McGraw-Hill Research Foundation's Summit Focuses on Innovative Solutions to Address School Improvement Nationwide
Keynote speaker and Harlem Children's Zone CEO Geoffrey Canada calls on educators to "to take full responsibility and not let children fall"
Top educational thought leaders respond to key questions: How do you turn around failing schools? What is the purpose of high school?
NEW YORK, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The McGraw-Hill Research Foundation held its first Innovation in Education Summit today, bringing together some of the best minds in education. The event was designed to engage these distinguished thought leaders in discussion and help generate innovative solutions for turning around the most troubled public schools and for preparing students for academic and workforce success in the global economy.
With only 70 percent of American students receiving a high school diploma on time and an estimated 5 percent of schools in need of "improvement restructuring," the need to reform our nation's underperforming schools has become an issue of national concern. The issue requires increased attention from every individual and organization with a stake in the success of schools and colleges, including administrators, instructors, students, parents, government agencies, and the private sector.
"I'm absolutely convinced our nation is in peril because of what's happening in our public schools," said keynote speaker Geoffrey Canada, president and CEO of Harlem Children's Zone. "We can no longer accept the status quo of the last 30 years. The situation today demands increased accountability for the success of our students." Opening the summit, Canada shared his personal journey as an education reformer and how his organization used social innovation and a holistic, data-driven educational approach to transform what used to be one of New York City's most troubled neighborhood schools. Canada, whose Harlem Children's Zone serves as a national model for educational reform, is featured in the recently released documentary on the state of education in the U.S., Waiting for Superman.
Following the keynote address, a series of panel discussions and breakout sessions focused on the role of leadership in school turnarounds and the purpose of high school, as well as issues dealing specifically with the convergence of K-12 instruction and assessment, adoption of Common Core State Standards, and the use of teaching and learning technology in higher education. Throughout the day, a number of themes emerged, including accountability, scaling up solutions for turning around failing schools and incorporating technology in to the classroom.
The event's panel discussions featured a distinguished group of education professionals with diverse backgrounds in developing programs that drive student achievement and long-term improvement in educational institutions, including:
- Carol Carter, national and international student success author and speaker;
- Christopher Cerf, a key creative force behind Sesame Street since its first season;
- Yvonne Chan, principal of the Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, one of the most successful urban public schools in the U.S.;
- James P. Comer, professor of child psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine's Child Study Center;
- Jordan Goldman, founder and CEO of Unigo, developer of one of the nation's major college guidebooks;
- N. Gerry House, president and CEO of the Institute for Student Achievement, and
- Larry Rosenstock, CEO and founding principal of High Tech High, a network of innovative and high-achieving charter schools.
"We all recognize that the situation involving America's most challenged schools is quickly approaching a crisis," said Arthur Griffin, Jr., who served as moderator for the panel discussion on turning around underperforming schools. Griffin is senior vice president of the Urban Advisory Resource for McGraw-Hill Education and co-director of the new Center for Comprehensive School Improvement. "We also appreciate the federal government's commitment to turn around 5,000 of the nation's lowest performing schools within five years and to lead the world with the most college graduates by 2020. That said, we need to turn our attention to innovative solutions that begin and end with strong district-wide leadership and involve clear goal-setting, a rigorous curriculum, the use of digital and data-driven instruction and the implementation of measurable outcomes."
Additional information from the keynote and highlights from the Q&A and panel discussions can be found at http://twitter.com/MHEducation, using the #MHSummit hashtag.
About the McGraw-Hill Research Foundation
The Foundation was established with the support of The McGraw-Hill Companies. It was incorporated on July 16, 2010, as a Delaware non-profit and is in the process of applying to the Internal Revenue Service for tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) organization.
About McGraw-Hill Education
McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading innovator in the development of teaching and learning solutions for the 21st century. Through a comprehensive range of traditional and digital education content and tools, McGraw-Hill Education empowers and prepares professionals and students of all ages to connect, learn and succeed in the global economy. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 65 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com.
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Tom Stanton |
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SOURCE McGraw-Hill Research Foundation
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