Elliott Educational Services

What is Elliott Educational Services? Christina Hale-Elliott is the founder and principal consultant of Elliott Educational Services, based in Los Angeles. On her website, she says she “provides technical assistance and professional development to school districts, independent schools, nonprofit organizations, teacher education programs, and parent advocacy groups across the country to promote equitable student outcomes through the use of culturally responsive and sustaining education.” Hale-Elliott says she “has been in the field of social justice education for over 20 years, having served as an English teacher, literacy coach, university lecturer and supervisor of teacher education.” A native of Pasadena, she received her bachelor’s degree from UCLA and her master’s degree in teaching and curriculum from Harvard University. What services does Elliott Educational Services offer?  On its website, it describes its goal is “to create liberatory and affirming learning spaces for and with youth.” This includes:

• “Providing professional development, multi-constituency group learning experiences and educational resources, technical assistance and coaching;”
• “Examining policies, practices, procedures, beliefs and biases;”
• “Strategically planning the consistent integration of equity-based approaches;”
• “Developing, implementing and monitoring culturally responsive and sustaining policies, practices and procedures;”
• “Incorporating restorative practices for individual and collective healing, growth and well-being.”

It also states that “(a)ll students deserve a liberatory education that fosters freedom and joy.” It continues: “This is particularly salient for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous youth, as well as those from other historically oppressed and marginalized groups who are often denied such education,” and that “(e)ducation is not limited to taking place within school walls. Whether considering how to approach distance learning or centering the cultures and contributions of young people’s families and communities, having an expansive, student-centered, and dynamic understanding of education allows us to best support the youth in our lives.” CALIFORNIA La Cañada Unified School District On its website, Elliott Educational Services described its work with La Cañada Unified School District in California. In a post published on the company website on Aug. 20, 2021, it reported: “LCUSD Governing Board members showed enthusiasm Tuesday for embracing the beginnings of a plan to improve inclusion, empathy, tolerance and much more throughout the district, after listening to findings gathered over the course of a year by Pasadena-based Christina Hale-Elliott. Hired in September 2019 as the district’s first diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, she is the founder of Elliott Educational Services.”