“I have all this privilege, its time for me to spend out”

Steve Lysenko is the current Region 1 Director of the NAME (The National Association for Multicultural Education), a 100% volunteer organization that promotes equity in education. As a public-school educator with more than 20 years of experience as a teacher, enrichment specialist, and educational leader, Steve is now an Ed.D. candidate in the Executive Leadership at St. John Fisher University’s Department of Executive Leadership. His area of research is in Culturally Responsive Leadership and the Implementation of the NYSED Culturally Responsive-Sustaining (CR-S) Education Framework in predominantly white suburban secondary schools. Steve is slated to defend his dissertation in August of 2023 and recently launched his educational consulting business, Excellence in Educational Equity (3E) Consulting.

In this episode of The Helping Conversation Podcast, Steve shares his work in challenging the educational status quo that, in many districts, continues to teach a “whitewashed” version of history while not celebrating multiple expressions of diversity (race, social class, gender, language, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, ability) as an asset in teaching and learning. Steve discusses practices that continue to this day that support structural racism and do immense harm to families and their children. We discuss the principles behind the Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education Framework and strategies to implement this far-reaching view of learning and human development in which multiple expressions of diversity are recognized and celebrated.

For more information on Steve Lysenko: http://www.stevenlysenko.com/