Several of the nation’s foremost leaders in education will gather at Loyola University Maryland on Thursday, Sept. 30 for “What Do We Want—And Need—Our Children to Learn? The Purpose of Public Education,” the fourth event in the Baltimore Curriculum Project’s Leading Minds series. The forum, co-sponsored by Loyola and Urbanite magazine, takes place from 4 – 6 p.m. in McGuire Hall on the University’s North Charles Street campus.
Panelists include Freeman A. Hrabowski, III, Ph.D., president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; New York City Urban Academy co-director Ann Cook; and General Lester Lyles, a four-star general in the United States Air Force. Peter C. Murrell, Jr., Ph.D., founding dean of Loyola University Maryland’s School of Education, will open the forum, and Craig Thompson, an adjunct professor and trustee at the University of Maryland, College Park; vice chair of the SEED School, which offers a boarding school model to underserved students; and partner at Venable LLP will serve as moderator.
Part of an ongoing series of events designed to engage local stakeholders in public education in discussions of controversial topics that relate directly to improving K-12 education, this panel will consider fundamental questions not addressed in the recent focus on high-stakes testing in public schools: What are the United States’ goals for public education? What do we want our children to learn in public school? How can public schools prepare our children to participate responsibly and actively in democracy?
“Discussions of the future of public education often fail to consider the big picture, to explore the most important questions. Educators must begin to ask what qualities we want to see in our next generation of leaders, and we must begin creating schools capable of instilling and encouraging these qualities.” said Loyola’s Murrell, whose School of Education is the only one in Maryland with a dedicated focus on the advancement of achievement and development of city children and youth that is based on an analytical framework of identity, race, social capital, and culture. “Loyola’s School of Education is proud to support this program and its critical examination of these important issues.”
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. To register, visit http://bcp.eventbrite.com, e-mail bcpinfo@baltimorecp.org, or call Larry Schugam at 410-675-7000.
The Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) manages a network of turnaround charter schools in East Baltimore. BCP utilizes research-based instructional methods, customized professional development, performance monitoring, and other key supports to transform underperforming, high-poverty schools into successful charter schools.
For more information or questions regarding this story, contact Media Relations Manager Nick Alexopulos at nalexopulos@loyola.edu or 410-617-5025.