Education Mini-Plenary Sessions and Workshops Children Out of School in America: How Chronic Absenteeism Undercuts School Reforms Mini-Plenary Tuesday, July 24 10:45 – 12:15
Comprehensive Community Approaches to Prepare Students for College and Productive Work Tuesday, July 24 10:45 – 12:15
Building a Diverse Teacher Pipeline for America’s Schools Tuesday, July 24 4:30 – 6:00
Leslie Cornfeld, Chair, New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s Interagency Task Force on Truancy, Chronic Absenteeism and School Engagement, and CDF Board Member Robert Balfanz, Ph.D., Associate Research Scientist, Center for Social Organization of Schools, and Co-Director, Everyone Graduates Center, John Hopkins University Hedy N. Chang, Director, Attendance Works Robert Balfanz’s recent landmark report The Importance of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nation’s Schools, estimates that 5 to 7.5 million children are chronically absent, meaning they miss at least 10 percent – more than a month -- of a school year. Missing school matters: students need to attend school daily to succeed and those who are chronically absent can miss six months to over a year of school over a five year period. The prevalence and consequences of chronic absenteeism are particularly acute for children in high poverty areas. Despite the strong link between school attendance and academic success, only six states currently track chronic absences. This session will describe how chronic absenteeism is fueling the achievement gap, the dropout crisis and youth involvement in the Cradle to Prison Pipeline™. Learn about effective, comprehensive and collaborative strategies being used to get children to school and keep them there, including Mayor Bloomberg’s Interagency Task Force on Chronic Absenteeism in New York City, and the Attendance Works initiative, which works with school districts to track and address chronic absenteeism. Greg Landsman, Executive Director, The Strive Partnership, Knowledge Works Kate Shoemaker, Policy Director, Harlem Children’s Zone Michael McAfee, Ed.D., Director, Promise Neighborhoods Institute at PolicyLink Building on the success of community programs like the Harlem Children’s Zone and the Strive Partnership, the U.S. Department of Education established the Promise Neighborhoods program in 2010 to support comprehensive community systems to provide children with high quality health, social, community and educational support from birth through the transition to adulthood. Panelists will share results, opportunities and challenges experienced by the Harlem Children’s Zone, the Strive Partnership, Promise Neighborhood grantees, and other community models that work. Jeanne Middleton-Hairston, Ed.D., National Director, CDF Freedom Schools Program Terry L. Butler, Vice President, College Pathway Program, Cuyahoga Community College Sherell Fuller, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Reaching and Elementary Education, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Tambra Jackson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Instruction and Teacher Education, University of South Carolina Derek Musgrove, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History, University of Maryland Research indicates that children of color and low-income children thrive with mentors and teachers who demonstrate their care for them in a culturally sensitive manner. Only seven percent of public school teachers today are Black and seven percent are Latino, and less than four percent are Black or Latino males. At a time when one million teachers will retire over the next three to four years, we have an opportunity to bring needed diversity to the teaching profession and transform child outcomes in a major way. This session will discuss strategies to create a pipeline of Black and Latino teachers in rural and urban environments, including the CDF Freedom Schools® program and other models.
America’s Public Schools: Still Unequal and Unjust
Doris Terry Williams, Ed.D., Executive Director, The Rural School and Community Trust Lynn Jennings, Legislative Affairs Associate, The Education Trust Molly Hunter, Director, Education Justice, Education Law Center of New Jersey Sonya Douglass Horsford, Ed.D., Senior Resident Scholar of Education, Lincy Institute at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas
25 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001
p (202) 628-8787
f (202) 662-3510
www.childrensdefense.org
Monday, July 23 1:30 – 3:00
Millions of children in America are denied the opportunity to receive a fair and high quality education. In March, the U.S. Department of Education released new information showing that children of color face harsher discipline, have more limited access to rigorous course offerings, and are more often taught by lower paid and less experienced teachers. Instead of serving as “the great equalizer,” American public education is serving as a portal to the Cradle to Prison PipelineTM for millions of poor children and children of color, stunting their lives through school dropouts, arrests, and incarceration. Learn from leading education advocates about what you can do to improve equity in the classroom and ensure a high quality public education for every child.
Promoting College Readiness and Success
Bryan Joffe, Project Director for Education and Youth Development, American Association of School Administrators Kathlyn Burkhardt, Ed.D., Superintendent, Erlanger-Elsmere Independent Schools, KY Karen E. Napier, Director, Education Initiatives, Metro United Way, Louisville, KY N. Jean Walker, Ph.D., Vice President for Education, United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta
Monday, July 23 3:30 – 5:00
Schools and communities send powerful implicit and explicit messages to children about life expectations beyond high school. The American Association of School Administrators (AASA) has launched, with multiple partners, the Ready by 21 initiative to build systems of support for children from birth to adulthood to ensure that all children are ready for college, work and life. Learn about how Ready by 21 engages schools, businesses, youth-serving and government agencies to increase college preparation, access, and success and transform schools into launch pads for higher learning. Misclassification of Children in Special Education: How to Get Children the Help They Need!
Nancy Tidwell, Founder & President, National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities Peggy McLeod, Ed.D., Education Consultant to the National Council of La Raza and former Executive Director of Student Services for Alexandria (VA) Public Schools Will Kinder, Education Policy Associate, Children’s Defense Fund
Tuesday, July 24 4:30 – 6:00
As we work to level the playing field for all students, we must stop the inappropriate placement of children in special education—a longstanding problem in school districts across the country. A child’s race, gender and ethnicity significantly influence the child’s probability of being misclassified and inappropriately placed in special education programs. Learn more about the misclassification of children in special education and steps you can take on behalf of individual children and groups of children.
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