October 6, 2025
Raleigh, NC — The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Opportunity, in partnership with the Public School Forum of North Carolina, Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity, and the Center for Child and Family Policy at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy, hosted the 2025 Color of Education Summit on October 3–4, convening nearly 700 in-person and virtual attendees for two days of powerful dialogue, learning, and collective visioning. The hybrid summit featured over 20 presentations, three keynote addresses, and countless opportunities for educators, students, policymakers, and community leaders to connect and share strategies for advancing equity in education.
This year’s theme, “Preserving Our Legacy: The Power in the Stories We Carry,” underscored the critical role of storytelling as both a source of truth and a roadmap for change.
Ann McColl, Interim Executive Director and President of the Public School Forum of NC, opened the summit with a call to honor North Carolina’s constitutional promise of a sound, basic education for every child:
“Legacies are not static—they are stories passed from generation to generation. They remind us that progress is never inevitable; it is built, protected, and sustained through the choices we make together.”
Flood Center Senior Director Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith urged participants to embrace vulnerability and connection as guiding practices:
“Each of us carries a story. Alone, those stories remind us of where we have been. But when we weave them together, they become something greater: a collective story—one of resistance, courage, and hope. I ask each of you to carry forward the tenets of trust, truth, courage, and power, and to turn story into strategy and strategy into transformation.”
Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards, Associate Professor at Duke University School of Medicine and Director of the Research Collaboratory for Diversity and Inclusion, reminded the audience of the resilience embedded in shared narratives:
“The stories we tell and preserve give us the strength to move forward despite the obstacles before us. They anchor us in legacy and propel us toward justice.”
In her closing charge, Dr. Townsend-Smith called on attendees to transform inspiration into impact, offering three action steps:
- Carry forward the tenets of trust, truth, courage, and power in daily work.
- Build connections into commitments by sustaining the relationships forged at the summit.
- Turn stories into action by using personal and collective narratives to open doors of opportunity and advocate for equity.
Over two days, participants engaged with more than 20 breakout sessions and plenaries that addressed urgent challenges in public education, including educator diversity, community-driven school design, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and the role of policy in advancing educational equity. Three tremendous keynote speakers spanning scholarship, policy, and community leadership offered inspiration and frameworks for change.
“Color of Education continues to be a space where truth-telling and courageous dialogue meet action,” said Dr. Townsend-Smith. “We leave this year’s summit not only carrying our stories, but also committed to building a future where every student has the opportunity to thrive.”
Attendees at the Color of Education summit have extended opportunities to network, strategize and organize through the Flood Center’s Mapping the Movement initiative.
If you missed out on the 2025 Color of Education Summit, you will have the opportunity to experience this event when the Flood Center releases an opportunity to purchase a limited release of some of the sessions on December 4, 2025. Join us next year on October 2 – 3, 2026.
Color of Education led by the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity is grateful for the support of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Peter and Sandra Conway, Education NC (EDNC), Wake Forest University, ClassLink, Towne Bank, North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE), National Geographic, First North Carolina, FlyLeaf Books, Corning, UNC School of Education, Education Policy Initiative at Carolina (EPIC), Praxis, Kenan Fellows Program, Unc Greensboro Department of Educational Leadership and Cultural Foundations, UNC Greensboro School of Education, and Stem Educators for Equity & Diversity Fellowship (SEED)
If you’re interested in sponsoring Color of Education 2026, please contact Deanna Townsend-Smith at dtownsend-smith@ncforum.org or visit https://floodcenter.org/color-of-education/. Sponsorship opportunities for the October 2 – 3, 2026, event is available using this link – https://floodcenter.org/color-of-education/.
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About the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity
The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity (Flood Center) serves as a hub to identify and connect organizations, networks, and leaders to address issues of access and opportunity in education across North Carolina. Leaning on the 70+ years of experience and wisdom of our namesake Dr. Dudley E. Flood, the Flood Center works collaboratively to take action toward addressing issues of systemic injustice by advocating for structural changes in policy and practice to build a public education system that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of North Carolina’s diverse student population. Specifically, the Dudley Flood Center exists to transform public education by addressing the structural barriers that limit opportunity and access for PK–12 students and educators. Follow the Flood Center on LinkedIn and visit our website at https://floodcenter.org/.
About the Public School Forum of North Carolina
Since 1986, the Public School Forum of North Carolina has been an indispensable and nonpartisan champion of better schools and the most trusted source in the state for research and analysis on vital education issues. We bring together leaders from business, education and government to study education issues, develop ideas, seek consensus, and ultimately inform and shape education policy. We do that through research, policy work, innovative programs, advocacy, and continuing education for educators and policymakers. Follow the Forum on Twitter @theNCForum and visit our website at http://www.ncforum.org/
About the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity
The Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity is a scholarly collaborative that studies the causes and consequences of inequality and develops remedies for these disparities and their adverse effects. Concerned with the economic, political, social and cultural dimensions of uneven access to resources, opportunity and capabilities, Cook Center researchers take a cross-national comparative approach to the study of human difference and disparity. Considering both global and local shortcomings, Cook Center scholars not only address the overarching social problem of general inequality, but they also explore social problems associated with gender, race, ethnicity and religious affiliation. Follow the Cook Center on Twitter @DukeSocialEQ, on Bluesky @dukesocialeq.bsky.social, and visit our website at https://socialequity.duke.edu/
About the Center for Child and Family Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University
The Center for Child and Family Policy pursues science-based solutions to important problems affecting today’s children and families. The Center emphasizes the bridge from research to policy and practice through an integrated system of research, teaching, service and policy engagement. Center research has grown to include an array of projects that touch on critical child and family policy issues. Center faculty fellows include a trio of scholars who focus on the effect of economic distress on child development. Other fellows study early childhood, the development of risky behaviors, childhood mental illness and a wide range of education policy issues including school truancy, charter schools, teacher training and education reform efforts.Follow the Center for Child and Family Policy on Twitter @DukeChildPol and visit our website at https://childandfamilypolicy.duke.edu/
For media inquiries, please contact Malasia McClendon or mmcclendon@ncforum.org.