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Emerging Trends in the Education Classroom

A Panel Discussion with the Authors David Sadker, Alberto Arenas, and Billy Smith

  • Higher Education
  • Event
  • On-demand
  • Foundations of Education
  • Introduction to Education
  • 55 Minutes
  • On-Demand Video

Description

Join esteemed educators David Sadker, Alberto Arena, and Billy Smith, co-authors of the 2026 Release of Teachers, Schools, and Society: A Brief Introduction to Education, for a lively conversation on the evolving landscape of teaching and learning.

Watch as the panel explores the thoughtful choices behind the new edition and how the book serves as a tool for addressing some of today’s most pressing issues in education. From the influence of digital life on classroom dynamics to the role of sustainability and civic dialogue, the discussion offers timely insights and practical ideas for educators seeking to make a meaningful impact.

Together, the authors consider questions such as:

  • How can educators rethink attention, authority, and learning in an age of constant connectivity?
  • What does it look like to make sustainability an explicit part of education—and how can classrooms become spaces to engage these issues thoughtfully?
  • How can teachers balance evidence-based inquiry with global perspectives on educational quality?

Watch now to gain fresh perspectives, reflective strategies, and inspiration to bring purpose-driven practices into your teaching.

About Your Speaker

  • David Sadker -

    David Sadker

    David Sadker is professor emeritus of American University in Washington D.C. and has earned degrees from The City College of New York, Harvard University, and the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

    Dr. Sadker gained a national reputation for research and publications promoting each student's right to an effective education. He has authored seven books, and his innovative work in teacher education has been reported in hundreds of newspapers and magazines including The Washington Post, The New York Times, The London Times, and Newsweek. He has appeared on television and radio shows, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, National Public Radio’s All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm Show, Talk of the Nation, and twice on Dateline: NBC with Jane Pauley.

    David has been honored with national awards from The American Educational Research Association, The American Association of University Women, and The American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. David Sadker has been awarded two honorary doctorates and was selected as a torchbearer in the 2002 Olympics. 

  • Alberto Arenas -

    Alberto Arenas

    Dr. Alberto Arenas is Professor of Environmental and Sustainability Education in the College of Education at the University of Arizona and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Environmental Education, the world’s oldest journal in the field. A former middle school teacher in Oakland, California, he was also a Fulbright Scholar in Mexico and Colombia and worked in literacy campaigns in Brazil inspired by Paulo Freire’s pedagogy. From 2017 to 2021, he served as Associate Editor for Environmental and Sustainability Education for the Oxford Encyclopedia of Educational Administration and has been a member of the Scientific Committees of several World Environmental Education Congresses since 2013. He earned his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

  • Billy Smith -

    Billy Smith

    Billy Smith has held numerous roles in K-16 education, including 6th-grade humanities teacher, curriculum writer, teacher educator, and most recently, Associate Professor of Teaching, Learning & Sociocultural Studies at the University of Arizona. Billy holds degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Harvard Graduate School of Education, The University of Texas at Austin, and Arizona State University. Billy has published in a wide range of national and international journals on subjects related to race, Holocaust education, and the teaching and learning of "difficult" histories.