May 25 2011 | New Hazlett Theater | 6.30p.m.
Pittsburgh’s public school system is changing rapidly. Over the past few years the system has downsized and collaborations have emerged. Reform efforts are underway that focus on the challenges in providing an equitable education for all students. Discussions are heated and sometimes polarized and problems persist. Do all students have equal access to educational opportunities? Is the Pittsburgh Promise reaching the students who need it most? Are efforts to reduce the achievement gap working?
At our May 25 cityLIVE!, our panelists will address these issues and other goals for equitable education in the Pittsburgh Public School system. Our panelists will include Robert Parris Moses who founded the Algebra Project, which uses mathematics as an organizing tool to guarantee quality public school education for all students. In 2000, Dr. Moses received the Heinz Award from the Heinz Family Foundation for his efforts to make math instruction available to children of all backgrounds. Carey Harris is the Executive Director of A+ Schools, an independent advocate for improvement in public education, and Ralph Bangs is Associate Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems in the School of Social Work, University of Pittsburgh. The event will be moderated by Mark Lewis, President and CEO of the POISE Foundation, which funds organisations that provide services to Pittsburgh’s African American community.