No Child Left Behind State Hearing: A Forum for All Voices
Wednesday, June 2, 2004 , 4:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Old South Meeting House
Boston, Massachusetts
Co-sponsored by:
Public Education Network (Washington, D.C.)
The Rennie Center for Education at MassINC
Made possible by a grant from the Nellie Mae Education Foundation
Free and open to the public. No prior registration required.
Read the event transcript. >
Implementation of No Child Left Behind has been the focus of attention in communities struggling to understand both the technical requirements and practical adjustments the law requires. As the law moves into its third year of implementation, the public is beginning to feel the full weight of its impact on the education of children, including an increased focus on core courses that will be used to evaluate a school’s success; an increase in student testing and a greater emphasis on annual tests throughout the school year; greater access to supplemental services and school choice options required by the law; increasing numbers of schools designated as at-risk, or failing, and other changes.
The PEN NCLB State Hearings Initiative will create a forum for all voices—business, parents, civic leaders, education advocacy organizations, students, representatives of minority and rural communities, among others—to speak out and take part in shaping one of the most far-reaching education reform measures since Brown v. Board of Education.
These public hearings create a time, place, and process for citizens in Massachusetts and other representative states to make their voices heard and to focus the attention of public leaders, present and prospective, on a critical family, community, and national issue: the schooling of our children.
About the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy at MassINC
The Rennie Center’s mission is to develop a public agenda that informs and promotes significant improvement of public education in Massachusetts. Our work is motivated by a vision of an education system that creates the opportunity to educate every child to be successful in life, citizenship, employment and life-long learning. Applying nonpartisan, independent research, journalism and civic engagement, the Center is creating a civil space to foster thoughtful public discourse to inform and shape effective policy. For more information, visit www.renniecenter.org or call 617.742.6800, ext. 110.
About the Public Education Network
Public Education Network (PEN) is a national association of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to advance public school reform in low-income communities across our country. PEN seeks to build public demand and mobilize resources for quality public education for all children through a theory of action that focuses on the importance of public engagement in school reform. PEN believes community engagement is the missing ingredient in school reform, and that the level of public involvement ultimately determines the quality of education provided by public schools. PEN and its LEF members work to bring the community voice to the debate on quality public education in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Serving more than 11.1 million students in 16,700 schools, LEFs are helping their communities adopt action plans for standards and accountability, schools and community services, and teacher quality. For more information, visit www.publiceducation.org.
About the Nellie Mae Education Foundation
Nellie Mae Education Foundation promotes accessibility, quality and effectiveness of education, especially for underserved populations, in the six New England states. Through grantmaking, research and policy initiatives, the Foundation works with educational institutions and associations, and community organizations, foundations, government agencies and others to encourage, establish and maintain programs and services that promote education. For more information, visit www.nmefdn.org.
About the Old South Meeting House
No tax on tea! This was the decision on December 16, 1773 when 5,000 angry colonists gathered at the Old South Meeting House to protest a tax...and started a revolution with the Boston Tea Party. Since 1729, Bostonians have gathered at the Old South Meeting House for debates, discussion, revolution and celebration. Today this museum and National Historic Landmark is a living symbol of our country's quest for freedom and justice, and an inspiring National Historic Landmark that is an important resource for more than 70,000 children, parents, teachers, visitors and citizens each year. For more information, visit www.oldsouthmeetinghouse.org.
