Rick Ayers

Rick Ayers lives in Oakland, California with his wife Ilene. He spends time with his three children and three grandchildren as much as possible. He is an assistant professor of teacher education at the University of San Francisco in the Urban Education and Social Justice cohort. He taught in the Communication Arts and Sciences small school at Berkeley High School, where he pioneered innovative and effective strategies for academic and social success for a diverse range of students. Rick was a core team member of the Berkeley High School Diversity Project. He has his PhD from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education in the Language, Literacy, and Culture division. He is the co-author, with his brother William Ayers, of Teaching the Taboo: Courage and Imagination in the Classroom (now in it’s second edition); is co-author with Amy Crawford of Great Books for High School Kids: A Teacher’s Guide to Books That Can Change Teens’ Lives; and is author of Studs Terkel’s Working: A Teaching Guide. He works regularly with Youth Radio, Youth Speaks, Voice of Witness, and other community and arts organizations.