Events
The Institute for the Study of Education, Democracy & Justice joins William & Mary partners as well as external organizations in sponsoring events that support its mission.
2026 Hornsby Distinguished Lecture: Professor Jon N. Hale
Thursday, April 16, 2026, at the W&M School of Education
Join us for “When Founding Fathers and Mothers Pledged Allegiance: Nationalism, Race and Division in America’s Curriculum,” an engaging lecture with Professor of Education Jon N. Hale from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This talk examines the history of a public curriculum in classrooms and textbooks, but also in shared public spaces, from publicly commissioned paintings in the Rotunda to town squares across the nation, from history textbooks to the schools we (re)name. Professor Hale assesses how a public curriculum founded within and outside of our schools has shaped the education we all received. The presentation also looks ahead to identify counter- pedagogies that can reshape how we think about a public curriculum today. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a leading scholar whose work has appeared in TIME, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, CNN and The Washington Post.
Specializing in history education, Hale is associate head of the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership and director of the Forum on the Future of Public Education in the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The Hornsby Distinguished Lecture Series is supported through a generous endowment established by the late Robert Stanley Hornsby ’41, J.D. ’49 and Mrs. Lois Saunier Hornsby with the purpose of enriching a sense of unity for those engaged in the wonders of teaching and learning.