Overview:
Jahque Bryan-Gooden is transforming education through culturally responsive, student-centered learning experiences that empower students as knowledge creators while advancing equity, joy, and real-world relevance in classrooms and communities.
Jahque Bryan-Gooden’s journey in education is as vivid and layered as the classrooms she envisions, a space where every child’s humanity is honored, their culture celebrated, and their potential nurtured. From her earliest memories at age nine, she recalls walking through the ruby-red doors of a school in Harlem, greeted by a rooftop garden, a cooking club that reinforced math skills, and field trips where students engaged with the indigenous Algonquin practice of maple sugaring. Surrounded by classmates from Bengali, Peruvian, Trinadian, African-American, and White American backgrounds, Gooden experienced what her mentor Carmen Perez called a “salad”: a harmonious mix of identities left intact, rather than assimilated.
These formative experiences, combined with later internships with Perez and the late Harry Belafonte at the Gathering for Justice and Justice League NYC, shaped her belief in the transformative power of education. She saw firsthand how education can reflect joy, curiosity, and trust—or, when misaligned with student needs, act as shattered glass, reinforcing systemic oppression like the school-to-prison pipeline. These early and professional experiences cemented her commitment to creating learning environments that expand students’ worlds rather than shrink them.
A defining moment in Gooden’s career came while teaching a social justice and history course for incarcerated young men. She witnessed students transition from attending class out of obligation to showing up with eagerness and vulnerability—sharing emotions society had taught them to suppress and supporting one another in ways that reignited their love for learning. Another pivotal experience was guiding high school students in her liberatory podcast program. When a student bluntly declared that school “isn’t preparing us” and math felt irrelevant, Gooden realized the urgency of bridging classroom lessons with students’ lived realities. This insight inspired the creation of My CRE Buddy, a patent-pending platform that helps teachers adapt lessons to reflect students’ experiences and communities.
Gooden’s pedagogical approach blends culturally responsive teaching, project-based and inquiry-based learning, and frameworks like the Algebra Project’s five-step process. These strategies, she asserts, raise the floor for all students, starting with the belief that every child can succeed. Her work has shown that equitable access to meaningful education requires both high expectations and the right scaffolds to support them.
Trailblazing often means navigating resistance, and Gooden has faced challenges when partners or institutions hesitated to embrace culturally responsive education. Her approach is clear: align with people who share your vision, question opposition thoughtfully, and act when students and teachers need innovation most. Waiting for the “right time” is not an option; the right time is always now.
For educators feeling burnt out, Gooden emphasizes that the system—not the teacher—is broken. Deep self-care, boundary-setting, and allowing students to teach and co-create in the classroom can reignite passion. She underscores the power of coalition-building, bringing teachers, parents, and communities together to enact systemic change through evidence, strategy, and solidarity.
If given the opportunity to lead at the Department of Education, Gooden would reinstate the Office of Civil Rights to ensure equal access for all students, particularly those historically marginalized. She also champions fair compensation for teachers, echoing singer Kirby Lauryen: “Pay them teachers like they senators.”
Beyond the classroom, Gooden’s impact extends through partnerships with Boys & Girls Clubs, pre-college programs at Georgia State University, STEM summer camps, and a recurring segment on Atlanta public radio. My CRE Buddy has been adopted in the U.S. and Canada, equipping teachers to craft culturally responsive, student-centered lessons that integrate joy, community, and real-world relevance.
Jahque Bryan Gooden’s vision for education is revolutionary yet grounded: a system where students are knowledge creators, teachers are supported as whole people, and classrooms become daily practices of liberation. Her legacy will be one where education is not just preparation for life, it is life itself, a joyful, rigorous, and equitable practice shaping both minds and futures.
