OFFERINGS
Topics
Fostering student agency in K-12 and college and university settings; the sociology of grit and the social contexts that foster student achievement; opportunity gaps and how to address them in education, workforce, and community; equitable workforce development and how companies can create inclusive conditions; spreading cultural competency in modern times and creating networks of support; the foundations behind personalized learning.
Takeaways
Anindya engages with audiences using a combination of narratives and quotes from his research, evidence and data, current affairs, and story-telling strategies to make his work relevant, lighthearted, and actionable for groups of all kinds.
Audiences leave with a combination of:
understanding how to nurture agency and grit;
knowing how to inspire the learning of diverse and underrepresented students;
understanding the importance of cultural competence and how communities can build this muscle;
how to leverage student voice to create change improve systems;
reflecting on their own journeys as academics or professionals to reaffirm their purpose and motivations in life.
Audiences
K-12 school districts and school boards; college and university student or faculty groups; companies and organizations interested in equitable hiring and culturally sensitive workplace conditions; parents and educators; educational professionals and conferences on student learning and motivation; professionals who engage in behavioral intervention, and anyone interested in agency, grit, goal setting, motivation, student voice and equity, cultural competency, opportunity gaps, inclusive economy and workforce development.
The Power of Student Agency
Anindya argues that we can fight deeply rooted inequalities in the American educational system by harnessing student agency―each person’s unique capacity for positive change. To make his case, Kundu draws powerful narratives from a population of individuals who beat the odds to become academically and professionally successful. These strivers have overcome challenges such as homelessness, unexpected pregnancies, forms of abuse, incarceration, and more, to make it in the world.
But it wasn’t simply individualism, tenacity, resilience, or grit that helped them. Rather, as Kundu illustrates, it was a combination of social and cultural supports that paved the path towards their dreams, harnessing the power of their agency. The book was a #1 New Bestseller in the categories of College and University Student Life, and Educational Psychology on Amazon.com.
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