Diversity & Equity

Often schools overlook the greatest vehicle to positively transform school culture: student voice.

Amanda L. Yurick, PhD, is an associate professor in special education at Cleveland State University. She currently teaches graduate and undergraduate students pursuing licensure in special education and/or applied behavior analysis.

Kimberly Cullen is an education professional who has held a variety of teaching and leadership positions in an international school based in Madrid, Spain. She has also served international and independent K–12 schools as a coach.

Students do not put up walls to avoid relationships, but to see who cares enough to break the walls down. Research shows that building relationships with students increases engagement, motivation, test scores, and grade point averages while decreasing absenteeism, dropout rates, and discipline issues.

Liza A. Talusan, PhD, is a strategic partner in areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. She is currently a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Boston, where she teaches courses on anti-racist leadership and identity-conscious leadership skills.

Shawn W. McCusker has 25 years of experience as a teacher and leader and is currently the director of professional learning at Digital Promise, a nonprofit dedicated to closing the digital learning gap.

Michael Meechin is an award-winning educational leader, strategist, and thought partner. Currently, Michael supports schools and districts nationwide to move their work forward by breaking down systemic barriers to improvement.

Kathy Vergara, EdD, is an experienced educator dedicated to serving and improving educational outcomes for multilingual learners and their families. She focuses on designing and implementing curriculum for bilingual, dual language, and ESL programs in grades preK–12.

Yetunde Reeves, EdD, is principal of Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Baltimore. She is committed to social justice education, and her passion is working with students of color and supporting first-generation college students.

Deborah Ricker is principal at Cedar Trails Exploration Center: Early Childhood in Kansas. She previously led Glenwood Ridge Elementary and has 19 years of experience as a school psychologist, serving early childhood through high school in both public and private school settings.