Local and national experts gathered at Canisius to discuss “A New Racial Literacy for Educational Equity,” hosted by the college’s Center for Urban Education (CUE). The CUE, formed in partnership with the National Urban Alliance (NUA), focuses attention and efforts in preparing the next generation of teachers in struggling Buffalo and first ring suburban school districts.
Canisius University is taking a leadership role in this daunting work.
Canisius President John J. Hurley
“In its 147 year history, Canisius has always viewed itself as an integral part of the city of Buffalo’s fabric and has embraced its role as a contributor to the progress of our city and our region,” said President John J. Hurley. “It’s that vision that led to the formation of our Center for Urban Education and our ongoing work with National Urban Alliance to improve the quality of urban education in our region.”
Jabari Mahiri, PhD, professor of education and the William and Mary Jane Brinton Family Chair in Urban Teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, was the keynote speaker. Mahiri is also a senior scholar for the NUA.
Jabari Mahiri, PhD, keynote speaker
Author of the book “Deconstructing Race: Multicultural Education Beyond the Color-Bind,” Dr. Mahiri said that school systems have come to accept that minority students will not do as well as others. He added that schools that primarily have populations of African-American and Latino students are completely under resourced. “The newest teachers in the profession are often the ones sent to those schools to learn how to teach in the first, three, four, five years of their teaching and, in terms of the lack of resources, they have to do without very critical things like books.”
Dean of the School of Education and Human Services at Canisius Jeffrey R. Lindauer, PhD, added that there is a shortage of minority teachers and a shortage in those training to be teachers, who have other options for careers. “The resources of the partnership with the NUA will enhance the quality of our teacher education program. An invigorated recruitment and retention component will enhance the number and diversity of the candidate pool – and promote the retention and success of graduates in urban teaching positions.”
Dr. Mahiri joined a panel discussion after his talk and the conversation continued with the following experts. Click here to listen to the evening’s discussion.
Left to right: Finune O. Shaibi, supervisor of multilingual student placement, Buffalo Public Schools; David Rust, executive director, Say Yes to Education, Buffalo; Nadia A. Nashir, assistant superintendent of multilingual education, Buffalo Public Schools; Robert D. Gioia, president, John Oishei Foundation; and Jeffrey R. Lindauer, PhD, dean, School of Education & Human Services, Canisius University.
Panelists included:
Robert D. Gioia, president, John Oishei Foundation;
Yvette Jackson, EdD, senior scholar, National Urban Alliance for Effective Education;
Jeffrey R. Lindauer, PhD, dean, School of Education & Human Services, Canisius University;
Nadia A. Nashir, assistant superintendent of multilingual education, Buffalo Public Schools;
David Rust, executive director, Say Yes to Education, Buffalo and
Finune O. Shaibi, supervisor of multilingual student placement, Buffalo Public Schools.
With the creation of the college’s Center for Urban Education, Canisius has become a leader in the urban education discussion. “We want Canisius to be a gathering place where important discussion, informed by sound research and data and compelled by our distinctive Jesuit vision of social justice, can lead to a higher truth and for better outcomes for our children and our families.”
