Equity and Education in 2020

This election year, politicians at the state and national level will be highly motivated to show their commitment to equity in the PreK-12 education system. While many important issues are on the table, including desegregation, school funding, and teacher pay, achieving educational equity also requires close attention to what's happening (or not happening) inside classrooms. To ensure fair access to educational opportunity and resources, we must have instructional models, teaching methods, and curricular materials that meet the wide range of academic and social and emotional needs of all students. This includes models that customize instruction to students’ individual needs and allow for student agency, and teaching strategies and materials that recognize students’ diverse racial, linguistic and other social and cultural identities and backgrounds.

Join us – or follow on Twitter at #EdEquity – for a conversation that explores how policy and practice can reshape the way students are taught and supported to enable truly personalized learning that fosters talent in every student. In a wide-ranging conversation, New America and LEAP Innovations are bringing together educators, researchers, and advocates to probe how inclusive teaching practices and innovative instructional models can help educators overcome implicit biases in the classroom, raise expectations for students of all backgrounds, and prepare all students to succeed in today’s increasingly dynamic world.
Agenda:

4:00 - 4:10 PM: Welcoming Remarks

Tyra Mariani
President and COO, New America

4:10 - 4:45 PM: Setting the Context

Sharif El-Mekki
Director, Center for Black Educator Development

Phyllis Lockett
Founder and CEO, LEAP Innovations

Elena Silva
PreK-12 Policy Director, New America

Jane Swift
Former Governor of Massachusetts and President and Executive Director of LearnLaunch

Victoria Pasquantonio (Moderator)
PBS Newshour

4:45 - 5:30 PM: In Schools and Classrooms

Maria Fernanda Garcia
MacFarland Middle School, District of Columbia Public Schools

Brenda Jimenez
Belmont-Cragin Elementary School, Chicago Public Schools

Miyoshi Knox
Stagg School of Excellence, Chicago Public Schools

Rodney Robinson
National Teach of the Year 2019
Teacher at Virgie Binford Education Center in Richmond, VA

Christyn Wallace
Liberty Elementary School, Baltimore City Public Schools

Alyson Klein (Moderator)
Education Week

5:30 PM: Reception

This is a partnered event with:

Follow the conversation live on Twitter at #EdEquity.