U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley Addresses School Practitioners at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

U.S. Secretary of Education Richard W. Riley will address school and community leaders from around the country at the Harvard Graduate School of Education on Friday, March 26 at 2 pm in the Gutman Conference Center, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge.

Secretary Riley will speak about the importance of community involvement in schools and the new 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative, a federal program that promises to extend productive hours and supportive services to children and families through schools. Riley will speak to teams of school practitioners and community policymakers who will be attending the second national Full-Service Schools Conference, sponsored by the Collaborative for Integrated School Services, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This year's program is made possible by a generous grant from the Prudential Foundation.

Part of a growing trend to engage communities in schools, full service and community school programs respond to the fact that children's academic and social needs are intricately connected. While full service and community school programs reinforce and extend the central importance of academic learning and achievement in children's lives, they also advocate for children in the larger contexts of family and community and seek to integrate services and opportunities that will strengthen the well being of young people, families, and communities.

For More Information

Contact Margot Welch at 617-496-4570 or Christine Sanni at 617-496-5873