• K–12 teachers (Montessori and non-Montessori)
• Special educators and instructional coaches
• Higher education faculty
• School and district leaders
• Instructional designers and curriculum leads

By the end of the program, participants will be able to:

• Map the core UDL principles of engagement, representation, and action and expression to their instructional context and equity goals.
• Analyze how systemic inequities, bias and culturally unresponsive pedagogy affect learner outcomes using cases and classroom evidence.
• Redesign lessons or mini-units that integrate UDL guidelines with anti-racist and culturally sustaining practices.
• Pilot instructional moves that promote accessibility, belonging and learner agency and gather evidence from student feedback, engagement data and self-reflection.
• Evaluate how flexible lesson design and instructional strategies honor learner variability while advancing social justice and academic rigor.
• Create and refine a personalized UDL and anti-racism action plan for continued professional growth and systems-level impact.

Week 1: Foundations of UDL and Antiracist Education
Topics: Core UDL principles, learner variability, systemic inequities and an introduction to anti-racist pedagogy
Activities: Reflective journaling on barriers in current practice and online discussion
Readings: Fritzgerald, Chapters 1–2; Novak, Chapter 1; Hammond, Chapter 2

Week 2: Designing for Equity and Access
Topics: Applying UDL checkpoints, culturally responsive teaching, flexible instructional strategies and student choice and voice
Activities: Lesson redesign case study and collaborative application of UDL and antiracist principles
Readings: Fritzgerald, Chapters 3–4; Novak, Chapters 3–4; Martinez-Alba, Chapters 1–2

Week 3: Courageous Design and Reflective Practice
Topics: Confronting implicit bias, culturally sustaining pedagogy, identity validation and learner agency
Activities: Bias mapping and redesign of an existing unit to integrate culture and equity
Readings: Fritzgerald, Chapters 5–6; Hammond, Chapters 5–6; Yosso, Chapters 2–3

Week 4: Building Expressways to Success
Topics: Sustaining UDL and anti-racist practices, advocacy and evaluating impact and continuous improvement
Activities: Development and peer review of a UDL and antiracism action plan
Readings: Fritzgerald, Chapter 7–Conclusion; Novak, Chapter 6; Casey excerpts

The course is graded on a Pass/Fail basis. Participants must earn at least 80 out of 100 points and complete all required components to receive the certificate.

Point distribution (100 points):

• Participation and discussion (30 points): Thoughtful engagement in discussions, peer feedback and group work
• Weekly reflections and assignments (30 points): Brief reflections and practice-based tasks connecting readings to professional context
• Final UDL and antiracism action plan (40 points): A coherent, evidence-informed plan tied to a redesigned lesson or mini-unit

Action plan quality indicators:

• Clarity and coherence (10 points): Clear instructional context, learner goals and outcomes
• Application of CAST’s UDL Guidelines (10 points): Explicit alignment to relevant checkpoints
• Integration of anti-racist and culturally sustaining practices (10 points): Strategies that disrupt bias, affirm identity and promote equity
• Evidence and reflection (10 points): Learner evidence from piloted practices and reflective analysis of impact

Note: Missed or minimal participation beyond one week may result in a failing score.

Download detailed assessment criteria

Required

• Andratesha Fritzgerald, Antiracism and Universal Design for Learning: Building Expressways to Success

Recommended

• Katie Novak, UDL Now!
• Zaretta Hammond, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain
• Gilda Martinez-Alba, Antiracist Teacher Education
• Tara J. Yosso, Start With Radical Love

[Photo] Kyle Birstler, M.Ed.
Kyle Birstler is a veteran educator and school leader with more than 20 years of experience in professional learning, instructional coaching and equitable instructional leadership. He has led schoolwide initiatives in inclusive design, coached lesson redesigns grounded in CAST’s UDL Guidelines and guided teams in aligning curriculum with anti-racist and restorative practices in Montessori and public charter schools in Brooklyn, New York, and Baltimore, Maryland. His work centers on helping educators build accessible, human-centered classrooms where every learner can thrive.