LHENA Talks Speaker Series
LHENA Talks is a monthly speaker series that takes place on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 7 to 8 p.m. Each talk features a guest speaker and focuses on community issues of interest and is sponsored by a local business. LHENA Talks strives to bring together residents, businesses, and community members alike to foster a space for fruitful discussions while highlighting the amazing work being done in our communities. Interested in being a speaker or sponsor? Take a moment to fill out this form.
LHENA Talk No. 9: Heather Anderson & Rashad Turner -- Education Justice
Topic: This talk will focus on education justice. Each speaker will talk about their work to create equal educational opportunities for all students. What is the current state of public schools in Minneapolis and St. Paul? How can parents, teachers, students, family members and the community work together to help increase learning opportunities and create more good schools? After each speaker talks, we will have a Q&A session with the community, and both speakers will have an opportunity to answer education questions from the community.
When: POSTPONED
Sponsor: The local sponsor for the talk is Snapology, which believes that children are meant to learn through play. When children are engaged in interactive, hands-on learning activities, their creativity flourishes and they show an increased interest in school. Snapology helps your child grow up with a thirst for knowledge. How do they do it? Snapology engages children ages 2-14 using LEGO® bricks, K’Nex and technology.
When: POSTPONED
Sponsor: The local sponsor for the talk is Snapology, which believes that children are meant to learn through play. When children are engaged in interactive, hands-on learning activities, their creativity flourishes and they show an increased interest in school. Snapology helps your child grow up with a thirst for knowledge. How do they do it? Snapology engages children ages 2-14 using LEGO® bricks, K’Nex and technology.
This LHENA Talk has been postponed indefinitely.
Speakers: Heather Anderson and Rashad Turner
Heather Anderson is the director of organizing for the Advancing Equity Coalition, a multiracial, multicultural movement of families, students, teachers, and community members working to build community power for more equitable policies. Heather will talk about their work to hold Minneapolis Public Schools accountable for the outcomes and experiences of students of color and share what steps they are taking to create an equitable education system.
Rashad Turner is a father, educator, activist and executive director for Minnesota Parent Union, a nonprofit organization that partners with families in pursuit of educational excellence for all students and is one of the fastest-growing and most impactful school choice/parent advocacy organizations in the state. Rashad was born and raised in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and earned his bachelor's degree from Hamline University and master's of education from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. Rashad is a champion for school choice and quality education and believes parents must step up and be the ones to bring an end to Minnesota’s education and achievement gaps, which are some of the worst in the nation. Rashad will talk about the work they are doing through family engagement to close the education gap, create community solutions and ensure every child receives a quality education.
Heather Anderson is the director of organizing for the Advancing Equity Coalition, a multiracial, multicultural movement of families, students, teachers, and community members working to build community power for more equitable policies. Heather will talk about their work to hold Minneapolis Public Schools accountable for the outcomes and experiences of students of color and share what steps they are taking to create an equitable education system.
Rashad Turner is a father, educator, activist and executive director for Minnesota Parent Union, a nonprofit organization that partners with families in pursuit of educational excellence for all students and is one of the fastest-growing and most impactful school choice/parent advocacy organizations in the state. Rashad was born and raised in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and earned his bachelor's degree from Hamline University and master's of education from Saint Mary's University of Minnesota. Rashad is a champion for school choice and quality education and believes parents must step up and be the ones to bring an end to Minnesota’s education and achievement gaps, which are some of the worst in the nation. Rashad will talk about the work they are doing through family engagement to close the education gap, create community solutions and ensure every child receives a quality education.
More about this LHENA Talk
Other talking points in this LHENA Talk will include:
- What are the biggest challenges to closing the education gap?
- What policies need to change to create equal educational opportunities for all students?
- How do we improve the educational outcomes for all students? How can we do a better job of preparing kids for life and giving them the tools they need to succeed in life?
- How do we give parents a voice and empower them to be part of the education system?
- What are the biggest obstacles for Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools today?
- How can we hold public schools accountable for the outcomes and experiences of students of color?
- How are Minnesota Parent Union and Advancing Equity Coalition building relationships with parents and students to highlight conditions in the education system?
- What are some immediate, practical solutions to fix the broken conditions in the education system? What are long-term solutions to end systemic issues and break cycles of inequity in education?
- What are some community success stories? How can people get involved and support the efforts to improve schools?
- How can schools get more funding to upgrade facilities and provide all the equipment and programming students need to realize their full potential? How do we close the opportunity gap?
- What are the biggest educational issues in public schools today?
- What are the primary concerns of parents, teachers and principals? Are they the same or different?
- How are public safety issues impacting learning environments for students, school staff and families?
- What are the greatest needs for public schools today? How can we elevate these needs and help schools get the resources they need to be successful? How can the community help?
- A "family" can be composed of many different family types. How do we respect all family dynamics and work to meet families where they are in their life cycles and education journeys? How do we ensure all interactions between schools and families are respectful?
- Helping the youth. How do we develop more mentor programs and positive after-school activities and programs for kids to enhance their educations? What needs to be done to strengthen families academically, socially, emotionally and financially?
- What are the biggest challenges of teaching and mentoring youth today? What are some success stories? How can communities help build strong foundations now and for generations to come?
- Working with the community. How has Minnesota Parent Union and Advancing Equity Coalition been received by schools, the community and the city? How could we get more of the community involved in education justice and pushing for equity in all schools?
- Community building. What have you learned by listening to the needs of the community? Why is it important to be responsive to the needs of the community as the community sees them, not as they are prescribed for them?
- Building trust and staying power. What lessons have we learned from on-the-ground community work?
- The role of family and education. How has the community changed its relationship to education? What are the most immediate changes we need to make the community wiser and stronger? How can the community work together to help the community alleviate some of its fears and turn fear into positive actions? How can education issues promote optimism and spur people to take action and create change?
- Finding practical solutions to the challenges communities face. How do we scale community-focused approaches to education and reach more people? What are some steps people could take in their daily lives and lifestyle to push for education justice and start seeing positive changes in their lives?
- Why is it important for all of us who live and work in a community to unite and focus on investing in our communities and supporting local schools as we grapple with social pressures and change? How can the community support local schools and students and help them thrive?
- What are the most encouraging signs about the future of education?
- What are the fundamental building blocks for systemic change and societal growth in education? How can people inside and outside communities advance real change in schools that benefits everyone? What steps can we take now to spur community growth and educational development? Where do we go from here?