Groundbreaking Center for Hip-Hop Education Research, Training, and Evaluation
The Hip-Hop Association (H2A), in partnership with the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education at New York University’s Steinhardt School for Culture, Education, and Human Development, is proud to announce the launch of the Hip-Hop Education (H2Ed) Center for Research, Evaluation and Professional Development. Right on the heels of Hip-Hop’s 35th birthday, the Center emerges at a pivotal moment in history that will shape and transform the current education system in the United States.
The H2Ed Center will bring together national art programs and educational institutions as the premiere site for the study, instruction and assessment of Hip Hop Education. An advisory committee made up of scholars, educators, teaching artists, and administrators will form a think tank to support the aggregation of data, and to address challenges in the field. Our ultimate goal is to be a catalyst for education reform through advocacy and policy recommendations.
Both Director of the H2Ed Center, Martha Diaz and Deputy Director, Diana Noriega will lead the initiatives with the Executive Director, Principal Investigator and Professor, Dr. Pedro Noguera of the Metropolitan Center, and Research Director, Dr. Eddie Fergus of the Metropolitan Center. The Associate Director of the Center for Multicultural Education and Programming, Marcella Runell Hall, will also join as the Center’s Associate Director. Marcella currently spearheads the Hip-Hop and Pedagogy Initiative, which ties into NYU’s Hip-Hop programming and events community.
The H2Ed Center’s signature event will be the Hip-Hop Educates and Advances Lives (HHEAL) Festival. Part of the Global Clinton Initiative—University commitment to action project, HHEAL is an annual two-day teach-in on Hip-Hop culture as a tool for human rights and social change. In addition to panels and hands-on workshops, the Festival will feature inspirational films and motivational speakers.
“Hip-Hop culture is an undeniable force that must be examined further in order to bring credence to this new field of education practice that is gaining traction. Creating the center has been both arduous and rewarding,” says Hip-Hop Association President, Martha Diaz. “We needed a space to conduct expert research, cultivate leadership, and create an archive that validates the work we do. With our academic supporters at NYU, we made it happen.”
About the Hip Hop Association: Formed in 2002, the Hip-Hop Association [H2A] is an award winning 501(c)(3) non-profit community building organization. The H2A fosters social change through the use of media, popular culture, social entrepreneurship, leadership development and diplomacy. We are dedicated to facilitating critical thinking, education reform, cross-cultural unity and civic engagement, while preserving Hip-Hop culture for scholarship and future generations. www.hiphopassociation.org
About the Metro Center for Urban Education: The Metropolitan Center for Urban Education is a comprehensive, university-based center that focuses on educational research, policy, and practice. We are a partner and resource at the local and national levels in strengthening and improving access, opportunity, and the quality of education in our schools. Our mission is to target issues related to educational equity by providing leadership and support to students, parents, teachers, administrators, and policy makers. http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/metrocenter/index.html
