Christopher Emdin, Associate Professor and Director at Teachers College, Columbia University, started off SXSWedu 2017 on a powerful note with today’s Opening Keynote session.

Emdin’s keynote, We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service, took us through a captivating look at the current state of education. We enter the rest of the week inspired, thinking about our potential to truly have impact in the work that we are doing and how we are shaping the learning experience for today’s youth.

We Got It from Here…Thank You 4 Your Service

Merging theory and practice, connecting contemporary issues to historical ones, and providing a deep analysis on the current state of education, Dr. Emdin ushers in a new way of looking at improving schools and schooling. Drawing from themes in his New York Times Bestselling book, and the latest album from rap group A Tribe Called Quest, Emdin offers insight into the structures of contemporary schools, and highlights major issues like the absence of diversity among teachers, the ways educators of color are silenced in schools, the absence of student voice in designing teaching and learning, and a way forward in addressing these issues.

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