Due to late day thunderstorms, we will be moving this event to THURSDAY, July 22nd.
This year’s Woody English Distinguished Artist and Writer’s Chair
Castle Hill is thrilled to welcome Eric Cooper, Ed.D. for an outdoor lecture at our Edgewood Farm Campus. Cooper is a renowned educator and advocate for social equity and justice within the U.S. education system.
“The talk will address racism and anti-semitism through an equity lens that welcomes and embraces the art community in an advocacy role. One which fosters creativity, critical thinking, social justice and recognizes the space art allows for engagement. One that celebrates the power of story (mine and others) expressed in social and education circumstances — allowing citizens to find our individual and collective voice for mobilizing change.”
Eric Cooper, Ed.D. is the President of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA). He served in a similar position as Executive Director for the NUA at Columbia University’s Teachers College and as Adjunct Associate Professor for 7 years. Prior to this position, he was the Vice President for Inservice Training & Telecommunications for the Simon & Schuster Education Group. Cooper has produced many educational documentaries and talk shows for networks such as PBS and has presented congressional testimony to House committees.
In support of social equity, simple fairness and basic justice, Dr. Cooper is a frequent op-ed and letter contributor to “The Stamford Advocate,” “Greenwich Times,” “Education Week,” “USA Today,” “Newsday,” “Birmingham News,” “Times-Union,” “Los Angeles Times,” “New York Times,” and “The Chronicle of Higher Education.”
In 2020 Eric was nominated for Secretary of Education by a coalition of national, regional, and education leaders from Alaska to Maine. He was supported as well by former Mayors and Commissioners who firmly believe in the capacity of all schoolchildren and youth to dramatically improve their life trajectories — especially those he has called “school dependent” in his published writings in the ’80s and beyond.
His educational mission is to support the improvement of education for urban and minority students. In line with this mission, he has worked on a restructuring project with Ted Sizer and the Education Commission of the States, has been the president of the National Council on Educating Black Children, and writes, lectures and produces television shows to provide advocacy for children who live in disadvantaged circumstances. Along with his colleagues such as the late Asa Hilliard, he has worked with the school of education of the University of Alabama/Birmingham to improve education for the City of Birmingham students and has led a project with Senator Mary Landrieu, The Eleanor Roosevelt Center, The College Board and partner school districts called “Eleanor & Brown,” which commemorated the Brown v the Board of Education decision; viewing education not just as a civil right but as a human justice right.
He is co-founder of the Urban Partnership for Literacy with the International Reading Association, co-founder of Teaching for Intelligence international conference begun with Jim Bellanca of Pearson Publishing, has worked with the National Council of Teachers of English to support improvements in urban education, and collaborates with the Council of Great City Schools, and NABSE. He serves on the boards of the National Council on Educating Black Children, SoundWaters (an environmental education agency dedicated to preserving L.I. Sound), and Stamford Achieves (whose mission is to eliminate the achievement and opportunity gap in Stamford, Connecticut). He maintains an irrefutable belief in the capacity of all school children and youth to succeed at the highest academic levels.
Information via National Urban Alliance
This event is free for educators, donations welcome. All donations will benefit Castle Hill.
Tickets and masks required!