Chicago - Panel on Public Education

Exploring the State of Public Education in Chicago

Thursday, October 29, 2015
6:00 p.m.

The Art Institute of Chicago
Studio C Room in the Ryan Education Center (use Modern Wing entrance)
159 E Monroe Street
Chicago, IL 60603

Kindly R.S.V.P. by Thursday, October 22

Join fellow Amherst alumni for a panel discussion exploring the state of public education in Chicago. The Amherst Careers in Education Professions Program will join the event with some current Amherst students selected as Ed Pros Fellows. The panel will feature the following speakers:

Beth Swanson '96, Vice President, Strategy and Programs at The Joyce Foundation. Elizabeth (Beth) Swanson is Vice President of Strategy and Programs at the Joyce Foundation, where she guides $40m of annual giving across six focus areas: education, employment, environment, democracy, gun violence prevention and culture. Before joining the Joyce Foundation, Beth was the Deputy for Education in the Office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and worked closely with him and other leaders to define the city's education policy agenda from birth through college. Prior to the Mayor's Office, Beth held a number of senior positions within Chicago Public Schools under then CEO Arne Duncan. 

Penny Sebring P'93, Co-Founder, Senior Research Associate at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research. Penny Sebring is Co-Founder of the Consortium on School Research, at the University's Urban Education Institute and author of Organizing Schools for Improvement: Lessons from Chicago. The research underlying Organizing Schools provides the intellectual foundation for the 5 Essentials Survey, which affords a comprehensive picture of schools' strengths and weaknesses as organizations. The Survey is now being used by over 5,400 schools in Illinois and other states and districts. Penny also serves on the board of directors for the Chicago Public Education Fund and is a Life Trustee of Grinnell College, her alma mater.

Barry O'Connell, James E. Ostendarp Professor of English, Emeritus. Barry's teaching experience includes working in public school classrooms for 4th graders as well as high school students. In his career he was involved in starting both Headstart and Upward Bound Programs. His major work in public education since coming to Amherst has been in shaping and running teacher-generated professional development programs throughout Massachusetts.

Please note that attendees will have the opportunity to visit The Art Institute of Chicago galleries after the program. The museum closes at 8:00 p.m.

Questions? Please contact Amanda Rivera López '93, associate director of regional programs, at arlopez93@amherst.edu or 413-542-2127.