Keynote Speaker: Jonathan Kozol
Author of the Best Sellers
Savage Inequalities and Amazing Grace

For decades Jonathan Kozol has inspired us with his vivid narratives of the vicious inequalities that exist in education. Kozol has always been a fierce defender of our public schools and a close friend and unswerving ally of schoolteachers. His latest work, Ordinary Resurrections, focuses on the little miracles achieved by stubbornly persistent children who are still unsoiled by cynicism or despair. He has been dubbed “today’s most eloquent spokesman for America’s disenfranchised;” through his words, so full of life, we hear the testimony of America’s children.

Session I: Does Integration Matter?
Have we given up on the promise of integration? Should we? Today, many schools are almost as racially segregated as they were during the era of Jim Crow. Even when schools are integrated, minority children are likely to be disproportionately tracked into less rigorous classes, and disciplined at higher rates. This session will explore the continued resegregation of American schools; whether integration is an educational necessity; and how 21st Century reform should address integration.

Session II: Abandoning Traditional School Methods
Vouchers, Charter Schools, School Choice, and many other 21st Century reforms have been proposed to remedy the problems facing urban schools. As we are forced to rethink what public education means, many moral, constitutional, and public policy issues are raised. This session will examine both the legality and efficacy of each of these reforms and analyze the significance of race in these reform movements.

Session III: What Now? Litigating for Educational Justice
An effective educational policy matters little if it is found unconstitutional. Alternatively, litigating for reform has been criticized as ineffective and undemocratic. Our panelists have analyzed and litigated educational strategies, often from very different perspectives. This session will help us reveal not only what has worked — or failed — in the past, but will point us in a new, collaborative direction.