2025 Institute on Descriptive Inquiry Fall Conference (Student)

Many educators work in contexts where we face pressure to view our students through a deficit lens. This is often amplified when families’ race, language, immigration status, educational attainment, etc. are offered as a justification for why learners struggle in our schools.

Descriptive processes offer a counter-narrative, one in which the strengths of youth, families, and teachers are made visible, which supports us in building authentic, mutual relationships.

This day will introduce or reconnect us to descriptive processes, allowing us to look deeply at children’s work and words in order to strengthen our capacity to teach and learn alongside them.

Participate in a Descriptive Review of a Child/Student or Work and Reflective Conversation to:

— Develop a strength-based stance towards children and families

— Create political ground to reimagine school as a democratic space, supporting equity, diversity, and complexity