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Thomas H. Wright Lecture

The Thomas H. Wright Lecture, inaugurated in 1995, honors Thomas H. Wright's dedication to Sarah Lawrence and his long service on the Board of Trustees. An endowment, established by the Leon Lowenstein Foundation, funds the lecture.

2012 Thomas Wright Lecture

Teaching and Learning in a Diverse and Inequitable World
Patricia Ramsey, EdD

Monday July 9, 2012
4:30 p.m.
Donnelley Theater
Heimbold Visual Arts Center
Sarah Lawrence College

Patricia Ramsey, EdD, is a leading expert on early childhood development including social development, early attitude development, and multicultural education for young children.  Dr. Ramsey is Professor of Psychology and Education at Mount Holyoke College and for nearly 20 years, she was Director of Mount Holyoke's Gorse Child Study Center.   For more than 30 years, Dr. Ramsey has served as a consultant for a number of preschools and school systems. She was formerly a consultant for the multicultural exhibits at the Boston Children's Museum. 

A significant focus of Dr. Ramsey’s research and teaching is on how children develop early attitudes about gender, race, and social class and how teaching from a multicultural perspective affects children's early awareness and attitudes. Dr. Ramsey is currently researching identity formation of transracial adoptees and the strengths and vulnerabilities of adoptees and their families.

She is the author of numerous publications including What If All the Kids Are White? Engaging White Children and Teachers in Multicultural Education, Teaching and Learning in a Diverse World, and Multicultural Education: A Resource Book.

Previous Thomas H. Wright Lectures

  • 2011
    Voices of Children Voices of Teachers: Reclaiming the Classroom
    Mary Hebron, MA
  • 2010
    When Parents, Educators, and Clinicians Collaborate: Classrooms for All Learners
    A Panel Discussion with Stephanie Petrillo Gould, MEd, CSP; Maggie Hoffman; and Cassandra Hyacinthe, MEd
    Jan Drucker, PhD, moderator
  • 2009
    Consuming Kids: Reclaiming Childhood from Media and Corporate Marketers
    Susan Linn, EdD, Co-Founder and Director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, and Associate Director of the Media Center of Judge Baker Children's Center
    Watch video»
  • 2008
    Where da Heat Go: Social Justice, Agency & Science
    Angela Calabrese Barton, PhD, Associate Professor of Teacher Education, Michigan State University
  • 2007
    Children and Nature Design Principles
    David L. Sobel, MEd, Director, Teacher Certification Programs; Co-director, Community Based School Environmental Education Program, Antioch New England Graduate School
  • 2006
    Open Pandora’s Box: Curiosity in the Classroom
    Susan Engel, PhD, Director of the Program in Teaching at Williams College
  • 2005
    Building a Community/Building a School
    Nancy Mann, MA, Principal, Fannie Lou Hamer Freedom High School
  • 2004
    Reflections on Teaching: Relationships, Possibilities, and Power
    Jane Andrias, MA, Leader in New York City's progressive education movement
  • 2003
    Nurturing the Remarkable Powers of Children
    William Crain, PhD, Professor of Psychology at The City College of New York
  • 2002
    Processes of Change in Schools
    Tom Roderick, MEd, Executive Director of Educators for Social Responsibility, New York City Metropolitan Area
  • 2001
    Pathways to Literacy: Non-Standardized Approaches to the Enhancement and Assessment of Literacy Across the Curriculum
    Frank Smith, PhD, Writer and Researcher, British Columbia, Canada
  • 2000
    Rethinking Standards and Assessment
    Harriet K. Cuffaro, EdD, Professor Emerita of Education, Bank Street College of Education and Staff Developer at the City and Country School, New York City
  • 1999
    Play and Learning
    Celia S. Genishi, PhD, Professor of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • 1998
    A New Look at Families, Schools and Child Development
    James P. Comer, MD, Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry, Yale University Child Study Center
  • 1997
    Rethinking Teaching: What Schools Can and Should Be
    Linda Darling-Hammond, EdD, Stanford University
  • 1996
    Conflict as a Fact of Life: Families, Schools, Communities
    Regina Arnold, PhD, Professor of Sociology and Associate Dean of Studies, Sarah Lawrence College
  • 1995
    Family/School Partnerships: Working Together for Children
    Patricia Carini, Founder of Prospect School and the Prospect Archives and Center for Education and Research, North Bennington, Vermont