Posted by Join Latino Alumni Association of Columbia University (LAACU) and the Black Alumni Council (BAC) as Dr. Adriana Villavicencio ’00CC, ’02TC shares in a conversation with Dr. Chris Emdin, about her book, Am I My Brother’s Keeper: Improving the Educational Experiences and Outcomes and Black and Brown Boys. The book, published by Harvard Education Press, offers powerful insights into the opportunities and challenges of creating large-scale educational change. By chronicling a four-year initiative focused on improving education for 15,000 Black and Latino male students in New York City public high schools, the book covers what worked, what didn’t, and what we can do to transform districts and schools for young men of color.
Dr. Villavicencio is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine. Her research is focused on K-12 educational policy and school practice that deepens or disrupts inequities for historically underserved communities of students and families. Dr. Villavicencio earned her Ph.D. in education leadership and policy from the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, an M.A. in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a B.A. in English from Columbia University.
Dr. Emdin is a social critic, public intellectual, and award winning academic whose work in democratizing science and transforming urban education has been featured in a number of influential periodicals including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. He holds a Ph.D. in Urban Education with a concentration in Mathematics, Science and Technology, a M.S. in Natural Sciences, and Bachelors degrees in Physical Anthropology, Biology, and Chemistry. He is author of the award winning book, Urban Science Education for the Hip-hop Generation and the New York Times bestseller For White Folks Who Teach In The Hood...and the Rest of ya’ll too. His newest book, Ratchetdemic: Reimagining Academic Success, offers a transformative approach to schools and schooling.