Gotta Stay Fresh: Why We Need Hip-Hop in Schools

Hip-hop education helps teachers engage and connect with all learners

By infusing lessons with content that is relevant to students' lives, inspires their curiosity, and fires up their intellect, teachers can use hip-hop education to help students better take in information and think critically about concepts, inside and outside the classroom.

This must-have resource:

• Presents the what, why, and how of using hip-hop education in every classroom
• Lays out five elements of hip-hop and maps them to instructional approaches and learning objectives, such as synthesizing new information, social emotional learning, cultural and linguistically responsive teaching, and arts education)
• Suggests an approach to lesson planning using the structure of a hip-hop song: use cultural references to inspire curiosity (Intro); engage students with core content through interactive experiences, exploratory activities, and games (Verse); ensure that students comprehend the information and can demonstrate their knowledge (Coda); and provide differentiation options (Remix)

Fondly known as the Fresh Professor, James Miles uses classroom anecdotes, personal storytelling, and easy-to-grasp ideas to engage and inspire teachers to integrate hip-hop concepts and ideas into their classrooms, even if they aren't familiar with the approach (or the music), so students feel like they belong and their voice matters, and so they're successful in school and beyond.