Secondary ATA Induction: Summer Institute
June 23–25, 2026 | University of Arizona | Hybrid Event
A three-day institute held at the ENR2 location and via Zoom centered on humanizing and culturally affirming education, bringing together educators graduate students for practical, equity-driven professional learning.
Submit a Proposal
What is the HCAT Summer Institute?

A multistranded, cross-disciplinary three-day professional learning event.
The HCAT Induction: Summer Institute is a multistranded, cross-disciplinary three-day professional learning event that brings together recent M.Ed. graduates, current teacher-candidates, and secondary educators.
“The institute is designed to support participants through workshops and keynote sessions that center humanizing education, culturally responsive and sustaining practices, ethnic studies, and equity-driven instruction.”
Current secondary classroom practitioners and university faculty will offer sessions for a range of classroom experience, making the Summer Institute as relevant for novice teachers as it is for veteran educators.
Invitation
Who Should Attend?
The HCAT Summer Institute extends a warm invitation to educators and graduate students from various University of Arizona educator preparation programs, fostering a diverse and collaborative learning environment.

We especially invite participants from:
  • The Humanizing and Culturally Affirming Teacher (HCAT) Preparation Program
  • Teach Arizona
  • Secondary Mathematics Education
  • Agricultural Education
  • Music Education
  • Art Education
Join us to connect with peers, share insights, and deepen your practice in humanizing and culturally affirming education.
Hybrid Event
Event Format
The HCAT Summer Institute is a hybrid event.
Participants will have the option to join:
In Person
Join us at the University of Arizona for a fully immersive, face-to-face experience with fellow educators and faculty.
Online
Participate through virtual access from wherever you are, with full engagement in sessions and workshops.

This format allows us to bring together educators from different contexts while keeping the institute accessible and collaborative.
Call for Proposals
We are currently inviting proposals for the 2026 HCAT Induction: Summer Institute.
We are looking for workshops and sessions that align with the broader vision of humanizing education and support educators in ways that are practical, thoughtful, and relevant to classroom practice.
We welcome proposals connected to:
Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Practices
Practices and curriculum that affirm and sustain students' cultural identities.
Ethnic Studies
Instructional practices and curriculum rooted in ethnic studies frameworks.
Equity-Driven Instruction
Instructional practices that center equity in every classroom decision.
Humanizing Approaches
Humanizing approaches to teaching, learning, and school communities.
We are especially interested in proposals that offer concrete strategies, invite engagement, and help participants think about how this work can live in actual classrooms and schools.
Why This Institute Matters
At its core, this institute is about sustaining educators.
“The HCAT Summer Institute is intended to create space for educators to reconnect with practices that are sustaining, grounded, and meaningful.”
At a time when teaching can feel increasingly demanding, this institute is meant to support educators with ideas, community, and approaches that can strengthen both practice and purpose.
Keynote Speakers
Keynote Speakers: Humanizing Practice in Action
We are honored to welcome Dr. Kari Kokka, Dr. Brian Lozenski, Luz Martinez, M.Ed., and Alyson Miller, M.Ed. as keynote speakers for this year's HCAT Summer Institute. Together, they bring powerful perspectives on what it means to create classrooms rooted in equity, justice, creativity, cultural affirmation, and care.
Dr. Kokka and Dr. Lozenski bring nationally recognized expertise in mathematics education, Ethnic Studies, teacher education, and community-engaged scholarship. Luz Martinez and Alyson Miller, both HCAT graduates and art educators, will offer classroom-based insight into how HCAT principles can be implemented through art education. Their work highlights how humanizing and culturally affirming pedagogy can live in the daily practices, relationships, and creative spaces teachers build with students.
We are grateful for their time, expertise, and willingness to work alongside our HCAT community as our students continue developing as reflective, justice-oriented, and humanizing educators.
Dr. Kari Kokka
She/her
Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas | President, TODOS Mathematics for ALL
Brian Lozenski, Ph.D.
Professor & Chair of Educational Studies, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota
Luz Martinez, M.Ed.
HCAT Graduate & Art Educator | Bio and headshot coming soon.
Alyson Miller, M.Ed.
HCAT Graduate & Art Educator | Bio and headshot coming soon.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Kari Kokka (she/her)
Associate Professor of Mathematics Education, University of Nevada, Las Vegas | President, TODOS Mathematics for ALL
Dr. Kokka studies teacher and student engagement with mathematics that explores social issues. Her research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, Spencer Foundation, WT Grant Foundation, and CPM.
Prior to academia, she was a math teacher and math coach at Vanguard High School, a Title I school in NYC (2001–2011), and a math teacher and diving coach at Berkeley High School (1999–2000).
She is co-host of the Critical Math Drop podcast (www.criticalmathdrop.com) and co-founder of the Creating Balance in an Unjust World Conference on STEAMM Education and Social Justice (www.cbuw.org).
Dr. Kokka completed her doctorate at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2017), principal certification with the NYC Leadership Academy (2011), and her M.A. in Education (2001) and B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1999) at Stanford University. She is a proud product of East San Jose, CA, K-12 public schools.
Keynote Speaker
Brian Lozenski, Ph.D.
Professor & Chair of Educational Studies, Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota
Brian Lozenski is a Professor and Chair of the Educational Studies Department at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota. His research explores the intersections of critical participatory action research, black intellectual traditions in education, and Ethnic Studies policy and practice. As a teacher educator and researcher he has worked with youth, educators, parents, schools, and districts to develop perspectives and strategies that aspire toward social justice while illuminating the historical realities that have created current educational disparities. Dr. Lozenski holds deep commitments to community-engaged scholarship. In this effort he is affiliated with organizations such as the Network for the Development of Children of African Descent and the Minnesota Ethnic Studies Coalition.

Stay Connected
Registration and proposal submissions are now open for the ATA Summer Induction: HCAT Summer Institute.
Rooted in the longstanding work of HCAT, this year’s institute is expanding to welcome teacher candidates and educators from across ATA teacher preparation programs. Interested presenters are invited to submit a proposal, and prospective participants can now register for the institute.
Please use the Submit a Proposal or Registration links at the top or bottom of this page to access the appropriate form.
Stay tuned for the full institute agenda, including keynote sessions, workshop offerings, and additional event details.
We’re looking forward to welcoming you.