Search NYU Steinhardt

Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools

Equity Now Conference: Welcoming, Affirming, and Healing Schools

Image captures a student outside of the classroom. This young woman has a stern look on her face. This young woman senses consternamationqqqqqq

Do not miss the EQUITY NOW conference on Friday, May 30th, 2025. This critical conference offers a full day of community building, networking and learning for educators, parent/caregivers, youth, community organizers and technical assistance providers who are committing to transforming their classrooms, schools and districts. All will walk away with clear next steps on what transformational education looks like when children, families, educators and community experience welcoming, affirming, healing and liberatory spaces.

NYU Metro Center’s 2025 Equity Now Conference is Honored to Have Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings as Keynote Speaker

The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools is proud to announce Professor Emerita and former Kellner Family Professor of Urban Education in the Department of Curriculum & Instruction at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings as the keynote speaker for its 2025 Equity Now: Welcoming, Healing, and Affirming Schools Conference.

Image captures photo of Gloria Ladson-Billings. The photo focuses on Dr. Ladson-Billings standing with arms folded against her person. She wears a green and pink colored top and eye-glassed. She is the only person featured in the image.

NYU Metro Center's 2025 Equity Conference

  • Equity Now Proposals must be submitted by November 22nd 

We are excited to receive your proposal to present at the 2025 EQUITY NOW Conference. We are looking for proposals in the following areas: 

  1. Welcoming, Affirming and Healing School Policies and Practices,

  2. Decolonizing Education Practices, 

  3. Culturally Responsive Healing Centered Practices, and 

  4. Educator Representation: Diversity Hiring Policies and Practices.

Presenters are encouraged to showcase practical tools and research-backed strategies and practices, and policies for creating sustainable, equity-focused, welcoming, affirming, welcoming healing-centered learning spaces. Below is a description of proposal focus areas:

NYU Metro Center's 2025 Equity Now Conference is now receiving workshop submissions.

Submit your workshop submission for the 2025 Equity Now Conference.

Share your 2025 Equity Now Conference submission here.
Image captures young girl looking at her reflection in a mirror. The focus of the image is the reflection, as we can not see the full face of the young girl.
image captures the QR Code for the 2025 Equity Now Conference

Equity Now Conference administrators look forward to receiving your 2025 Conference Submission Proposals in the following areas:

Equity Now Conference Themes

Image captures students gathered together. The photo centers a student wearing a white shirt, as he dances in front a circle of his friends. Each of which is clapping in affrimation of their classmate wearing the white shirt.

Welcoming, Affirming and Healing School Policies and Practices

  • This conference track includes elevating district and school policies, procedures and practices that have generated educational school spaces that welcome and affirm historically marginalized students’ experiences and identities, creation of community circles and restorative practices into behavior and discipline policies, practices and procedures, creating a culturally responsive culture and climate, and centering youth voice,                                                                                                 youth are an integral and critical voice in district                                                                                                and school decision making processes.
Image captures seven students gathering for a selfie. The students are outdoors in proximity of a white colored brick wall. The students are standing in rows of 3, and 4. The students smile as they look directly at the camera.

Decolonizing Education Practices

  • Decolonizing education practice sessions include approaches in operationalizing the tenets of critical and liberatory pedagogy, fostering curricular and instructional design and practices that centers joy and brilliance of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students, and systemic liberatory education practices.
Image captures a school psychologist engaging with a student in need. The psychologist lends her support to the student, and covey affirmation to the student's point of view.

Culturally Responsive Healing Centered Practices

  • The healing-centered practices in schools track  invites proposals that explore approaches to fostering emotional and mental well-being for students. educators, and caregivers. We seek sessions that address trauma, stress, and burnout, while integrating restorative practices, self-care, collective care and community-building strategies within school environments. Proposals should highlight innovative, culturally responsive approaches that promote safety, belonging,                                                                                                         and resilience in educational settings. 
Image captures a photo of five diverse educators. The photo notes educators from and Asian, African-American,, White, and Latinx backgrounds.

Educator Representation: Diversity Hiring Policies and Practices

Conference submissions on educator representation focus on policies and processes that have led to developing culturally responsive and sustaining hiring practices - particularly those resulting in a pipeline of  administrators, teachers and staff that mirror the demographics of students and parents/caregivers in districts and schools. This further includes developing “grow your own” programs, and revising                                                                                                         hiring practices to include youth and community                                                                                                             voices.

 

Image captures a square shaped graphic with text inside of it. The text reads, "Equity Conference Workshop Proposal".

Please consider submitting a proposal to present. We welcome and highly encourage proposals from youth and parent/caregivers. Our proposal submissions window is Wednesday October 16, 2024 to Friday, November 22, 2024. You will be informed about your submitted proposal decision by early January at the latest. We look forward to your submission and attendance at the conference.

Submit your Equity Now Conference proposal here:

Image captures a diverse audience applauding a presentation before them. The larger crowd image centered around a Black woman sitting in a chair in the middle of the room, wearing a white colored short sleeve jacket.

The Equity Now Conference will offer educators, parents/caregivers, youth, community organizers, and technical assistance providers a full day of learning to engage sustainable district and school-based equity practices that center efforts to get to equity and liberatory education practices.

NYU Metro Center’s 2025 Equity Now Conference will facilitate opportunities for networking with members of educational communities who have committed to the process of transforming their                                                                                                                classrooms, schools, & districts. Equity Now                                                                                                                  attendees will walk away with clear next steps on                                                                                                          what one must do to move toward equity! 

NYU Metro Center's 2025 Equity Now Conference

The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools is proud to announce that registration for the 2025 Equity Now Conference is officially open. The 3rd annual conference will be held again in New York City on Friday May 30, 2025

Early Bird Rate Registration, Effective unitl April 1st, 2025 

  • *Regular Registration Cost*: $225.00

  • Presenter Registration Cost: $200.00

  • Only Teacher Registration Cost: $135.00 (must send verification of teacher status)

  • Non-Educator Parent/Caregiver Registration Cost: $85.00

  • College Students Registration Cost  $95.00 (must send verification of student status)

  • Metro Staff: $65

Past Bird (Standard Rate) Registration, Effective unitl April 2nd, 2025** 

  • Regular Registration Cost*: $235.00

  • Presenter Registration Cost: $210.00

  • Only Teacher Registration Cost: $155.00 (must send verification of teacher status)

  • Non-Educator Parent/Caregiver Registration Cost: $95.00

  • College Students Registration Cost:  $105.00 (must send verification of student status)

  • Metro Staff: $75

Register for NYU Metro Center's 2025 Equity Now Conference

*Regular registration includes anyone who is NOT a current certified and classroom teacher, parent/caregiver, college student or presenter.

**Registration closes on Friday, May 9, 2025. Cancellation policy: Registration can be cancelled for a full refund up to April 30, 2025. Registration can be cancelled up to May 16, 2025 for a 50% refund. After May 17, 2025 there are NO refunds.

Equity Now Conference Travel and Lodging Options

Review your travel and lodging options for NYU Metro Center's 2025 Equity Conference

Learn more about travel information for NYU Metro Center's Equity Conference
Image captures the view from inside an airport, just adjacent to terminal window. On the outside of the terminal the can view an airplane juat starting to take off. On the inside of the window we see two vertical standing pieces of luggage. The piece of luggage on the left is silver, while the luggage on the right is yellow.
Privacy Policy Accessibility
This site, and all its contents, are Copyright © 2024 by New York University. All rights reserved