2010 New Wisconsin Promise Conference

Keynotes

Address by Geoffrey Canada Saving All The Children In his 20 plus years with Harlem Children’s Zone, Inc., Geoffrey Canada has become nationally recognized for his pioneering work helping children and families in New York City and as a passionate advocate for education reform. American youth today face many challenges, unimagined in the past, which are not confined to one city or community. These problems are in urban and rural, rich and poor communities. Mr. Canada will be sharing models for reform that combine “educational, social, and medical services. It starts at birth and follows children to college. It meshes those services into an interlocking web, and then it drops that web over an entire neighborhood….” The answers are not to be found in any one strategy. Individuals, families, schools, and communities must develop a plan of action to save all children. Geoffrey Canada is the acclaimed author of Fist, Stick, Knife, Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America and was the recipient of the first Heinz Award in 1994 for his leadership in nurturing and protecting children. He was recognized for his passionate concern for children and his commitment to making their lives safer and saner. Much of this is done through his work as President/CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City. In his second book, Reaching Up For Manhood, Canada offers powerful insights into the lives of boys in America, and the importance of mentoring and adult involvement. In 2008, Paul Tough authored Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America that describes his commitment to change the lives of poor children. Canada offers a vision that with hard work, dedication, and prioritizing resources, a safe, caring, and stimulating environment can be created for all children.

Address by Stephanie Pace Marshall The New Story, Map, and Landscape of Learning and Schooling: A Call to Leadership Despite decades of reform, we have not fundamentally transformed our system of schooling or the nature and quality of our children's learning and thinking. By focusing on reforming the contents of schooling, and not transforming the context and conditions of learning, we have created illusions of proficiency for learning and have eroded the potentially vibrant intellectual life of our children, schools, and communities. Drawing on her book, The Power to Transform: Leadership That Brings Learning and Schooling to Life, Stephanie Pace Marshall offers a new “story,” map, and landscape for creating vibrant learning communities that have their roots in meaning, not memory; engagement, not transmission; inquiry, not compliance; exploration, not acquisition; personalization, not uniformity; interdependence, not individualism; collaboration, not competition; and trust, not fear. It is from this “new story” that leaders can bring learning and schooling to life.

For questions about this information, contact Linda Krantz (608) 267-1294, Deb Rasmussen (608) 267-2277, or Kathy Trotta (608) 266-1863.

Last updated on 6/16/2009 10:59:32 AM