About SIEEJ
The annual American UniversitySchool of Education Summer Institute on Education Equity and Justice (SIEEJ) convenes local and national educators and education advocates to highlight new practices and strategies for addressing the educational needs of Black, Brown, and indigenous students. The theme of 2023, the sixth SIEEJ event,wasEradicating the Stigma: Prioritizing Mental Health in PreK-16 Education with major speakers including Dr. Tyrone Howard, Dr. Norma Day-Vines, Dr. Joanne Frederick, Dr. Carlos Hipolito-Delgado, Dr. Ian Levy, and many more.The event thoroughly examined the intersection of racism in education, and intentionally centered the voices and experiences of people of color. SIEEJ learning sessions were offered virtually with recordings of sessions available only to registered attendees. .
CEU Certificates:
SIEEJ 2023 participants earned 1 CEU(Continuing Education Unit, equivalent to 10hours of participation) for $50 or 2 CEUs for $100 for attending SIEEJ. Email your questions about CEUs to equityandjustice@american.edu.Certificates of participation were notissued.
WhoAttended:
PreK-16 educators, mental health professionals, counselors, psychologists, social workers, legislators, education advocates, parents, students (), school board members, and those at community-based organizations attended this low-cost, high-impact conference.
All sessions were offered virtually, with two events offered in a hybrid format virtually and in-person. The below two sessions were offered in-person:
- The Opening Reception and Book Signing withDr. Joanne Frederick, author of Copeology: Exploring Coping Techniquesgavea book talk and signing, andnetworking reception.
- The Dr. Edmund Gordon Distinguished Lecture and Networking Reception withDr. Tyrone Howard, President of theAmerican Educational Research Association (AERA)and Professor at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), followed by aQ&A.
SIEEJ events and sessions weredesigned to change both mindsets and practices. The overall goal of SIEEJ is to build a community of practice singularly focused on the strengths, challenges, and opportunities in the lives of young people of color and the communities in which they live.
- Participants were provided links to virtual events andsessions in advance.
- Links to archived recordings were emailed to registered attendees.
Please email questions at equityandjustice@american.edu.
Dr. Joanne Frederick has been in the field of Counseling for more than 25 years as a university professor and a counselor in private practice. Frederick specializes in treating people with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, terminal illnesses, and learning disabilities. Frederick is the author of the book 
Dr. Carlos Hipolito-Delgado is a Professor in counseling at the University of Colorado Denver. His research examines the cultural competence of counselors and the sociopolitical development of youth. Hipolito-Delgado has over 35 peer-reviewed journal and book chapters published on the topics of multicultural training, ethnic identity, internalized racism, and youth sociopolitical development. His research has been cited over 1,350 times. He has been co-primary investigator on numerous research grants, totaling over $2.8 million, to develop an assessment of the quality of youth civic performances and document the impact of student voice curriculum on academic engagement and socio-emotional development of marginalized youth. Hipolito-Delgado is the past president of the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD) and past chair of the American Counseling Association (ACA) Foundation. He has previously served as Parliamentarian and Governing Council Representative for the ACA. He has been recognized with the Exemplary Diversity Leadership and Professional Development Awards by AMCD and the University of Colorado Denver Faculty Assembly Award for Service. He possesses a Doctor of Philosophy in counselor education from the University of Maryland College Park.
Dr. Holcomb-McCoy is the Dean of the School of Education and a Distinguished Professor at American University (AU). She is also the author of the best-selling book School Counseling to Close Opportunity Gaps: A Social Justice and Antiracist Framework for Successand Antiracist Counseling in Schools and Communities. Holcomb-McCoy believes in the revolutionary power of school counseling. An American Counseling Association (ACA) Fellow with 30 years of experience as a former kindergarten teacher, elementary school counselor, family therapist, and most recently university professor and administrator, she has a wealth of knowledge, expertise and wisdom.
Dr. Tyrone Howard is a professor of education in the School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. His research addresses issues tied to race, culture, access, and educational opportunity for minoritized student populations. Howard is the author of several best-selling books, including Why Race & Culture Matters in Schoolsand All Students Must Thrive. He is a native of Compton, California, where he also served as a classroom teacher.Howard is a member of the National Academy of Education and president of the American Educational Research Association (AERA).
Dr. Ian Levy is an Associate Professor and Chairperson of the Department of Counseling & Therapy at Manhattan College, New York City native, former high school counselor. His research explores preparing school counselors to use Hip Hop based interventions to support youth development. Most notably, Levy piloted the development, implementation, and evaluation of a Hip Hop based counseling framework, which has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, and published in a variety of reputable academic journals. More recently, he has begun exploring the training of school counselors who are versed in Hip Hop based approaches - as both a medium to develop anti-racist and cultural competencies. Ian is also the author of the research monograph, Hip Hop and Spoken Word Therapy in School Counseling: Developing Culturally Responsive Approaches, published with Routledge.
Dr. Laura Owen is the Executive Director for the Center for Equity and Postsecondary Attainment at San Diego State University (SDSU). A prior urban school counselor and district counseling supervisor, she is a passionate advocate for closing college opportunity gaps. Her research focuses on evaluating the impact of interventions and programs designed to address the systems, structures and policies that drive inequitable access to high quality postsecondary advising support. Laura has researched interventions targeting financial aid and FAFSA completion, the high school to college transition, text messaging and virtual advising, the impact of technology on college going decisions, and how students prefer to receive college and career information. Her research includes interventions and partnerships with nonprofit college access organizations, technology companies, cross-institutional researchers, and school districts from Baltimore, Maryland, to San Diego, California.
Dr. Mandy Savitz-Romer is the Nancy Pforzheimer Aronson Senior Lecturer in Human Development and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is also the faculty lead of the school counseling strand of the Human Development and Education program. Her research and field-facing work examines how schools structure counseling support systems and specifically, what conditions are critical to effective practice. She writes and speaks extensively on college and career readiness and school-based counseling, specially as it relates to students of color and first-generation college students. She is the author of Fulfilling the Promise: Reimagining School Counseling to Advance Student Success, and the co-author of Ready, Willing, and Able: A Developmental Approach to College Access and Success, and Technology and Engagement: Making Technology Work for First-Generation College Students. Savitz-Romer’s previous positions in school counseling, college access, and higher education heavily influence her teaching, writing, and advocacy work. She sits on multiple advisory boards, provides consultation to school districts, foundations, and universities, and engages in research projects that widen access to educational and student support programming.
