About the Book
Each of us has a finite amount of mental bandwidth, the cognitive resources that are available for learning, development, work, and everything else we have to do. These "attentional resources" are not about how smart we are but about how much of our brain power is available to us for the task at hand. When bandwidth is taken up by the stress of persistent economic insecurity or the negative experiences of racism, classism, homophobia, religious intolerance, sexism, ableism, etc., there is less available for learning and growth. This is as true for young children and youth as for their parents and teachers. Cia Verschelden describes strategies that can help students recover bandwidth, including acknowledging the "funds of knowledge" of students and their families, promoting growth mindsets, using reflective practices to build a sense of belonging for all students, fostering peer collaboration, and implementing restorative practices in lieu of punitive measures. She offers practical ideas for creating more teacher-supportive systems and addresses how administrators can harness teachers' ideas to create inclusive learning environments for all students. All of us have a stake in a public school system from which students emerge as fully-formed learners and thinkers and who believe in their ability to affect what happens to them and their communities.
About the Author :
Cia Verschelden has worked in higher education for over three decades. A residence hall director during her doctoral research, she has also served as a faculty member in social work, sociology, women's studies, American ethnic studies, and nonviolence studies. She is currently the vice president of academic and student affairs at Malcolm X College in Chicago. Her research and writing related to equity in educational opportunity led to publication of her bestselling book, directed at faculty, student affairs, and administrators in higher education, Bandwidth Recovery: Helping Students Reclaim Cognitive Resources Lost to Poverty, Racism, and Social Marginalization. She has applied the same concept to the preK-12 context in Bandwidth Recovery for Schools: Helping Pre-K-12 Students Reclaim Cognitive Resources Lost to Poverty, Trauma, Racism, and Social Marginalization. Verschelden holds a BS in psychology from Kansas State University, an MSW from the University of Connecticut, and an EdD from Harvard University. For more than forty years, Kofi Lomotey has focused on the education of black people. At the higher education level, he has been a university professor, department chair, provost, president, and chancellor. He has been a founder, teacher, and administrator at three independent African-centered schools. For more than forty years, Kofi Lomotey has focused on the education of black people. At the higher education level, he has been a university professor, department chair, provost, president, and chancellor. He has been a founder, teacher, and administrator at three independent African-centered schools. Emily Beresford is a professional audiobook narrator who is a nerd for books, no matter the genre. She absolutely loves all forms of literature, and that transfers to the listeners through her passionate performances. She primarily works out of her professional home studio with top notch recording equipment and software, but will occasionally travel to other studios for human interaction. Emily earned her BA in liberal studies from Green Mountain College in Vermont, with concentrations in creative writing, music, and English. In 2013 she was nominated for an Audie Award by the Audiobook Publishers Association and received an Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine. She works for several major publishers and voices books for many bestselling authors. She lives in the Midwest with her beautiful, fun family. Emily Beresford is a professional audiobook narrator who is a nerd for books, no matter the genre. She absolutely loves all forms of literature, and that transfers to the listeners through her passionate performances. She primarily works out of her professional home studio with top notch recording equipment and software, but will occasionally travel to other studios for human interaction. Emily earned her BA in liberal studies from Green Mountain College in Vermont, with concentrations in creative writing, music, and English. In 2013 she was nominated for an Audie Award by the Audiobook Publishers Association and received an Earphones Award from AudioFile magazine. She works for several major publishers and voices books for many bestselling authors. She lives in the Midwest with her beautiful, fun family.
