National Education Experts to Examine Controversial "High Stakes" Testing
Lowell Lecture Series Presented at Simmons College from Jan. to April

BOSTON (Jan. 2, 2001) – Four national educational leaders will examine the controversial role of standardized testing and increased accountability in public education in the Lowell Lecture Series "High Stakes Testing: Accountability, Equity, and Professionalism," held in the Simmons College Conference Center, 300 The Fenway, at 7 p.m. on four different nights throughout the spring, starting on Jan. 29. The series is free and open to the public.

The speakers will explore what parents, teachers, administrators, students, and state and federal officials need to know about high stakes testing; finding a balance between increased accountability and student learning; and reconciling "teaching to the test" and the broader goals of education. The speakers are:

• Jan. 29: Jay Heubert, Ph.D., author and associate professor at Teachers College at Columbia University, will speak on "Graduation and promotion testing: Potential benefits and risks for minority students, English-language learners, and students with disabilities."
• Feb. 13: Susan Ohanian, former teacher and award-winning author, will speak on "One size fits few: The folly of educational standards." Her most recent book is Caught in the Middle: Nonstandard Kids and a Killing Curriculum.
• March 19: Richard Rothstein, national education columnist for the New York Times and adjunct professor at Occidental College in Los Angeles, will discuss, "What’s right and what’s wrong with the standards and accountability movement in American schools?"
• April 23: S. Paul Reville, faculty member at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and executive director of the school’s Pew Forum on Standards-Based Reform, will address "From here to equity: Mid-course corrections for standards-based reform."

To register for the series, or for more information, contact the Simmons College Education and Human Services Department at 617-521-2562,

Simmons College is a nationally recognized, small, private, predominantly women’s university in the heart of Boston. It has undergraduate programs for women and graduate programs for women and men. Founded a century ago, Simmons was the first women's college in the nation to offer women liberal arts training and career preparation.

CONTACT

Katie Fiermonti
617-521-2369

See Also

Department of Education

 

 

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