Vision

In Arizona, K-12 students face barriers to achieving culturally inclusive education due to prohibitive state policies, as well as parents lodging complaints against curriculum and teachers, and students being influenced by social media and misinformation. These policies, fears and biases being injected into our students are impacting their development, joy, satisfaction, maturation and well being in school. ROSAmerica's vision is to empower teachers to ensure that their students of color, who make up 66% of students enrolled in Arizona public schools, see themselves in the curriculum being taught for every subject, and that those students connect these classroom lessons with their healthy engagement in society.

Goals

1. 1.For ROSAmerica to grow as a nonprofit, board members agree that honing & perfecting the flagship Summer Institute (SI) as a marketable professional development program for K-12 teachers in other states is the optimal focus. This includes continually seeking award-winning & innovatice educator talent, ensuring teachers carry the SI experience into their classrooms; & students flourish as a result.
2. 2.ROSAmerica will host its 3rd SI in 2025. The previous 2 earned an average ranking of 4.8 out of 5. Graduates not only gain new tools, resources & understandings of the contributions that people of color add to US history & culture, they also have a transformational experience about who they are as educators. Since multicultural students dominate US classrooms it is vital that this work expands.
3. 3.Studies show that when K-12 classrooms are culturally responsive students of color develop a stronger sense of personal empowerment, perform better academically & graduate at higher rates. Further when teachers draw direct connections between lessons & student experiences, those students see greater value as it applies to the real world. ROSAmerica will steep teachers in this new model.