Andre Daughty

Each year, millions of students walk into classrooms for the first time excited about learning and elated to start their journey of education. By their freshman year in high school, those same students dread attending school, with many dropping out. Never developing college and career ready success skills, thousands of students transition from the joys of preschool to the dejected lows of prison. This pipeline can be conceptualized as a series of roadblocks and obstacles that hinder children, especially children of color, from academic success but funnel them into the criminal justice system. This keynote explores where the gap originated and how schools, districts and communities are combatting the preschool to prison pipeline. It is possible to go from surviving to thriving!

This Broadway themed “Hamilton” talk based from the Broadway theatrical play, Hamilton, shares the stories of our lives and not just about our social media timelines or the resumes we create. It is about the value that comes from every experience and the lessons learned from our lives. They connect meaning to our lives and the lives of others which creates an emotional file folder for us to store the facts and experiences. Everyone has something important to say and everyone has a story that is powerful and unique. But, what happens if your story stays silent? Who is going to tell your story? Who will tell your students’ stories if their voices are silenced? There is power in your story. The keynote explores examples of transformational stories for schools and/or organizations.

Schools around the world are adopting career-oriented, project-based, technology embedded and real world ideas to education. Those spaces recognize the connections between innovative learning and creativity. However, not all schools provide opportunities where all students can shine. This talk provides context about PBL using storytelling, giving examples from classrooms, and sharing proven, effective and diverse practices for early childhood through adult learners. To make space for PBL, we must change how educators lead and learn. This talk will inspire you to think about how we can build on the strengths, interests, and talents of our students and create better learning experiences for all. We will explore how to move toward a shared vision of teaching and learning, embrace learning as a process and not an event, and make learning public to share what you are learning and inspire others.