Can Faith Communities Close Opportunity Gaps in Public Schools?
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U.S. public schools continue to face persistent opportunity gaps across race and socioeconomic status. The 2026 Burton & Inglis Lecture explores whether and how faith communities might serve as partners in addressing these disparities while honoring constitutional boundaries.
The evening will open with a musical performance by The Kuumba Singers of Harvard College and conclude with a reception. The reports and this lecture are in collaboration with the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University. Speakers: Nicole Baker Fulgham, Founder and Principal, Townsend Collaborative , Jon Jamison, Team Leader, Serve Team, South Carolina Baptist Convention , Bryant Jensen, Professor of Teacher Education and Affiliated Scholar at the Wheatley Institute, Brigham Young University , La Tonya Mouzon, Executive Director, ARISE2Read , Irvin L. Scott, Senior Lecturer, and Faculty Director, Leadership Initiative for Faith & Education (LIFE), Harvard Graduate School of Education, Stay for the Reception
6:30 -…
Type of Event: Community Programming. Discussion. Forum. Diversity & Equity. Lecture. Reception. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Teaching. Learning. Schools. Policy. Early Childhood and PreK. Literacy. Who can attend? General Public. Alumni. Faculty. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Gutman Conference Center E1. Contact Name: Harvard Graduate School of Education. Contact Email: events@gse.harvard.edu. Registration Required: Yes. Admission Fee: Free and open to the public. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Headlines.
Wednesday, March 25, 2026, 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM.
Gutman Library, Gutman Conference Center, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Gutman Library Virtual Book Talk: Getting Real About Sex Ed
In Getting Real About Sex Ed, Shafia Zaloom offers educators, administrators, and caregiving adults concrete language and strategies for integrating sexuality education into daily practice, beginning with students in kindergarten and carrying through to high school graduation. Zaloom advocates Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE), a holistic framework for K–12 classrooms that addresses the cognitive, emotional, social, and physical aspects of sexuality. The book highlights how CSE scaffolds the sexual development of students as it gradually layers in age-appropriate information, skills, and positive values to practice and prepare for safe and fulfilling relationships, as well as how students can take responsibility for their own sexual health and well-being.
Zaloom draws on the latest research and presents real-world scenarios from classrooms across the country that all educators face in developing students’ personal citizenship. With warmth, empathy, and insight, she guides teachers beyond the classroo…
Type of Event: Discussion. Community Programming. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Policy. Schools. Teaching. Learning. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Other. Contact Name: Myanne Krivoshey. Registration Required: Yes. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Gutman Library Book Talk.
Friday, March 27, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Zoom.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Gutman Library Hybrid Book Talk: Beyond the Doll Tests
In Beyond the Doll Tests, Dr. Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy draws on decades of expertise as an educator, school counselor, and leader in equity to deliver compelling insights and practical strategies that address the impact of racism, trauma, and systemic inequities that shape Black students’ experiences in America’s schools. With powerful storytelling and evidence-based frameworks, this essential resource challenges educators to move beyond surface-level inclusion and become active partners in dismantling barriers to Black students’ well-being.
Through case studies, reflective exercises, and scalable interventions, Holcomb-McCoy reveals how the legacy of racial bias—exposed so vividly in Mamie and Kenneth Clark’s historic doll tests—continues to shape educational experiences today. The book offers actionable tools grounded in Black Psychology and culturally responsive practice, giving educators new language and strategies to affirm students’ strengths, foster self-efficacy, and nurture positive identity…
Type of Event: Diversity & Equity. Reception. Question & Answer Session. Community Programming. Topic: Equity and Access. Early Childhood and PreK. Leadership. Policy. Schools. Teaching. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Gutman Conference Center E1. Contact Name: Myanne Krivoshey. Registration Required: Yes. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Gutman Library Book Talk.
Tuesday, March 31, 2026, 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM.
Gutman Conference Center E1 and on Zoom.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Schools and America’s 250th: Patriotism, Pluralism, and Civic Education | Askwith Education Forum
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As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, questions about democracy, belonging, and civic responsibility are taking on renewed urgency. What role should schools play in preparing young people to engage thoughtfully with the nation’s history, its pluralism, and its democratic ideals, especially amid polarization and deep disagreement?
This Askwith Education Forum convenes scholars and practitioners for a timely national conversation on civic education and dialogue across differences, exploring how schools can foster informed patriotism, democratic participation, and mutual understanding in a complex civic landscape.
Moderator: Eric Soto-Shed, Lecturer on Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Speakers include: Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor, Harvard University; Director, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation , Aimee Rogstad Guidera, Residential Fellow Spring 2026, Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School; former Secretary of Education,…
Type of Event: Community Programming. Discussion. Forum. Diversity & Equity. Lecture. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Teaching. Learning. Schools. Policy. Program/Department: Askwith Forum. Who can attend? General Public. Alumni. Faculty. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Askwith Hall. Contact Name: Harvard Graduate School of Education. Contact Email: askwith@gse.harvard.edu. Registration Required: Yes. Admission Fee: Free and open to the public. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Askwith Education Forums.
Thursday, April 9, 2026, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM.
Longfellow Hall, 13 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Gutman Library Virtual Book Talk: Race, Class, and Affirmative Action
In Race, Class, and Affirmative Action, Julie J. Park offers deft analysis of the changes to college admissions and campus life since the US Supreme Court ruled to restrict race-conscious policies in two 2023 cases: Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) v. Harvard and SFFA v. the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Park offers clear explanations of the rulings, their historical context, and their implications for higher education policy. She highlights how the Supreme Court still allows campuses to consider the role of race in students’ experiences and that numerous tools to advance diversity in admissions remain.
In this lively, timely work, Park points out the swift and stark post-ruling shifts in campus demographics and grapples with questions of how to push toward a more equitable admissions system. She investigates alternative initiatives, such as test-optional and test-free admissions, percent plans, and others, weighing their merits and drawbacks. She also examines inequality affecting college…
Type of Event: Discussion. Community Programming. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Policy. Schools. Teaching. Higher Education. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Other. Contact Name: Myanne Krivoshey. Registration Required: Yes. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Gutman Library Book Talk.
Monday, April 13, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Zoom.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. Gutman Library Virtual Book Talk: Mental Health in College
With concerns about student mental health on the rise, Alexis Redding and contributors draw on expertise across disciplines to offer practical strategies and deep insight for those on the front lines: student affairs professionals, faculty, advisors, counseling center staff, and families. This timely book addresses the most pressing mental health issues facing undergraduates, delivering an actionable blueprint to help colleges build caring, inclusive communities where all students can thrive.
Blending compelling student stories, expert analysis, and actionable strategies, Mental Health in College explores the full spectrum of the college experience: from the pressures of admissions and financial stress to challenges faced by student veterans, community college students, and those navigating post-graduate uncertainty. Each chapter features cutting-edge research alongside innovative “Voices from the Field” vignettes focused on experienced practitioners. The book moves beyond a clinical focus, offering instit…
Type of Event: Discussion. Community Programming. Topic: Equity and Access. Leadership. Policy. Schools. Teaching. Higher Education. Who can attend? Alumni. Faculty. General Public. Harvard Community. Staff. Students. Building/Room: Other. Contact Name: Myanne Krivoshey. Registration Required: Yes. RSVP Required: Yes. Featured Event: Gutman Library Book Talk.
Friday, May 8, 2026, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM.
Zoom.
For more info visit calendar.gse.harvard.edu. University Holiday: Memorial Day
Holiday Calendar
University is closed.
Type of Event: Holiday. Registration Required: No.
Monday, May 25, 2026.