Preschool-Grade 12 Education

Speakers: Yvonne Chan, Principal, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center; former Member, California State Board of Education Jason Culbertson, Chief Learning Officer and Executive Vice President, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Warren Fletcher, President, United Teachers Los Angeles Patrice Pujol, Superintendent, Ascension Parish Schools, Gonzales, Louisiana Moderator: Thomas Boysen, Adjunct Professor of Educational Leadership, University of Southern California. Research and experience show that the teacher is by far the most powerful school factor in student achievement. Yet most are judged on the basis of several observations a year at best, without consideration of students' results or parent/student opinion of their work. Few experts believe that this traditional, process-focused approach aids smart decision-making on retention, promotion and tenure, or improves teaching and student achievement. Meanwhile, the federal government grants $2 billion annually for professional development programs that have nothing to do with teacher evaluation. Our panel will discuss the most effective evaluation models and how proven programs can be widely adopted. Should student performance be linked to promotion, tenure and higher pay? Can evaluation systems propel teacher development and energize educator learning communities? Will the new Common Core Standards and Assessments make the situation better or worse?

Speakers: Chaka Fattah, U.S. Congressman Mila Henn, Executive Director, Patient Support and Global Patient Services, Cleveland Clinic Lisa Poon, Manager, Human Resources, Cisco Systems Phyllis Stewart Pires, Director of WorkLife Strategy, Stanford University Moderator: Elanna Yalow, CEO, Knowledge Universe Early Learning Programs. President Obama's 2013 State of the Union address heralded the importance of starting education "at the earliest possible age." He called for a bold partnership with states "to make high-quality preschool available to every single child in America." But is universal preschool the panacea some claim or a costly, simplistic attempt to solve a far more complex problem? This panel will first present the economic and scientific case for investing in early childhood education. Then the viability of the president's proposal will be examined by key legislators, policymakers and business leaders. The panel will discuss what we've learned about the benefits and disappointments of universal preschool, how to optimize the return from educational investments, the merits of varied delivery models and whether our overburdened public schools are prepared for this challenge.

Speakers: Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator Eugene Kandel, Head of the National Economic Council, Israeli Prime Minister's Office Anthony Miller, Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer, U.S. Department of Education Dilip Thakore, Publisher and Editor, EducationWorld Dinghua Wang, Director-General, Basic Education Department, Ministry of Education, China Moderator: Lowell Milken, Co-Founder, Knowledge Universe Education; Founder, National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET). A nation's education system is its engine of human capital development and economic, civic and social progress. With that in mind, China, India, Israel and the U.S. have launched initiatives to advance the quality and equity of their elementary and secondary education systems. Access to schooling, teacher quality and accountability, student motivation, effective-instruction programs, technology and early-childhood education are key elements of each plan. Each nation's reforms are rooted in its culture, but all aim to produce high school graduates who are college and career ready and will propel their societies through the middle of the 21st century. What can we learn from these approaches and their results to date? Which initiatives are truly effective and which have not met expectations? How can the private sector help these strategies succeed?