
Education & Access
The promotion of a just and civically responsible society depends highly on our ability to provide people with equal access to an education system that helps them think critically about themselves and their communities. That means education is—at its core—an intersectional field that cannot be conceived apart from issues of race, class, and nation. The Education & Access pathway at the Lang Center is concerned precisely with the ways in which the academic discourse on education overlaps with local and national movements for expanding access to higher education, promoting equity in school funding, providing equal opportunities for undocumented immigrants, etc.
Engaged Scholarship Opportunities
Within the issue area of Education and Access, there are several ways that you can get involved both on and off campus. The Learning 4 Life program is a wonderful opportunity for you to pair with staff members & professors on campus to develop a specific skill or explore a personal interest. If you’re looking for tutoring opportunities, we have several easily accessible programs. The Dare 2 Soar program, Swarthmore’s oldest tutoring program, is for students interested in helping K-12 first-generation students achieve academic and personal growth. Let’s Get Ready, the SAT tutoring program, seeks tutors from Swarthmore and other colleges to tutor local high school students. If you’re more interested in education policy, consider joining the Critical Education Policies Studies group composed of Swarthmore faculty and undergraduates. In this group you’ll have an opportunity to publish work in their Journal of Critical Education Policy Studies, a wonderful example of engaged scholarship, connecting your classroom learning and life experiences to consequential policies of the day.
Connect
Lang Center Associates
Trelstad '25 | Kento Yamada '24 |
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Sign up for an appointment with them on the LCA appointment calendar.
Key Faculty & Staff
- Edwin Mayorga, Associate Professor of Educational Studies and Latin American & Latino Studies
- Lisa Smulyan ’76, Henry C. and Charlotte Turner Professor of Educational Studies
- Jennifer Bradley, Visiting Assistant Professor of Educational Studies
- Kevin Webb, Associate Professor of Computer Science
- Catherine Crouch, Professor of Physics
- Ben Geller, Assistant Professor of Physics & Coordinator of NSE Educational Support Initiatives
- Amy Kapit, Visiting Associate Professor of Peace & Conflict Studies
- K. Ann Renninger, Dorwin P. Cartwright Professor of Social Theory and Social Action
- Diane Anderson, Associate Professor of Educational Studies
Centers
- Educational Materials Center
- Teaching and Learning Commons (TLC)
Student Groups
- Learning 4 Life | Contact: Abdul Salam '23
- Let's Get Ready | Contact: Ashley Henry
- Dare 2 Soar | Contacts: Katie Carlson ‘23, Connor Barrett ‘24
Learn
Relevant Courses
- EDUC 014. Pedagogy and Power: An Introduction to Education
- EDUC 021. Educational Psychology
- EDUC 042. Teaching Diverse Young Leaders
- EDUC 045. Literacies and Social Identities
- EDUC 053. Educating Emergent Bilinguals
- EDUC 065. Education Research for Social Change
- EDUC 072. Humanitarianism: Education and Conflict
- EDUC 131. Social and Cultural Perspectives on Education
- EDUC 161A. Politics, Policy & Education
- LING 054. How Children Talk to Each Other: Oral and Written Language
Tri-Co
Bryn Mawr
- EDUC B266. Schools in American Cities
- EDUC B295. Advocating Diversity in Higher Education
Haverford
Act
On-Campus Opportunities
- Dare 2 Soar | Contact: Ashley Henry
- Journal of Swarthmore Critical Education Policy Studies | Contact: Edwin Mayorga
- Teacher Leadership & Black Feminist Activism in Urban Schools | Contact: Andrea Terrero Gabbadon
- BarrioEd Project: Nourishing Sanctuary Afterschool Program | Contact: Edwin Mayorga
Off-Campus Opportunities
- Research for Action
- PHENND VISTA Project
- Education Law Center
- Vassar Teacher Experience for Undergraduates
- Philadelphia Youth Network
- Chester Community Fellowship
- Caucus of Working Educators
- Philadelphia Education Fund
- Subscribe to the weekly newsletter of the Philadelphia Higher Education Network for Neighborhood Development (PHENND)
- Mighty Writers
- Breakthrough of Greater Philadelphia
- Spells Writing Lab
- Baltimore Algebra Project
- Chester Education Foundation
- DC Urban Educators Leadership Program
- Education Reform Now
- The Living Classrooms Foundation
- Zinn Education Project
- Racial Justice Philly
- Science Leadership Academy
Grants
- Davis Projects for Peace
- Debating for Democracy
- Lang Opportunity Scholarship (apply Sophomore year)
- Project Pericles Grant
- Summer Experience Funding (faculty-led engaged scholarship, internships, or projects)
Projects
- Elimu Kwanza After-School Program, Haron Kalii '23
- Improving Access to Museums in Cameroon, Philippe Kame '23
- FLI to Graduation, Aleina Dume '23
- The FreeArt Initiative, Chunyang Wang '22
- Writing in the Ward, Chris Precise '21
- Education project in Kenya, Jolleen Opula '21
- Strive St. Louis, Faith Becker '21
- The Benat Seshat Initiative, Nancy Awad '20
- Press for Peace Project, Seimi Park '20