BLACK ENTERPRISE Hosts Symposium on New Policies and Standards to Improve the Quality of American Public Education
by Black Enterprise

September 19, 2013

BLACK ENTERPRISE Hosts Symposium on New Policies and Standards to Improve the Quality of American Public Education

Black Enterprise, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is pleased to present “Today’s Business Crisis: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce,” on Friday, September 20, at The Walter E. Washington Convention Center, West Salon in Washington, D.C. The symposium is part of a series aimed to cultivate a conversation between top leaders in business, philanthropy and education about the critical challenges facing the American K-12 and postsecondary educational system. The symposium series has been held in Memphis, Tenn., Charlotte, N.C., Orlando, Fla., and Columbus, Ohio.

The Black Enterprise “Today’s Business Crisis” symposium will focus on the obligations and responsibilities for business leaders, politicians and policy makers on the development of comprehensive education reform that will engage students and prepare them for the 21st century workforce. Symposium speakers will also focus on why resolving the debate over Common Core State Standards–adopted in more than 40 states but under attack by large numbers of state educators, administrators and legislators–is so critical to those efforts. U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), a member of the House Committee on Education & Workforce Development, will be among those delivering remarks at the symposium.

The Washington, D.C. symposium, being held in concert with the 43rd Annual Legislative Conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, is open to the general public. To RSVP, click on the following link: https://blackenterprise.com/billgateswashington/.

“By assisting and increasing the quality of education with postsecondary schools,” says Symposium Moderator Dr. Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., Jesse Climenko Professor, Harvard Law, “we give students the competitive edge to compete internationally. Colleges must continue to train, prepare and equip students for the ‘real world.’ The students are relying on us to prepare them for the workforce and we must fulfill our obligation to teach them. All academic institutions must be willing to critically evaluate and transform their current structure, courses offered and teaching methodologies to meet the future needs of our students and our society in a cost-effective manner.”

Symposium: Today’s Business Crisis: Educating Tomorrow’s Workforce

When: Friday, September 20, 2013 | Time: 8:30 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.

Where: Walter E. Washington Convention Center, West Salon, 801 Mt Vernon Place NW, Washington, D.C.

Moderator Dr. Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., Jesse Climenko Professor, Harvard Law School

Panelists

James H. Shelton III, Assistant Deputy Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

John B. King Jr, New York State Commissioner of Education

Mitchell D. Chester, Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary & Secondary Education

Dr. Ronald Carter, President, Johnson C. Smith University

Michael Hyter, Executive Leadership Council

Greg Roberts, Executive Director, National Alliance of Black School Educators

Additional Program Participants

Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA), Member, House Committee on Education & Workforce Development

Joe Scantlebury, Senior Policy Officer, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Earl “Butch” Graves, President/CEO, BLACK ENTERPRISE

Derek Dingle, SVP/Editor-in-Chief, BLACK ENTERPRISE

“It is imperative business leaders’ partner with the academic community ensuring our schools are producing graduates with the skills we desire for our businesses to remain competitive in this global economy,” says Earl “Butch” Graves, Jr., President and CEO, BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Black Enterprise has consistently sounded the call to address this crisis as the system even more egregiously fails our children it’s charged with educating and preparing for productive lives. If we are to have a strong workforce; we must have strong schools. We are proud to have the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase the focus on solutions that can ultimately resolve this crisis; and that cannot be successfully executed without business leaders being fully committed to reform education.”

 


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