Noguera tapped for U.S. Department of Education summit

By Ross Brenneman Published on June 10, 2021

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona (Photo licensed under Flickr Creative Commons via Edwin J. Torres (N.J. Governor's Office)

New series will ask school leaders not to return to ‘normal’

The U.S. Department of Education has announced the creation of an Equity Summit Series, the department announced Wednesday, and Pedro A. Noguera, the Emery Stoops and Joyce King Stoops Dean of USC Rossier, will be one of the panelists as the series begins.

On the same day that the department published a report outlining the disparate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on historically marginalized communities, the department also announced the series to help guide school leaders away from the kinds of inequitable practices that existed pre-pandemic

“This is our moment as educators and as leaders to transform our education systems so they are truly serving all of our nation’s students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “While COVID-19 has worsened many inequities in our schools and communities, we know that even before the pandemic, a high-quality education was out of reach for too many of our nation’s students and families.”

In an April virtual event, Noguera and Cardona first discussed publicly what steps could lead to a more equitable “normal.” That conversation will now continue as part of this series. The first event will launch June 22 with Noguera and other experts discussing strategies for equitable and inclusive environments in schools.

Since becoming dean of USC Rossier in July 2021, Noguera has focused on pushing school leaders to re-imagine the possibilities of the education system.

"The deep inequities that have persisted in our educational system for generations have only worsened during the pandemic, leaving so many children even more vulnerable to failure," Noguera said. "We can't just stand by and watch how the potentially irreparable setbacks that have confronted students who can least afford them play out. The nation can marshal the best thinking and most progressive research today to find answers and transform this crisis into an opportunity for positive, lasting change."