The Little Rock School District will host an inaugural Black Male Educator Summit from Friday to Saturday, May 17-18, 2024. The sessions, panel discussions, and keynote address will be held at Little Rock Southwest High School, 9715 Mabelvale Pike. Robert Jackson, former NFL player, classroom teacher, award-winning author, and motivational speaker, will deliver the keynote address.
The summit theme is Shop Talk: Building Community Through Cutting-Edge Conversations. Its purpose is to ignite a movement in the Little Rock School District (LRSD) and the central Arkansas region that will ultimately improve outcomes for black male educators and students.
Participation in the summit, however, is open to all who wish to attend. Additionally, the target audience extends beyond educators in the LRSD. We are extending an invitation to educators from neighboring districts, college students at local and regional higher education institutions (especially those majoring in education or a related field), and community members with a vested interest in pre-K-12 education.
The tentative agenda below will be updated within the next week once all speakers and session topics have been confirmed. Registration is limited to the first 350 participants who register before the April 30, 2024 deadline. The link to register is
https://lrsd.jotform.com/240734799851066. The registration fee is $27 for all participants. However, students may register and attend the summit free of charge.
We look forward to seeing you!
Shop Talk: Building Community Through Cutting Edge Conversations
Summit - May 18th
General Summit Agenda - 7:15 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Registration & Breakfast
Official Conference Opening Activities
Keynote Speaker
Panel Discussion #1: Current State of Black Males in Education
Tentative Breakout Session Topics Include:
Mentoring Black Males
Black Male Educators as Champions for Literacy
Normalizing Mental Health with Black Men & Black Boys
"They Don't Want to Learn or Come to School: Effective Strategies to Engage the
'Alleged' Un-Engagable"In Glow/Out-Flow: Black Men and Wellness
Black Male Educator Recruitment & Retention: From an HR and Black Male
Educator PerspectiveUsing Hip-Hop Culture to Engage Today's Youth
Excellence and EmpowerMENt in Black Male Education Leadership
"Bangin in the Rock" (1994-2024): What to know about community youth violence
and its implications on schooling and Preventing the School-to-Prison Pipeline
Panel Discussion #2: Black Male Educators: The Student Perspective
Remarks and a Call to Action
Recognitions
Pledge and Adjournment