About these episodes
Part 1: What a treat. Jeff Duncan-Andrade is a passionate educator, man, and father. He has dedicated himself to serving his community and driving change to a system that, as he describes, is not designed to support all students. The focus and perspective of equity he describes and lives by are clear, and his convictions, regardless of one’s perspective, should be listened to. Jeff and Jeff’s conversation was so good, we had to split this into two parts. We are proud to present “Part 1” of this discussion to you now.
Part 2: Welcome to part two of our chat with Jeff Duncan-Andrade. If you have not listened to part one, we invite you to do so. You will thank us later. Jeff’s perspective on equity and his passion for serving all students is powerful. Leaders, and educators, we hope you enjoy!
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If there is one thing that Jeff Duncan-Andrade knows for sure, it’s this: If you find something that’s not working, change it. And that’s exactly what he has done. The longtime urban educator, researcher and activist felt that students in his community in East Oakland, California, who are mostly Black and Latinx, weren’t getting the education they deserved. So Duncan-Andrade, a teacher and professor of Latina/o Studies and Race and Resistance Studies at San Francisco State University, co-founded a new school—the Roses in Concrete Community School. It’s a school that centers the wellness of its students above everything else—responding to the unique needs of the community as the pathway to social and academic rigor. Duncan-Andrade also co-founded the Community Responsive Education Group and the Teaching Excellence Network (TEN) to support schools and districts to build and support similar practices in their communities.
The result of these unique methods is nothing but triumph. Duncan-Andrade has been ranked as one of the nation’s most influential scholars by EdWeek’s Public Influence Rankings. His work and methods of teaching have been widely studied and acclaimed for producing uncommon levels of social and academic success for students. His research interests and publications span the areas of youth wellness, trauma responsiveness, curriculum change, teacher development and retention, critical pedagogy and cultural and ethnic studies. He works closely with teachers, school site leaders, union leaders and school district officials to help them develop classroom practices and school cultures that foster self-confidence, esteem and academic success among all students.
Duncan-Andrade also lectures around the world and has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on effective practices in schools. He has written two books and his third book with Harvard Press will be released in spring 2022. In 2016, Duncan-Andrade was part of the great educators invited to the White House on National Teacher Appreciation Day by President Obama, and in 2019 he was chosen as the Laureate for the prestigious Brock International Prize in Education. In 2021, he was selected to join the board of Prevent Child Abuse America. He holds a Ph.D. in Social and Cultural Studies in Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature, both from the University of California–Berkeley.