JuanCarlos Arauz, Ed.D
Dr. JuanCarlos Arauz is one of the most sought-after speaker and facilitator, inspiring and captivating audiences internationally through his creative storytelling approach. He has mastered the art of addressing the delicate topics of 21st century education, equity, immigration, and Black/Brown male youth development. He has written academically on the intersection of Social Emotional Learning & Equity as well as personal testimonials and is featured in a documentary that focuses on contemporary civil rights activists. His fresh and compelling vision cultivates collaboration between various sectors, providing solutions to humanize the educational process for everyone. “We cannot have educational excellence without equity.” (www.youtube.com/user/e3education) Dr. Arauz received his B.A. and M.A. in Social Science Education from the University of South Florida. He received his Ed.D. in International and Multicultural Education at the University of San Francisco. His dissertation focused on the racial identity development of undocumented youth. His belief that we cannot have educational excellence without equity led him to found the nonprofit, E3: Education, Excellence & Equity, where he serves as the founder and has reached 20 states & 6 countries. In addition, he has been an adjunct professor at Dominican University and has served as a trustee for several independent schools and educational organizations. His work speaks for itself. Fun facts are that JuanCarlos is a proud member of a family that includes his partner, a woman of grace, and have extended their family to include 29 children (there’s a story!). He was born in Brazil to Nicaraguan parents living in 6 different U.S. states & countries by age 21. He taught in the classroom and coached men and women state high school basketball championship teams of which he is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Tuesday, June 15, 2021 | 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM (CDT)
Cultural Resilience: Catapulting the Brilliance in Every Student
Can you imagine living with the label, “most likely to fail?” Why would a person carrying the weight of such a label want to engage? Can you imagine being burdened with the expectation “You can never fail?” Why would a person living with this burden wish to take any risks? These questions present all of us with the opportunity to ask how can we redefine educational excellence?
“Cultural Resilience” is what we call the competencies (inner strengths) acquired through diverse life experiences that often come from a difficult environment. Uncover how these competencies – critical analysis, adaptability, cross-cultural communication, and innovation – reflect and honor the wisdom of student’s lived experiences and create new, innovative standards and frameworks for educational equity and excellence. We propose that these lived experiences develop skills/competencies that have enabled people to survive these hardships or struggles.
Dr. Ladson-Billings states there is not an educational achievement gap, but rather- an educational debt- owed to society. The reality we face is that we must redefine educational excellence where every student- regardless of starting point- is engaged and expected to thrive in a culture of academic success. What if we had a strengths-based approach and had the key to translate those strengths into success in the classroom and the workplace? We invite you to discover how many of our most disfavored students have developed these skills through their lived experiences.
