Investing in a Culture of Learning

On December 4, in conjunction with its involvement in the Rethink Learning Now campaign, the Forum for Education & Democracy held the third of its three scheduled fall policy briefings - one for each of the campaign's core pillars of successful education reform - powerful learning, high-quality teaching, and a system committed to fairness for all children.

Speaking to a crowd of policy staffers, educators, journalists, and education advocates at the Senate Visitors Center, Forum Conveners Deborah Meier and George Wood were joined by two students and a teacher -- Roytel Montero, a senior from Fenway High School in Boston; Chantale Soekhoe, a recent graduate of Urban Academy in New York City; and Jenerra Williams, a 2nd and 3rd grade teacher from Mission Hill Elementary School in Boston.

Meier framed the event by honoring the ideas and legacy of the late Ted Sizer, who believed the ultimate purpose of education is to help young people learn to use their minds well.

Then, each panelist spoke first-hand about how their schools had created such a culture of learning, and identified ways to, in the words of Soekhoe, "inspire people to learn, not force them to learn." Wood concluded the event by speaking to some of the Forum's suggestions for the policy community, which were contained in a brief at the event.

To read the briefing paper, click here.  To watch videos of the panelists' presentations, click here.