About This Episode
Season 8. Episode 7.
Schools are increasingly navigating difficult conversations around identity, values, curriculum, discipline, and belonging. But what happens when people on different sides of those conversations all feel like they’re the ones being excluded?
Dr. Liza A. Talusan, educator and author of The Identity-Conscious Educator and Identity-Conscious Practice in Action, joins Education Insight to explore what may be underneath some of the conflicts playing out in schools. Together, we discuss why disagreement doesn’t always have to divide a community, how our own experiences shape the way we see conflict, and what it takes to turn uncomfortable conversations into opportunities for understanding and growth.
Featured Guests
Dr. Liza Talusan
Author, Strategic Partner, Educator
Biography
Dr. Talusan earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Connecticut College, a Master’s Degree in Student Personnel Administration from New York University; a certificate in Human Resources; a PhD in Higher Education from the University of Massachusetts Boston; and her certified coaching credentials from the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching. Her scholarship has been published in peer reviewed journals, edited book collections, online platforms, and she has been featured on a number of podcasts and interviews related to leadership and identity. She serves in a number of national organizations focused on education and equity, and she has consulted with well over 400 schools, organizations, and corporations in the United States and internationally.
Currently, Dr. Talusan is a faculty member at the University of Massachusetts Boston where she teaches in both the Masters and Doctoral Programs in Education. Liza’s book, “The Identity Conscious Educator: Building habits and skills for more inclusive schools” published by Solution Tree Press, is the 2023 Gold Medal Recipient of IPPY Awards. Her second book “Identity-Conscious Practice in Action” was released in November 2024. Liza has a new book coming out in Fall 2026 titled, “Identity-Conscious Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum: Strategies for Belonging.”
She is a runner, a first degree black belt, and a mother.
