Welcome New Convener James Comer to The Forum
The Forum for Education and Democracy announced that noted child psychiatrist, education advocate, and author, Dr. James Comer, has joined its board of conveners.
"The addition of Dr. James Comer to our board of conveners will enable us to spotlight one of the most pressing needs in U.S. public schools today," said George Wood, Forum for Education and Democracy Executive Director. "Jim brings with him 40 years of knowledge and experience working on underachievement in U.S. public schools - expertise which will be invaluable to our participation in ESEA reauthorization."
Beyond Standardized Tests: Investing in a Culture of Learning
On December 4, in conjunction with its involvement in the RethinkLearning Now campaign, the Forum for Education & Democracy held the third of its three scheduled fall policy briefings - one for each of the campaign's core pillars of successful education reform - powerful learning, high-quality teaching, and a system committed to fairness for all children.
Speaking to a crowd of policy staffers, educators, journalists, and education advocates at the Senate Visitors Center, Forum Conveners Deborah Meier and George Wood were joined by two students and a teacher -- Roytel Montero, a senior from Fenway High School in Boston; Chantale Soekhoe, a recent graduate of Urban Academy in New York City; and Jenerra Williams, a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher from Mission Hill Elementary School in Boston.
Meier framed the event by honoring the ideas and legacy of the late Ted Sizer, who believed the ultimate purpose of education is to help young people learn to use their minds well.
Then, each panelist spoke first-hand about how their schools had created such a culture of learning, and identified ways to, in the words of Soekhoe, "inspire people to learn, not force them to learn." Wood concluded the event by speaking to some of the Forum's suggestions for the policy community, which were contained in a brief at the event.
To read the briefing paper, click here. To read more about the Forum's plan for creating a national culture of learning (as opposed to testing), and/or to watch videos of the panelists' presentations (which will be posted later this week), click here.
Featured Resource
What I Learned in School
by James P. Comer
What I Learned in School highlights, in one volume, the major contributions of world-renowned scholar Dr. James P. Comer, whose visionary work has dramatically shaped the fields of school reform, child development, psychology, and race. This small collection of Dr. Comer's work is beautifully arranged and includes an introduction and engaging updates from the author. These works paint a remarkable picture of what we've all learned so far, and what we all must learn going forward.
To find out more, click here.