With roots in Chicago and wings across the nation, NewRoot (formerly Umoja) builds deep social emotional learning skills in educators to transform the ways young people experience schools and the ways schools exist to serve society. NewRoot believes in schools that center equity, love, and connection as the foundation to all learning and preparation for successful life beyond high school.

All NewRoot work is rooted in building adult self-awareness and contextual thinking. We approach all work with staff and students through a lens of diversity, equity and inclusion. We know that schools, educational & discipline policies, and teacher practices have caused unintentional, structural, and sometimes intentional harm to young people and it is the responsibility of educators and school personnel to examine our own identities and biases to ensure we are making decisions with and on behalf of young people that are truly equitable.