SRN LEADS/Stanford University: School Redesign Network — 
nclb forum
Alliance for Excellent Education forum features U.S. Representatives George Miller and Barbara Lee
“From No Child Left Behind to Every Child a Graduate: Connecting Local Priorities to National Opportunities”
Oakland, CA — U.S. Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) will be the featured speakers at a landmark event that brings together key Bay Area education reformers for a timely and critical look at the No Child Left Behind Act and its impact on high schools. Congressman Miller is the chair of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor; Congresswoman Lee serves on the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee and is co-sponsor of the Graduation Promise Act.
The invitation-only event, “From No Child Left Behind to Every Child a Graduate: Connecting Local Priorities to National Opportunities,” will be held on Friday, July 20 from 8:30 am to 2 pm in Oakland. The sponsors are the Alliance for Excellent Education, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the San Francisco Education Fund, and the School Redesign Network.
“This event comes at a turning point for high schools in California and across the nation,” said Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. “No Child Left Behind, as it currently is written, essentially overlooks high schools, which means a huge number of California’s students don’t have access to federal resources and programs. Strengthening the law, through initiatives like the Graduation Promise Act, which would provide new resources to low-performing high schools, must be a priority for Congress this year as it considers renewal of NCLB.”
California’s high school graduation rate is 71 percent, with students of color graduating at an even lower rate (60 percent for Hispanic students, 57 percent for African American students). The Oakland event will emphasize programs and interventions that are working to improve student performance in the Bay Area, with the goal of sharing successful strategies, identifying existing challenges, and discussing how No Child Left Behind can be changed to ensure that all high schools, in California and across the nation, are educating their students to the highest standards possible.
Congresswoman Lee will provide opening remarks. Congressman Miller will discuss high school reform and share insight into the reauthorization of NCLB.
Additional participants at the event will include representatives from the Bay Area Coalition of Equitable Schools, San Francisco Coalition of Essential Schools, West Contra Costa Unified School District, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the Alliance for Excellent Education.
WHO:U.S. Representatives George Miller (D-CA), Chair of
the Education and Labor Committee, and Barbara Lee
(D-CA), member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health
and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, join other
Bay Area leaders to discuss the promises of high school reform
at an event sponsored by the Alliance for Excellent Education,
the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the San
Francisco Education Fund, and the School Redesign Network.
WHAT: From No Child Left Behind to Every Child a Graduate:
Connecting Local Priorities to National Opportunities
WHEN:
Friday, July 20, 2007
AGENDA: 8:30-9:00 AM
Registration and continental breakfast
9:00-9:10 AM
Welcome and Opening Remarks
Kimberly Thomas Rapp, Director of Law and Public Policy,
Equal Justice Society
9:10-11:00 AM
Meeting the Goal of Every Child a Graduate Prepared
for College, Work, and Life: How Are We Doing as a Nation, State,
and as a Bay Area Community?
Introductory Keynote
Gov. Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education
The Bay Area High School Reform Story
LaShawn Routé-Chatmon
Executive Director, Bay Area Coalition of Equitable
Schools
Greg Peters
Center Director, San Francisco Coalition of Essential
Schools
Wendell Greer
Regional Superintendent, Secondary, West Contra Costa
Unified School District
Facilitated Discussion
Ash Vasudeva, Deputy Director, School Redesign Network,
Stanford University
11:00-11:15 AM
Break
11:15-12:25
Working Together to Leverage the Federal Government’s
Role in High School Improvement
Opening Remarks
Bethany Little
Vice President for Policy and Federal Advocacy, Alliance
for Excellent Education
Panel Discussion
David Goldberg
Program Manager and Special Counsel, Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights
Angel Luevano
Vice President for the Far West, League of United Latin
American Citizens
Facilitated Discussion
Bethany Little
12:25-12:30 PM
Break
12:30-1:40 PM
NCLB’s Opportunity to Extend the Promise to High School
Youth (luncheon)
Overview
Gov. Wise
Introduction
U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Keynote Address
U.S. Representative George Miller (D-CA)
1:40-2:00 PM
Conclusion and Closing Remarks
Hugh Vasquez
Executive Director, San Francisco Education Fund
Diana Tate
Staff Attorney, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights,
San Francisco Bay Area
Gov. Wise
time to think
Summer institutes at Stanford give participants precious time to learn, exchange ideas with colleagues and simply to think. As one previous event participant put it, The issues and theories raised here were so right on to my roles as an educational leader. You all gave me a chance to slow down, research, reflect, and put names on things so I can re-organize. This made me accept ownership and reinforced my own personal commitment to doing whats best for children. After a very rugged year, this felt like being on a retreat. I know this will impact me professionally and personally for the remainder of my life and career. The experience was truly priceless for me.
© 2007 SRN LEADS
