TOWN MEETING: "COMMON CORE STANDARDS"
Saturday, November 21, 2009, 10:30am-12:30pm

This panel session entitled, "Common Core Standards" is being convened by the NABSE Office of Government Relations for NABSE, and hosted by the Superintendents Commission, Dr. Lucian Yates, Chairperson, the Program, Development, Research and Evaluation Commission, Dr. Lloyd Sain, Chairperson and the NABSE Research and Development Institute, Dr. Wesley Boykin, Chairperson.

NABSE's goal is to engage panel members in rigorous dialogue that fosters an understanding of the implication of these policy directions for all students, but specifically for our audience who serve students of African descent. We envision this Town Meeting as a construct for our attendees to understand the policy implications within the context of equity. The significant question is, "Will such policies promote academic excellence and student well being for all children, but particularly, children of African descent at all class levels?" We plan to use the latest technology provided by Promethean in gaining significant and instant feedback for the membership and the audience present.

Facilitator:
Wesley L. Boykin, Ph.D., M.P.H., Chairperson, NABSE Research and Development Institute
Director of Research and Policy, National Center for Educational Achievement, Austin, Texas

Dr. Wesley L. Boykin has worked for 24 years in human services, education, and educational accountability. His education, career, and research have focused on critical issues such as minority achievement, instructional reform, integrated learning, and instructional technology, as well as the psycho-social correlates of health and health conditions of minority populations.
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Discussants:

Dr. Sharon Robinson, President
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education

Dr. Robinson was selected as AACTE's top executive in 2005 and assumed leadership of the association in April of that year. In selecting Dr. Robinson, AACTE's board of directors acknowledged her strong commitment to high-quality teaching, rigorous scholarship, and diversity in the nation's teaching workforce. A lifelong civil rights activist, Robinson has waged a personal crusade to realize the nation's moral and professional responsibility to educate and maximize the potential of minority and disabled students. click here for more…

Randi Weingarten, President
President American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO

Randi Weingarten is president of the 1.4-million-member American Federation of Teachers, AFL-CIO, which represents teachers; paraprofessionals and school-related personnel; higher education faculty and staff; nurses and other healthcare professionals; local, state and federal employees; and early childhood educators. She was elected in July 2008, following 11 years of service as an AFT vice president. click here for more…

Elaine Farris, Superintendent of Schools
Clark County, KY and former Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Learning and Results Services for the Kentucky Department of Education

Elaine Farris became Kentucky's interim commissioner of education February 1, 2009. She has served as deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Learning and Results Services for the Kentucky Department of Education since August 2007. She has been a public school servant for 27 years serving as elementary school teacher, track coach, assistant principal, and principal in the Clark County School System and elementary director for Fayette County Public Schools. click here for more…

Tony Shivers, Director of Government Affairs
National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE)

Mr. Shivers is the Director of Government Affairs for the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) and works to promote the organization and its project work before Congress, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) as well as other appropriate federal agencies, and the education community. NASBE exists to ensure that State Boards of Education continue to be the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for students and citizens. Mr. Shivers also advocates before the aforementioned entities on various education issues of interest. click here for more…-->

Governor Bob Wise, President
Alliance for Excellent Education and former Governor of West Virginia

Governor Bob Wise, author of the book Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth And Our Nation, became president of the Alliance for Excellent Education in February 2005. Under his leadership, the Alliance has continued to build its reputation as a respected authority on high school policy and to advocate for reform in America's secondary education system, working to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for success. click here for more…

Respondents:

Chrys Dougherty, Senior Research Scientist
National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA)

Chrys Dougherty is a Senior Research Scientist at the National Center for Educational Achievement (NCEA), a subsidiary of ACT that specializes in research and training on effective schools and school improvement. He has written extensively on college readiness, the value of longitudinal student data, and the Ten Essential Elements of statewide student information systems. click here for more…

Dr. Eugene G. White, Superintendent of Schools
Indianapolis Public Schools and former President of the American Association of School Administrators (AASA)

Dr. Eugene G. White was born in Phenix City, AL, to a single 17-year-old mother in December 1947. He was the first person in his family's history to graduate from high school. He grew up in a time of segregation and Jim Crow practices in Southeast Alabama. In high school, he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball. His mother, grandmother and athletic coaches heavily influenced him. click here for more…

Dr. Eric Cooper, President
National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA)

Dr. Cooper is the President of the National Urban Alliance for Effective Education (NUA). He served in a similar position as Executive Director for the NUA at Columbia University's Teachers College and as Adjunct Associate Professor for 7 years. Prior to this position, he was the Vice President for Inservice Training & Telecommunications for the Simon & Schuster Education Group. He has worked in the capacities of Associate Director of Program Development for the College Board, Administrative Assistant in the Office of Curriculum for the Boston Public Schools, and Director of a treatment center for emotionally disturbed students, in addition to working as a teacher, researcher, counselor, and Washington Fellow. click here for more…

Dr. Sheldon Berman, Superintendent of Schools
Jefferson County, Kentucky

In July 2007, Sheldon Berman became Superintendent of the Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, a district that serves more than 98,000 students and employs more than 5,700 teachers.

From 1993 to 2007, Dr. Berman was Superintendent of Schools for the Hudson, MA, district. At Hudson, he initiated innovations in civic education, social-emotional learning, service learning, mathematics and science reform, high school restructuring, teacher evaluation, and computer technology. click here for more…

Glenn Singleton, President
Pacific Educational Group

Glenn Eric Singleton hails from Baltimore, Maryland. A product of public elementary and independent secondary school, Singleton earned his Bachelors degree from the University of Pennsylvania and his Masters degree from the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Singleton began his career as an Ivy League admission director. In 1992, he founded Pacific Educational Group, Inc. (PEG) to more closely support families in their transitions within and between K-12 and higher education. click here for more…