Honest Education in America: Building Truth and Inclusion in the Classroom

February 1, 3:00 pm ET

Registrants may access video upon request.

Resources shared in the webinar:

Opinion: Florida’s ban on AP Black history class leaves stories untold

Two Dope Teachers and a Mic podcast

Chris Dier's TikTok channel on "unmarginalizing history"

Join an engaging conversation with the Voices for Honest Education Fellows, State Teachers of the Year who are working across the country and in target states to address education gag orders and support student-affirming public education through media, teacher and policy engagement. We will be joined by:

Chris Dier, 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year
Gerardo A. Muñoz, 2021 Colorado Teacher of the Year
Tracey Nance, 2020-2021 Georgia Teacher of the Year
Moderator: Dr. Zoë Stemm-Calderon, Senior Director, Youth Serving Systems, Raikes Foundation

The Voices for Honest Education Fellowship, powered by the National Network of State Teachers of the Year and Education Civil Rights Alliance convened by the National Center for Youth Law, officially launched in October with the release of The Student-Affirming Education Needed for Our Children and Our Nation’s Future Report. Read more about the powerful work of the fellowship in Education Week and K-12 Dive.

There is no cost to attend this Grantmakers for Education program. Registration closes 15 minutes prior to the program time. Thank you for your patience; we review each registration in advance.

About the Speakers

Chris Dier
2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year

Chris Dier is a history teacher at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans. He is the 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year and was a 2020 finalist for the National Teacher of the Year. His pedagogical scholarship and his student advocacy have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico, and he has appeared on NPR, CBS, The Canadian Broadcast Corporation, and CNN. Chris is also the author of The 1868 St. Bernard Parish Massacre, published by The History Press. Dier has two master’s degrees from the University of New Orleans, and he is presently pursuing a Ph.D. in curriculum development.

Gerardo Muñoz
2021 Colorado Teacher of the Year

Writer, poet, doctoral student, and educator Gerardo A. Muñoz is the 2021 Colorado Teacher of the Year. For over twenty years, he promoted equity, student voice, and professional solidarity on the local, state, and national levels. As a middle and high school Social Studies teacher at the Denver Center for International Studies at Baker, Gerardo has been instrumental in the school’s development over most of the last twenty years. He established the school’s first Debate Team, Drama Club, Latinx Student Alliance, Black Student Alliance and middle school girls’ and boys’ soccer program in his early years at DCIS. Since 2018, he has sponsored and coached his school’s chapter of the Student Board of Education and the 5280 Challenge program, through the Denver Public Schools Student Voice and Leadership program, which works to address challenges and opportunities in the school and local community through community organizing and social justice-focused policy development.

Tracey Nance
2020-2021 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Tracey Nance is an education and equity advocate, and the 2020 and 2021 Georgia Teacher of the Year. Graduating from The University of Chicago’s Urban Teacher Education Program in 2009, Tracey taught third grade at a Chicago Turnaround School for three years before returning to her native Atlanta where she taught in Atlanta Public Schools as a Fourth Grade Teacher, Interventionist, and Instructional Coach. During her two-year term as Georgia Teacher of the Year, Tracey served on the Georgia School Board as an ex-officio member and traveled the state increasing awareness of both educational equity and the magnitude of teachers’ impact. Tracey continues to advocate for kids and educators through her work with non-profit organizations such as Page Turners Make Great Learners, and is currently serving as a Voices for Honest Education Fellow with the National Network of State Teachers of the Year (NNSTOY). Tracey is thrilled to spend the next year connecting with educators, communities, and policymakers across the country to help ensure that inclusion and teaching truth are central to student learning.

Dr. Zoë Stemm-Calderon
Senior Director, Youth Serving Systems
Raikes Foundation

Zoë joined the Raikes Foundation in 2015 to lead its education strategy. Before joining the foundation, Zoë served as a resident at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation while completing her doctorate in education leadership from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Previously, Zoë was assistant superintendent of professional support and development at Houston Independent School District (ISD). Prior to her work in Houston ISD, Zoë was a senior leader at Teach for America, where she spent her 10-year tenure focused on advancing the organization’s approach to teacher, coach, and manager development. Zoë began her career as an elementary school teacher in Houston. Zoë lives in Seattle with her partner Andre and her two daughters.