Up Close Podcast with Sara Sneed The NEA Foundation
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- Education
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The Up Close Podcast explores issues of equity, opportunity, and excellence in public education. Hosted by The NEA Foundation President and CEO Sara A. Sneed, she talks with educators, policy experts, and other passionate voices about the most urgent issues in public education and our shared responsibility to deliver a quality public education for all students. The Up Close Podcast is a journey through the reimagining of public education to create a more fair, equitable, and just system in America.
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Organizing For Education Equity in Mississippi and Beyond
Albert Sykes is a Jackson, Miss. native and the executive director of the Institute for Democratic Education in America, where he works in conjunction with students, educators, families, and communities to advocate and build capacity for education equity and racial justice. Sykes is a community organizer, education and civil rights advocate, and mentee of civil rights leader Bob Moses, who founded the Algebra Project.
In this episode, Albert talks about inequalities within public education in Mississippi and the role of community advocacy in improving conditions in public schools. -
Freedom Dreaming with an Education Advocacy Expert
Natosha Daniels is a parent, chief systems navigator for the Round Rock Black Parents Association, and expert in grassroots organizing and parent-led advocacy in public education.
In this episode, Natosha describes how her background as an educator led her to pursue a doctoral program in education policy and planning. She also shares about her ongoing work with Black parent-led movements, how such movements are pushing back against structural inequities, and the importance of cultivating a practice of freedom dreaming. -
Public Education's Road to Restorative Justice
Natalie Johnson-Berry is an award-winning, veteran educator, who has brought an equity focus and spirit of affirmation to her classroom and the broader community over her 25-year career. As an expert in restorative justice and culturally responsive teaching practices, Natalie and Sara discuss why these approaches to public education are critical to ensuring access to a high-quality education for all students.
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The Fight for An Honest Education
Nationally acclaimed educators Monica Washington and Takeru (TK) Nagayoshi join Sara to discuss the importance of honest education and how it benefits an increasingly diverse student population. Together, they dive deep into how honest education can help educators provide a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of history and how it can lead to more equitable education for all students.
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The Capacity of the Anti-racist Educator
Samantha Greenleaf, a Texas educator and administrator, joins Sara to discuss the urgent need for all educators to teach with an anti-racist lens. They discuss how racism affects students of color on a systemic level and the power to reverse these negative trends through collective knowledge building, advocacy inside and beyond the classroom and outreach to the community. They also shine a light on Educators In Solidarity, a non-profit that convenes educators in the central Texas region in the fight for institutional change.
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Public Schools: A Public Good Worth Saving
Becky Pringle, a 30-year educator and president of the National Education Association (NEA), joins Sara to discuss solutions for recruiting and retaining talented educators at a time when so many are looking for the exit door. Join the conversation to hear why educators want to exit the profession and how we can all better support those who are key to the foundation of our democracy.