Description:

Dr. Nichole Pinkard will present for the Learning Sciences Brown Bag on Thursday, January 22, 2026. Dr. Pinkard is the Alice Hamilton Professor of Learning Sciences, the Faculty Director of the Office of Community Education Partnerships, and founder of the Digital Youth Network and L3. 

Talk title: Opportunity, Equity, Excellence: A Learning Sciences Lens on School Board Policy in District 65

Abstract:

In moments of district turmoil, school board policy isn’t just governance—it’s design work that shapes the learning conditions for young people, educators, and families. This brown bag offers a learning sciences perspective on school board policymaking through the live case of Evanston/Skokie District 65.

I’ll focus on three active policy arenas: AI policy (new norms for learning, integrity, and equity), school closures and consolidation (tradeoffs across finance, belonging, walkability, and trust), and 1:1 technology (access versus attention and family mediation). Across these examples, I’ll argue that policy functions as learning infrastructure—setting not only rules, but the participation structures and implementation routines that determine whether change becomes coherent and equitable.

To join via Zoom, please contact Tammy (tammy.wen@northwestern.edu).