Nationally-known educator, literacy expert, and author Carol Lee will present the Fall 2011 Scandling Lecture at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 13, in Hoyt Auditorium on the University of Rochester's River Campus. Her lecture, "Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleep: Culture, Cognition, and Human Development as Systemic Foundations for Addressing Equity in Educational Outcomes," is free and open to the public.
With several dimensions to understanding and addressing the persistent gap in educational outcomes associated with race, ethnicity, and class, Lee argues the need for a holistic framework to inform responses to these persistent inequities—whether educational policy, teacher training, standards and assessment, or curricular interventions. This holistic framework integrates cognitive, social and emotional, and physical development through the lens of people's participation in cultural communities. During her lecture, Lee will articulate the framework and illustrate its implications for teaching in the disciplines, with a special focus on literacy, and conclude with a discussion of implications of this kind of instruction for teacher education.
The Edwina S. Tarry Professor of Education and Social Policy in the learning sciences program at Northwestern University, Lee is recognized as an expert on both literacy and teacher preparation for urban and linguistically diverse students. Her research focuses on ecological influences on learning and development, including the design of instruction that leverages everyday knowledge and experiences of youth to support discipline-specific learning. Recently, she completed research at a Chicago inner-city high school to restructure the English language arts curriculum in ways that build on social and cultural strengths that reflect students' experiences at home and in their communities. She is the author of three books, including the most recent Culture, Literacy, and Learning: Taking Bloom in the Midst of the Whirlwind, and she is co-editor of Vygotskian Perspectives on Literacy Research, along with numerous other scholarly publications.
Throughout her career, Lee has been deeply engaged with Chicago-area schools and active in the school reform movement. She taught in both public and private schools before assuming a university career. She is a co-founder of four schools in Chicago, spanning a 38-year history, including three charter schools, serving as chairman of the Board of Directors of the Betty Shabazz International Charter School.
Lee's work and contributions to education have earned her many honors, and she is a past president of the American Educational Research Association, the most prestigious international professional organization focused on educational research. Lee, who is also a member of the National Academy of Education, received her PhD in education from the University of Chicago.
Hosted by the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education, the Scandling Lecture Series, named to honor the generosity of William F. Scandling, brings to campus other noted researchers, policymakers, and professional educators from throughout the world who contribute their insights and exchange ideas with faculty, students, and alumni at the Warner School, as well as with colleagues in the University and the local education community.
Registration is not necessary. A sign language interpreter will be provided for the discussion. For more information about the Scandling Lecture Series, please visit the Warner School website at www.warner.rochester.edu or contact the Warner School Academic Support Office at (585) 276-5405.
About the Warner School of Education
Founded in 1958, the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education offers master's and doctoral degree programs in teaching and curriculum, school leadership, higher education, counseling, human development, and educational policy. The Warner School of Education offers a new accelerated option for its EdD programs that allows eligible students to earn a doctorate in education in as few as three years part time while holding a professional job in the same field. The Warner School of Education is recognized both regionally and nationally for its tradition of preparing practitioners and researchers to become leaders and agents of change in schools, universities, and community agencies; generating and disseminating research; and actively participating in education reform.