MILWAUKEE — Robert Pondiscio, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Sarah Almy, chief of external affairs for the National Council on Teacher Quality, will serve as keynote speakers for an afternoon conference, “Focusing K-12 Education Reform on Teaching Efforts,” hosted by Marquette University Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education and the Marquette College of Education on Thursday, May 8, at noon at Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan St.
Alan Borsuk, senior fellow in law and public policy, will lead the program, which will also feature a reactor panel of educators who will talk about what could be done to increase the impact and success of teachers.
Registration is free, open to the public and available online. Media interested in attending must contact Kevin Conway at kevin.m.conway@marquette.edu.
This program will be a thought-provoking discussion that challenges the status quo. The subject stems from a direct question asked by Pondiscio in the fall 2024 Marquette Lawyer magazine: “What if instead of exclusively pulling policy levers, we directed the reform movement’s energy and enthusiasm toward improving classroom practice?” Pondiscio added, “Sustainable improvement in education requires a focus on the practical, everyday realities of teaching and learning, coupled with policies that support and enhance these practices rather than simply mandate them.”
Guests will discuss whether shifting the focus from legislative halls to classrooms is the key to unlocking better student outcomes.
Panelists include Kanika Burks, chief schools officer at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy;
Maggy Olson, director of equity and instruction at Greendale Schools; Dr. Cynthia M. Ellwood, clinical associate professor of educational policy and leadership in the Marquette College of Education; and Taylor Thompson, first-grade teacher in the Oshkosh Area School District.
