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Speakers

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Joel I. Klein, a graduate of New York City public schools who rose to top leadership positions in business, law, and government. He now oversees the nation’s largest school district and its $21 billion operating budget. Among other accomplishments, he launched Children First, a comprehensive reform strategy that has brought coherence and capacity to the system and resulted in significant increases in student performance. The next phase of Children First aims to cultivate teacher talent, expand school choices, and ensure that students are prepared for rigorous, real-world opportunities. Mr. Klein will be a keynote speaker at the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Rudolph F. Crew is president of Global Partnership Schools, a new education company committed to connecting classrooms with communities and engaging all students in learning. Dr. Crew is a former chancellor of New York City schools and Miami-Dade County schools, where he was recognized as the 2008 National Superintendent of the Year. He also teaches at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education, and is the author of Only Connect: The Way to Save Our Schools. Dr. Crew will be a keynote speaker at the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Dan Katzir is the managing director of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, a national venture philanthropy dedicated to dramatically improving K-12 urban public education. Mr. Katzir worked with Eli Broad in 1999 to develop the vision for the foundation’s education work and has since overseen all aspects of the foundation’s investments, which have totaled more than $400 million under his leadership. He was formerly the chief operating officer of Teach For America, and the first executive director of the UCLA School Management Program. Mr. Katzir will be a keynote speaker at the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Aimee R. Guidera, the executive director of the Data Quality Campaign, manages a growing collaboration of national organizations working to improve the quality, accessibility, and use of education data. Ms. Guidera joined the National Center for Educational Accountability as director of the Washington, DC office in 2003 and spent the previous eight years in various roles at the National Alliance of Business. Prior to joining the Alliance, she analyzed and monitored state and national education policies at the National Governors Association. Ms. Guidera will be a keynote speaker at the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Tom Vander Ark is a partner in Revolution Learning, a private equity investor concentrating on improving formal and informal learning globally, and a partner in Vander Ark/Ratcliff, a public affairs firm advocating for innovation and entrepreneurship in learning. Mr. Vander Ark was the first business executive to serve as a public school superintendent in Washington state, and became the first executive director of education for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he developed and implemented more than $3.5 billion in scholarship and grant programs. Mr. Vander Ark will be a keynote speaker at the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Peter C. Gorman, the Data Quality Campaign’s 2009 District Data Leader of the Year, has more than two decades of experience in education. He has been superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools since July 2006. Dr. Gorman began his educational career in Orlando, Florida, in 1987 after graduating from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. He worked as a teacher, principal, and administrator in Florida’s Orange and Seminole counties before being named superintendent of schools in Tustin, California, in 2001. Dr. Gorman will be participating in the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Keith R. Krueger is CEO of the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), a nonprofit organization that serves as the voice of K-12 technology leaders who use technology strategically to improve teaching and learning. A frequent speaker who has earned a global reputation for his expertise in education technology, Mr. Kreuger has served on several boards of directors in the field, and organized senior-level delegations to visit Australia, Asia, and Europe to examine ed-tech best practices. Mr. Kreuger will be participating in the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Dr. José M. Torres, a 2005 Broad fellow, became superintendent of Elgin, Illinois’ School District U-46—the second largest in the state—in 2008. He previously served as a regional superintendent in the Chicago Public Schools, overseeing 25 schools, and as an assistant superintendent of Maryland’s Anne Arundel County Public Schools, which made dramatic academic improvements in reading and mathematics during his tenure. Before joining Anne Arundel, Torres was superintendent of the San Ysidro School District near the Mexico/California border. Dr. Torres will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Dr. Michael Casserly has served as executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools since January of 1992, following his 15-year tenure as the organization’s director of legislation and research. He is spearheading efforts to improve academic performance, management, and operations in the nation’s big-city schools; challenging inequitable state financing systems; and working to improve the public’s image of urban education. A U.S. Army veteran, Casserly holds a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland and B.A. from Villanova University. Dr. Casserly will be participating in the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Deb Lindsey is the director of research and assessment for Milwaukee Public Schools. She has served the district in that capacity for 10 years, working with district staff, 198 schools, and the community on issues related to large-scale assessment, performance management, data interpretation and use, and program and policy research. She advocates for balanced assessment and accountability models that provide accurate information at various levels within the system to better understand what works, for whom, and under what circumstances. Ms. Lindsey will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Joe Kitchens, superintendent of Western Heights Schools in Oklahoma City, OK, was named District Data Leader of the Year for 2008 by the Data Quality Campaign “for transforming his district into a continually improving organization that is informed by real-time, accurate data.” Mr. Kitchens, a 1998 ComputerWorld Smithsonian Laureate, is chairman of the State of Oklahoma VISION Technology Committee, was chairman of the eLearning Design Lab Advisory Board at the University of Kansas, and won the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) 2001 Withrow Education Outstanding Achievement Award. Mr. Kitchens will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Dr. Kathryn Parker Boudett focuses her research and teaching on helping school leaders use data effectively. As director of the Data Wise Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, she co-edited Data Wise: A Step-By-Step Guide to Using Assessment Results to Improve Teaching and Learning and Data Wise in Action: Stories of Schools Using Data to Improve Teaching and Learning. Key Elements of Observing Practice: A Data Wise DVD and Facilitator’s Guide also helps support educators as they strive to translate data analysis into instructional improvement. Dr. Boudett will be participating in the Washington DC Leadership Forum.

Mary A. Ronan, a 32-year veteran of Cincinnati Public Schools, was selected as superintendent in April of 2009. She previously served as interim superintendent of the 34,000-student district, and before that, as director of schools, supervising the district’s principals. The Cincinnati native also worked as an assistant superintendent, and as principal of Kilgour School. Ronan began her career in education as a math and science teacher at the middle- and high-school levels. Ms. Ronan will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Gina Burkhardt is chief executive officer of Learning Point Associates, a nonprofit education research and consulting organization known for its evaluation, policy, and direct practice expertise, especially in the areas of expanded learning, educator effectiveness, district and school improvement, and data application for decision making. As a lifelong educator, Burkhardt has held teaching, research and development, professional services, and nonprofit management positions throughout her 20-year career, authoring numerous publications and serving on several boards of directors. Ms. Burkhardt will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Rob Schnieders is the director of national engagement for the Urban Education Institute, which incubates and manages solutions with current and potential nationwide usage, including STEP, a pre-K-3 literacy assessment and 6to16, a new college readiness innovation that combines social networking and e-learning. Schnieders also manages business development and strategic partnerships for UEI. Prior to joining UEI, Schnieders was the CEO of AHA! Interactive, Inc.—an e-learning and K-12 human-capital data-management company, which he sold in 2005. Mr. Schnieders will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Martha Greenway is a deputy superintendent of Fulton County Schools in Atlanta, GA. She oversees strategy and performance management, technology, professional development, student assessment, resource development, communications and policy. Ms. Greenway has been with Fulton County Schools for 10 years. Before entering public education, she worked for 15 years with the United Way of America, serving as vice president of planning and policy. Ms. Greenway holds a master’s degree in public administration and a master’s in social work from Ohio State University. Ms. Greenway will be participating in the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Dr. Jon Fullerton is the executive director of the Center for Education Policy Research at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He has extensive experience working with policymakers and executives in designing and implementing organizational change and improvements. Before coming to Harvard, Dr. Fullerton worked at the Los Angeles Unified School District; the Urban Education Partnership in Los Angeles; and at McKinsey & Company in Boston and Los Angeles. He has a Ph.D. in government from Harvard University. Dr. Fullerton will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Dr. Connie Smith is the assistant commissioner of accountability and teaching and learning in the State of Tennessee Department of Education. Dr. Smith has served Tennessee for the past 16 years as executive director of assessment and accountability, and has worked to develop a statewide initiative in school-improvement planning, accountability, and combining state-approval and regional-accreditation practices. Prior to working with the Tennessee Department of Education, Dr. Smith was an assistant superintendent in New Jersey and an associate executive director for the Tennessee School Boards Association. Dr. Smith will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Dr. Douglas Harris is an associate professor of educational policy studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a research associate at the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC. His research focuses on teacher quality, standards, accountability, and data-driven decision making. He is currently testing whether value-added estimates are possible for school principals to calculate, as well as how successful different types of principals are in attracting and retaining high-value-added teachers. He recently chaired the National Conferences on Value-Added Modeling. Dr. Harris will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Bruce Umpstead serves as the state director of educational technology and data coordination at the Michigan Department of Education. Getting actionable data in the hands of every Michigan educator for the purpose of improving instruction is one of his primary objectives. Using $11.5 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, Michigan has funded the expansion of existing regional data systems to 97.5 percent of its public school districts and 45 percent of its public school academies. Mr. Umpstead will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Michael Webb is an associate vice president at Jobs for the Future and director of the Early College High School Initiative. ECHSI, which includes 200 schools nationwide, is designed to help students from groups underrepresented in higher education to graduate with a diploma and up to two years of college credit. Dr. Webb manages a secure collection of data about students attending early-college schools. Before joining JFF, he served as director of education of the National Urban League and vice president of New Visions for Public Schools. Mr. Webb will be participating in the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Dr. Kathleen St. Louis, The Chicago Public Education Fund’s manager of program investments, oversees its Evaluation Advisory Council and helps the National Board Certification for Educational Leaders to identify and reward effective principals. She previously managed The Chicago Public Education Fund’s school-management innovation efforts to bring high-quality school operators to Chicago to manage underperforming schools. Dr. St. Louis previously worked as a senior professional development coordinator for the Grow Network/McGraw-Hill, where she developed data-driven instruction modules to help parents, students, teachers, and principals use data effectively. Dr. St. Louis will be participating in the Chicago Leadership Forum.

Jay Pearson, a 20-year educator in Fairfax County Public Schools, came to George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church, VA, in July 2004 as an assistant principal. Now in his fifth year as Marshall’s principal, he supports and empowers teacher leaders as part of the school’s continued development as a model professional learning community. Mr. Pearson holds a graduate degree in secondary education from George Mason University and a post-graduate certificate in school administration from Johns Hopkins University. Mr. Pearson will be participating in the Washington DC Leadership Forum.

Tim Kane is an assessment coach at George C. Marshall High School. Mr. Kane has developed assessment and intervention tracking databases for K-12 applications, and leads cohorts in their implementation. He also teaches the International Baccalaureate courses Topics in 20th Century History and History of the Americas, and helps lead those curriculum teams. He works primarily as a facilitator of Marshall’s transition to a professional learning community and serves as a speaker sharing Marshall’s experiences with other schools. Mr. Kane will be participating in the Washington DC Leadership Forum.

Mark Fredenburg is an assessment coach at George C. Marshall High School. He also teaches Chemistry 1 and IB Chemistry. In his role as Best Practices Liaison, he facilitates Marshall’s transition to a professional learning community and serves as a speaker sharing Marshall’s experiences with other schools. Mr. Fredenburg received his B.S. in science from Mount Union College, his M.S. in science from the University of Rochester, and his M.S. in forensic science from George Washington University. Mr. Fredenburg is participating in the Washington DC Leadership Forum.

• Steven Adamowski, Superintendent, Hartford Public Schools

Moderators

Dakarai I. Aarons is a staff writer covering business, local school districts, and leadership for Education Week. A Washington, D.C., native, he previously covered local and state education issues for The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis, Tenn. Mr. Aaron’s work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Dallas Morning News, The Des Moines Register, and The Miami Herald.

Caroline W. Hendrie is a managing editor at Education Week, where she has held various writing and editing positions since 1996. Currently, she oversees the Education Week and Teacher Magazine channels of the Web site, and supervises the development of content for live and virtual events. A former daily newspaper reporter and editor, Ms. Hendrie has won national writing awards, and has edited numerous special annual reports for Education Week.

April 7, 2010: Chicago, IL
April 19, 2010: Washington, DC