Level: Secondary
Content Area: English Language Arts
Presenter: Vajra Watson, Ed.D., Director, Education Partnership Consortium, CRESS Center & Kindra Montgomery, M.PA. Associate Director of Training and Technical Assistance, CRESS Center, UC Davis

In order to engage and successfully teach today’s students, educators must first understand the cultural forms and stances that young people produce within what is commonly referred to as youth culture. As a prominent element of youth culture, hip-hop can be used to reach and teach. Participants in this session will examine various song lyrics; giving particular attention to the ways a select group of rappers conceptualize knowledge, learning, and school. Our analysis of the lyrics will set the stage for delving into the meaning of hip-hop and the ways it is currently being used in education.