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Toby Jenkins, Associate Professor of Higher Education, University of South Carolina

How hip-hop has enhanced American education over the past 50 years, from rec rooms to classrooms

Educators are increasingly turning to hip-hop to engage young people in school. Goodboy Picture Company/E+ via Getty Images

One of my most heartwarming memories from elementary school was the day my gym teacher tossed the planned activities, turned on some hip-hop music and just let us dance. I smile thinking of us all jumping around wild, crazy, happy and free.

Today, as a professor of higher education, I still carry the fondness I had for hip-hop as a child into my professional work. I have spent over two decades developing hip-hop cultural initiatives on college campuses. Hip-hop has made my jobs feel like house parties and turned co-workers and students into homies. But its impact in education is more than personal.

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