K-12 Education Event for Donors
The Promise & Perils of DC School Reform
Tuesday, April 1, 2008 * Washington, DC
Hosted by The Philanthropy Roundtable
* Co-sponsored with The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
& Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
Location: St. Coletta of Greater Washington
* For information on the March 31 pre-conference, "Getting It Right from the Start: Pre-K in Our Nation's Capital," click here
A controversial move by Washington, DC Mayor Fenty put 38-year-old Michelle Rhee in charge of overhauling the District’s school system—one plagued by abysmal test scores, decrepit buildings, and chronic mismanagement. Rhee has set her sights on restructuring the central office, hiring the most talented school leaders, and engaging parents and the community—all with a relentless focus on raising student achievement.
Can Rhee's gutsy approach turn around Washington’s troubled schools? And what is the role of philanthropy in this promising and uncertain experiment?
On April 1, 2008, over 130 donors joined The Philanthropy Roundtable, the Community Foundation for the National Capital, and Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers in the nation's capital to discuss ways to turn around DC Public Schools (DCPS) and opportunities for philanthropists to make a significant impact. For more information, please contact Stephane Saroki at ssaroki@PhilanthropyRoundtable.org.
AGENDA
8:00 am - 12:00 pm
Witness Excellence in Action: Morning Site Visits to KIPP DC: LEAP Academy& Washington Jesuit Academy
* Bus for site visits departs St. Coletta at 8:00 am sharp and returns at 11:50 am. Please arrive 10 minutes early.
12:00 pm - 1:40 pm
Luncheon & Opening Plenary
(At St. Coletta of Greater Washington)
Welcome
* Tamara Lucas Copeland, president,
* Terri Lee Freeman, president, The Community Foundation for the National Capital Region
It's Not Rocket Science: What It Takes to Turn Around DC Schools
Remarks by Adam Meyerson, president, The Philanthropy Roundtable
Introduction by Donald E. Graham, chairman, The Washington Post
* Michelle Rhee, chancellor, DC Public Schools
Questioner: Chester E. Finn Jr., president, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation
1:40 pm - 2:10 pm
Break
2:10 pm - 3:20 pm
Breakout Sessions
DC Charter Schools: Turning the Corner to Excellence
* Jordan Meranus, partner, NewSchools Venture Fund (Moderator)
* J. L. (Jack) Davies, founder, AOL International
* Donald L. Hense, chairman, Friendship Public Charter School
* Brian W. Jones, member, DC Public Charter School Board
Creating a Culture of Results
* Carol Thompson Cole, president & CEO, Venture Philanthropy Partners (Moderator)
* John E. Deasy, superintendent of schools, Prince George's County
* Jennifer C. Niles, founder and head of school,
* Jon Schnur, CEO & co-founder, New Leaders for New Schools
3:20 pm - 3:40 pm
Break
3:40 pm - 5:00 pm
Closing Plenary
The Future of DC School Reform: How Philanthropists Can Make a Difference
* Katherine Bradley, president, CityBridge Foundation
* Joseph E. Robert Jr., chairman, Fight For Children
* James H. Shelton III, program director for education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
* Closing Remarks by Stephanie Saroki, senior director of K-12 education programs, The Philanthropy Roundtable
MEETING LOCATION
ST. COLETTA SCHOOL in Washington has been described as “a Lego set come to life." Unveiled in September 2006, this $32 million whimsical building was designed by world-renowned architect, Michael Graves, to educate the most severely cognitively disable children (and some adults) in the area.
Founded in 1959 as a private school by the parents of a child with Down syndrome, St. Coletta has occupied basements and churches until it moved, at the request of District officials, from the Virginia suburbs to Washington. The school expanded (to 271 students, ages 3 to 22) and redefined itself as the St. Coletta Special Education Public Charter School. Approximately 20 percent of students are in wheelchairs, 50 percent are non-verbal and 10 percent are hearing impaired. While the exterior of the building has generated buzz, it is the nurturing world of learning inside that has most amazed the families of its students.
Experience this unique, public-private partnership – one made possible by philanthropy – and a model of excellence in serving those who face the steepest hurdles to learning.
***
Pre-Conference on Monday, March 31
Getting It Right from the Start: Pre-K in the Nation’s Capital
Join other philanthropists and national experts to observe two model approaches to pre-K education for underserved children in Washington, DC; explore what "quality" in pre-K education means; and discuss the challenges to and opportunities for achieving excellence in pre-K education.
For more information, contact Rebecca Stewart at rstewart@PhilanthropyRoundtable.org.
AGENDA
7:30 am
Registration Opens, Capital Hilton Hotel
8:00 am - 8:20 am
DC’s Pre-K Landscape
8:20 am – 9:20 am
What Does Quality Pre-K Look Like?
* Jack McCarthy, managing director, AppleTree Institute for Education Innovation
* Beatriz (BB) Otero, president & CEO, CentroNia
* Craig Ramey, director of Center for Health and Education,
9:30 am – 11:20 am
Site Visits to AppleTree Early
11:45 am - 12:30 pm
Luncheon, Capital Hilton Hotel
12:40 pm – 1:40 pm
What Works: Model Early Interventions for Low-income Children
* Linda Bevilacqua, president, Core Knowledge Foundation
* Aaron Lieberman, founder & CEO, Acelero
* Joan Lombardi, chair, Birth to Five Policy Alliance
* Carmen James Lane, program officer, The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation (moderator)
1:50 pm - 3:00 pm
Debating Best Options to Improve Early Education
* Doug Besharov, director of Social and Individual Responsibility Project, American Enterprise Institute
* Andy Lee, executive director, CityBridge Foundation
* Susan Urahn, managing director of
* Chester E. Finn Jr., president, Thomas B. Fordham Foundation (moderator)
