Continuing the Education Conversation: CT Business Leaders Gather at Early Childhood Summit

As promised, The Connecticut Forum presented the first of several education summits last week to continue the conversation about education started at our November Forum, Our Great Education Challenge.

A partnership between The Connecticut Forum and The CBIA Education Foundation, the summit, "Why Business Should Care About Early Childhood Education," focused on the importance of preschool education to our state's economic competitiveness and how the business community can get involved.

Nearly 100 CT business executives and educators were in attendance to hear featured presentations from:
- Elaine Weiss, Project Manager, PEW Center on the States, Partnership for America's Economic Success
- Rob Grunewald, Associate Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
- Rob Dugger, Managing Partner, Hanover Investment Group and advisory board chair of The Partnership for America's Economic Success.

Richard Sugarman, founding president of The Connecticut Forum, was the moderator.

Robert Dugger, managing partner of Hanover Investment Group,
presenting at the summit.
Photo by Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie

After their presentations, the panelists were joined for discussion and a Q&A session by local panelists, including:
- Karen Foley-Schain, Executive Director, Children's Trust Fund
- David Nee, Executive Director, William Graustein Memorial Fund
- Linda Kelly, President, Hartford Foundation for Public Giving

Linda McMahon with Bryan Flint.
Photo by Christine Stuart, CT News Junkie

We hope that this summit is the first of many to raise awareness and public will for education reform.

You can read further coverage of the event by CT News Junkie and CBIA.

Education Showcase and More at "Our Great Education Challenge"

We'll be holding a special Education Showcase featuring local education groups in the Bushnell theater lobby on Thursday, November 11 as a part of our second Forum of the Season, Our Great Education Challenge.

The Education Showcase will be available to Forum audience members beginning at 7pm, during intermission, and immediately following The Forum. The Showcase offers an opportunity to interact with local education groups, ask questions and learn more.

The following organizations will be part of the Education Showcase:

Achieve Hartford: Achieve Hartford is an independent, nonprofit organization of business and community leaders that focuses on student achievement and supporting effective and sustained school reform in the Hartford Public Schools.

CBIA Education Foundation: CBIA's Education Foundation is a nonprofit affiliate of CBIA whose mission is to help develop a skilled, knowledgeable workforce in Connecticut.

CommPACT Schools: CommPACT Schools is a partnership including the American Federation of Teachers - Connecticut; Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents; Connecticut Education Association; Connecticut Federation of School Administrators; and Neag School of Education at The University of Connecticut.

ConnCAN: ConnCAN is a platform for Connecticut citizens to effectively speak up for kids. To close Connecticut's gaping achievement gap, a new ethos of reform must permeate state government, the education establishment, and the wide community of citizens.

The Connecticut State University System: The Connecticut State University System is an exemplary state university system advancing the educational needs of the citizens of Connecticut and the nation within a global society.

William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund: The mission of The William Caspar Graustein Memorial Fund is to improve the effectiveness of education in fostering both personal development and leadership. A belief that education benefits both individuals and society as a whole guides their work.

University of Connecticut Neag School of Education: The Neag School of Education works to develop students with strong ethical standards into leaders dedicated to improving education, health and wellness for all children and adults.

Sheff Movement: The Sheff Movement Coalition is a collaboration of parents, citizens, educators and others who work to educate the public about proven voluntary integration measures and increase support for quality education for all children.

The Connecticut YOUTH Forum Student Voices: With more than 750 high school-aged youth from 40 high schools and community groups, The CT YOUTH Forum comes together year round to exchange ideas and learn from one another. We invite you to ask us about our schools and our views on education.

Waiting for "Superman" Director Davis Guggenheim Joins CT Forum Education Panel

Davis Guggenheim

Exciting news!
DAVIS GUGGENHEIM
Director of the highly anticipated film
Waiting for Superman, as well as
An Inconvenient Truth
will be a panelist at our upcoming Forum,
Our Great Education Challenge , on November 11, 2010.

He will join fellow panelist Joel Klein, chancellor of New York Public Schools, and other panelists to be announced soon.

Davis Guggenheim is an American film director and producer who is perhaps best known for directing and producing An Inconvenient Truth, the Academy Award winning documentary about global warming.

His most recent documentary, Waiting for "Superman" explores the ways in which the American public education system is failing our nation’s children, and the roles that charter schools and education reformers could play in the future. Guggenheim sees dysfunction in our schools and in the politics around them. “Why can’t there be a great school for every kid in America? It just doesn’t make sense to me. That’s why I made this movie.” His hope for the film is to “engage real people to get involved in the subject so that we can create enough political will to change our system.”

Earlier in his career, Guggenheim focused on the challenging first year of several novice public school teachers in The Los Angeles public school system in his documentary films, The First Year and Teach. He made these films to address the tremendous need for qualified teachers in California and nationwide, to create awareness of the crisis in our schools, and to inspire the next generation to become teachers.

His other film and television credits as a producer and director include Training Day, The Shield, Alias, 24, NYPD Blue, ER, Deadwood, and Party of Five. In 2009, he directed and produced a documentary It Might Get Loud, about the history of the electric guitar and careers and styles of Jimmy Page, The Edge, and Jack White.

He lives in California with his wife, actress Elisabeth Shue, and their three children.

2010-2011 CT Forum Season Topics and Dates

After reading hundreds of suggestions about Forum topics submitted by our subscribers, volunteers, sponsors, YOUTH Forum members, Friends of The Forum and community members, we are thrilled to share with you this first glimpse at our 2010-2011 Forum Season!

We will be announcing our first round of panelists soon, but we'd still like to hear your suggestions. (And we listen!)

• Who do you want to us to bring to Hartford for a "civil" dialogue about ugly politics, the erosion of public discourse, and the crudeness that pervades our daily lives?
  
  
• Are you an educator? School Administrator? Parent? Concerned citizen? Who do you want to hear talk strategies and solutions to the challenges facing our schools...and our future?
  
  
• The human brain is perhaps the real "final frontier" - a vast unexplored territory about which scientists know relatively little. What brainiacs do you want to hear talk about thoughts, memory, health, science?
  
  
• Mystery. Romance. Historical Fiction. Memoir. Who do you love to read?

Please leave a comment and tell us what you think, and stay tuned for updates and more about our upcoming 19th Season! Cheers!