American Leadership Forum and Houston A+ Challenge Present the 2010 Convocation on Public Education

HOUSTON, Texas (March 15, 2010) – The American Leadership Forum Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter and Houston A+ Challenge will host the sixth biennial Convocation on Public Education on Friday, March 26, 2010, at the Houston Community College – Central Campus located at 1300 Holman from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person and include breakfast and lunch.

American Leadership Forum and Houston A+ Challenge Present the 2010 Convocation on Public Education

Convocation Aims to Inspire Participants to Be Involved In the Community and

Connect Key Stakeholders

HOUSTON, Texas (March 15, 2010) – The American Leadership Forum Houston/Gulf Coast Chapter and Houston A+ Challenge will host the sixth biennial Convocation on Public Education on Friday, March 26, 2010, at the Houston Community College – Central Campus located at 1300 Holman from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Tickets are $40 per person and include breakfast and lunch.

The topic is “Preparing Kids for the Future: Global Trends — Local Action.”  The convocation will address what the school of the future must look like in order to achieve rigor, relevance and relationships for all students and what individual stakeholders’ roles must be in creating it. The convocation will feature keynote speaker Bill Daggett, chief executive officer and founder of the International Center for Leadership in Education, and a panel including Representative Rob Eissler, chairman of the Public Education Committee for the Texas House of Representatives; Terry Grier, Ed.D., superintendent of Houston Independent School District; Renu Khator, Ph.D., chancellor of the University of Houston System; and David Thompson, partner at Thompson & Horton LLP.

“We are so pleased to have Bill Daggett as our keynote speaker this year,” Harriet Wasserstrum, president of American Leadership Forum said. “Daggett is well known throughout the national public education community as a thought leader and has a wealth of information on what works in public education today.”

Panelists will address three key questions during the convocation:

• How do the skills and knowledge that students need in the future differ from those we traditionally focus on in our schools?
• Today’s students are natives to the technological and information age and we are at best immigrants. What are the implications of this?
• As you look ten years into the future, what are the three greatest challenges you think our schools will face?

The convocation is expected to draw approximately 300 participants, including teachers, administrators, parents, educators, nonprofit executives and business leaders who support public education, and other community stakeholders.

“Past convocations have motivated participants to get involved in public education in some way and have enabled new relationships to form – leading to positive collaborative efforts for our community,” Scott Van Beck, executive director of Houston A+ Challenge said. “Our community and students need advocates for our public education system, and we hope that this convocation will inspire community stakeholders to get involved.”

For more information or to register for the convocation, please visit www.alfhouston.com and click on the calendar of events tab under ALF events or contact Ruth Duson-Phillips at (713) 807-1253 or ruth@alfhouston.com.

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About American Leadership Forum
Since 1981, the American Leadership Forum has offered a yearlong training program for established leaders from all sectors of our community. Since 2006, single sector programs in healthcare, public education and criminal justice have been offered. More than 700 Senior Fellows have now been trained in collaboration and consensus building as they work for a more effective, cohesive community for the Houston/Gulf Coast. On the web at: www.alfhouston.com.

About Houston A+ Challenge

Houston A+ Challenge is an independent nonprofit that has supported public school improvement and encouraged education reform efforts in the Houston area since 1997. Houston A+ partners with local school districts to help build professional networks and school leaders who create lasting improvements in classroom instruction and student achievement. On the web at: www.houstonaplus.org.