Summer Institutes
Summer Institute 2027
This interactive workshop engages educators to explore hands-on restorative strategies to build democratic classrooms for all learners. By shifting from a “power-over” to a “power-with” framework, educators learn to co-create a learning community with their students where all can find a place of belonging. Educators learn to operationalize culturally responsive teaching resulting in students taking ownership of their learning in unprecedented ways: ELL students acquire language and content with greater facility; all students build 21st Century skills–collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Workshop participants learn a strength-based pedagogy that recognizes agency in all kinds of students, creating a space for them to become engaged leaders in the classroom and beyond.
To achieve the highest rating under the revised Danielson Evaluation model, educators must operationalize precisely the competencies FCLC has spent years developing and refining.
Locations
Seattle and Chicago locations TBD
Times
8:30am - 3:30pm (Pacific Standard Time)
Dates TBD
Cost & Partial Scholarships
Individual: $1050
Early Bird Rate: $975 (by March 31, 2027)
Group Rate: $975 (3+ from same institution)
Included in Cost:
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Parking
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Light Continental Breakfast & Lunch
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Up to 35 Free Clock Hours
For scholarships, please email Anne at info@fullcircleleadership.org to make a scholarship request or ask your administrator to email Anne with the amount/number of people that school can afford. Include full names of all teachers applying. We'll email you a confidential coupon code for your online registration to issue the scholarship.
Follow-up
Democratic Classroom Leadership Learning Community 2026-27 option available which includes up to 30 clock hours of additional learning opportunities from Full Circle Leadership Center.
Lead Facilitators
Christopher Fontana, MA
Christopher is a parent, an anti-oppression facilitator/educator, and Founder & Executive Director of Full Circle Leadership Center. He has facilitated professional development workshops for over 5,000 educators, parents and organizational leaders and has taught 5,000 youth over 37 years in both classroom and experiential education in the USA and internationally.
Ganae McAlpin, MA
Ganae is a parent, Director of Equity, former History teacher, and facilitator for the second-year induction program at Evanston Township High School, IL. Ganae is currenlty pursing her Doctorate in Curriculum from DePaul University.
Co-Facilitators may include
Michelle Lyle Berry, Poonam Patel, Abdel Shakur, Corrie Cockrell MA, Steven Speight MA, and BreAnna Jones, depending on the session.
Full bios and photos for all facilitators and co-facilitators on our Partner, Facilitators and Staff page.
FCLC Summer Institute
What they're saying
"There is no doubt that the current system of education is broken. However, the democratic CLassroom Leadership Institute has provided me with the strategies and tools to dismantle the system within the confines of my classroom, and to give agency back to my students. I feel empowered to empower."
Educator
Seattle, WA
"The Summer Institute is, by far, the most useful professional development I have ever attended as an English and ELL educator.
My students feel empowered to take on leadership roles in our classroom, even virtually. They are more engaged in our classwork because they create it. Their relationships with classmates are stronger. This year of remote learning has been challenging to say the least. However, for the first time, I feel calm and truly confident in my role because of the dCL institute strategies. I am passionately teaching now more than ever."
Halligan Kilroy
English and ELL Teacher, CICS Northtow, Chicago, IL
"Revolutionary."
Educator,
Vancouver,
Washington
Who is it for?
Open to K-12 educators and administrators and college level educators of all content areas.
Key Takeaways
Structures for a Culture of Equity and Culturally-Responsive Practices
Address and discuss issues of identity, race, equity and inclusion so we can more effectively address our own biases (internalized superiority and/or oppression), resulting in students showing up as more whole human beings with their identities intact. And, raise awareness of how students can become active change agents for equity in and outside of the classroom.
Understanding behavior from Anti-Oppression Lens
Learn to understand the student’s beliefs behind the behavior in their striving to find a place of belonging. Learn the four mistaken goals of behavior and how you can turn negative behaviors (“confrontational”, “annoying”, “withdrawn”) into positive opportunities for leadership.
Class Roles & Place of Belonging
Share ownership of and responsibility for the class, teaching and community with students. Build a sense of belonging and purpose for each person.
Class Agreements & Collective Accountability
Create a process in which students collaborate to build curriculum and assessment norms, class-room environment and shared ownership of upholding those agreements with “loving accountability” for their community—moving the teacher from management and “control” to leadership and influence. Move beyond reward & punishment; learn to use restorative practices including natural & logical consequences, encouragement; i.e.: methodologies based on mutual respect (“power with” not “power over”).
Class Meetings/Restorative Circles
Establish a weekly circle to work out all “behavioral”, classroom climate issues (i.e.: opportunities for human growth and connection), to build authentic relationships (student : student and student : educator) and to become a unified team.
Community Building on the Positive
Create a powerful team in which all students are integral to the whole; use Theatre of the Oppressed to build group integrity, cooperation, collaboration and empathy. Enable true student leadership to emerge in classroom community. Learn how to build on the positive while downplaying mistakes and the negative. Learn how to invest in relationships and receive invaluable academic and social-emotional returns on your investment.
Culture of Critical & Systems Thinking Essential for Interdependent Cooperation
Facilitate community learning (a stake in the commons) in which students learn and practice leadership skills to address critical 21st century global issues.
Dual Language & Multilingual Immersion Strategies
Enable students to gain optimum comfort with languages by weaving community and content and integrating curriculum from students’ cultures and lived experiences.