Experts Address High School Reform Issues, Prepare Students for Future
Re-visioning the American high school is focus of Waterbury Summit
University Park, Pa. -- The high school graduation rate in the United States is one of the lowest among the industrialized nations and only 68 percent of those who enter high school will graduate in four years with a diploma. How can high schools prepare students to be competitive in the changing global economy, encourage them to become engaged citizens, and motivate them to care deeply about learning? Penn State's Waterbury Summit on Secondary Education, to be held June 6 through 8 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, will bring together eminent scholars and leading professionals at the forefront of educational reform to address these issues.
Sponsored by the College of Education, the event will feature researchers, policy makers and practitioners to participate in plenary and breakout sessions in this important discussion on re-visioning the American high school. Among the topics that will be covered are:
- "Student Engagement and Reducing Dropout Rates"
- "Initiatives to Promote Learning in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)"
- "Assessment, Standardized Testing and Accountability"
- "Civic Engagement and Student Voice"
- "Successful Transition from School to Work or Postsecondary Education"
- "Workforce Skills Requirements and Careers"
Gerald Zahorchak, Pennsylvania's Secretary of Education, will deliver opening remarks. Keynote speakers for this landmark event include Warren Simmons, executive director of the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University; Leslie Santee Siskin, associate research professor at New York University (NYU)/Steinhardt and the Institute for Education and Social Policy; and Yong Zhao, University distinguished professor at Michigan State University. Zhao also serves as the founding director of the Center for Teaching and Technology and the U.S.-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence.
The event, coordinated by Penn State Conferences, will lead to a book and special report on solutions for improving high schools. For information on this event or to register, visit http://www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/HighSchoolReform/ or call (814) 863-5100.
This press release courtesy of Penn State's Department of Public Information
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