Watch this space as we add more videos from the 2011 OTL Summit!

Friday

Securing an Opportunity to Learn Now! Who's Needed Where, & Doing What?

Closing opportunity gaps in states and school districts requires grassroots action and community organizing. Ensuring that all students have a fair and substantive opportunity to learn requires a national movement. In this opening plenary, our panel of distinguished experts from various fields within education, public policy and community organizing will discuss the current education landscape and proffer what they believe is needed to build a national movement.

Moderator:

David Johns, Senior Education Advisor, Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee 

Panelists: 
Alberto Retana, Executive Vice President, Community Coalition 
Wendy Puriefoy, President, Public Education Network
John Kuhn, Superintendent, Perrin-Whitt CISD, Texas

Diane Ravitch Luncheon Keynote

 Education historian and public education champion Dr. Diane Ravitch possesses a deep understanding of the challenges facing public education. She presents insightful analyses, bold critiques of approaches dominating current “reforms,” and dynamic proposals to achieve education excellence and equity. The breadth of her experience spans serving as Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education, on the National Assessment Governing Board, a professor at Columbia University and New York University, and the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. Following the plenary discussion, she will be signing copies of her latest book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System: How Testing and Choice Are Undermining Education.

2020 Vision - The Roadmap to Providing Each Student an Opportunity to Learn

As a national goal, for the U.S. to remain globally competitive we must be a global leader in post-secondary education by 2020. To achieve this goal we must produce an additional 8 million postsecondary graduates between the ages of 20-35 above the current rate. Meeting this goal will require a clear vision and a deliberate strategy. This plenary will highlight the work of several national coalitions and delve deeply into this 2020 goal and discuss what actions and policies are necessary for getting the United States on a trajectory to meet this goal.

Moderator:
Maya Rockeymoore, President and CEO Global Policy Solutions

Panelists:
Dr. Pedro Noguera, Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education, New York University
Dr. Jerry Weast, Former Superintendent, Montgomery County Public Schools
Dr. Joseph Bishop, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Partnership for 21st Century Skills
Andi Perez, Executive Director, Youth United for Change

Hot Schott Awards Gala

Lifetime Achievement Award:
Leeds and Jobin-Leeds Family

Educator Achievement Award:
Superintendent Jerry Weast, Montgomery County Public Schools

Change Agent Award:
Gail Christopher
Vice President, W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Grantee of the Year Award:
Boston-area Youth Organizing Project

Education Advocacy Awards:
New York State United Teachers
Wisconsin Education Association Council

Business Leadership Award:
Charles Kolb
CEO, the Committee for Economic Development

Youth Activism Award:
Youth United for Change, Philadelphia 

Saturday

Plenary: Uniting Generations for Education Justice and Action

Thurgood Marshall Ballroom

Over the decades, scores of young people have joined together in direct action to spark movements and bring about social justice. In this struggle, they have been joined by numerous adults, some of whom were once youth organizers themselves. While the faces may have changed, many of the strategies have not. In this final plenary session, we will look at youth organizing strategies from across the country past and present and discuss the tactics and direct action strategies utilized in their respective campaigns. We’ll examine how these can be compared to what is being done today and how they can be combined with the strategies and tactics used today in the struggle for education justice. The plenary will be an exchange of best practices and lessons learned.

Moderator:
Ditra Edwards, Director of Training, The Praxis Project
Panelists:
Bernard Lafayette, Distinguished Senior Scholar in Residence, Emory University
Lisa Fithian, Organizer and Trainer, Alliance of Community Trainers
Albert Sykes, Organizer, Young People’s Project of Jackson, MS 
Baseerah Watson, Member, Philadelphia Student Union
Sarah Johnson, Albany Park Neighborhood Council/VOYCE