This Pre-Conference Academy will be held in the Catalina room, Renaissance.

Tuesday, April 27, 2027

10:00AM-4:30PM

$175 per person (includes all workshop materials, lunch, and Certificate of Completion)

Presenter: Erin Gruwell, Founder/Executive Director, Freedom Writers Foundation, Long Beach, CA

In "Freedom Writers: Engage, Enlighten, and Empower Your Students," Gruwell brings her transformative classroom experience to life, sharing powerful lessons about building meaningful relationships, creating an inclusive learning environment, and inspiring students to discover their own voices and potential. Her story demonstrates that when educators see beyond circumstances, challenge assumptions, and truly believe in their students, they can ignite change that reaches far beyond the classroom. Through compelling stories, practical insights, and an unwavering belief in the power of education, Erin Gruwell challenges educators to engage their students, enlighten their thinking, and empower them to become the authors of their own futures.
M, H, ULA, MLA, CB, DS

Learning Outcomes:

Build meaningful relationships with students by recognizing and valuing their diverse backgrounds, experiences, perspectives, and voices.

Create more inclusive and equitable learning environments by challenging assumptions, maintaining high expectations, and providing opportunities for every student to participate and succeed.

Empower students to recognize their potential and find their voice by using relationship-centered practices that foster engagement, belonging, confidence, and ownership of their futures.

https://www.freedomwritersfoundation.org/

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Presenter

Erin Gruwell (she/her/hers)

Erin Gruwell has earned an award-winning reputation for her steadfast commitment to the future of education. Her impact as a teacher attracted Hollywood’s attention, and in 2007, Paramount Pictures released Freedom Writers, starring two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank as Erin. The film is based on The Freedom Writers Diary, the New York Times Bestseller that chronicles Erin’s extraordinary journey with her 150 high school students who dubbed themselves the Freedom Writers in homage to the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights Movement.

By fostering an educational philosophy that values and promotes diversity, Erin transformed her students’ lives. She encouraged them to re-think rigid beliefs about themselves and others, reconsider their own daily decisions, and ultimately, re-chart their future. With Erin’s support, they chose to forego teenage pregnancy, drugs, and violence in order to become aspiring college students, published authors, and catalysts for change.