Upcoming conversations
MISSION
To build the capacity of schools to liberate the full potential of each person.
Vision
To establish a shared space for nuanced, deliberative, challenging discourse and professional development around equity and justice that recognizes the interconnected nature of humanity that is fundamental to the survival and wellbeing of our species and our planet.
WHO
We are a network of schools from across the U.S. and around the world—public, private, parochial, and charter—aligned around the urgent needs addressed by our mission and vision.
Previous conversations
March 10, 2022
Mark Bradford
Liberating The Cultural Narrative Through Artistic Expression
November 18, 2021
Loretta J. Ross
Calling In The Calling Out Culture: Conversations Instead Of Conflicts
March 11, 2021
Isabel Wilkerson
Grappling With The Persistence Of Systemic Racism
December 2, 2020
Prof. Ibram X. Kendi
Turn The Classroom Into a Laboratory of Change
January 18, 2024
Zaretta Hammond
Culturally Responsive Teaching & The Brain
February 28, 2023
Richard V. Reeves
Reason to Worry: The Emerging Identity Crisis of Boys and Men
March 9, 2023
Mary Helen Immordino-yang
Humanizing Learning: “We Only Think Deeply About Things We Care About.”
October 12, 2023
DR. Vivienne MING
Unpacking AI & The Future of Human Potential
”That is where you start to learn dispositions for engaging complexly with ideas…The emotion and the intellect are actually two dimensions of the same process.”
— Mary Helen Immordino-Yang
”It’s clear that when you experience these emotions, well-being arises.”
— Dan Siegel
“The best way to teach empathy is by exposing our young people to diverse histories.”
— Lisa Ling
"it’s not for you to feel like you dont belong in a room. It’s for the room to adjust to you. You need to just be you."
—Mark Bradford
“I don’t think you can overstate or underestimate the impact of a teacher on a child, positive or negative.”
— Van Jones
"I can protect you from reality or I can teach you about it, but I cannot do both at the same time."
— Loretta J. Ross
“Education is the foundation for ultimate change in our society.”
— Isabel Wilkerson
“Turn the classroom into a laboratory of change.”
— Professor Ibram X. Kendi
Engage with the Critical Conversations Speaker Series in a whole new way. Partners earn exclusive access to experts from a range of fields engaged in education-focused, moderated discussions centered around equity and justice.
founding PARTNERS
partners
WHO PARTICIPATES
Any school across the U.S.—public, private, charter, and parochial—can participate in Critical Conversations. Independent schools contribute financially to offset costs, while public and charter schools participate for free, underwritten by corporate support.
Events are produced by New Roads School in Santa Monica, CA.
Questions?
Mark Vickers-Willis, Director of Community Engagement at mvickers@newroads.org