The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools is proud to announce that the Call for Submissions for the 2026 Equity Now Conference is officially open. The window for conference submissions proposals will close on Wednesday, November 26th, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
This year’s conference focuses on developing new ways of moving equity to be more responsive to children, families, and communities who exist furthest on the margins of mainstream society. How do we ensure that education works for EVERY child? NYU Metro Center’s Equity Now Conference serves as a stark reminder of what it means to fight for equity on behalf of many learners – Black, Latinx, Indigenous, multilingual, and those students with an IEP – who still have not received equity in their educational experiences.
The fourth (4th) annual Equity Now Conference will again be held in New York City, on Friday, May 29th, 2026. NYU Metro Center’s Deputy Executive Director of School Change and Community Engagement (SCCE), Dr. María G. Hernández, characterizes the forthcoming Equity Now Conference as a critical convening that interrogates educational systems, policies, and structures to identify and address inequities. Dr. Hernández also applauds the conference for being a place where best practices are shared and community is built. According to the NYU Metro Center’s Deputy Executive Director of SCCE, the Equity Now Conference asks significant questions of all educators, families, youth, and community members. Dr. María G. Hernández posed a fundamental question to every potential conference attendee.
“In this moment, when there is an attack on our most marginalized student communities, what will you do and how can we stand together as a community to support our most harmed and vulnerable?”
The Equity Now Conference offers attendees a full day of community building, networking, and learning from educators, parents/caregivers, youth, community organizers, and technical assistance providers who are committed to transforming their classrooms, schools, and districts. Conference sessions will include those curated by NYU Metro Center expertise as well as leaders based in districts, schools, classrooms, and organizations who continue to engage in equity and culturally responsive policies, procedures and practices. Equity Now Conference attendees will walk away with clear next steps to maintain cultural responsiveness as the core of creating transformational education and liberatory schooling spaces.
Equity Now Conference administrators look forward to receiving your 2026 Conference Submission Proposals in the following areas:
Culturally Responsive Systems
Culturally Responsive Practices
Note: Submissions should clearly indicate whether you plan to share either a training session or workshop at the Equity Now Conference.
Whereas a workshop offers tangible resources, and materials, and a training session offers a structured process that leads to developing specific skills, and knowledge.
Below is a description of proposal focus areas:
Culturally Responsive Systems
- This conference track is inclusive of, but not limited to, the following:
- Elevating district and school policies, procedures and practices that have generated educational spaces that welcome and affirm historically marginalized students’ experiences and identities
- Shifts toward community circles and restorative practices within school-wide discipline systems
- Creating a culturally responsive culture and climate centering youth voice, in which youth are an integral and critical voice in district and school decision making processes
- Development and implementation of equity-centered liberatory systems approaches
- 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
- The adaptation of State Department of Education policies into practices in districts, schools, and classrooms that are culturally responsive (for example, Portrait of Graduate, SEL, curriculum and instruction, etc.)
- Culturally responsive parent/caregiver policies and procedures that welcome, affirm and create belonging for families across differences
Culturally Responsive Practices
- This conference track is inclusive of, but not limited to, the following:
- Fostering curricular and instructional design and practices that center the joy and brilliance of racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse students (e.g., culturally responsive literacy, mathematics, etc)
- Teaching liberatory curriculum and instructional practices
- Practices that promote emotional and well-being for students, educators, and caregivers
- Culturally responsive capacity building approaches
- Culturally responsive parent/caregiver and youth engagement practices
NYU Metro Center received a record number of Submissions for last year’s conference. Thus those considering submitting proposals for the 2026 Conference are encouraged to submit their proposals well before the November 26th deadline.
Dr. María G. Hernández reminds those sharing Conference Workshop Proposals for the 2026 Equity Now Conference that they are encouraged to showcase “practical tools and research-backed strategies, policies, and procedures for creating sustainable, equity-focused, culturally responsive practices in either a workshop of a presentation.”
Share your 2026 Equity Now Workshop Conference Proposal Submission here:
Workshop Proposal Submissions for NYU Metro Center’s 2026 Equity Now Conference will be received through Wednesday, November 26th, 2025.
For additional information about NYU Metro Center's Annual Conference:
Visit the 2026 Equity Now Conference Website, here:
Note: Please be sure to review the Call for Submissions as it contains important information about this year’s conference and submission
