12th Addressing Achievement Gaps Symposium

12th Addressing Achievement Gaps Symposium (ETS-sponsored)

Overview

Date: October 5, 2009 - October 6, 2009

Location: Washington, D.C.

ETS's 12th Addressing Achievement Gaps Symposium "After the Bell Rings: Learning Outside of the Classroom and Its Relationship to Student Academic Achievement" featured a public discussion of how out-of-school learning plays a critical role in overall student academic achievement. Discussion also focused on leading supplementary education research, practice, assessment and ideas for public policy.

The symposium was designed to stimulate efforts to advance out-of-school learning at the local, state and national levels, with special attention given to the issue of assessing measurable outcomes. The overall goal of this symposium was to enhance the way policymakers, researchers and practitioners view the role that out-of-school education plays in improving academic performance and closing achievement gaps.

Program Highlights:

Keynote speaker: Pedro Antonio Noguera
Complementarities Between Learning and Teaching Out-of-School and Teaching and Learning in School
Factors in the Lives of Children Which Influence Academic and Personal Development
Challenges We Face in Out-of-School Learning
Accountability and Evaluation
Measuring and Reporting Academic Achievement and Other Outcomes
Cost and Funding for Expanded and Out-of-School Learning
A Policy Agenda for Out-of-School Learning

Speaker biographies and program information are available on the Speakers and Agendas tabs.

Speaker presentations given during the symposium are now available for download. See the Agenda, and download the presentations by clicking on the document title next to the corresponding speaker.

Speakers

Angela Glover Blackwell

PolicyLink CEO Angela Glover Blackwell founded the organization in 1999 to advance economic and social equity in America. A renowned community-building advocate, Ms. Blackwell gained national recognition as founder of the Oakland (CA) Urban Strategies Council, where she pioneered new approaches to neighborhood revitalization. A former partner at the public-interest law firm Public Advocates, Ms. Blackwell also served as senior vice president of the Rockefeller Foundation overseeing the Foundation's Domestic and Cultural divisions. Ms. Blackwell, who earned a bachelor's degree from Howard University and a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley, is a regular commentator on public radio's Marketplace and The Tavis Smiley Show and frequently appears on the op-ed pages of major national newspapers. She also serves on numerous nonprofit boards and co-chairs a task force on poverty for the Center for American Progress.

Martin J. Blank

Martin J. Blank has been involved with efforts to create more purposeful sustainable partnerships between schools and their communities for the past 20 years. In the past decade he has served as the Director of the Coalition for Community Schools which is housed at IEL. The Coalition is an alliance of national, state and local organizations in education, youth development, health and human services, community development, local government and philanthropy dedicated to mobilizing partners to make schools centers of community. Marty's work reflects IEL's theory of change: that solving complex problems, such as educating our most vulnerable and closing the achievement gap, requires leaders and organizations to work together across organizational, institutional and disciplinary boundaries. Blank has a B.A. from Columbia University and his J.D. from Georgetown University.

Betsy Brand

Betsy Brand currently serves as Executive Director of the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF), a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization in Washington, D.C. that provides learning opportunities for policy leaders working on education and youth issues at the national, state and local levels. With nearly 3 decades of experience, Ms. Brand is a leading expert in how to improve the lives of young people through education and labor policies, specifically secondary school reform and career and technical education. She has spoken and written extensively on these issues and has testified multiple times before the U.S. Congress. As AYPF's Executive Director, Ms. Brand identifies best policies and practices that lead to positive outcomes for the nation's young people. Ms. Brand received her B.A. from Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Margaret Cahalan

Dr. Cahalan currently serves as the Secondary-Postsecondary Cross Cutting (SPCC) Team leader within the Policy and Program Studies Services (PPSS) in the U.S. Department of Education. She has worked in the area of evaluation of federal college access and completion programs since 1991. As a contractor she served as the project director for several studies of TRIO programs including the national evaluations of Student Support Services and Talent Search, and performance reporting for the Upward Bound program. She is currently involved in developing new models for evaluations of the GEAR UP program that involve more of a partnership and utilization focused approach working with grantees to design rigorous evaluations focused on program improvement and the development of a learning organization culture.

Ann E. Chafin

Ann E. Chafin graduated from Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA with a bachelor's degree in psychology and received her Master's in Reading Research from the University of Virginia. She has directed the development of the Maryland Functional Testing Program (1980-87), managed the fiscal data review from the Council of Chief State School Officers (1987), was Assessment Director for the Governor's Commission on School Performance (1987-1989) and spent 15 years as Director of Research and Assessment for the Charles County School System. Ms. Chafin has been the Maryland State Director for Title I where she oversaw in excess of $200 million dollars in federal and state aid to students at risk of failure and to schools and districts that are in improvement status for No Child Left Behind. She is currently the Assistant State Superintendent of the Division of Student, Family and School Support.

Sharon Deich

Sharon Deich is vice president of the education policy consulting firm Cross and Joftus, where she focuses on education financing issues and change management. She also is an expert in coupling after-school programming and traditional education reforms to improve student achievement. Prior to joining the firm, she spent 2 decades in the nonprofit sector honing her research, policy and technical assistance skills. During this time, she worked with federal agencies, state government leaders, city officials, and foundation initiative leaders on issues related to early care, K–12 education, after-school programming, and related education reform efforts. Deich earned her bachelor's degree in economics from the State University of New York at Albany and earned her master's degree in public policy from the University of Michigan.

Yvette Donado

Yvette Donado is Senior Vice President of ETS's People, Process & Communications Division and Chief Administrative Officer. Yvette Donado is responsible for employment, professional development, benefits programs, process consulting, communications, government relations and community relations for the company's 2,620 full-time and part-time employees worldwide. She earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from Queens College in New York and a degree in human resources studies from New York University. She also received a certificate in strategic human resources management and an executive MBA (AMP) from Harvard University. Donado is a member of the Conference Board and the Society for Human Resource Management, serves on the board of the United Way of Greater Mercer County and is a member of the state board for Junior Achievement of New Jersey. She was also elected to the executive board of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM) as the organization's Vice President of Human Resources and Communications.

Pascal D. Forgione, Jr.

Dr. Pascal (Pat) Forgione was appointed Distinguished Presidential Scholar and Executive Director for the new Center on K–12 Assessment and Performance Management with the Educational Testing Service of Princeton, New Jersey in July 2009. From 1999–2009, Dr. Forgione served with distinction as Superintendent of the Austin Independent School District (Texas). Previously, from 1996–1999, he was U.S. Commissioner of Education Statistics for the National Center for Education Statistics, a federal agency, and from 1991–1996, Delaware State Superintendent for Public Instruction. In 1991, he served as the first Executive Director for the U.S. Department of Education’s National Education Goals Panel. In 2008, Dr. Forgione received the Richard R. Green Award as the National Urban Educator of the Year from the Council of the Great City Schools.

Elizabeth Goodenough

Elizabeth Goodenough, a scholar and activist in the emerging field of children's studies, earned an M.A.T. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. She has published numerous articles on children's literature and culture. Dr. Goodenough originated the Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, Where Do the Children Play? for Michigan Television and edited 2 companion volumes, Where Do the Children Play: A Study Guide to the Film (Michigan Television, 2007) and A Place for Play (National Institute for Play, 2008). These anthologies survey the history of playground design and the children's garden movement, benefits of universal access to natural resources, and the challenges of developing child-centered cities and green communities. As outreach Director at the U-M Ginsberg Center, she engages communities in conversation about the role children and nature must have to thrive and be sustained.

Edmund W. Gordon

Edmund W. Gordon is the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology, Emeritus at Yale University, the Richard March Hoe Professor, Emeritus of Psychology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and Director Emeritus of the Institute for Urban and Minority Education (IUME) at Teachers College, Columbia University. Among his most recent honors is the "Edmund W. Gordon Chair for Policy Evaluation and Research," created by ETS to recognize his lasting contributions to developments in education, including Head Start, compensatory education, school desegregation and supplementary education. Dr. Gordon has been named one of America's most prolific and thoughtful scholars. He is the author of more than 200 articles and 18 books.

Lenora M. Green

Lenora M. Green is the Director of the Policy Evaluation and Research Center (PERC), where she oversees and provides leadership on a wide range of client-related, managerial and administrative activities. In 2003 she worked with the late Senator Paul Simon (D-IL) on the establishment of a major study abroad initiative. Ms. Green is a co-founder, founding Trustee and Past Board Chair of the Trenton Community Charter School, one of the first charter schools that opened in the state of New Jersey serving students in grades K through 8. She has also been a tutor and mentor for the past two decades with the Young Scholars' Institute, an organization that provides out-of-school learning opportunities to students in Mercer County, New Jersey. In March 2009, she was appointed to serve on the National Urban League's Advisory Council on College Access and Success. Ms. Green obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish Language and Literature from Douglass College, Rutgers University, with a minor in English Literature.

Ngondi A. Kamatuka

Dr. Ngondi A. Kamatuka was born at Okatiandjoura in Namibia. He graduated from Martin Luther High School in Okombahe, Namibia. Dr. Kamatuka holds a baccalaureate degree in education from Tabor College, in Hillsboro, Kansas. He also holds a master's and doctorate degrees in education from the University of Kansas. He has been serving as the Director of Educational Opportunity Programs, which includes TRIO, GEAR UP, CAMP, and other after-school programs, for 22 years at the University of Kansas. He has taught at the University of Kansas, and has also served as the Interim Director of the Institute for Educational Research and Public Service. He is currently serving as President of the Mid-America Association of Educational Opportunity Program Personnel, and is a Board member of the Council for Opportunity in Education.

Kurt M. Landgraf

Kurt M. Landgraf joined ETS as President and Chief Executive Officer on Aug. 7, 2000. Since then, he has overseen ETS's entrance into the K–12 market, expanded its international businesses, broadened its education research activities and raised the company's profile as a voice for education reform. Landgraf began his career at ETS more than 30 years ago, when he served as Associate Director of Marketing. Before returning to ETS in 2000, he was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the DuPont Pharmaceutical Company, having previously held leadership positions at both DuPont and the Upjohn Company. Landgraf earned his bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Wagner College. He also holds 3 master's degrees: an M.Ed. from Rutgers University, an M.A. in economics from Pennsylvania State University and an M.S. in sociology from Western Michigan University. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program, and has received 4 honorary doctorates.

Barbara E. Lovitts

Barbara E. Lovitts is Director of Research and Evaluation of the Ready to Learn Initiative at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Prior to joining CPB, Dr. Lovitts worked as a Senior Associate at Abt Associate on U.S. Department of Education and National Science teacher education and professional development projects. Dr. Lovitts has served as a Senior Program Officer in the Center for the Advancement of Scholarship on Engineering Education at the National Academy of Engineering, where she managed the development of a web-based clearinghouse, www.pr2ove-it.org (Peer Reviewed Research Offering Validation of Effective and Innovative Teaching). As a Senior Research Analyst at the American Institutes for Research, Dr. Lovitts participated in the evaluation of numerous federal STEM education programs. She holds a B.A. in the Behavioral Sciences from the University of Chicago, a M.S. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin, and a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Maryland.

Robert H. Meyer

Dr. Robert H. Meyer is Research Professor and Director of the Value-Added Research Center (VARC) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before joining the University of Wisconsin, Meyer was on the faculty of the Harris School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago and the Economics Department at UW-Madison. Dr. Meyer is known for his research on value-added modeling and evaluation methods and has worked intensively with many districts and states, including Chicago, Dallas, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, New York City, and Wisconsin. Since 1998, he has been working collaboratively with the Milwaukee Public Schools to build a value-added accountability and evaluation system to inform district policy and school improvement. He has conducted major statistical evaluations of programs and policies such as Supplemental Educational Services (SES), SAGE (the Wisconsin class-size initiative), and reading and literacy interventions. In 2007 Meyer received a Senior Urban Education Research Fellowship from the Council of Great City Schools.

Michael T. Nettles

Michael T. Nettles is Senior Vice President and holds the Edmund W. Gordon Chair for Policy Evaluation and Research at ETS in Princeton, NJ. He has a national reputation as a policy researcher on educational assessment, student performance and achievement, educational equity and higher education finance policy. Nettles' publications reflect his broad interest in public policy, student and faculty access, opportunity, achievement and assessment at both the K–12 and postsecondary levels. His current professional activities include serving on 2 National Research Council boards: the Board on Testing and Assessment (BOTA) and the Board on Higher Education and the Workforce (BHEW). Michael earned his bachelor's degree in political science at the University of Tennessee, master's degrees in political science and in higher education, and a Ph.D. in education, at Iowa State University.

Pedro Antonio Noguera

Pedro Noguera is the Peter L. Agnew Professor of Education at New York University. He is also the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and the co-Director of the Institute for the Study of Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings (IGEMS). In 2008, Noguera was appointed by New York Governor David Patterson to serve on the State University of New York Board of Trustees. He has published over one hundred and fifty research articles, monographs and research reports on topics such as urban school reform, conditions that promote student achievement, youth violence, the potential impact of school choice and vouchers on urban public schools, and race and ethnic relations in American society. Noguera has also appeared as a regular commentator on educational issues on CNN, National Public Radio, and other national news outlets.

Delia Pompa

In her role as Vice President for Education at the National Council of La Raza, Delia Pompa oversees programs including early college high schools, charter schools, early childhood education and extended learning. Her work on public school reform is shaped by over 30 years of experience leading local, state and federal agencies and national and international organizations. In particular, Ms. Pompa's work focuses on helping academic institutions understand and respond to the needs of underserved children and their teachers. She is the former Director of the Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs in the U.S. Department of Education and the former Executive Director of the National Association for Bilingual Education. Ms. Pompa serves on a variety of national boards and committees for a wide range of institutions addressing the educational needs of children.

Richard D. Roberts

Richard D. Roberts is a Principal Research Scientist in the Center for New Constructs in the Educational Testing Service's Research & Development Division, Princeton, New Jersey and an Adjunct Professor in The Klingenstein Center for Independent School Leadership, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York. A former National Research Council Fellow who conducted research at Brooks AFB, TX, he was also a Senior Lecturer at The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia, from 1998 to 2003. His main areas of specialization are assessment and human individual differences, and he has conducted research on cognitive abilities, emotional intelligence, personality, health and well-being, motivation, self-confidence, sensory processes, aging, processing speed, situational judgment tests and human chronotype.

Piedad F. Robertson

Piedad F. Robertson, Chairperson of the ETS Board of Trustees, has served on the Board since 2000. She retired as CEO of the Education Commission of the States, and works as an education consultant to the Riordan Foundation on the redesign of public schools and the development of charter schools. She serves on the Board of the American Student Assistance Corporation and the Gates Millennium Scholars Program and other education institutions. Previously she was President of Santa Monica College, CA, and President at Bunker Hill Community College, MA. Robertson was Secretary of Education in Massachusetts (1991–1995).

Steven M. Ross

Dr. Steven M. Ross received his doctorate in educational psychology from Pennsylvania State University. He is currently a senior research scientist and professor at the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University. He has also recently held the Lillian and Morrie Moss Chair of Excellence in Urban Education and a Faudree Professorship at The University of Memphis. Dr. Ross is the author of several textbooks and numerous articles in the areas of educational technology and instructional design, at-risk learners, educational reform, computer-based instruction and research and evaluation. He has testified on school restructuring research before the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Youth and Families. He is also a technical advisor and researcher on current federal and state initiatives regarding the evaluation of technology usage, supplemental educational services, State Systems of Support (SSOS) and No Child Left Behind.

Elena Silva

In her role as senior policy analyst at Education Sector, Silva oversees the organization's teacher quality work and develops and directs mixed-method research projects designed to evaluate education reform efforts at the national, state, and local levels. Prior to joining Education Sector, Silva was the director of research for the American Association of University Women, where she designed and led national research projects and wrote related research reports on gender equity in STEM, higher education and the workplace. Silva earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. in education from the University of California-Berkeley, where she taught a variety of undergraduate and graduate education courses and led school reform efforts in Berkeley and Oakland. She also holds a bachelor's degree in sociology and anthropology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.

Jeff Smink

Jeff Smink is Vice President of Policy for the National Summer Learning Association; Jeff leads all projects related to the Association’s policy portfolio at the national, state and local levels. Current projects include leading a National Campaign for Summer Learning to increase public investment and support of summer programs; leading an initiative to create a new vision of summer school for urban school districts; and the creation of state-level legislative task forces on summer learning. Prior to his arrival at the Center, Jeff served in a variety of education policy positions, including Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Education and legislative associate for the Council of Chief State School Officers.

Hal Smith

Dr. Hal Smith is the Vice President for Education and Youth Development with the National Urban League. Prior to joining the National Urban League, he has held teaching, administrative and research positions with the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), Brown University, the City College of New York, the College of the Holy Cross, Northern Illinois University, Lesley University and Harvard University. He holds a B.B.A. in Human Resource Administration from Temple University, an M.A. in Africana studies from the State University of New York at Albany and an Ed.M. and Ed.D. in Community Education and Lifelong Learning from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Heather Weiss

Heather Weiss, Ed.D., is the Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project (HFRP), as well as Senior Research Associate and Lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. From its beginning in 1983, HFRP's mission has been to support the creation of more effective practices, interventions and policies to promote children's successful development from birth to adulthood. A key emphasis of HFRP's work is the promotion, documentation and assessment of complementary learning, or strategies that support children's learning and development in non-school as well as school contexts. Dr. Weiss writes, speaks and advises on programs and policies for children and families and serves on the advisory boards of many public and private organizations, as well as a consultant and advisor to numerous foundations on strategic grant making and evaluation. She received her doctorate in Education and Social Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and she was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Yale Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy.

Susan Zelman

Dr. Susan Zelman joined CPB as senior vice president for Education and Children's Content in September 2008. She develops and oversees the vision, focus and related strategy for CPB's education and children's content initiatives and manages CPB's administration of the Department of Education's Ready To Learn grant. Previously, Dr. Zelman was the superintendent of Public Instruction with the Ohio Department of Education. During that time, she advanced Ohio's educational system from midway to sixth among all 50 states, according to Education Week, and average student scores on state tests increased as well as scores on the SAT and ACT. She holds a Ph.D. in education from the University of Michigan and is the recipient of numerous honorary degrees and awards.

Monday, October 5, 2009
7:30 – 8:30 a.m.	Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:45 a.m.	Opening Remarks Michael Nettles — Senior Vice President, ETS Kurt M. Landgraf — President and CEO, ETS
8:45 – 9:45 a.m.	Complementarities Between Learning and Teaching Out-of-School and Teaching and Learning in School Edmund W. Gordon Factors in the Lives of Children Which Influence Academic and Personal Development Q&A and Discussion
9:45 – 10:45 a.m.	Challenges We Face in Out-of-School Learning (PDF) PBS documentary "Where Do the Children Play?" Elizabeth Goodenough — Lecturer and Author, University of Michigan Heather Weiss — Founder and Director, Harvard Family Research Project (Discussant)
10:45 – 11 a.m.	Break
11 a.m. – Noon	"The Ready to Learn Initiative: Breaking Down the Barriers Between Formal and Informal Education" (PDF) Susan Zelman, Senior Vice President Barbara Lovitts, Director of Research and Evaluation Corporation for Public Broadcasting
Noon – 1:15 p.m.	Luncheon Keynote Speaker Dr. Pedro Antonio Noguera Peter L. Agnew — Professor of Education, New York University
1:15 – 2:15 p.m.	Measuring Skills for Academic Success (PDF) Elena Silva — Senior Policy Analyst, Education Sector Richard Roberts — Principal Research Scientist, ETS
2:15 – 3:45 p.m.	A Multisite Evaluation of the Implementation and Impact of Supplemental Education Services (PDF) Rob Meyer — University of Wisconsin National Evaluations of TRIO Pre-College Programs: Their Potential for Informing the Relationship of Out-of-School Learning to Student Achievement (PDF) Council for Opportunity in Education Ngondi Kamatuka — Director of Educational Opportunity Program, University of Kansas Margaret Cahalan — Team Leader, Postsecondary Cross-cutting Team, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education
3:45 – 4 p.m.	Break
4 – 5:15 p.m.	Accountability and Evaluation Ann Chafin — Assistant State Superintendent, Division of Student, Family, and School Support, Maryland Department of Education (PDF) Steven M. Ross — Senior Research Scientist and Professor, Center for Research and Reform in Education, Johns Hopkins University (PDF)
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.	Reception

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

7:30 – 8:30 a.m.	Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:30 – 8:35 a.m.	Opening Remarks Lenora Green — Director, Policy Evaluation and Research Center, ETS
8:30 – 10:15 a.m.	Exemplary Models of Out-of-School Learning and the Policy Implications That Flow From Them Coalition for Community Schools — Martin J. Blank, Director and President, Institute for Educational Leadership (PDF) JHU National Center for Summer Learning — Jeffrey Smink, Director of Policy (PDF) National Council of La Raza (NCLR) — Delia Pompa, Vice President for Education (PDF) National Urban League — Hal Smith, Vice President for Education (PDF) American Youth Policy Forum — Betsy Brand, Executive Director (Moderator) Reaction from the State and Urban District Perspective — Pascal (Pat) Forgione, Jr., Distinguished Presidential Scholar and Executive Director, Educational Testing Service (PDF)
10:15 – 10:30 a.m.	Break
10:30 – 11 a.m.	Cost and Funding for Expanded and Out-of-School Learning (PDF) Sharon Deich, Vice President, Cross and Joftus, LLC
11 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.	Keynote Speaker A Policy Agenda for Out-of-School Learning Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder and CEO, PolicyLink Introduction Yvette Donado – Senior Vice President, People, Process & Communications and Chief Administrative Officer, ETS Discussant Carlos Rodriguez – Principal Research Scientist, American Institutes of Research Moderator Herve Varenne – Chair, Department of International and Transcultural Studies, Teachers College, Columbia University
12:45 – 1 p.m.	Closing Remarks and Adjourn Michael Nettles

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