CEWL enjoys giving platforms to our members and education thought leaders so they can discuss the issues that matter most to them. Our panel discussions are designed to advocate for the policies and legislation we need to deliver the schools you and your students deserve.

Diane Ravitch is one of America's greatest thought leaders in the education space. She is a historian of education, an educational policy analyst, and a research professor at New York University's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Previously, she was a U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education. In 2010, she became "an activist on behalf of public schools". Her blog at DianeRavitch.net has received more than 36 million page views since she began blogging in 2012. Ravitch writes for the New York Review of Books. She is the author of The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education, Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools, Slaying Goliath: The Passionate Resistance to Privatization and the Fight to Save America's Public Schools, and Left Back: A Century of Failed School Reforms.

Join author and USC law professor Derek Black for a conversation about voucher schemes and the powerful impact black leaders have had on advancing public education in South Carolina.

Debbra Alvarado is the Director of Programs & Network Engagement at Hispanic Alliance (https://hispanicalliancesc.com/). She shares tips for best supporting our Hispanic students. We discuss what educators need to know about ICE raids and honoring the cultures of all students. She also shares practical tips for Hispanic families to be aware of their rights. Folks can download and print "Red Cards" that help people communicate their constitutional rights at https://hispanicalliancesc.com/resources-legal/.

Join Deborah DePaoli, Palmetto Engagement & Policy Director at the Institute for Child Success, for a conversation about childhood advocacy. Deborah started her career in public education and community development at the age of seventeen, working with migrant farmworkers and their children in Southern California. She served for years as a public-school teacher and administrator working with marginalized students: second language learners, under-resourced preschoolers, and the children of low-wage earners. Deborah has now lived in South Carolina for 18 years where she currently works for Institute for Child Success engaging with families, agencies, and elected officials to advocate for children. Equity in education, access to political power, and real opportunities for establishing generational wealth are some of the issues that Deborah is most passionate about.

Join Jalisa White as she shares her inspiring story about how mindfulness transformed her life.

Learn more about cooking, nutrition and plant-based tips from Jessica Carswell.

Join US History teacher Michael Burgess for a conversation about the challenges of teaching US History in our current political climate.

Join Jaheim President, a history teacher at Berea Middle School for a conversation about his pathway to teaching, male/minority recruitment, and his reflections on being an early career educator.

Mev McIntosh discusses her journey as a public school advocate. Starting with her family history, she shares her evolution into a warrior for students and their teachers.