Featured Speaker • Listening for Data with Dr. Nicole Furlonge

If data represents people and holds potential for better understanding the relationships between us, then why don’t we listen more openly to data? How does what we believe—or fear—compete with our ability or willingness to listen? In this session, we will explore ways to listen ethically and equitably for student experience in schools. And we will listen for data with an aim for unmuting student stories that data amplifies towards cultivating connection and belonging.

Nicole Brittingham Furlonge is Professor and Director of the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College Columbia University. She is also a Narrative Medicine instructor at Columbia University’s Medical School and is co-founder of LEARNS Collaborative, a catalyst for human-centered, equitable change in organizations. A first generation college student, Nicole earned her Ph.D. and B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania, and her M.A. from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Teachers College, Nicole served as Director of Teaching and Learning at the Holderness School. She has taught English and served as English Department Chair and Director of Diversity at several independent schools, including St. Andrew’s School (Delaware), The Lawrenceville School, and Princeton Day School. Nicole is the author of Race Sounds: The Art of Listening in African American Literature, published by the University of Iowa Press. Her book demonstrates listening as an essential interpretive and civic act. Nicole has previously served on the boards of People and Stories/Gente y Cuentos and Village Charter School in Trenton, NJ. Currently, she serves on the advisory boards of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, Tang Institute, and The School at Columbia. Dr. Furlonge’s research examines the intersections between listening, cognitive neuroscience, equity and belonging, and school leadership. She lives in New Jersey with her family.