By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
Teachers from across America discussed the latest trends and challenges they continue to face as they seek to prepare their students for an ever changing world during the 2026 Smithsonian National Education Summit in Washington, D.C.
Under the theme of “Together We Thrive: Towards a More Perfect Union,” leading education experts explored instructional strategies and resources, July 14-16 while reflecting on shared stories and imagining a more diverse and inclusive future.
Dr. Monique M. Chism, the Smithsonian’s undersecretary for education, said educators must use words and employ strategies with care if their goal is to prepare students for the kinds of unchartered waters that lie ahead.
“Words can serve as life rafts that can carry us – teachers and students – over rough waters, which we will all inevitably face,” Chism said. “However, it’s imperative that teachers focus on intentionality. It’s our responsibility to prepare our students for the time when they will enter the world and seek to both claim their places and assert their voices.”
Leon Smith, 46, a social studies teacher at Haverford High School in Havertown, Pa., served as the keynote speaker for the three-day conference.
Smith, who has spent his entire 25-year career teaching advanced placement (AP) U.S. history and African-American studies, was recently named the 2026 National Teacher of the Year by the Council of Chief State Schools Officers. In 2025, he was named the Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year.
Smith said as the only Black teacher in his school for 20 years, he learned that his survival rested on his ability to trust his inherent ability to teach and his success at creating a supportive community.
“It’s important for educators to ensure that our students feel like they’re being seen and heard – something that was critical to my success after joining a faculty that was all-white,” Smith said. “Students, no matter what color they may be, need to be invited to participate in an environment in which they feel safe enough to be their authentic selves and join the classroom community. They need to feel valued … like they matter. As they complete their education and move into their careers, this is particularly important, especially for children of color.”
Smith said he remains committed to helping youth obtain a panoramic view of history – one in which all facets of history are included and deemed significant.
“Whether it’s a story, a photo, or a painting, what is in the center versus what’s on the periphery influences how we understand the images and shape our perspective,” Smith said. “But the process of expanding one’s perspective is something that only occurs through practice. Further, shared history relies on the inclusion of many voices.
“Without a more expansive perspective that recognizes the need and importance of honoring America’s diversity, many of us would never have heard about Elizabeth Freeman, an enslaved Black woman in Massachusetts, who used the state’s new 1780 Constitution which declared ‘all men are born free and equal,’ to successfully sue for her freedom in 1781.”
Smith continued, “As a historian, I knew I had to teach my students about the Montford Point Marines – the first African-American recruits integrated into the U.S. Marine Corp, who trained at a segregated camp in Jacksonville, N.C., from 1942 to 1949. That’s American history.”
Black teachers stress importance of critical thinking
Jasmine Pritchett, who teaches at Discovery Middle School in Selma, Ala., said to prepare students to successfully compete in a multicultural world, they must receive lessons that embrace a more inclusive American history.
“My classes are almost all-Black at 93 percent, so my first task is helping them better engage with people who are different from them,” Pritchett said. “They have to become masters at engagement in the world and to appreciate the diversity of cultures. As a Black woman teaching children, that remains one of my greatest joys.”
Ruth E. Ray, a middle school science teacher at Inspire NOLA, in New Orleans, La., also teaches classes that are predominantly Black or Hispanic. She said the prevailing winds of white supremacy have forced her to revise her classroom strategies and lesson plans.
“White supremacists are committed to systemically erase Black history – not only in the books that they want us to use in our instructions but in the way we shape our students’ minds and attitudes,” Ray said. “That’s why teaching youth how to think critically, rather than relying on AI, is so important today.
“The only way a child can recognize truth from the false notions promoted by white supremacists is by employing critical thinking. No matter what color my students may be, critical thinking remains their first line of defense.”
Kevin Coleman, the director of the art department at Crossland High School in Prince George’s County, Md., attended the conference as part of the first cohort of teachers chosen for the Smithsonian’s Schools of Distinction program.
His school serves as the dedicated Career Technical Education (CTE) Hub for the southern area of the county. With over 150 CTE programs across 24 different high schools, he said it’s clear that in Prince George’s County, more students and their parents are recognizing that receiving instruction in specific skills or trades can give them an advantage as they enter adulthood.
“Our students graduate with both a high school diploma and a certificate of proficiency which they can use in the future to either secure a license in a specific trade, like cosmetology, or to use as a side job when they enter college or go into the military,” Coleman said.
One surprising conversation to take place during the conference included Black educators who said their students seem less inclined to rely on artificial intelligence (AI) and are instead more interested in developing the skills that lead to proficiency in critical thinking.
“Our superintendent understands that career paths have changed from past generations. Even while we are working with artificial intelligence, we find that our students want to create their own work rather than feeding information into a computer and getting back what it gives to them,” said Coleman. “Learning to use materials essential to one’s degree or area of specialty and mastering critical thinking are what today’s youth have found lead to more successful outcomes.”
Creating an inclusive environment
Crystal Betha, who teaches at Moten Elementary in Washington, D.C., said adults must learn how to provide inclusive spaces for all students to learn.
“Just because a child may learn differently from others or have challenges in understanding basic concepts, does not mean we should label them or see them as having less to offer than other students,” Betha said. “I’ve found that the best advocates for special education children are their parents because they focus more on how their children are similar to others, not how they differ.
“All children, just like adults, want to feel they’re being invited to participate in the community,” she continued. “That’s especially important for Black boys and children of color. Last year, out of 12 children in my courseload, only one was a female and all of them were Black. But they all wanted to feel included.”
