Transformative Learning: Innovation, Inclusion, and the Future of Education

While education is weathering attacks on Critical Race Theory, outlawed instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity, and issues of inclusion, educators are working to create a more equitable educational system. Several renowned authors and educators will discuss what’s at stake, offer innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and share their visions for the future of education.

• Christopher Emdin is the Robert A. Naslund Endowed Chair in Curriculum and Teaching and professor of Education at USC, where he also serves as director of youth engagement and community partnerships at the USC Race and Equity Center. He is the author of numerous award-winning works, including Urban Science Education for the Hip-hop Generation; the New York Times bestseller, For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood and the Rest of Ya’ll too; and Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Excellence.
• Matthew Manos is the Director of Challenge-Based Learning and assistant professor of Teaching and Design Strategy at the Iovine and Young Academy. He is also the founder and managing director of verynice, a design strategy practice that gives half of its work away for free to nonprofit organizations; the author of over 30 books and toolkits on the intersection of creativity, social impact, and strategy; and chair of Los Angeles Mayor, Eric Garcetti’s creative advisory board.
• Pedro A. Noguera is a Distinguished Professor of Education and Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education. An elected member of the National Academy of Education, his research focuses on the ways schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, and demographic trends locally, regionally, and globally. His latest book, A Search for Common Ground: Conversations About the Toughest Questions in K–12 Education, co-authored with Rick Hess, won the Association of American Publishers’ 2022 Prose Award. In 2022, he ranked third in the nation for influence and impact by Education Week.
• LaVonna Blair Lewis (moderator) is the Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy. Lewis’s areas of research and professional interests focus on cultural competency and health equity. Her work has appeared in The American Journal of Public Health, Family, and Community Health; The American Journal of Health Behavior, Social Science, and Medicine; The Journal of General Internal Medicine; and other journals.