Edupalooza Content
Workshops
Access the daily lineup of on-demand workshops below
Day 1
April 25
Stories with Style
Stories with Style was developed through a project based learning opportunity for system impacted youth in Kings County, California and is focused on students' knowledge of self and community. Students study the history of hip hop and work with teaching artists as they analyze hip hop lyrics and express themselves through the arts: beat making, visual design, and poetry/rap. This workshop will include projects created by the students and will delve into the pedagogical design of this work.
An Educator's Journey
Being a teacher is a job. Being an educator is a journey. This workshop will define both teacher and educator and will use the experience of a seasoned educator to discuss the importance of knowing when to be a teacher, an educator, or both in the classroom.
Encourage Curiosity through Science
Encouraging curiosity is vital to creating students who ask powerful questions. This workshop will demonstrate how to encourage curiosity through the importance of hands-on science experiments while showcasing specific projects such as the water wheel design and balloon powered cars.
Day 2
April 26
Strategies for Tough Conversations
Whether it be a discussion around race in social studies or a book club conversation that gets into themes of trauma, this workshop will share tips for managing those conversations in a healthy and effective way.
Building Strong Teachers
According to a case study of juvenile justice educators, teachers need to feel a sense of community and appropriate professional development. This workshop will present the findings of this case study along with key takeaways to help education leaders build strong teachers.
Finding the Balance in a 1:1 Device Program
Finding the balance between allowing teachers and students to use technology in innovative ways and keeping students safe while online is a complex task. Highlighting the 1:1 device management program at York High School located inside Cook County Jail in Chicago, IL, this workshop will discuss a multi-layered approach to device management that allows students to safely use technology in the classroom.
Day 3
April 27
Create a Sustainable Digital Program
Creating a sustainable digital program begins with asking the right questions. This workshop will discuss the most prominent questions and offer creative solutions to problems that often arise in technology rich programs.
Empowering Student through Feedback
Using feedback as a power strategy allows students to move from fixed to growth mindset. This workshop will offer specific strategies for dealing with challenges through practical feedback that empowers students to believe in themselves.
Disruptive Innovations
Creating systemic change requires disrupting the normal routine. Using the Road to Success Academy model, this workshop will showcase how to create change that lasts and promote teacher buy-in.
Day 4
April 28
Unlocking the Magic of Participation
The magic of participation involves key structures that invite students to not only engage in a lesson but actively participate. This workshop will discuss the necessary key structures for engaging students to unlock their participation.
The Science of Reading
Using research-based practices, this workshop will showcase a diagnostic assessment used to identify foundational reading deficits; the workshop will provide teaching strategies that employ both technology and tactile resources designed to teach struggling readers with age appropriate activities.
Making Curriculum Work
Learning is not a one size fits all experience. This workshop will showcase how to make the BreakFree book club materials work for you by modifying the content to fit the needs of your students.
Day 5
April 29
Creating Pathways to Success through a Positive School Climate
Students in juvenile justice facilities have been let-down by the traditional school system, but with the right mindset, we can leverage opportunities to help build strong student learners. This workshop will demonstrate how to create a pathway to success with high academic expectations and vocational aspirations.
The Power of Multi-Generational Knowledge
Using a program at HBCU, this workshop will show how to create a program that incorporates families into the classroom to emphasize the importance of multi-generational education.
Games Power Learning
Using games in the classroom encourages students to think critically, ask big questions, and collaborate in meaningful ways. This workshop will focus on positive ways to incorporate games into the classroom while highlighting BreakoutEDU and Explore Learning Gizmos.
Live Events
Access and learn more about our Week 2 Live Events below
During Week 2 of Edupalooza, Live Events are scheduled daily at 7:00pm EST
Monday
May 2
Sam Seidel
Sam is the Director of K12 Strategy and Research at the Stanford d.school and author of Hip Hop Genius: Remixing High School Education (Rowman & Littlefield, 2011), and co-author of the book’s recent release, Hip Hop Genius 2.0. Sam has dedicated his life to studying how learning occurs, the intersections between creativity and culture, and transforming the teaching methods we use to unleash brilliance in all students. Sam graduated from Brown University with a degree in Education and a teaching certification, went on to teach for a number of years, and helped to start the High School for the Recording Arts in Minneapolis.
Tuesday
May 3
Kristin Henning
Kristin Henning is a nationally recognized legal scholar and activist in juvenile justice reform. As the Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown, she advocates for reform in the juvenile and criminal legal systems to fight the criminalization of Black adolescents. In her talks and workshops, Henning explores the devastating long-term consequences of racial bias and over-policing youth within communities of color and addresses how to change racial disparities within the legal system. Her widely acclaimed recent book, The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth, offers a searing account of the over policing and criminalizing of Black children.
Wednesday
May 4
Dwayne Betts
Reginald Dwayne Betts is a poet, artist, and lawyer promoting the rights and humanity of people who are or have been incarcerated. He is a 2021 MacArthur “Genius’ Fellow, the author of a memoir and a number of collections of poems, including Felon, and a performing artist. Dwayne is a long-time friend and partner of BreakFree Education. He recently launched Freedom Reads, an initiative designed to bring libraries and books to incarcerated individuals across the country.
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Friday
May 6
iCon Sibley
Sha’Condria is a poet, writer, artist, and creator of many mediums—her work spans across page, stage, canvas, theater, music, talk radio, and short film. Sha'Condria earned her B.S. in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana and further studied Community Health Sciences/Maternal & Child Health at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. She is a multiple-time national poetry slam champion and spoken word artist, who has shared her work with her local communities and on national television, in partnership with community-based organizations, schools, and universities, at the Essence Music Festival, and on a range of other platforms. Sha'Condria is the author of My Name Is Pronounced Holy: A Collection of Poems, Prayers, Rememberings, and Reclamations.
Podcast
Learn more about our Edupalooza Talks podcast and click to listen by clicking one of the platforms below
Episode 1
Every Act Counts Toward Achieving Justice
With David Domenici
David Domenici is the Executive Director of BreakFree Education and a longtime juvenile justice and education advocate. He joins us to talk about the many different people that play a role in a young person finding success in the jj classroom
Episode 3
Education As a Superpower
With Students from a Juvenile Facility in MO
A group of students from a youth facility in Missouri remind us how important it is to offer them choice, to trust in them, and see them as capable
Episode 5
Small Steps Make a Big Difference
With Eden Nelson, Scott Schult & Elissa Flores
A group of tech-educators share what it takes to get the internet up and running inside of youth facilities, and ensure the technology gets used to make school engaging and meaningful, not simply as a tech-based substitute for packets.
Episode 2
Tiny House, Big Impact
With Robert Alexander
Robert Alexander, a tradesman turned teacher shares how he and a group of students designed and built a Tiny House, inside of a youth facility. You can access photos showcasing the tiny house here.
Episode 4
Progress Through Intentionality
With Henderson Lewis
Henderson Lewis, outgoing Superintendent of New Orleans Public Schools, talks about how he sees his work in New Orleans–and ensuring that students held in detention get a quality education–as a part of the larger civil rights struggle
Episode 6
Calling People In, Not Out
With Sharnette Sims
Sharnette Sims, Principal of the Consuela B. York High School, located inside the Cook County adult jail, offers some terrific tips on leadership, including how she ‘calls people in’ instead of ‘calling people out.