ConvergeUS Hosts Interactive Education Discussion on the Implementation of the Colorado Common Core State Standards
A new ConvergeUS study addressing education will be unveiled at the live-streamed discussion with Colorado policy makers and technology leaders
WASHINGTON, July 11, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ConvergeUS, the nonprofit arm of TechNet, whose mission is to accelerate technology-based social innovation, today announced it is holding "The Tech Sector Hosts a Colorado Conversation: Getting Ready for the Implementation of the Common Core State Standards" at the University of Denver, Morgridge School of Education, on Thursday, July 12, 2012.
In tandem with ConvergeUS's and its partners' commitment to addressing the literacy gap affecting low-income students throughout the country, the education event will center on implementing consistent, high quality education for students and recommendations to move forward and facilitate Common Core State Standards implementation.
John Horrigan, TechNet VP Policy and Research, will outline a new ConvergeUS whitepaper about the impact of the Common Core Standards on America's innovation economy and will be joined by Carrie Morgridge, VP of the Morgridge Family Foundation, Gregory Anderson, Dean of the Morgridge College of Education, Rebecca Kantor, Dean of the College of Education, the University of Colorado at Denver, Douglas Levin, Executive Director, State Educational Technology Directors Association, Liz Fagan, Douglas County Colorado Superintendent, Lyndsay Agans, Assistant Professor for Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Denver, State Sen. Mike Johnston, Dale Fulton, Chief Academic Officer, Discovery Education, and Barbara O'Brien, former Lt. Governor, State of Colorado, to discuss its benefits to the residents of Colorado and the concerns and recommendations for an effective implementation.
"Better standards implementation is the first step to prepare children—wherever they attend school—for success in postsecondary education and the workforce, especially the growing technology industry that is often impacted by skills gaps in its workforce," said Horrigan. "Technology and innovation, which the standards encourage, like digital media and comprehensive assessment systems, will make it easier across states for teachers, parents and students to have clear and common expectations to work towards together in our ever-connected society."
The discussion will be live-steamed at convergeus.getgrandstand.com and will feature a social media feed (hashtag: #ccssdenver) to drive discussion and interaction from offsite participants.
"The foundation on which our work is built is our collaboration," said Patrick Gusman, Executive Director, ConvergeUS, "To that end, we are incorporating the digital interaction into the event to ensure the voice of the technology sector is heard on this critical social issue."
The event will also include two plenary sessions with Colorado technology innovation leaders and keynote speeches from Colorado policy makers.
Forty-five U.S. states and three territories have formally adopted the Common Core State Standards. The Colorado State Board of Education voted to fully adopt the Common Core Standards in mathematics and English language arts in August of 2010.
About the Standards:
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO). The standards were developed in collaboration with teachers, school administrators and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.
About ConvergeUS:
ConvergeUS is the 501(c) (3) non-profit arm of TechNet and its mission is to drive technology-enabled breakthroughs for critical social concerns. When TechNet was founded in 1997, the founders made it a priority to concentrate on improving education in the United States and established the high-tech industry's credentials as good corporate citizens. In keeping with the core objectives of TechNet, ConvergeUS annually selects a maximum of three non-profit partners to accelerate social innovation. We concentrate our efforts on either specific social issues or geographic areas in need of rapid improvement and sustainable momentum for meaningful change. In our selection process, we prioritize difficult and seemingly intractable problems and regions left behind by the innovation economy. ConvergeUS drives the innovation required through convening and strategic support. ConvergeUS works with a sense of urgency by encouraging entrepreneurship and bringing together the public and private sector to determine how best to deploy technology address the problems ConvergeUS identifies.
To learn more, visit www.convergeus.org. More about TechNet at www.technet.org.
SOURCE ConvergeUS
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