There Are No Deficits Here with Lauren Wells

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My guest today is Lauren Wells, Ph.D., an educator, researcher, and community organizer whose work centers on comprehensive, systemic, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to educational and social change. 

She is author of There Are No Deficits Here: Disrupting Anti-Blackness in Education.

We talk about:

• Background of Anti-Blackness in education
• “The fixes that characterize many school improvement initiatives hinge on deficit beliefs”
• “Cognitive and neuroscience substantiate that we are all wired with the innate propensity for the development of strengths and high intellectual performances, the imperative for self-actualization, and the desire to make contributions.” – Yvette Jackson
• New insights Lauren has gained from her research
• Describing the new educational paradigm she proposes
• “Ecosystem within an ecosystem” and the nature of ecosystems
• What it looks like in practice: Central High School and the Newark Global Village School Zone

Get There Are No Deficits Here from Corwin or wherever you get your books. 

About today’s guest

Lauren Wells, Ph.D. is an educator, researcher, and community organizer whose work centers on comprehensive, systemic, culturally responsive, and collaborative approaches to educational and social change. She is currently an Assistant Professor at Kean University and founder of Creed Strategies, a community of consultants whose core mission is to use their knowledge, experience, and resources to work alongside educators and communities to ignite conditions for equity and justice. Learn more about Dr. Wells and her work at http://www.creedstrategies.com and follow her on X and Instagram @docwellsthatsme 

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Twitter @RossBRomano or LinkedIn