WNET Gathers the World's Leading Educators to Celebrate Education, Honor Teachers and Look to the Future

NEW YORK, March 17, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In recent months, the nation has turned a spotlight on education and the issues the U.S. faces in order to ensure a quality education for every student. These dialogues will determine our country's future and at times have been divisive. This week, WNET joins the conversation with educators from across the globe in an unprecedented effort to move education forward while honoring teachers for their pivotal role in the lives of our youth.  

Today, the U.S. Department of Education, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Education International (EI) with National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Asia Society and WNET, parent company of New York's flagship public television stations THIRTEEN & WLIW21, host education leaders from countries and regions with high-performing and rapidly improving education systems for the International Summit on the Teaching Profession.  The first event of its kind, the summit aims to engage countries in an intensive discussion about promising practices for recruiting, preparing, developing, supporting, retaining, evaluating, and compensating world-class teachers.

The conversation will continue through the weekend with WNET's sixth annual Celebration of Teaching & Learning where over 10,000 educators will be joined by experts, advocates, practitioners and academics to help shape the future of schools.  This premier two-day professional development conference, happening March 18-19 at the Hilton New York in New York City, will provide the distinct opportunity for educators to address issues amongst peers from all disciplines and leaders in the field.

"This week marks the first time in history that education leaders from across the globe have gathered in the U.S. to share ideas and best practices," noted Ron Thorpe, Vice President of Education, WNET.  "Over the past five years we have been privileged to host educators from across the U.S. to deliver exceptional professional development.  This year, we're honored to be involved in this impactful summit and welcome its participants to the Celebration, providing educators everywhere a forum unique to the education community."

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proclaimed March 16^th-19^th New York and WNET Celebrate Teaching & Learning Week, and on Friday, March 18, the Empire State Building will be lit yellow, blue and red to honor the week's events.  

This year, Celebration attendees are joined by Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News Anchor and Managing Editor; Rehema Ellis, NBC News Education Correspondent; Dr. Mehmet Oz, cardio-thoracic surgeon and Emmy Award winning nationally syndicated talk show host; Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey; Oliver Sacks, best-selling author and professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center; and Cynthia McFadden, Nightline Co-Anchor, ABC News; plus many more.  Four distinct learning environments are presented through six plenary sessions, nearly 40 featured speaker sessions, over 100 hands-on "In the Classroom" workshops and two filled exhibitor halls featuring the latest in educational tools. Each setting is focused on renewing passion and creativity in our educators while providing opportunities for knowledge sharing and the tools needed to prepare our students for the future.  

The place where knowledge meets inspiration, the Celebration will address the areas of: the Arts, English Language Arts, Global Awareness, Health & Wellness, Instructional Technology, Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM), Special Education, and Whole School Issues.

To learn more about the Celebration, including speaker information and a searchable schedule, visit http://thirteencelebration.org/.

Also, engage with the Celebration on Facebook, Twitter @The_Celebration, and YouTube.  

About WNET New York Public Media

WNET New York Public Media is a pioneering provider of television and web content.  The parent of THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and Creative News Group, WNET brings such acclaimed broadcast series and websites as Tavis Smiley, Need To Know, Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Secrets of the Dead, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, Visions, Consuelo Mack WealthTrack, Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps and Cyberchase to national and international audiences. Through its wide range of channels and platforms, WNET serves the entire New York City metro area with unique local productions, broadcasts and innovative educational and cultural projects. In all that it does, WNET pursues a single, overarching goal — to create media experiences of lasting significance for New York, America and the world. For more information, visit www.wnet.org.

THIRTEEN and WLIW21 gratefully acknowledge sponsorship support for the Celebration of Teaching & Learning from Lead Sponsors: MetLife, National Education Association, Simons Foundation; Premier Sponsors: Adobe Youth Voices, American Federation of Teachers, Friends of THIRTEEN, NYSUT, Pearson, SMART Technologies/Teq; Major Sponsors: Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Corwin, CSA-ELI, DELL, Inc., Fordham University Graduate School of Education, Hilton New York, The McGraw-Hill Companies, NJEA, UFT, Verizon Thinkfinity.org; Presenting Sponsors: Cooper-Hewitt, ETS, Hofstra University, Mercy College, Teachers College Columbia University; Event Sponsors: Barnes & Noble, Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, Connecticut Education Association, EmblemHealth, NYSSAC, The College Board, and Media Sponsor: Education Week.

SOURCE WNET New York Public Media