'Visionary Leader' to Kick Off Education Conference 11/19/2003
From: Billie Spellman of Phi Delta Kappa International, 800-766-1156 or 812-339-1156 or bspellman@pdkintl.org, ST. LOUIS, Nov. 19 -- Mary Curtis Aranha is more than an educator. She also is a parent and an author and has been called a 'visionary leader' for her work in education. Aranha, a Maryland director of character education, will be the opening keynote speaker at a major education conference that begins Thursday at the Hyatt Regency at Union Station in downtown St. Louis. More than 300 educators are slated to attend the four-day conference on school improvement, sponsored by Phi Delta Kappa International, an 80,000-member professional association of educators, based in Bloomington, Indiana. PDK has invited educators and parents from across the United States, Canada, and around the world to participate. Walk-in registration is still available for area participants. For information, call 800-766-1156. The conference theme is "Leave No School Behind: Challenges and Opportunities." A number of sessions will directly address the provisions and effects of the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In addition to sessions on NCLB, the conference will include nearly 50 professional development programs and give participants opportunities to hear prominent education experts. In addition to the opening keynote address by Mary Curtis Aranha, director of character education at the Maryland State Department of Education, participants will hear from National PTA President Linda Hodge and National Public Radio education correspondent Claudio Sanchez on Saturday. National 2002 Teacher of the Year, Chauncey Veatch, will present the closing keynote address on Sunday. Phi Delta Kappa International organized the conference to follow the association's release of findings from its 35th annual PDK/Gallup Poll of the Public's Attitudes Toward the Public Schools. The influential poll found that a majority of Americans know little or nothing about the No Child Left Behind Act. The PDK conference in St. Louis will provide a forum for educators, parents, and policy makers to discuss NCLB and what the law means for schools and to learn about programs and practices for school improvement both in the U.S. and abroad. Phi Delta Kappa International, founded in 1906, provides service, research, and leadership in education. ------ PRESS PASSES: Media representatives may obtain a press pass for the conference by presenting their credentials at the conference registration desk in the Hyatt Regency at Union Station during regular conference hours. For more information, call 1-800-766-1156. |