Over the next few weeks, Education Dive will be profiling individuals who have been selected for the Education Dive A-List. The A-List is a set of distinctive voices on Twitter who are helping to push the industry forward, and have been chosen to show up in Education Dive's "Trending" section.
A-List Member: Kendra Kerr
Twitter Handle: @kendrakerr
What is your day job?
Program Coordinator for Right To Play’s inner city Youth To Youth program.
How did you get your start in education?
I have always had a keen interest in social justice and equity. When I graduated teacher college I started working within education policy and quickly came to realize that while I loved the work, I was missing the interaction with students. My job at Right To Play is a great combination of policy and practice.
What do you think will be the biggest trends in education over the next year or two?
In Canada there has been a lot of work done about what we term the "achievement gap"- the realization that students who come from lower income households are not doing as well in school. There is a big push within the boards that I work with to recognize the struggles these students face and implement measures to ensure these students have the tools necessary to complete their education. I see board working towards realized equity a trend now and for the next few years.
Second, technology will defiantly drive a lot of education discussion. The speed in which technology is changing means that the technological education our students are learning now will be irrelevant by the time they finish school. How do we get ahead of the changing pace of technology and provide our students with access and understanding? And furthermore, how can we as teachers better utilize technology to reach students?
What is the one Twitter account that you would recommend that education professionals follow and why?
@tdot_educator, Ruby Nagpal Seegobin, is really poignant and direct when speaking about issues that matter to teachers. Her posts often evoke great debate and really are relevant to teachers across Canada.