Out of School Time, Educator Preparedness, and Academic Enrichment | Dr. Christina Dukes Brown
Chief Executive Officer of the Boys & Girls Club of Paterson and Passaic, Dr. Christina Dukes Brown joins the conversation.
🎙️ This Week on the Podcast: Dr. Christina Brown
Episode Title: Out of School Time
Episode 2 of Season 7 features Dr. Christina Brown, who shares her extensive expertise and practical insights on education reform. She underscores the importance of data literacy in crafting effective student interventions, noting how insufficient training for educators often leads to burnout. Dr. Brown’s passionate advocacy for holistic community programs, such as the Boys and Girls Club and its Girls with Goals Initiative, highlights her dedication to empowering underserved youth through mentorship, academic support, and leadership development.
This conversation exemplifies the transformative strategies that leaders like Dr. Brown champion to create an equitable and effective education system for all students. Her blend of professional expertise and deep empathy makes her not only a remarkable guest but also an inspiring role model for education leaders everywhere.
📖 One Key Quote: “Data is just information. It is not an indictment of who you are as a human being. It doesn't tell anyone how much you care. It just provides you a roadmap to how to fix whatever is going poorly for a child academically.”
🧩 Resources Referenced in the Recording
Organizations
Learning Can’t Wait episodes referenced
📚 What I’m Listening To
The top podcast last week wasn’t Learning Can’t Wait (unfortunately) or even Joe Rogan’s usual chart-topper. Instead, the spotlight shifted to a controversial program, The Telepathy Tapes.
Hosted by Ky Dickens, the podcast explores extraordinary claims from families of autistic children who believe their kids possess telepathic abilities. Across the series, Dickens journeys around the world with Dr. Diane Hennacy Powell, a Johns Hopkins-trained neuroscientist investigating these phenomena, challenging listeners to rethink the boundaries of human understanding.
As someone deeply skeptical of the supernatural, I approached the series with cautious curiosity. While the scientific proof behind these claims remains a critical question, what struck me most were the heartfelt stories of profound love between families and their children, many of whom are considered non-verbal. Time and again, Dickens invites listeners into parents' homes doing everything possible to connect with their children—on the children’s terms.
This podcast left me reflecting on education. Too often, students are expected to conform to the “boxes” we build for them when, in fact, our responsibility is to design boxes that fit the unique needs of the children we serve. Through extraordinary effort and creativity, these families are doing just that: shaping environments that honor and amplify their children’s individuality.
Have you listened to The Telepathy Tapes yet? If so, I would love to hear your thoughts.
💭 What I’m Thinking About
As the looming inauguration approaches, I know I’m not alone in feeling a mix of emotions. For many, the next four years—and beyond—pose a profound risk to their fundamental rights and very existence.
While my work over the past two decades, including this podcast and newsletter, has centered on education, the challenges many face now reflect an even more basic need in Maslow’s hierarchy: safety. Yet, I believe education has the power to combat narrow-mindedness, hate, discrimination, and the subversion of truth—all of which threaten not just our democracy but the safety and dignity of our communities.
It may seem bold to launch a newsletter now, in a time of uncertainty, but I can think of no better moment to share open access to my thoughts and invite you into this dialogue. Each week, I’ll bring you the voices of passionate advocates dedicated to reshaping the future of education for students who deserve so much more.
My life’s purpose has always been to leave this world better than I found it. I hope you’ll join me in this effort. Together, we can create change that ensures a brighter, more equitable future for all.
