Keynote

Over the last 50 years, IUME has carved out a special place in both the history of Teachers College and the wider story of critical educational research. This keynote will explore this history by examining the six distinct eras of its existence, from its founding in 1973 by Edmund W. Gordon to its recent years. From being a nationally-renowned hub of urban education scholarship to demonstrating what anti-deficit research on Black and other marginalized communities looks like to immersing itself in the Harlem community, this keynote synthesizes the major trends—and major changes—in the Institute’s research trajectory, community programming, and key areas of inquiry. Specifically, this keynote will discuss the three main throughlines of the last 50 years: one, its educational leadership pipeline through its “intergenerationality” approach; two, its commitment to community engagement and uplift; and three, its praxis via partnership with K-12 schools. Ultimately, by understanding IUME’s past, we can then more clearly look to the Institute’s future as it continues to seek out a more equitable, socially just future for our youth.

This keynote will begin by paying homage to the founder and the incredible work that IUME has done over the past 50 years to impact equity in urban and minority education. During those 50 years, there have been seismic shifts in education and society. This talk will address those shifts and the ways in which they are informing new directions for IUME, including a new vision and mission. Emphasis will be made on the vision for the future of education and how critical it is for IUME to be pursuing inquiry and grappling with questions on the rapidly changing technosocial ecology of education and society and what it means for the future of schooling and concerns for equity.