While it is still way too early for NYU Metro Center’s 2025 Equity Conference to share new insights, strategies, and practices with attendees to enact positive change within schooling systems, it is certainly about time for logistical and planning aspects related to this yearly convening to commence. The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools is proud to announce that the Call for Submissions for the 2025 Equity Now Conference is officially open. The window for conference submissions proposals will close on Friday, November 22nd, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
The third (3rd) annual Equity Now Conference will again be held in New York City, on Friday, May 30th, 2025. NYU Metro Center’s Deputy Executive Director of School Change and Community Engagement, Dr. Maria G. Hernandez, describes the forthcoming Equity Now Conference as...
“...a full day of community building, networking and learning for educators, parent/caregivers, youth, community organizers and technical assistance providers who are committed 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.”
Equity Now Conference administrators look forward to receiving your 2025 Conference Submission Proposals in the following areas:
- Welcoming, Affirming, and Healing School Policies and Practice
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, in which youth are an integral and critical voice in district and school decision making processes.
- 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 center joy and brilliance of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students, and systemic liberatory education practices.
- 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.
- 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.
The 2024 Equity Conference, which commemorated the 70th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s groundbreaking Brown v Board decision, saw not only a record number of convening attendees, but last year’s conference also garnered the highest volume of Equity Now Conference Workshop proposals as well. The 2024 Call for Submissions process saw numerous workshop proposals come in from youth and parent/ caregivers, in addition to a range of talented teachers,
administrators, professors, and other educators to name a few.
Dr. Maria G. Hernandez reminds those sharing Conference Workshop Proposals for the 2025 Equity Now Conference that “...they are encouraged to showcase practical tools and research-backed strategies and practices, and policies for creating sustainable, equity-focused, welcoming, affirming, and healing-centered learning spaces.”
Share your 2025 Equity Now Workshop Conference Proposal Submissions here.
Workshop Proposal Submissions for the NYU Metro Center’s 2025 Equity Now Conference will be received through Friday, November 22nd, 2024.
For additional information about the 2025 Equity Now Conference, please visit the Conference Website.
Note: Please be sure to review the Call for Submissions form as it contains important information about this year’s conference and submission requirements. You will be informed about your submitted proposal decision by early January 2025 at the latest.