Grief in & beyond Schools: Cultivating Culturally Responsive Grief (RPA Pilot / Seed Project)

"Current research indicates that approximately one million people have died as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic (Center for Disease Control, 2021), and that between April 2020 and June 2021, 140,000 children in the United States lost a primary parent or caregiver (Hillis, et al, 2021). This data reveals the staggering rates of grief and loss and has initiated a long-necessary conversation related to the resources and tools to help process grief in our schools. While these current statistics for grief are alarmingly high, they ignore that recurring grief and trauma are a manifestation and symptom of structural violence that disproportionately impact marginalized communities. Yet, little educational research addresses grief. This project utilizes pláticas (Hannegan-Martinez, forthcoming) to understand the unique grief-related experiences of Teachers and Students of Color, explore how all teachers are understanding and responding to student grief, and support teachers in the development of culturally sustaining grief pedagogies and practices.

This project makes a praxis-centered contribution to educational research, specifically as it relates to culturally sustaining pedagogies, trauma and healing pedagogies, social emotional learning, and issues of diversity and social justice as it challenges the erasure of both teacher and young people’s humanity, vis a vi their grief. By serving as a catalyst for a much-needed conversation around grief, this project aims to challenge discourses that stigmatize and pathologize the emotions of students, particularly Students and Teachers of Color. This project seeks to support the most marginalized educators in their own grief practices so that they can better support young people navigating profound grief illuminated by the Covid-19 pandemic—ultimately, this project understands that by better supporting those who experience the most harm, all educators and students will benefit. "