Baruti K. Kafele, principal, educator and best-selling author is the guest on this episode of Mind the Gap, discussing the linking of social justice with school leadership. Kafele points to the early influence of Lewis Lomax's book To Kill a Blackman on the parallels between Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X as the inspiration to his teaching and leadership methods. It all comes naturally to Kafele, who makes it a point to tie in the classroom environment to the outside world. He shares pivoting during the aftermath of George Floyd's death and the ensuing civil unrest to message the importance of weaving real-life events into the framework of school culture, including the subject areas of math, science, social studies, and the language arts.

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Baruti K. Kafele is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, and Milken Award-winning educator who spent nearly 30 years as an urban public school teacher and principal in New Jersey. His books include Motivating Black Males to Achieve in School and in Life, Closing the Attitude Gap: How to Fire Up Your Students to Strive for Success, and The Teacher 50: Critical Questions for Inspiring Classroom Excellence. Follow Principal Kafele on Twitter @PrincipalKafele

Tom Sherrington and Emma Turner are co-hosts of Mind the Gap: Making Education Work Across the Globe. Tom has worked in schools as a teacher and leader for 30 years and is now a consultant specializing in teacher development and curriculum & assessment planning. His books include Rosenshine’s Principles in Action and The Learning Rainforest Fieldbook. Follow Tom on Twitter @teacherhead

After 20 years in primary teaching, Emma joined Discovery Schools Academy Trust where she is currently the Research and CPD lead. She is author of Be More Toddler: A Leadership Education from Our Little Learners. Follow Emma