Spring 2012 Askwith Forums Schedule Announced

The Harvard Graduate School of Education is pleased to announce its spring 2012 Askwith Forums, a series of public lectures dedicated to discussing challenges facing education, sharing new knowledge, and generating spirited conversation. Highlights this spring will include U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan, New York Times Columnist David Brooks, Teach For America Founder Wendy Kopp, and speakers focused on anti-bullying efforts and effective teaching.

The Askwith Forums, which are free and open to the public, attract more than 3,500 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 spring schedule of events follows:

January 18: “The Social Animal” with New York Times Columnist David Brooks. Introduction by Professor Howard Gardner. 4–5:30 p.m.

January 26: “Measuring Effective Teaching” with Professor Thomas Kane and Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education Mitchell Chester, Ed.M.’88, Ed.D.’91. Introduction by Dean Kathleen McCartney. 5:30–7 p.m.

February 6: U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan. 3:30–4:30 p.m. Please note this is a ticketed event.

February 15: A film screening of the documentary The Bully Project including a panel discussion with director Lee Hirsch and Lecturer Richard Weissbourd, Ed.D.’87. 5–9 p.m. This forum is being held in conjunction with Facing History and Ourselves and the Berkman Center.

March 2: “Disrupting the Discourse: Discussing the ‘Undiscussable’” with Schott Foundation for Public Education President and CEO John H. Jackson, Ed.M.’98, Ed.D.’01. 5–7 p.m. This forum is being held in conjunction with the Alumni of Color Conference.

March 8: Teach For America CEO and Founder Wendy Kopp. 5:30–7 p.m.

March 28: Harvard Graduate School of Education Medal for Education Impact. Recipient to be announced. 4–5:30 p.m. Please note this is a ticketed event.

April 2: “What the NFL Can Teach Teachers” with New Teacher Project President Tim Daly and St. Louis Rams Defensive Line Coach Brendan Daly. Moderated by Time.comcolumnist Andy Rotherham, cofounder and partner at Bellwether Education Partners. 5:30–7 p.m.

April 24: “New Orleans: Pass or Fail?” with Georgia State University Assistant Professor Kristen Buras and New Schools for New Orleans Founder and CEO Sarah Newell Usdin. Moderated by Time.com columnist Andy Rotherham, cofounder and partner at Bellwether Education Partners. 4:30–6p.m.

May 3: “Chocolate Me” with author and actor Taye Diggs and illustrator Shane Evans. Moderated by Lecturer Pamela Mason, M.A.T.’70, Ed.D.’75. 5:30–7 p.m.

All forums are held in Askwith Hall at the Longfellow building on Appian Way in Cambridge, Mass., and open to the public unless otherwise noted as a ticketed event. For an opportunity to win tickets to Askwith Forums, please become a fan of HarvardEducation on Facebook or follow HGSE on Twitter. Schedule subject to change, please check for updated information at: gse.harvard.edu/askwith.

About Askwith Forums: The Askwith Forums, established in 1998 by an anonymous donor and named in memory 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 Forums have 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 former U.S. Secretary of the State Condoleezza Rice, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, American Federation of Teacher’s President Randi Weingarten, Children’s Defense Fund President and Founder Marian Wright Edelman, The Silk Road Ensemble with Yo-Yo Ma, and authors Eric Carle and Diane Ravitch.