MECCA Training

The Equity in Education Training and Resource Center has received national recognition and international attention for the MECCA (Making Equity Count for Classroom Achievement) training curriculum, which is now being used by several states. It has also served as a guide for the development of several other states' curricula. MECCA is the teacher's training guide on equity issues for the state of Utah. It is flexibly designed to enhance classroom presentations on the elementary, secondary, and post secondary levels. Teachers earn .5 college credits for 6 hours or 1 credit for 10 hours of workshop participation in MECCA training; lane change credits can also be earned. Each teacher or individual who completes at least 6 hours of training receives a free copy of MECCA.

The Equity in Education Center offers their nationally recognized workshops and training materials free of charge. The workshops cover a wide range of topics impacting issues in education and employment. The topics covered are included in the following modules:

FAIRNESS DOES NOT MEAN SAMENESS: provides an introduction to equity terminology and issues. Focuses on evaluating and shifting paradigms in order to recognize and address personal biases.
BIAS AS A PATTERN HURTS: builds empathy while identifying unconscious biases that may unintentionally limit options, marginalize some students' experiences, and encourage stereotypes.
CLASSROOM TEACHER/STUDENT INTERACTION: identifies interaction patterns with students and evaluates classroom practices. Identifies the most essential skills needed for the future workforce
EQUITY AND LANGUAGE: analyzes language and its impacts on individuals and attitudes. Encourages phraseology that is inclusive.
COMMUNICATION AND HUMOR: examines cultural differences in communication patterns including the use of humor. Illustrates effective methods of communicating and working through conflict.
ACHIEVEMENT ISSUES: discusses student achievement beyond test scores, learning patterns, teaching methods, and explores how students become motivated to learn and start asking their own questions.
CRITICAL THINKING AND INTEGRATION: encourages practice and development of higher-order thinking and illustrates connections between disciplines and subjects. Critical thinking is more than rearranging our prejudices.
MEDIA AND STEREOTYPING: examines the impact of media messages on students, especially the pressures on girls and women to be thin and beautiful, and on boys to be tough, aggressive, and macho. Provides skills to critically analyze the media images in advertising, video games, television, and film, and enables students to make more informed choices about their personal behavior. Mass media does more than merely entertain: it teaches, persuades, and shapes lives.
CULTURAL DIVERSITY AND SPECIAL POPULATIONS: examines attitudes, knowledge and skills which enable individuals to function effectively with others who are different from themselves. Examines the origins of prejudice and builds understanding of various cultures.
SELF-RELIANCE AND PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS: presents issues illustrating the importance of education and developing problem solving skills to prepare for future realities. Life-planning skills that can be used and reinforced in the classroom are also part of this module.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT, BULLYING, AND OTHER VIOLENCE ISSUES: increases awareness of the difference between sexual harassment and flirting, the legal definitions of sexual harassment, and other related issues. Strategies to prevent bullying, sexual harassment, and violence in the school and workplace are also presented.
PARTNERSHIP-WORKING TOGETHER: analyzes common barriers to partnership, then models partnership skills to encourage cooperation among students and coworkers.