A Kitchen-Table Talk on Disrupting and Dreaming Beyond the Prescribed Curriculum

Abstract

This kitchen-table talk is grounded in Black and Chicana feminist traditions, with the facilitator, Yvette M. Regalado, senior scholar Drs. Farima Pour-Khorshid, Timothy San Pedro, Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Mariana Souto-Manning, and community member Jessica Martell sit down to have a critical and authentic conversation around the real work that is being done to disrupt and move beyond the harmful prescribed curriculum. These conversationalists begin with an ofrenda, an offering, that connects and inspires their work. Then the discussion moves into types of coalition work done in our communities, and finally, we discuss our hopes and dreams for the future of education. So, sit down and dream with us as we discuss the consciousness of (re)defining equity and excellence in education.

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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

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Notes on contributors

Yvette M. Regalado

Yvette M. Regalado is an Equity & Excellence in Education Journal Public Scholarship Apprentice and is working on her dissertation at Texas State University in the Curriculum and Instruction department. Additionally, she has taught seven years in the general Pre-K-12 classroom and seven years as an advance literacy specialist. As a literacy leader in her field, she is committed to advancing the understanding and practice of culturally sustaining teaching, with a particular emphasis on the role of community cultural wealth and counterstorytelling in creating more inclusive and effective learning environments. Yvette’s curriculum design and teaching efforts also aligns to Indigenous Xinachtli Pedagogy in revitalizing Coahuitecan language and practices.

Jessica Martell

Jessica Martell is a fourth/fifth-grade New York City public school teacher in East Harlem, New York City. She has over 20 years of experience working with diverse populations and is an NYC Department of Education’s Big Apple Award awardee. Jessica is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College, Columbia University, in the Curriculum and Teaching department.

Farima Pour-Khorshid

Farima Pour-Khorshid, PhD, is a first-generation Bay Area educator, organizer, and scholar. She taught at the elementary grade levels in her community for over a decade and has also supported educators locally, nationally, and internationally through her roles as a university professor, teacher supervisor, healing-centered educational consultant, and community organizer. She is currently an assistant professor and teacher supervisor at the University of San Francisco. Much of her work is rooted in education organizing within the Teachers 4 Social Justice organization, the Abolitionist Teaching Network, and the Education for Liberation Network which organizes the Free Minds Free People conference.

Tim San Pedro

Timothy San Pedro, PhD, is an associate professor of Critical Studies in Education: Race, Justice & Equity, and an affiliate faculty member of American Indian Studies at Ohio State University. He is Filipino-American and grew up on the Flathead Indian Reservation in Western Montana. His scholarship focuses on the link between motivation and engagement to curricula and pedagogical practices that re-center Indigenous histories, knowledges, and literacies. His latest work focuses on the intergenerational lessons learned in the homes of five Native American families. He is an inaugural Gates Millennium Scholar, a Cultivating New Voices Among Scholars of Color Fellow and Mentor, a Ford Fellow, a Concha Delgado Gaitan Council of Anthropology in Education Presidential Fellow, and a Spencer Fellow.

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz

Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, PhD, is an award-winning Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on racial literacy, Black girl literacies, and Black and Latinx male high school students. She is co-editor of four books and is co-author of the multiple award-winning book Advancing Racial Literacies in Teacher Education: Activism for Equity in Digital Spaces (2021) where she examines her concept of Archeology of Self ™ in education. A sought-after speaker on issues of race, culturally responsive pedagogy, and diversity. Yolanda's first full-length collection of poetry, Love from the Vortex & Other Poems, was published in March 2020. Her sophomore book of poetry, The Peace Chronicles. Yolanda did the TEDx Talk: Truth, Love & Racial Literacy.

Mariana Souto-Manning

Mariana Souto-Manning, PhD, is President of Erikson Institute. She served as Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University and held additional academic appointments at the University of Iceland and King’s College London. Committed to the pursuit of justice in early childhood teaching and teacher education, Souto-Manning’s research centers intersectionally-minoritized People of Color. Souto-Manning has (co-)authored over 10 books, dozens of book chapters, and over 85 peer-reviewed articles. She has received several research awards, including the American Educational Research Association (AERA) Innovations in Research on Diversity in Teacher Education Award. In 2023, in honor of her exceptional contributions to, and excellence in, education research, Souto-Manning became an AERA Fellow.