Message from the Chair

The great strengths we have in our nation are represented in our diversity, intellect, creativity, innovation, and tremendous repository of care and good will. Yet, the challenges that we face in society, various tensions and conflicts have become a part of American classrooms. Meeting the needs of students from pre-K – 12 to university settings and beyond is the focal point of educators in every venue. I am proud to say our SIG is filled with scholars who are the great thinkers of our day and stand boldly to meet challenges as we promote our Annual Meeting theme, Public Scholarship to educate diverse democracies. Our mission, “the integrated study of race, ethnicity, social class and gender as lenses for performing critical analyses and evaluations of prevailing theory and practice in education” is directly aimed at making a contribution to education in our nation. We should be about the business of educating students to attain the knowledge, skills, and socially just attitudes needed to engage in cross-cultural interactions that promote healthy, diverse democracies. As scholars in our various fields of study, we continue to foster a mindset for the public good and the overarching goals of the SIG.

As I complete my first year as Chair of CERECG, I envision our SIG as a catalyst for innovative ideas, critical responsive thinking and creative research that will turn into best practices in education. I believe our dynamic leaders, that have been elected and appointed as officers and chairs of sub-committees within our SIG, will have a great impact during this time in our history. I would like to see our SIG grow with new and enthusiastic members that will join are current thriving group to champion the causes necessary to educate diverse democracies. I would like to see a surge in the mentorship of young emerging scholars and the promotion of graduate students to significant positions in our SIG. I plan to create new roles for young scholars and opportunities for greater national visibility.

I have been a member of this SIG for more than 20 years and as a practitioner was a teacher and public school principal. Currently, I am a professor, endowed chair in urban education and co-director of a an urban center. I have been actively involved in curriculum and instruction for diverse classrooms and professional development for teachers.  I have a successful writing agenda that includes urban education, equity, standards and issues of diversity at the global level. I am editor of a national refereed journal and welcome manuscripts through the submission system of The National Journal of Urban Education and Practice at https://journals.tdl.org/njuep/login or [email protected] As SIG Chair, my vision is to encourage all educators and to make research around the intersections of race, ethnicity, class and gender in education a priority. Best wishes for a great and productive year! See you in Washington D.C.

Norvella Carter, Ph.D.

Professor and Endowed Chair in Urban Education