On August 8-9, hundreds of educators from New York and surrounding states gathered at Ithaca High School for the annual Diversity Symposium of Thought Leaders: Cultivating Excellence and Equity.
The two-day event kicked off with a keynote address from award-winning author and social justice advocate Dr. Monique Couvson on cultivating joyful learning spaces for Black girls. Attendees then broke out into smaller workshops to explore topics around diversity and inclusion in education. One of the breakout sessions, “Equity, Inclusion & Anti-Racism for White People in Schools,” was led by ICSD Deputy Superintendent Lily Talcott. Day one ended with a student voices panel led by representatives from Ithaca High School and Lehman Alternative Community School and facilitated by ICSD Superintendent Luvelle Brown.
The following morning featured keynote addresses from two additional renowned speakers. First was Joe Feldman, longtime educator, founder and CEO of Crescendo Education Group, and author of Grading for Equity: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Transform Schools and Classrooms. The closing keynote came from Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, an award-winning professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. This was Dr. Sealey-Ruiz’s second time speaking at the symposium.
The Diversity Symposium of Thought Leaders was presented by the New York State Council of School Superintendents’ Commission on Diversity and Inclusivity and the Leadership for Educational Achievement Foundation.