2008 Woodie Awards
Mayors' Forum format expanded, participants discuss education reform
St. Paul, Minneapolis mayors among 200 experts brought in to discuss 'best practices in education'
By: Matt Day, News Editor
Issue date: 2/29/08 Section: News
|
Almost 200 educators, academic and philanthropic foundation members and state and local policy-makers came to campus to attend panels and lectures on educational policy over the three-day series.
The Geography department, and the Urban Studies concentration in particular, have a long history of active involvement in the community, Urban Studies professor George Latimer said.
"It's essential for students to have a lot of hands-on work," Latimer said. "It's great to have engagement with the community."
The Forum, which was first held in 1985 during Latimer's tenure as mayor of St. Paul, was originally a series of one-night lectures. Latimer and Urban Studies and Geography professor David Lanegran brought five mayors to campus to discuss "urban issues."
The forum's topic was narrowed in later years to cover more specific themes.
Latimer said that the forum was expanded this year because of the unique importance of education, this year's theme. This year's event included six panel discussions, three workshops and a half dozen other lectures and facilitated discussions, with the goal of sharing and developing ideas about improving the Minnesota education system.
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman spoke at the opening session following brief remarks by President Brian Rosenberg. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak introduced the keynote speaker, Paul Grogan of the Boston Foundation, at the forum's wrap-up lecture Feb. 22.
"I was a bit too ambitious," Latimer said, noting that attendance of the events was below what he had expected.
According to the forum's program, the event was designed to examine the successes and failures of early childhood and kindergarten through high school education, as well as "cultural competence in engagement with immigrant, ethnic and low-income communities."
"This would be an attempt to have a conversation," Latimer said of the forum, "an exchange between metro people and people from greater Minnesota.
Be the first to comment on this story