GLORIA LADSON-BILLINGS is the Kellner Family Chair in Urban Education and Professor of Curriculum and Instruction and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  Previously, she served on the faculty of Santa Clara University and worked as a teacher and consultant in the Philadelphia public school system.  More recently, she served as president of the American Educational Research Association, and in 2005 was elected to the National Academy of Education.  Dr. Ladson-Billings is the author and editor of numerous articles and books, including The Dreamkeepers, Crossing Over to Canaan, and Beyond the Big House.  She lives in Madison, Wisconsin.