Washington, D.C. (March 29, 2017)— With a new administration at the helm and Republicans dominating state legislatures from coast to coast, there is renewed debate over many fundamentals of the education system: viability of voucher programs; federal versus state and local jurisdiction; race and gender issues in schools; education quality and access for rural students. All of this leads to one central question: how will education in the United States—at all levels—be affected by our current political climate? On April 11, The Atlantic’s third annual Education Summit will critically examine the key issues facing the education system with the policymakers, educators, administrators, parents, and students that have the biggest stake in its success.
The daylong event will run from 9AM-4:15PM EST at the Newseum (555 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) and is open to press. Media interested in attending should RSVP directly to this email or call 202-266-7338.
Topics across the day will cover the future of the education reform movement; school segregation and integration; teaching politics in a climate of extreme polarization; technology in the classroom; creating a more competitive workforce; challenges surrounding rural schools; and the future of Title IX. Confirmed speakers include:
- Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers
- Antwan Wilson, Chancellor, D.C. Public Schools
- Gregory Fenves, President, University of Texas at Austin
- Robert Jones, Chancellor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Sara DeWitt, Vice President, PBSKids Digital
- John Palmer, Chief Learning Officer, AT&T
- Derrell Bradford, Executive Director, NYCAN
- Coddy Johnson, Chief Operating Officer, AltSchool
- Dena Dossett, Chief of Data Management, Planning and Evaluation, Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky
- Additional topics and speakers to be announced
