Episode 22 — Accelerating Diversity and Equity in Schools with Bennie Kara

In this episode, Tom and Emma speak with Bennie Kara, author of A Little Guide for Teachers: Diversity in Schools. Kara initially explored education diversity through her lens of teaching English but soon found a world of interest across multi-disciplines emerging from the popularity of her book. Visit edCircuit.com to watch this episode.

Kara expresses her desire to address the intersection of identity, inclusion, and equitable treatment. It’s not about highlighting individuals as victims but instead bringing to the surface the diverse circumstances that need attention. According to Kara, there is still a fundamental misunderstanding of structural boundaries and negotiating in the space. She describes how a failure to understand the structural issues creates tension and argument and remains incendiary until adequately addressed.

Tom, Emma and Bennie also discuss the acceleration of diversity and equity in education, with the pace of change in primary school as a promising example. Kara’s book is described as a tool kit of sorts that allows people to feel comfortable, providing a safe place to start for those who want to make changes but are sometimes uncomfortable coming forward.

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Bennie Kara is a deputy headteacher in the East Midlands, specialising in curriculum, teaching and learning. She is the co-founder of Diverse Educators and author of the book, A Little Guide for Teachers: Diversity in Schools. Follow Bennie on Twitter @benniekara

Tom Sherrington's books include Teaching WalkThrus, Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. Follow him on Twitter @teacherhead

Emma Turner is author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education From Our Little Learners and Let’s Talk About Flex: Flipping the flexible working narrative for education. Follow Emma on Twitter @emma_turner75