Conferences & Institutes

Building for Education and Democracy (BEAD) Conference

2025 Theme: A Freedom School for Educators

“I can be changed by what happens to me, but I refuse to be reduced by it.” – Maya Angelou

Strength comes from being in community with other professional educators who care deeply about public education. This professional learning conference is designed for pre-K-12 educators who are seeking strength, connection, a deeper understanding of their rights, and a portal to a larger movement to save our public schools and best serve our students. Through extensive dialogue on education policy past and present—and the pivotal relationship between education and democracy as well as hands-on workshop and storytelling sessions to share and learn from others’ experiences—BEAD provides a safe space for freedom dreaming and professional learning. 

Building on Bank Street’s history, tradition, and expertise in progressive education and centering the critical link between civic engagement and progressivism, this conference will support educators in navigating the current policy context while exploring the transformative potential of education to restore and renew democracy.

This conference is sponsored by Bank Street’s Public Engagement and Research Initiative (PERI). For questions, please email peri@bankstreet.edu. 

Event Details

  • Overview

    Wednesday, July 9 from 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
    Bank Street College
    610 West 112th Street, New York, NY 10025

  • Programming

    This year’s programming includes: 

    • A deep conversation on how educators can move forward in a world of uncertainty with world renowned civil rights lawyer and 14th Amendment scholar Sherrilyn Ifill in dialogue with Professor and MSNBC commentator Basil Smikle, Jr.
    • An education policy refresh and a panel of educators, advocates, and leaders on educators’ rights, immigration rights, education justice, free speech and academic freedom, and our agency to building the way forward
      • Jonathan Friedman, PEN America
      • Khary Lazarre-White, Brotherhood Sister Sol
      • Sari Beth Rosenberg, High School for Environmental Studies
      • Alejandra Vazquez-Baur, National Newcomer Network
      • Leah Watson, American Civil Liberties Union
      • José Vilson (Moderator)
    • A special deep dive into storytelling and the “story of now” that supports freedom dreaming and a path forward in community with expert facilitators and fellow educators
    • Workshops on your rights and ideas for teaching and advocating for civics education for children across K-12
    • A special performance by EPIC Theatre Ensemble, a high school student theatre group on the issues we must stand for in our field!
  • Agenda
    8:00 AM – 8:30 AM Check-In and Breakfast
    8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Welcome Remarks

    • Shael Polakow-Suransky, President of Bank Street College of Education

    What We Do Now? A Policy Overview and Panel Discussion on Educators’ Rights and Education Justice

    • (Moderator) Jose Vilson, Research Associate, Public Engagement and Research Initiative, Bank Street College of Education
    • Jonathan Friedman, Managing Director of Free Expression, PEN America
    • Khary Lazarre-White, Executive Director, Brotherhood Sister Sol
    • Sari Beth Rosenberg, Social Studies Teacher, High School for Environmental Studies
    • Alejandra Vazquez-Baur, Executive Director of the National Newcomer Network, fellow at Century Foundation
    • Leah Watson, Senior Staff Attorney, American Civil Liberties Union’s Racial Justice Program

    Introduction to Storytelling

    • Rajeeyah Finnie-Myers, Executive Director, Culture, Race, and Equity Team, Bank Street College of Education
    • Emily Jones, Director, Culture, Race, and Equity Team, Bank Street College of Education
    10:15 AM – 11:15 AM Stories of Self: Personal Storytelling for Social Movements and Democracy
    Facilitated breakout sessions
    11:30 AM – 12:30 PM The Story of Us: Lunch, BEADWork, Communal Art-Making
    Boxed lunches, beading, and communal art-making will be available in the lobby. There will be opportunities to learn more about Bank Street’s Educational Leadership Programs in Rooms 612 and 613.
    12:30 PM – 1:10 PM FixED, or You Do Not Exist: An EPIC Theatre Performance Ensemble

    Introduction:

    • Xinyu Pan, Research Associate, Public Engagement and Research Initiative, Bank Street College of Education

    EPIC Theatre Ensemble:

    • Jim Wallert, Founder and Co-Artistic Director
    • Amaya Harris, Beck McKenzie, Liana Morales, & Dilisima Vickers, Actors
    1:15 PM – 2:30 PM Critical Conversation: What Educators Need to Know about The 14th Amendment, Public Education, and Our Democracy

    Introduction:

    • Amy Stuart Wells, Chief Research Officer, Public Engagement and Research Initiative, Bank Street College of Education

    Featured Speakers:
    2:45 PM – 3:30 PM Hands-On Workshops

    • Audacious Hospitality and The Heroic Imagination Project
    • Black Lives Matter: An All School Study
    • Cultivating Your Classroom Library for Democracy
    • Mapping Power: Spatial Literacy for Civic Engagement
    • Rethinking Professional Development with Education Activism and Teacher Learning at the Heart
    • Using Trauma-Informed Practices to Work with Migrant and Multilingual / English Language Learner Students
    3:45 PM – 4:30 PM The Story of Now: Closing Session
    Coalition building and solidarity
    Led by the Culture, Race, and Equity Team at the Bank Street Education Center
  • Rates

    Scholarships and discounts available.

    Full day on-site participation (7 PD / CTLE hours):
    • $195 early bird rate (ends June 18, 2025)
    • $250 regular registration rate
    • Bundle & Save: Buy 1 get 2nd ticket 50% off

    Full day on-site participation (No PD / CTLE hours):

    • $80 early bird rate (ends June 18, 2025)
    • $130 regular registration rate
    • Bundle & Save: Buy 1 get 2nd ticket 50% off

    Online plenary only (no PD / CTLE hours):

    • $75 early bird rate (ends June 18, 2025)
    • $100 regular registration rate
Sherrilyn Ifill

Featured Speaker: Sherrilyn Ifill

Sherrilyn Ifill is a civil rights lawyer and scholar with expertise in the 14th Amendment rights of educators and students. She is the President Emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the nation’s premier civil rights law organization fighting for racial justice and equality. She is currently the Vernon E. Jordan Chair in Civil Rights and the founder and director of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at the Howard University School of Law.
Join us at Continuing Professional Studies this summer

Interested in Deepening Your Practice?

Bank Street Graduate School of Education offers programs in general education, special education, dual language/bilingual education, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and more—designed for educators committed to equity, inclusion, and progressive practice. If the themes of this conference resonate with you, explore how our graduate programs can help you grow as an educator or leader and advocate for meaningful change in schools and communities.
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