SPECIAL GATHERINGS

Networking and collaboration are more important than ever. With this in mind, we’ve created structured and unstructured blocks of time for you to connect with your colleagues. We encourage you to take advantage of these networking opportunities to deepen and broaden your relationships with other education grantmakers.

 

Tuesday, October 26

2:00 PM - 5:30 PM: Building Public Will and Influencing Policy to Strengthen and Sustain Out-of-School Opportunities for Children and Youth

Even as out-of-school time (OST) programs are hard hit by state and local budget crises, funders need to be forward thinking about building long-term support for OST, particularly since public debates about education reform have not fully explored the potential of expanded learning opportunities to drive the successful learning, engagement and social development of young people. How can the OST field increase public support, build key alliances and influence policy to better position itself for the future? Why is this an important issue for grantmakers, and what roles could and should they play? Join the OST funder network as we explore current federal and state level OST policy issues, surface a diverse range of perspectives, and share successful advocacy and public-will building grantmaking strategies.

2:00 PM - 5:30 PM: Organizing and ESEA Reauthorization: Youth and Parent Engagement Strategies

One lasting lesson of No Child Left Behind is that federal education policy has profound effects on neighborhoods, districts and states. With ESEA reauthorization underway, it is especially critical to remember that—unlike policymakers, teachers unions and other stakeholders—parents and youth, especially those from low-income communities, are typically left out of critical policy debates. But grantmakers can play a critical role in ensuring these key constituencies are heard. Join the Working Group on Education Organizing as we frame and focus the strategies and methodologies that grantmakers can use to elevate these voices to achieve successful policy reform at the local, state and national levels.

2:00 PM - 5:30 PM: The Fierce Urgency of Policy Reform

The contending forces of ESEA reauthorization, midterm elections and the continued recession make 2010 an exceptionally dynamic year for education policy reform, underscoring the need for funders to be both responsive and proactive in their engagement with policy, from the local to the national level. Join the Education Policy Working Group for a policy-focused dialogue that examines how education grantmakers have framed, focused and achieved policy reform in their communities, states and nationally, and how to develop public policy grantmaking strategies.

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Students of Color in Search of a Future: Wanting to Learn, Hoping to Succeed

Anchor your conference experience in a real school, with real students, learning from those who know firsthand just how critical disparities in educational equity and excellence are. Join us for a town hall at Warren Easton, the oldest public school in New Orleans, with a long history of serving working-class students and English Language Learners, which was rebuilt after the levee breaks as Warren Easton Senior High Charter School. Our gathering will begin with a screening of Beyond the Bricks, a documentary that examines one of the most troubling and persistent problems in American education: the consistently low outcomes for black males. After the film, a panel of local families will share their experiences in New Orleans public schools, providing insights to amplify our collective commitment to transforming American education.

Wednesday, October 27

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: The Common Core: An Uncommon Opportunity for Educational Transformation

How can the Common Core State Standards Initiative transform efforts to bring both equity and excellence to American education? Join Dane Linn of the National Governors Association and Gene Wilhoit of the Council of Chief State School Officers for a luncheon discussion focused on understanding how the Common Core can provide a platform for leveraging wider education reform efforts. Linn and Wilhoit will discuss the strategies for achieving widespread adoption of the initiative, outline the critical investments needed to ensure that the standards are translated into classroom practice, and highlight key opportunities and issues for funders seeking to engage around the Common Core.

4:45 PM - 5:30 PM: Interest-based gatherings

Gather with like-minded philanthropists and discover new ideas to make your grantmaking effective.

6:00 PM - 9:00 PM: Host event

Catch up with colleagues over hors d’oeuvres and cocktails as you experience the vibrant, colorful culture of New Orleans. Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at Mardi Gras World, the sculpture and prop studios where the floats and giant figures that are the icons of the Mardi Gras parade are created.

Thursday, October 28

5:30 PM - 6:30 PM: Funder-sponsored receptions

These receptions, sponsored by different funders, are a great way to meet your colleagues with similar interests.

Friday, October 29

10:30 AM - 1:30 PM: Touring New Orleans: From “the Big Easy” to “the Little Difficult” – Understanding a City in Transition

The levee failures of 2005, the global recession that began in late 2007, and most recently the oil spill of 2010 have challenged New Orleanians and their neighborhoods. Despite being faced with a seemingly never-ending line of crisis, residents are working together to maintain their resilience, as they engage in the most significant boot-strapping recovery seen in America since the Great Depression.

With experienced guides at the helm, this tour will provide participants with an opportunity to see how communities within New Orleans–straddling pronounced race and class lines and in many cases stymied by under-resourced or absent government–have grown their recovery organically, implementing their own neighborhood recovery efforts, block-by-block. Tour participants will learn about the educational, economic and environmental results of these efforts, and will have an opportunity to discuss the strategies employed and plans to extend and deepen these efforts.

Although primarily conducted via bus, this tour will include a bit of walking, and a genuine New Orleans po-boy lunch provided by one of the city's most celebrated neighborhood food stops.

This tour will be led by Mary Rowe and members of The New Orleans Institute for Resilience and Innovation, a post-storm alliance of community-based innovators.

The cost for the tour is an additional $40 per person. Please register in advance to attend.

10:30 AM - 2:00 PM: Rural education tour

One in five K-12 students attend a rural school—where changing populations, inadequate resources, and staffing needs present very different challenges. Visit a rural Gulf school and see firsthand how concerns about equity and excellence play out in rural contexts, and what funders can do to support policies and practices that serve rural learners.

The cost for the tour is an additional $40 per person. Please register in advance to attend.

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