BOULDER, CO (November 21, 2019) – This month’s NEPC Education Interview of the Month with NEPC Researcher Christopher Saldaña features Dr. Kevin Kumashiro, former Dean and Professor at the University of San Francisco’s School of Education. Saldaña and Kumashiro discuss the Education Deans for Justice and Equity (EDJE) alliance whose members are education deans from across the country. In October 2019, EDJE released Seven Trends to Reform U.S. Teacher Education, and the Need to Address Systemic Injustices, a statement in partnership with the National Education Policy Center.

Kumashiro explains that EDJE is the collective voice of education scholars interested in bringing educational research to bear in conversations about education policy. He explains that the alliance is committed to eliminating the kind of discriminatory policies and practices that currently limit the educational opportunities of many students, especially students from low-income communities and communities of color.

In its October statement, EDJE focuses on reforms that threaten rather than enhance the quality of teacher preparation programs. Kumashiro notes that it is also important for teacher educators to acknowledge that colleges and schools of education have an important role to play in helping to address societal injustices that result in educational inequities.

A new NEPC Education Interview of the Month, hosted by NEPC Researcher Christopher Saldaña, will be released each month from September through May. 

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 December, Chris will be speaking with Kate Phillippo about her new book, A Contest without Winners: How Students Experience Competitive School Choice. In her book, Dr. Phillippo, an associate professor at Loyola University Chicago, follows a diverse group of Chicago students through the processes of researching, applying to, and enrolling in public high school, and challenges the dominant narratives used to describe market-based reform and competition in public schools.

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