HBGCC - Lila Cockrell Theater

Join the Our Voice Amplified event - a space where educators of color share their lived experiences and amplify underrepresented stories in education. Speakers will share short, story-based talks on lived experiences, the nuances of how racial identity intersects with education and personal triumphs.

HBGCC - Hemisfair Ballroom 1

When centering cultural responsiveness and inclusion, teachers tend to focus on the oppression of minoritized groups. While it's important for students to understand systems of oppression, it is equally important for students to experience stories of how people experience joy at all points of their history as a way of humanizing them.

HBGCC - 303BC

President Donald Trump swept into his second term promising to abolish the U.S. Department of Education; stamp out diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; slash federal K-12 research grants and contracts and dramatically expand school choice. His team—led by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, a former wrestling executive—has moved to tackle that agenda at breakneck speed. So, what do executive orders directing teachers not to instruct on critical race theory really do? What will happen to the contracts and grants that have been axed? And can Trump really nix the more than four-decade-old education department? Get up to speed on the latest twists and turns of federal policy—and a sense of what else to watch out—in this session featuring district leaders explaining how they are grappling with the constant barrage of changes and what they mean for the future of teaching and learning. Moderated by Education Week reporter Alyson Klein.