There Are No Deficits Here with Lauren Wells
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My guest today is Lauren Wells, Ph.D., an educator, researcher, and community organizer whose work centers on comprehensive, systemic, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to educational and social change.
My guest today is Lauren Wells, Ph.D., an educator, researcher, and community organizer whose work centers on comprehensive, systemic, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to educational and social change.
She is author of There Are No Deficits Here: Disrupting Anti-Blackness in Education.
We talk about:
- Background of Anti-Blackness in education
- “The fixes that characterize many school improvement initiatives hinge on deficit beliefs”
- “Cognitive and neuroscience substantiate that we are all wired with the innate propensity for the development of strengths and high intellectual performances, the imperative for self-actualization, and the desire to make contributions.” – Yvette Jackson
- New insights Lauren has gained from her research
- Describing the new educational paradigm she proposes
- “Ecosystem within an ecosystem” and the nature of ecosystems
- What it looks like in practice: Central High School and the Newark Global Village School Zone
Get There Are No Deficits Here from Corwin or wherever you get your books.
About today’s guest
Lauren Wells, Ph.D. is an educator, researcher, and community organizer whose work centers on comprehensive, systemic, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to educational and social change. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Kean University and founder of Creed Strategies, a community of consultants whose core mission is to use their knowledge, experience, and resources to work alongside educators and communities to ignite conditions for equity and justice. Learn more about Dr. Wells and her work at http://www.creedstrategies.com and follow her on X and Instagram @docwellsthatsme
About the host
Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn
Learn more about today's sponsor, Playworks:
We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.
We’re proud to be sponsored by Playworks, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with evidence-based practices that help schools improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.
If you’re a school or district leader struggling with the challenge of chronic absenteeism, as so many are across the U.S., you may not realize that structured recess is a research-backed approach to keep kids in school. In fact, a UC Berkeley study of Title I schools found that those partnering with Playworks had significantly lower chronic absenteeism rates. Further, Mathematica research demonstrated that Playworks schools spent 27% less time transitioning from recess back to learning, saving teachers valuable instructional time.
These results are possible for your students, too. Learn how Playworks can help you improve student-educator relationships, belonging, and attendance by signing up for a quick no-obligation conversation.
Creators and Guests
Host
Ross Romano
Co-founder of Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies. Strategist, consultant, and performance coach.
Guest
Lauren Wells
Educator, organizer, using research practices in and with community to reimagine learning for Black students ON PURPOSE. Creed Strategies. No Deficits Here.
