The Work of Change: Educators, Equity, and School Transformation

What does it take to create meaningful change in schools? How might educators examine their own identities and assumptions while also challenging the systems that shape students’ educational experiences?

In this session, Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz and Dr. Erika Kitzmiller will come together for a conversation about their books, Archaeology of Self: The Introspective Educator’s Guide to Racial Literacy and Unchartered: How One Public High School Transformed First-Generation College Success. Moderated by educator and author Brian Jones (Senior Director, Reading & Engagement, NYPL), the conversation will explore the connections between racial literacy, educational equity, and school transformation.

Drawing on their scholarship and research, Sealey-Ruiz and Kitzmiller will consider the relationship between the work educators do within themselves and the work of transforming the institutions they are part of. Together, they will reflect on how educators can understand their own positionality, recognize the experiences and strengths students bring to school, and imagine new possibilities for public education.

Featured Authors

Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz is the author of Archaeology of Self: The Introspective Educator’s Guide to Racial Literacy. Her work explores racial literacy, teacher education, and the importance of introspection in developing educators who can engage more critically with race and identity.

Dr. Erika Kitzmiller is the author of Unchartered: How One Public High School Transformed First-Generation College Success. Her research examines the history of American education and the ways educators, students, and communities can reshape the structures and practices of public schools.

Eligible NYS educators can earn 1 CTLE credit hour for their participation. To receive CTLE credit, participants must attend the full program and complete the required evaluation.

Presented by The New York Public Library’s Center for Educators and Schools.

For more information about NYPL’s Center for Educators and Schools, visit us online and subscribe to our monthly newsletter—plus, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or X! For questions, contact us at educators@nypl.org