BOULDER, CO (March 26, 2019) – In this month’s NEPC Education Interview of the Month, Lewis and Clark College Emeritus Professor of Education Gregory A. Smith speaks with Mark Warren of the University of Massachusetts in Boston; Zakiya Sankara-Jabar, National Field Organizer for the Dignity in Schools Campaign and Co-Founder of Racial Justice NOW!; and Jonathan Stith, National Coordinator of the Alliance for Educational Justice in Washington, DC. All are contributors to the 2018 book, Lift Us Up, Don’t Push Us Out, about the educational justice movement. 

Across the U.S., the justice movement in communities has arisen because of the failure of educators, policymakers, and school districts to create an equitable and inclusive system of public education. 

The adoption of zero-tolerance disciplinary policies, emergence of the school-to-prison pipeline, and widespread closing and replacement of neighborhood schools by for-profit charters in major cities have all contributed to the reduction of access to an equitable education for children from under-resourced groups.

By organizing on local, regional and national levels, youth, parents, and teachers have been able to challenge harmful policies and stimulate meaningful systemic changes in a growing number of school districts. By drawing on the power of community organizing, they are demonstrating how grassroots activism with regional and national linkages can motivate reforms that truly meet the needs of students, families, and their communities.

Don’t worry if you miss a month. All NEPC Education Interview of the Month podcasts are archived on the NEPC website and can be found here. 

Coming Next Month

In April, Greg will be speaking with Madhabi Chatterji of Columbia University about the guidebook to standardized tests that she created for NEPC. 

Stay tuned in to NEPC for smart, engaging conversations about education policy.