Events

Dean’s Lecture Series: The Future of Learning ft. Dr. Na’ilah Suad Nasir

Event Start Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2022 - 12:00 pm

Event End Date: Wednesday, October 12, 2022 - 1:00 pm

Location: Virtual EST


How we reimagine our education system to serve the needs of a true multi-cultural democracy

This is a challenging time for education; a time of extreme social and racial inequalities, a time where educators and systems are weary navigating the complexities and fallout of COVID-19 pandemic and national political polarization, and a time in which we are increasingly aware that learning is a political act, as well as rooted in processes of cognition, identity, belonging, and social-emotional well-being. However, there are also openings to new ways of thinking about the goals and means of education, an expansive scholarly knowledge in the learning sciences, and education systems more aware than ever of the need for fundamental change. In this talk, Dr. Na’ilah Suad Nasir, President of the Spencer Foundation, crafts a vision for the future of learning, offering a definition of the kind of learning we need for the 21st century—taking into consideration what needs to be true in our education and learning systems to create the spaces for that kind of learning. Dr. Nasir will also offer thoughts on the role of research in bringing this vision to reality. At the core of the talk is the question of how we reimagine our education system to serve the needs of a true multi-cultural democracy.

Biography: Dr. Na’ilah Suad Nasir is the sixth President of the Spencer Foundation, which funds education research nationally. Prior to joining Spencer, she held a faculty appointment in Education and African American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley where she also served as the chair of African American Studies, then later as the Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion. She also served on the Faculty of the Stanford Graduate School of Education. Nasir’s research examines the racialized and cultural nature of learning and schooling, with a particular focus on the experiences of African American students in schools and communities. She recently co-edited The Handbook of the Cultural Foundations of Learning (Routledge) and We Dare Say Love: Supporting Achievement in the Educational Life of Black Boys. She is also the author of Racialized Identities: Race and achievement for African-American youth, published by the Stanford University Press in 2012. Nasir is a member of the National Academy of Education and a Fellow of the American Educational Research Association. She formerly served as President of the American Educational Research Association (2021-2022).

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