Thursday,

November 8, 2007

2:00 PM – 3:00 PM

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Courageous Choices: Tackling the Tough Issues to Raise Student Achievement and Close Gaps

Every year at the Education Trust’s national conference, we focus on one thing: closing the achievement gap that separates low-income students and students of color from other young Americans. In this year’s opening address, Education Trust President Kati Haycock will set the stage for our three days together by sharing the latest data on progress and highlighting strategies that work. She’ll also talk about what is getting in the way of serious action to confront—and eliminate—the opportunity gaps that hobble the futures of so many of our children, and summon us to action on those issues.

Speaker:

Kati Haycock, President, The Education Trust, Washington, DC

Friday,

November 9, 2007

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

Narrowing the Two Achievement Gaps

School systems that raise achievement and narrow the quality gap also narrow the fairness gap between groups of students. The reason for this simultaneous benefit to both advantaged and disadvantaged students is illustrated and explained in detail. The talk discusses the ideas and the practices that have hindered the narrowing of the quality and fairness gaps, and describes the concrete steps we need to take right now to narrow both of them significantly.

Speaker: 

E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Chairman and Founder, The Core Knowledge Foundation

Friday,

November 9, 2007

2:15 PM – 3:30 PM

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Using Value-Added Assessment to Differentiate Pay and

Improve Schools

The Houston Independent School District, Houston, TX and the Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC uses a value added analysis of standardized test scores to make school improvement decisions. Both districts work with Dr. William Sanders from the SAS Institute in Cary, NC, who factors out issues such as socio-economic background, economic level of the mother, etc., to determine the academic impact a teacher’s performance has on the students he or she teaches. The districts use this information to determine which teachers earn merit pay bonuses. Guilford County also uses the data to help make staff development, tenure, and teacher assignment decisions.

Speakers:

Terry Grier, Superintendent, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC

Abelardo Saaverdra, Superintendent, Houston Independent School District, TX

Saturday,

November 10, 2007

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM

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Emerging Practices in Urban Mathematics Education: Nurturing High Achievement in Minority Students

Data from the National Center for Education Statistics show that there are vast differences in how effective various urban districts are in teaching mathematics to low income and ethnic minority students. We will explore explanations for these differences as well as some new practices worthy of attention in some high-performing districts.  We will pay special attention to new strategies for addressing the mathematics learning needs of English language learners, students with special needs, and students who are disengaged from school.

Speaker:

Uri Treisman, Executive Director, The Charles A. Dana Center, University of Texas at Austin