When unionized teachers in Chicago took to the picket lines in September, leaving classrooms empty in the first weeks of the new school year, it caught America’s attention. Now that the debate over education has been reignited, let’s put the focus back where it belongs — on the students.
Education reform will be at the core of an interactive forum that will feature a panel discussion and a special screening of the film "Won't Back Down" on Wednesday (Oct. 10). The event unfolds from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Malco Paradiso at 584 South Mendenhall. It's part of Breaking the Monopoly of Mediocrity, a cross-country tour to discuss education reform in local communities, highlight the important role the business community must play, and encourage local leaders to become a catalyst for change.
Memphis needs passion and commitment to effect positive and lasting change in its public education system, members of a panel on education reform suggested Wednesday. Opportunities for job creation in the community are too often lost, said John Moore, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Memphis Chamber, when public education does not prepare students adequately for the postgraduate academic careers needed to fill local job openings.
Advocates who are pushing for laws to give parents more control over their children’s schools are raising money and building campaigns around a Hollywood movie that dramatizes the issue, says Reuters. Despite poor reviews for Won’t Back Down, which stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as a mother who takes on the teachers union to reform a failing public school, foundations and activist groups have spent more than $2-million on advocacy efforts tied to the film.
At least once a decade, Hollywood produces a film like Stand and Deliver (1988), Dangerous Minds (1995), or Freedom Writers (2007), spotlighting a teacher whose grit helps students unlock their potential and transcend poverty. The only problem with those kinds of films is that they can reinforce the dangerous myth that poverty is an insurmountable obstacle to learning that can only be overcome by rare hero-teachers. Won't Back Down, Hollywood's latest broken-school flick, subverts that comfortable narrative, which is why it's such an important movie, and why it's drawing so much heat from teachers' unions.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced Sept. 24 that it is granting money to 14 organizations nationwide that are working on postsecondary financial aid solutions. Organizations are involved in business, higher education, civil rights, and public policy. White papers from each of the 14 organizations are expected in early 2013, and will address how financial aid can improve student success rates in college.
Education reform film "Won't Back Down" opened Friday to terrible reviews - and high hopes from activists who expect the movie to inspire parents everywhere to demand big changes in public schools. The drama stars Maggie Gyllenhaal as a spirited mother who teams up with a passionate teacher to seize control of their failing neighborhood school, over the opposition of a self-serving teachers union.
This week, as leaders gather in New York City for the third annual Education Nation summit to talk about education solutions, out in the trenches, the battle continues over education basics. The first teachers' strike in 25 years in the Windy City garnered national headlines as union leaders fought to minimize school accountability. In a district where only one in nine African American students are meeting state standards in reading and math and only half graduate from high school, educators vigorously resisted measuring teacher effectiveness in the classroom and giving students more instructional time.
Sandra Westlund-Deenihan’s biggest work worry isn’t making payroll or increasing international sales of her metal float balls, valves and assemblies. It’s teaching her entry-level employees how to use a simple ruler. Westlund-Deenihan, president and design engineer of Illinois-based Quality Float Works, spoke during a roundtable discussion on the skills gap at the U.S. Chamber Institute for Competitive Workforce’s (ICW's) Help Wanted event on September 20. The event brought together business leaders, policy makers, and innovative education leaders to discuss what businesses can do to better align the nation’s workforce needs with higher education.
The latest job reports are, yet again, disappointing. Unemployment is at 8.1% — which translates to 12.5 million Americans looking for work, and an additional 2.6 million who have simply given up trying. Yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 3.7 million employers across the United States still have "Help Wanted" signs posted looking for qualified workers. ManpowerGroup reports that 49% of employers are having difficulty hiring — particularly in math and science, high tech jobs, manufacturing and mechanics.
The Central Florida Education Summit will be hosted by the Central Florida Partnership and sponsored by the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association, in partnership with the National Chamber Foundation, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, and the Central Florida Public School Board Coalition.
U.S. News STEM Solutions 2013 will bring together business, education and government leaders who have long recognized the need to connect the dots between STEM education and careers. Adding to last year’s successful conference format, the second edition will give more dedicated time for these leaders to interact and collaborate.
