ED TALKS - Life-Changing Education

Overview

ED Talks are public presentations that bring Michigan faculty expertise to communities statewide. Each talk makes educational research accessible and actionable—connecting scholarship with the real challenges people face in schools, workplaces, and communities.

Through plain language and engaging stories, ED Talks foster dialogue between researchers and practitioners. Topics range from how children learn to read to what makes mentorship effective to designing inclusive classrooms.

How It Works

Events happen several times each semester in partner communities. Each 20- to 30-minute talk is followed by open discussion that invites audience insight and questions. Speakers come from across disciplines—engineering, medicine, arts, education—showing that learning innovation is everywhere.

Talks are free and open to the public. Recordings and summaries appear afterward so ideas keep circulating long after the event. Attend in person, join online, or propose a talk of your own.

Future of Learning Scholars

The inaugural Future of Learning Scholars cohort consists of a select group of scholars leading innovative education research across disciplines at the University of Michigan. They have completed intensive scholarship and community engagement training and will be deployed for public engagement initiatives during the upcoming fall semester.

Michael Bastedo

Marvin W. Peterson Collegiate Professor of Education; Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Affairs

Marsal Family School of Education

Angela Calabrese Barton

Alvin Demar Loving Sr. Collegiate Professor of Education

Marsal Family School of Education

Kara S. Finnigan

Associate Dean and Professor

Marsal Family School of Education

Paul J. Fleming

Associate Professor of Public Health

School of Public Health

Erin Elizabeth Flynn

Associate Professor of Educational Studies; Faculty Lead for Educational Equity, Justice, & Social Transformation (EEJST) MA

Marsal Family School of Education

Rebecca E. Hasson

Victor L. Katch Collegiate Professor of Kinesiology; Director, Childhood Disparities Research Laboratory

School of Kinesiology; School of Public Health

Mika LaVaque-Manty

Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Associate Professor of Political Science, Associate Professor of Philosophy

College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Earl Lewis

Thomas C. Holt Distinguished University Professor; Director, Center for Social Solutions

College of Literature, Science, and the Arts; Gerald F. Ford School of Public Policy

William D. Lopez

Clinical Associate Professor, Associate Chair, Department of Health Behavior and Health Equity, School of Public Health; Faculty Associate, Latina/o Studies Program

Vilma Mesa

Professor, Marsal Family School of Education, and Mathematics

College of Literature, Sciences, and the Arts

Chauncey Monte-Sano

Professor; Director, Teaching and Reasoning and Inquiry Project in Social Studies (TRIPSS) Lab

Marsal Family School of Education

Alaina Neal-Jackson

Clinical Assistant Professor

Marsal Family School of Education

Katie Richards-Schuster

Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs and Strategic Initiatives; Associate Professor

School of Social Work

Joe Ryan

Professor Social Work, Director Child and Adolescent Data Lab

School of Social Work

Chris Torres

Associate Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership; Lead Faculty, Educational Leadership and Policy MA in Educational Studies

Marsal Family School of Education

Tanya S. Wright

Professor of Early Literacy

Marsal Family School of Education

Jeremy Wright-Kim

Assistant Professor of Education; Affiliate Faculty, Education Policy Initiative

Marsal Family School of Education

Upcoming Ed Talks

Our inaugural ED Talk launch event was on May 18 on the Marygrove Learning Community campus in Detroit. Over summer 2026, faculty scholars will undergo ED Talk training, and more ED Talks will come in Fall 2027. Join our mailing list for speaker announcements and locations.

No upcoming events listed? Check back soon or join our mailing list for future sessions.

Upcoming Ed Talks

No upcoming events listed? Check back soon or join our mailing list for future sessions.