for emphasizing identity, belonging, equity, advocacy, civic engagement, and the contributions of individuals with disabilities. Representatives also highlighted their use of Universal Design for Learning and their ability to help students identify barriers, promote accessibility, and connect history to real-world advocacy and systems change.
Empowering Students to Be Changemakers
Be Act Change
Be Act Change selected resources that encourage civic engagement, leadership, and social awareness:
- Performance Task: 002H Power of an Individual to Create a Movement by Steven Koumoulis, Lisa Dolby, and Tamar LaSure-Owens
- Performance Task: 006M Voices for Equity by Alamelu Sundaram-Walters
- Performance Task: 007H Mapping the Racial Wealth Gap in our Community by Gabriela Guzman
These learning experiences help students see how individuals and communities can create meaningful change. During the Strategic Partner Convening, Dr. Paul Rivera noted that Power of an Individual to Create a Movement shows students that change often begins with one person choosing to act. He highlighted Voices for Equity for helping students examine barriers faced by multilingual learners and develop policy recommendations through community research and data analysis. He also praised Mapping the Racial Wealth Gap in our Community for helping students understand systemic inequities and the historical forces that shape communities. Together, these resources build critical thinking, civic engagement, and student agency.
Supporting Student Wellness and Belonging
Concinnate
Concinnate has endorsed resources that address student well-being, regulation, and belonging:
- Content Scholar Talk: Breath of Life: Indigenous and LatinX Breathwork Practices for Self-Regulation and Classroom Calm by be.act.change
- Content Scholar Talk: Erasure of MENA Community & Impact to Students Struggling with Parental Incarceration by Reda Taleb
- Resource: Nervous System Needs of a Learner with a Strong Fight/Flight Stress Response
These resources provide educators with practical tools for supporting students’ social, emotional, and academic success. Concinnate Founder Shana Francesca noted that true inclusion is impossible without relationship-building skills and a deeper understanding of how individuals experience the world differently. She highlighted resources addressing nervous system regulation, creative expression, and breathwork because they help educators understand the whole child and create environments where students feel safe, valued, and empowered.
Advancing Literacy Through Storytelling
Cosmic Writers
Cosmic Writers endorsed Teaching Black History Through Poetry, a resource that combines literacy instruction with the exploration of Black history and culture through poetry and storytelling.
- Content Scholar Talk: Teaching Black History Through Poetry – Module 2: Literature of Enslavement and Freedom by Talena Lachelle Queen
- Content Scholar Talk: Teaching Black History Through Poetry – Module 3: Literature of Reconstruction by Talena Lachelle Queen
- Content Scholar Talk: Teaching Black History Through Poetry – Module 4: Literature and the Harlem Renaissance by Talena Lachelle Queen
- Content Scholar Talk: Teaching Black History Through Poetry – Module 7: Literature Since 1970 by Talena Lachelle Queen
Cosmic Writers’ Curriculum and Outreach Manager, Olivia Quinn, noted the endorsement reflects their belief that creative writing is a powerful tool for both literacy development and student engagement. By combining poetry, history, and storytelling, these modules encourage students to think critically about the past while strengthening essential writing skills.
Promoting Human and Civil Rights Education
Dr. Daquan Bashir of NJEA Human and Civil Rights, Equity, and Governance Division
Dr. DaQuan Bashir recognized resources that encourage critical conversations about equity and justice:
- Performance Task: 007H Mapping the Racial Wealth Gap in our Community by Gabriela Guzman
- Content Scholar Talk: Changing the Narrative: Embracing Inclusive Education as Equity by Jordan Fagan
- Content Scholar Talk: One Step Forward and Two Steps Back: How Political Agendas Undermine Progress in Upholding Core Civil Rights Protections for Students by Matt Nosanchuk
These resources support educators in fostering informed and inclusive classroom discussions. Dr. DaQuan Bashir emphasized that equity and inclusion should not be retrofitted into educational systems as an afterthought but intentionally designed into them from the beginning. He noted that Changing the Narrative: Embracing Inclusive Education as Equity exemplifies this approach by viewing inclusion as both a civil right and a systems-design challenge. He also highlighted One Step Forward and Two Steps Back for helping educators understand how political and legal forces can impact civil rights protections, while Mapping the Racial Wealth Gap in our Community provides students with opportunities to investigate historical and contemporary inequities through inquiry, data analysis, and community-based learning.
Connecting Local History to Student Learning
New Jersey Hall of Fame
The New Jersey Hall of Fame endorsed content that highlights local history and inclusive educational practices:
- Content Scholar Talk: African Americans in the Sourlands: Local History and National Narratives by Anita Williams Galiano and Sharece Blakney
- Content Scholar Talk: NJ Heart’s: Fostering a Respectful and Inclusive Learning Environment by Dr. Darrell DeTemple
- Resources for Inclusive Curricula in Challenging Times: What the NJEA Consortium has to Offer by Dr. Kim Pinckney
These resources help educators connect students with stories and experiences rooted in New Jersey communities. NJHOF Director of Educational Programs, Alexandra Genova, mentioned that the endorsed resources help students discover the people, stories, and communities that have influenced both New Jersey and the nation. African Americans in the Sourlands demonstrates how local history can illuminate broader historical narratives, while Fostering a Respectful and Inclusive Learning Environment and Resources for Inclusive Curricula in Challenging Times support educators in creating classrooms where all students feel seen, valued, and inspired.
Fostering Representation and Belonging
NJ Heart
NJ Heart endorsed programming focused on belonging and representation:
- Content Scholar Talk: Teach Asian American Stories Presents: Roots & Routes – Asian American Contributions in the Garden State by Roslyne Shiao
- Content Scholar Talk: Belonging Beyond the Binary by Alisha DeLorenzo
- Content Scholar Talk: African Americans in the Sourlands: Local History and National Narratives by Anita Williams Galiano and Sharece Blakney
NJ Heart Founder Dr. Darrell Detample stated these resources encourage educators to create learning environments where students see themselves reflected in the curriculum. As an organization committed to helping educators create inclusive, respectful, and equitable learning environments, NJ Heart selected resources that provide practical opportunities for educators and students to engage with diverse histories, identities, and perspectives.
Strengthening Equity and Literacy
Rethinking Schools
- Performance Task: 007H Mapping the Racial Wealth Gap in our Community by Gabriela Guzman
- Content Scholar Talk: Using Creative Writing to Empower Underrepresented Writers While Boosting Literacy by Rowana Miller of Cosmic Writers
Rethinking Schools selected resources that align with its commitment to equity, racial justice, and democratic participation. Executive Director Dr. Cierra Khaler-Jones recognized Mapping the Racial Wealth Gap in our Community for helping students examine systemic inequities through authentic inquiry and data analysis, while Using Creative Writing to Empower Underrepresented Writers While Boosting Literacy elevates student voice and provides opportunities for learners to share their experiences through meaningful writing.
Exploring History, Identity, and Social Justice
The E Pluribus Unum Project
The E Pluribus Unum Project endorsed a collection of Scholar Talks that encourage reflection, understanding, and dialogue:
- Content Scholar Talk: Building Empathy and Living Beyond Fear and Imagination as Tools that Help Overcome White Supremacy for Educators by Dr. Rita Fierro
- Content Scholar Talk: Centering Lau v. Nichols and Chinese American Language Rights by Trish Morita-Mullaney
- Content Scholar Talk: Erasure of MENA Community & Impact to Students Struggling with Parental Incarceration by Reda Taleb
- Content Scholar Talk: Stop AAPI Hate by Andy Wong
- Content Scholar Talk: “We’re an Ummah”: Disrupting Anti-Muslim Racism and Nurturing Muslim Educators Through Circles of Collective Empowerment, Storytelling, and Healing by Dr. Ambereen Khan-Baker
These resources provide educators with opportunities to engage deeply with topics related to history, identity, and inclusion. Co-Founder Dr. Khani Ilangovan, Board Member Laura Zhang-Choi, and Outreach Coordinator Linda Kow emphasized that inclusive education should not focus on a single community in isolation but should foster solidarity and understanding across all communities. Their endorsed selections reflect a commitment to educational equity, pluralism, and ensuring that historically marginalized voices are represented in classroom learning. The organization highlighted resources that explore language rights, confront anti-Asian hate, elevate Muslim voices and experiences, support MENA representation, and provide educators with tools to build empathy across differences. Together, these Scholar Talks help educators teach a fuller and more accurate American story while creating classroom environments where all students feel seen, valued, and connected to one another.
Elevating Student Voice
Word Seed, Inc.
Word Seed Inc. endorsed:
- Content Scholar Talk: Teaching Black Joy by Dr. Cierra Kaler-Jones
- Content Scholar Talk: Using Creative Writing to Empower Underrepresented Writers While Boosting Literacy by Rowana Miller
Both resources celebrate creativity, storytelling, and the power of student voice in the classroom. Founded by Talena Lachelle Queen, Word Seed Inc.’s mission is to give voice and support to writers of every age and skill level within diverse communities. Grounded in the belief that literacy can shape the trajectory of a person’s life, the organization works to ensure that individuals have both access to language and the tools to use it effectively—from early literacy development through artistic expression and lifelong writing.
Strengthening Learning Through Partnership
These endorsements demonstrate the power of collaboration between the NJEA Consortium and its strategic partners. Throughout the Strategic Partner Convening, organizations repeatedly emphasized that the Consortium’s resources go beyond meeting curriculum mandates. They provide educators with tools to foster belonging, encourage critical thinking, elevate historically underrepresented voices, and create learning experiences that empower students to engage meaningfully with their communities and the world around them. Together, these partnerships are helping build a repository of resources that supports equitable, inclusive, and transformative educational experiences for all learners.
Visit these resources, available FREE to NJEA members, in the Consortium Repository of Resources.