Know-it-all: The Abcs Of Education

Hip-hop music is ubiquitous. While it has been many things to many people over the years, it has consistently been a vehicle of artistic expression for people who otherwise might not have had such a prominent platform. Hip hop is poetry, music, sociology, even macroeconomics. It can be a viable educational tool, when used correctly. My guest, Larry "Lak" Henderson, CEO of SmartMusic Entertainment, will talk about hip hop music and how he uses hip hop to reach a generation. Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and owner of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other entities to create education equity plans and promote equity in education in compliance with federal law.

Arts instruction in school has taken a back seat to standardized tests, STEM programs, and a focus on college and career readiness. Yet there is a consistently vocal public lament over the loss of the arts in school. Many people know intuitively that this is devastating to our children and to our nation. Art Basel is the world's premier platform for Modern and contemporary art. With three annual art shows in Basel, Switzerland; Hong Kong; and Miami, Florida, Art Basel brings together artists of all types. I will join Dr. Natalie Hopkinson of the Interactivity Foundation as she hosts public discussions of her project, The Future of the Arts & Society, at Art Basel in Miami next month. On today's episode of Know-It-All, Dr. Hopkinson and I will talk about why art is still so important and how it relates to equity in education. Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other entities to create education equity plans and pr

President Obama visited Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) last week to discuss his administration's education agenda. He called for high-quality pre-school for every 4-year-old in the country, access to high-speed Internet for all students, lower college costs, and schools that are redesigned to teach high-tech skills. My guests, Heather Hiles, Founder and CEO of PathBrite, and Dr. Debra Mahone, Director of State and Federal Programs for the Prince George's County Public School District, will talk to us about what technology in education really looks like for educators and why technology is critical to ensuring equity for all students. Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other organizations to create education equity plans and promote equity in education.

I have invited some of my lawyer friends to Know-It-All to talk about the law and education and the work they do every day to ensure that children all over this nation receive a quality education. We'll talk about the school-to-prison pipeline, access to advanced courses, special education, charter schools, and more.  Join me; Shakti Belway, a civil rights attorney and expert; Timothy Riveria of the Advocates for Justice and Education, Inc.; and Stephen Chen, a civil rights attorney for the federal government, for an in-depth look at how the law impacts education. Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other entities to create education equity plans and promote equity in education. 

Why is it important to talk about poverty in education?  How do we do that in a way that is respectful and meaningful? Many times, discussions about education reform intentionally conflate race and class.  There are a few reasons for this, including that the federal courts have slowly closed the courthouse doors to claims of race discrimination in education.  Courts also have almost completely prohibited voluntary efforts to create racial diversity in schools.  As a result, equity proponents have been forced into a difficult position - using socioeconomic status as a proxy for race.  This often leaves educators, community members, and others thinking about poverty only in terms of race.  Our special guest, Dr. Adriane Williams, will equip listeners with the necessary tools to navigate between the overlapping worlds of race and poverty in education.

Well-intentioned parents, coaches, and educators do their best to encourage children to succeed. When that encouragement emanates from a fixed mindset, however, rather than a growth mindset, it can be detrimental. Dr. Carol S. Dweck is the author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Her research has shown that we are raising a generation of children, many of whom do not cope well with loss and who internalize their individual failures rather than using those opportunities as personal development. On this episode of Know-It-All, we'll talk about Mindset, which has changed many an outlook on life, parenting approaches, education strategies, coaching methods, business leadership perspectives, and so on. Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and founder of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other organizations to create education equity plans and promote educational equity in compliance with federal civil rights law.

The Education Trust recently released a new report, "The State of Education for Native Students." This report found that while achievement gaps for students of color are slowly closing, academic achievement for American Indian and Alaska Native students has stagnated, contributing to widening gaps between Native students and their white peers. On this episode of Know-It-All, the author of the report, Natasha Ushomirsky, and Daria Hall, both from the Education Trust, will join us to talk about the report's findings and about those schools that have gotten it right for Native students. Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and owner of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other entities to create education equity plans and promote equity in education.

Allison Brown Consulting (ABC) and the Interactivity Foundation (IF) have partnered to create a new method of engaging school and district community members. This ABC-IF discussion and engagement model brings together parents, administrators, teachers, staff, and other community members with a trained IF facilitator for a series of in-depth conversations about issues related to equity in their schools and possible solutions to those issues that will bring the most benefit to students. After the series of discussions is complete, ABC and IF generate a report based on the school community's recommendations and based in federal civil rights law that requires equity in education. ABC and IF piloted this discussion and engagement model at Washington Yu Ying Public Charter School in D.C. The principal at Yu Ying, Maquita Alexander, joins Dr. Natalie Hopkinson and Allison R. Brown to talk about the school's experiences with the new method and her advice for other schools who also wish to put equity first. Host Alli

American Promise is a documentary that has generated incredible buzz and won critical acclaim. Husband and wife filmmakers, Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster, will join us to discuss this important work. In the film, the exclusive and private Dalton School in NYC has recently committed to opening its doors to a more diverse student population. The film follows Idris and Seun, two African American boys, and their families from the day the boys first enroll as 5-year-olds at Dalton through to their graduation 12 years later. The audience is allowed to enter an intimate space with the families as race and class and well-meaning diversity aspirations collide. As the filmmakers tell us, "Opportunity is the first step." _______ Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and owner of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other entities to create education equity plans and promote student equity.

Through the voices of students, we will explore current issues in education and education reform. From learning outside the classroom to the school-to-prison pipeline to students' recommendations for what to do better in education, we'll touch on all of it. You'll also hear more about the new discussion model that Allison Brown Consulting (ABC) has developed in collaboration with the Interactivity Foundation. _______ Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other entities to develop education equity plans and promote student equity.

ADHD, Peer Pressure, Bullying ... Stress. We are ailing, and our children seem to be the worst afflicted. Strong adult/child attachments are key to raising healthy children. The adults in that equation have to be us - their parents. Not their teachers, daycare providers, social workers. Us. But instead of keeping our children close, we push them into the unwitting arms of their peers. Think Lord of the Flies. Our peer-oriented children are more focused on social acceptance than on inquisitive, intellectual, independent living. Our guest, Dr. Gabor Maté, is the internationally-renowned author of Hold on to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter and When the Body Says No: The Stress-Disease Connection. He'll talk us through how to reconnect with our

Food deserts, lack of green spaces for physical activity, economic disinvestment. All of these contribute to significant health and wellness disparities for Black and Latino urban communities.  Our guests on this episode of Know-It-All: The ABCs of Education are Autumn Saxton-Ross, Ph.D., and Wilson, a 13-year-old champion triathlete. Dr. Saxton-Ross is the Program Director for the PLACE MATTERS initiative at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies. She will share how she has dedicated her life to improving the health of communities through engagement, activity, education, exposure, and opportunity, because, in her words, "a healthy life is lived better outdoors." Wilson will talk with us about how important physical activity and sports are to his personal and academic success. _______ Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and non-profits to develop educational equity plans and promote student equity.

On August 24 and 28, thousands will gather in the nation's capital to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Attendees will be coming to pledge their commitment to continue the work that needs to be done to make progress in equity for all people in this nation. On this episode of Know-It-All, youth from different parts of the country will talk to us about how they have been impacted by Trayvon Martin's death and the jury verdict acquitting his killer and what we must do as a nation to move forward 50 years after the March on Washington. My very special co-host will be my 10-year-old son, Masai. ___________ Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and owner of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools and other organizations to develop education equity plans and promote equity in education.

The Center on Education and the Workforce at Georgetown University recently released a groundbreaking report on racial inequity in higher education - Separate and Unequal: How Higher Education Reinforces the Intergenerational Reproduction of White Privilege.  One of the study's co-authors, Dr. Jeff Strohl, will join us to discuss the study's findings. We'll talk about whether there are two separate tracks into higher education institutions, one track for white students and another for black and Latino students. We'll also discuss resources in those different tracks and the role of white privilege in perpetuating inequity in higher ed. _______ Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and owner of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans for schools and helps organizations to promote student equity.

Today's industrial revolution is digital. Students must have fluency in science and technology in order to see real success in school and in life. Despite efforts to increase access to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education for students of color, digital entrepreneurs continue to be overwhelmingly white. My guest, Kathryn Finney, is changing that. Kathy is the founder of digitalUNdivided, which develops programs, projects, and forward thinking initiatives that bridge the digital knowledge gap, particularly for women of color. ______ Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and founder of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans for schools and works with organizations to promote student equity.

English-language learner children are a growing segment of the student population in American schools. While they work to acquire the English language, they are also typical students - curious, inquisitive, bright, funny, with special needs and without. Guest, Dr. Maria N. Trejo, is an expert in educational services and needs of English language learner students, struggling readers, and equity issues for all students. She worked for the California State Department of Education as a top-level administrator at various capacities. She has been an expert for the U.S. Department of Justice in cases brought to ensure that English-language learner students are adequately served in school, and she works with school districts to support all students equitably. _______ Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and owner of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which works with schools to develop education equity reports and helps non-profit organizations to promote student equity.

Segregation by race and income in American schools is increasing. Though not measurable by today's standardized testing tools, the social and emotional benefits of diversity and integration for ALL students are tremendous. My guest, Michael J. Petrilli, will discuss his book The Diverse Schools Dilemma: A Parent's Guide to Socioeconomically Mixed Public Schools about his own quest to find a racially and socioeconomically diverse school for his white, middle-class children. Michael is also executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a think tank focused on K-12 education policy. Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans for schools and helps non-profit organizations to promote equity in education.

Daily stress, malnutrition, lack of physical activity, and low expectations and dangerous stereotypes threaten the well-being of children living in poverty. Although these things can be overcome, it is an uphill climb. On this episode of Know-It-All, we'll talk with Dr. Robert Atkins, Associate Professor at Rutgers University and currently the National Program Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) program. Dr. Atkins has been the Director of the School Nurse Certification Program and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in the School of Nursing at Rutgers. Dr. Atkins is not your typical school nurse, and he has dedicated his life to improving health outcomes for students in under-resourced, urban neighborhoods through service, scholarship, and education. Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates Education Equity Plans for schools and assists non-profit organizations to promote educational equi

We are expanding the national conversation about equity in education to include private schools. Many private schools offer their students unique and engaging curricula and safe, holistically nurturing environments. Many private schools also serve diverse student populations. Jeff Sindler, Head of School for a private school in the Washington D.C. area, will discuss how private schools ensure their doors are open to students of all backgrounds and where private schools fit in school reform conversations and efforts. Host, Allison R. Brown, is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates education equity plans for schools and helps non-profit organizations to promote equity in education.

Diversity is the word of the day after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Fisher v. University of Texas. On this episode of Know-It-All, we'll take a look at diversity and multiculturalism in education through a different lens - gifted education. What is gifted education and, for purposes of equity, what should it be? My guest, Dr. Donna Y. Ford, is the author of several books, including Multicultural Gifted Education and the recently-released Recruiting & Retaining Culturally Different Students in Gifted Education. She'll talk to us about seeking and maintaining diversity for K-12 students in gifted and advanced courses. Host Allison R. Brown is a civil rights attorney and President of Allison Brown Consulting (ABC), which creates educational equity plans for schools and helps non-profit organizations to promote equity in education.