Making Public Schools Work

Making Public Schools Work

April 24, 2009

8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Synopsys, Inc.

455 North Mary Avenue, Building 2

Sunnyvale, California

8:30        Registration, Continental Breakfast

9:00        Welcome: Moderator: Ginny Lear, Chair LWV Santa Clara County

Keynote Speaker: Joe Simitian, California State Senator; Member, Education Committee and Subcommittee on Higher Education; Chair, Select Committee on California’s Master Plan for Education - “The Role of the Legislature in Education: Constraints and Opportunities”

Q&A

10:00      Panel Presentations: “Innovations that Work”

Moderator:Laura Casas Frier, Member, Foothill/DeAnza Community College Board of Trustees

Dr. Maurice Ghysels, Superintendent, Mountain View-Whisman School District - “A time audit for math minutes using a Quality approach”

Kathryn S. Hanson, Founder and President of ALearn - “MAP—Stepping Stones to Success”

Dr. John Porter, Superintendent, Franklin-McKinley School District, San Jose - “College Connection Academy - Preparing Global Learners and Leaders”

Q&A

11:30      Speaker: Dr. Charles Weis, Santa Clara County Superintendent of Schools -

"Overview of Education in Santa Clara County”

Q&A

12:15      Speaker: Dede Alpert, former California State Senator;

Chair, Joint Committee to Develop a Master Plan for Education; and Co-Chair of the Governor’s Committee on Education Excellence - “How Do We Get from Here to There?”

Q&A

1:00        Adjourn

The League of Women Voters of California supports a comprehensive pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade public education system that meets the needs of each individual student, challenges all students to reach their highest potential, and develops patterns of lifelong learning and responsible citizenship.

The League thanks the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and Synopsys, Inc. for making this forum possible

Cosponsors:

AAUW Palo Alto Chapter, ALearn, Asian Americans for Community Involvement (AACI), Children Now, Kids in Common, Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network, LWV South San Mateo County, Mesa de la Comunidad, Santa Clara County School Boards Association, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Silicon Valley Education Foundation, 6th District PTAs

For more info, call the LWV Palo Alto Office:  (650) 327-9148