Pedro Noguera on Education and
Civil Rights in the 21st Century
Join us in the Ryan Lounge at University of Massachusetts-Boston to hear the education scholar and author Pedro Noguera speak on education and civil rights in the 21st Century. Dr. Noguera is the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University. Dr. Noguera is a sociologist whose scholarship and research focuses on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as by demographic trends in local, regional and global contexts.
Education is frequently described as the civil rights issue of the 21st century by politicians calling for policy changes and reform. However, the most important civil rights issue involving education in the 20th century, school segregation, remains largely unresolved, and despite the controversy it once generated, it is rarely mentioned as an important social issue that should be addressed. In this presentation, Dr. Noguera will analyze the current reform agenda being promoted by states, the federal government and various advocacy groups. He will also explore why issues pertaining to racial segregation and social inequality are no longer considered central to school change initiatives and the implication of allowing these issues to be ignored. Finally, he will consider the possibilities for change that exist in the current period given the constraints confronting public schools.
Dr. Noguera has published over 150 research articles, monographs and research reports on topics such as urban school reform, conditions that promote student achievement, the role of education in community development, youth violence, and race and ethnic relations in American society. He is the author of City Schools and the American Dream (Teachers College Press, 2003), Unfinished Business: Closing the Achievement Gap in Our Nation’s Schools (Josey Bass, 2006), The Trouble With Black Boys…and Other Reflections on Race, Equity and the Future of Public Education (Wiley and Sons, 2008), and Creating the Opportunity to Learn: Moving from Research to Practice to Close the Achievement Gap with A. Wade Boykin (ASCD, 2011).
The event includes a reception with Dr. Noguera at 6 p.m., followed by opening remarks by Boston public school activists and then Dr. Noguera’s remarks. There will be time for questions and answers after he speaks.
When: Monday, Dec. 2, 2013, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: UMass/Boston, McCormack Hall, 3rd Floor, Ryan Lounge
For directions and a map of the campus, click here.
