The Residency Lab
Time for a Hard Reset: Revisioning Education for Equity (Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings) 2023 Keynote Speech
This video presents Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings' keynote speech at the California Teacher Residency Lab 2023 Annual Symposium. During her presentation, Dr. Ladson-Billings calls for a “hard re-set” in education, framing COVID-19, racism, economic instability, and climate change as interconnected global pandemics that demand a reimagining of schooling through an equity lens. The speaker argues that rather than returning to “normal,” educators should use this moment as a portal to redesign education by centering culturally relevant pedagogy, which balances student learning, cultural competence, and critical consciousness. Through historical examples and contemporary classroom practices, the talk emphasizes leveraging relationships, technology, youth culture, and social realities to create more just, responsive, and democratic educational systems.