Harvard Graduate School of Education Announces Fall 2010 Askwith Forums Schedule

The Harvard Graduate School of Education is pleased to announce its Fall 2010 Askwith Forums, a series of public lectures dedicated to discussing challenges facing education, sharing new knowledge, and generating spirited conversation. Highlights this fall will include a talk by Disney/ABC Television President Anne Sweeney, Ed.M.'80, an advance screening of the highly anticipated film Waiting for "Superman", and a conversation about the 35th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act moderated by MSNBC's Chris Matthews.

The Askwith Forums, which are free and open to the public, attract more than 2,500 attendees each year. The series provides an opportunity for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to share their work, talk with one another, and advance proven practices that will improve learning opportunities for all children.

The complete fall schedule of events follows:

• September 20: "TV Tech: The Role of Technology in the Evolution of Creativity and the Viewer Experience" with Anne Sweeney Ed.M.'80, cochairman, Disney Media Networks and president, Disney ABC Television Group. 5:30-7 p.m.
• September 23: Advance Screening of Waiting for "Superman" from filmmaker Davis Guggenheim and featuring Harlem Children's Zone President and CEO Geoffrey Canada, Ed.M.'75. 5-8 p.m. Location: Loeb Drama Center, A.R.T. This is a ticketed event.
• September 28: "Education and Happiness" with Derek Bok, former Harvard University president, and Sissela Bok, senior visiting fellow, Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies and Harvard School of Public Health, moderated by Professor Howard Gardner, and introduced by Dean Kathleen McCartney. 5:30-7 p.m.
• October 6: "Youth in the Maelstrom: Newcomers, Identity and Education," a panel moderated by Visiting Professor Helen Haste with Liav Orgad, Radzyner School of Law, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya, and member of the Israeli Commission on Immigration Law and Policy; Fiyaz Mughal, founder and director, Faith Matters, London, UK; Jocelyn Stanton, senior program associate, Facing History and Ourselves; and Geraldine Mande, Brandeis student and winner of Oprah's essay contest on the book Night by Elie Wiesel. This forum is in conjunction with the Civic and Moral Education Initiative and Facing History and Ourselves. 5:30-8 p.m.
• October 19: Premiere of Library of the Early Mind, a documentary film exploring children's literature. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with director and co-producer Edward Delaney; co-producer Steven Withrow; Horn Book Magazine editor-in-chief Roger Sutton; and children's authors Lois Lowry, Jerry Pinkney, Lesléa Newman, and Padma Venkatraman. Moderated by Lecturer Lolly Robinson. 5:30-8 p.m.
• October 26: "The Politics of Race and Class in Higher Education" with Deborah Bial, Ed.M.'96, Ed.D.'04, president and founder of The Posse Foundation, Inc. 5:30-7 p.m.
• November 4: "Room to Read: Globalizing Carnegie's Vision for Libraries" with John Wood, founder and board chair of Room to Read. 5:30 - 7 p.m.
• November 15: "The Big IDEA: Reflecting on 35 years of equal access for students with disabilities" with David Ticchi, Ed.M.'69, C.A.S.'71, Ed.D.'76, one of the first blind teachers in a Massachusetts public school; Harvard College student Kevin Mintz; and Professor Tom Hehir, former director of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs, and a key player in the Clinton administration's proposal for the 1997 reauthorization of IDEA. Moderated by Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC's Hardball. 5:30-7 p.m.
• November 18: "In Brown's Wake: Legacies of America's Educational Landmark" with Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow, Ed.M.'76, 5:30-7 p.m.

All forums are held in Askwith Hall at the Longfellow building on Appian Way unless otherwise noted. 

About Askwith Forums:
The Askwith Forum, established in 1998 by an anonymous donor and named in honor of New York City public-relations consultant, writer and publishing executive Herbert Askwith, is a series of public lectures at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Over the past three years, the Askwith Forum has featured a wide range of topics, including early childhood, civic and moral engagement, expanded learning models, educating for human rights, and international education. Topics are initiated by faculty, students, and alumni, and aim to address the highest-priority challenges facing the education sector.

Prominent speakers have included U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma, and authors Eric Carle and Diane Ravitch.