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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, 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.

Dr. Peter C. Gorman, has more than two decades of experience in education. He has been superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools since July 2006.
Gorman, a native of Dearborn, Michigan, 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 the 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.

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.

Nathan Levenson is the managing director of Community and District Partners, which helps school districts raise the achievement level of students with special needs while reducing costs. As superintendent in Arlington, Massachusetts, he spearheaded a large-scale transition to standards-based education. Using data became part of the fabric of the district, and led to a significant closing of the achievement gap. His experience as a private-sector CEO helped him create tools to make data easily accessible and actionable. Mr. Levenson will be participating in the Washington, DC Leadership Forum.

Dr. Connie Smith is the assistant commissioner of accountability and teaching and learning in the Tennessee Department of Education. Dr. Smith served for 16 years as executive director of the state’s Office of Assessment and Accountability, and before that was an assistant superintendent in New Jersey and an associate executive director for the Tennessee School Board Associations. She served as a principal in New York City and as a special education supervisor and teacher in Tennessee. Dr. Smith 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.

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.

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.

• Joe Kitchens, Superintendent, Western Heights, OK
• Kathryn Boudett, Director, Datawise Project, Harvard University Graduate School of Education
• Doug Harris, Assistant Professor of Education Policy Studies, University of Wisconsin
• Jay Pearson, Principal, George C. Marshall High School, Fairfax, VA

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.

Ann Bradley has been an assistant managing editor of Education Week since 2000. She currently oversees coverage of education research; school leadership and management; school districts and urban education; special and early-childhood education; and student health and school safety. She joined the newspaper as a reporter in 1989 and worked previously for The Washington Post 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.

Kathleen Kennedy Manzo is an associate editor at Education Week, where she has covered curriculum, standards, and educational technology since 1996. Ms. Manzo is currently the lead reporter on technology for the paper and a senior editor for Digital Directions magazine and its Web channel at edweek.org. She previously covered local schools and high school sports for The Washington Post, and was editor of Community College Week newspaper.

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