Discussing current barriers and solutions for increasing representation among educators.
Teach Away is hosting its inaugural DEIJ Symposium and Job Fair virtually on Sunday, February 12, 2023 from 8am-1pm EST.
Teach Away’s DEIJ Symposium and Job Fair is a great chance for schools to introduce themselves and show how much this issue matters to you and your school.
The Symposium will feature a panel of DEIJ advocates in education, followed by a panel discussion. During the Symposium, you’ll learn from DEIJ experts, participate in a Q&A, and walk away with actionable ways to level the playing field in education.
During the Job Fair portion of the event, schools will have the opportunity to network and connect with hundreds of like-minded teaching candidates, including qualified educators, administrators, and other education professionals from around the world.
Why A DEIJ Symposium & Job Fair?
The importance of DEIJ in education cannot be overstated. Creating an environment where all students feel safe, respected, and valued is essential. DEIJ initiatives help ensure that all students have access to the same educational opportunities and resources, regardless of race, gender, or socioeconomic background.
Teach Away hopes to facilitate conversations about how schools can make their classrooms more welcoming for all teachers and students, including those who are underrepresented in educational settings today.
All educators seeking teaching jobs are invited to join the event, regardless of race or ethnicity.
Meet The Speakers
We’re proud to have DEIJ advocates Fandy Diney Roser, Ceci Gomez-Galvez, Elisabet Raquel Garcia, Kam Chohan, and Adrienne Waller join us for a discussion moderated by Teach Away’s Vice President of Sales, Lloyd Ffrench.
The panel will discuss how international education institutions can promote DEIJ and address issues of power and privilege in their recruitment practices. This panel will give schools and teachers actionable insight into the part we all play a part in making education more diverse, equitable, and inclusive for all.
Fandy Diney Rosero, Initiator Of iEducate Global And Founding Member Of The DEIJ Committee For AIELOC (Association For International Educators And Leaders Of Color)
Fandy is the founder of iEducate Global, a mission to spark transformative change in schools. With 18+ years of international educational expertise, she guides schools and educational teams to implement iDEIJ practices in a student-centered, holistic way.
Fandy is a founding member of the DEIJ committee of AIELOC (the Association for International Educators and Leaders of Color) and works with International School Services, the Council of International Schools, the Educational Collaborative for International Schools, and the Diversity Collaborative to promote equitable practices in International Schools. She serves as a presenter in the I-DEA Foundation Workshop, a Member of the Antiracism Task- Force, and the Lead Facilitator for the Leadership Working Group of the International School Anti-Discrimination Task Force.
Ceci Gomez Galvez, Language Equitability Support Program Leader
Ceci is an inspirational mentor and advocates for educators, equipping them to develop learning experiences that meet the needs of all language learners. She leads a support program that promotes culturally responsive teaching and ensures equitable access for multilingual students.
Elisabet Raquel García, Global Education DEI Specialist And Owner Of Access Equitable Education
Elisabet Raquel García is a Global Education DEI Specialist for her company, Access Equitable Education. She works to support historically underserved students in gaining access to international education. She previously served as a study abroad peer advisor at UC Santa Cruz. Elisabet has also worked with the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations and the U.S. Department of State to create outreach programs for underserved students. She is a youth ambassador for Mexico City and the 2022 Director of the ExchangeAlumni Ambassador Program.
Elisabet’s work has been recognized by several organizations, including NAFSA, Diversity Abroad, Terra Dotta, UCEAP, UC Santa Cruz Global Learning, Go Overseas, Verge Travel Magazine, Global Healthy Living Foundation, and Best Colleges. Based in East Los Angeles, Elisabet is creating, consulting, and training teams worldwide and speaking on international education topics.
Kam Chohan, Executive Director For ECIS (Educational Collaborative For International Schools)
Kam Chohan joined ECIS as Chief Operating Officer in February 2018 and was appointed Executive Director in August 2020. She brings a wealth of experience in education and leadership, including lecturing in mathematics and business, as well as qualifications and experience in Leadership and Professional Development.
Kam’s passion for student learning led to her working with the UK Government’s Behaviour Insights Team to apply the Nudge Theory to improve student outcomes on a national level. As Chief Operating Officer for ECIS, she demonstrated a high aptitude for financial reporting, forecasting, analytical ability, scenario analysis, and financial implications of business and educational models. Kam is committed to social justice and equity through diversity, inclusion, and intercultural understanding in international education.
Adrienne Waller, DEIJ Educational Leader And Owner Of Worldwide Educator, LLC
Adrienne Waller is an experienced educator dedicated to diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. She has served in the education sector for over 15 years, advocating for DEI, assisting parents, teaching, and leading public, private, and charter schools in the US, Qatar, China, Kuwait, and the Cayman Islands.
Additionally, Adrienne is the owner of Worldwide Educator, LLC, an educational consulting firm devoted to authentic living and empowering educators to own their instructional expertise and stand out. She has worked with teachers worldwide and hopes to help them attain better, more rewarding careers.
About Teach Away’s DEIJ Initiatives
Teach Away promotes diverse hiring practices, and we actively engage with our partners to address discriminatory practices. Promoting diverse hiring practices is important to us, and we’ve developed a number of different initiatives to ensure inclusion is practiced across our teacher recruitment platform/business. Some examples of this in action include:
A school diversity pledge that must be accepted by all schools on our platform (implemented in August 2018). This pledge aims to create awareness and promote diverse hiring practices with our clients.
A diversity resource center within our hiring platform to provide international schools with access to learning resources and best practices for diversity and inclusion (launched in August 2018). In this resource center, we provided schools access to:
- Our Diversity Pledge
- Access to Diversity Practices from:
- 13 Canadian School Boards and their commitments
- Seven American School Boards and their commitments, inclusive of New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles; and
- The British Council’s: Guidelines for Diversity and Inclusion.
Our resource center also provides best practices for schools on Child Protection as we are a member of the International Task Force for Child Protection.
And more recently:
- We undertook a project to remove the term Native English Speaker from our website and job postings (in July 2020). We are in the process of reviewing our site content again now to ensure that we are still in compliance.
- We launched a recruitment matching engine (TeachAi) that removes bias from the recruitment process and recommends candidates based on their qualifications and experience (launched in August 2020).
We continue to deliver content to the different audiences surrounding the benefits of diversity in education, you can find a couple of recent blog posts here:
- 5 reasons why recruitment diversity is beneficial for international education
- Blogs for educators discussing diversity in the classroom
We also continue to regularly review and update our policies and procedures to reasonably ensure they adhere to evolving best practices.
We have a policy for schools that do not follow best practices, including canceling their contract with Teach Away and no longer working with them. If we receive a complaint or discover a client is out of line with our internal policies, they are contacted immediately. We take appropriate action depending on the circumstances. We first try to work with schools to educate them on the importance of diverse hiring practices and provide them with resources on diversity and inclusion.
We recognize this is an important topic, and our work is not done. We ask that you join us as we continue to do the work necessary to embrace diversity and create a world where every student experiences the power of a great teacher.
How To Register
Teach Away member schools are invited to attend for free.
Register on our official DEIJ job fair page. You’ll receive an email with credentials and a link to log in after registering. See you there!