On today's episode, how a first generation American envisions an education system that actually values who kids are and supports them to become their best selves.   Dr. Ulcca Joshi Hansen is a Chief Program Officer at Grantmakers for Education, a member organization that serves as a trusted partner for education philanthropists. Ulcca is a first-generation American who began school as an English-language learner; she was the first in her family to complete college and graduate school.  Her own experiences have fueled her desire to interrogate and advocate for an expanded vision of what it means to ensure every child has access to a high-quality education in America.   Ulcca is especially committed to bringing a racial justice and equity lens to the expansion of this educational approach, one that has been largely inaccessible to lower-income and BIPOC communities within America’s public education system.   Ulcca's new book, The Future of Smart, is out today!! The book traces the deep roots of America’s dominant approach to education and illuminates why so many reform and innovation efforts over the last three decades have fallen short of our aspirations for children AND it proposes a different path forward.   Links Mentioned: Next Generation Learning Challenge Education Reimagined Transcend Find Ulcca on LinkedIn | Twitter | Website   Follow Najia on LinkedIn