SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced a prestigious lineup of speakers and session leaders that will be featured at the Achievement Gap Summit he is hosting this fall.

"This Summit will bring together some of the best minds in the country to focus on ways we can help all students achieve to their full potential," O'Connell said. "Eliminating the achievement gap between students who are African American or Latino and their white or Asian peers is a moral, ethical, and economic imperative. We must prepare all students to compete in the competitive global economy if we want California and the nation to continue to thrive as leading world economies. This Summit is an important opportunity to address this challenge."

In order address this major crisis facing public schools in California and throughout the nation, O'Connell has invited educators from across the state to the November 13-14 Summit, which will be held in Sacramento. Recently, O'Connell drew both praise and criticism for further identifying another controversial aspect of the achievement gap – that non-economically disadvantaged African American and Latino students are performing at or below the level of white and Asian students who are poor. In an effort to eliminate these achievement gaps, teachers, administrators, policymakers, and others are invited to the Summit to hear from experts as well as to propose workable solutions for improving academic achievement for all students.

Keynote speakers during the two-day Summit include:

• Tavis Smiley, a PBS late-night television talk show host, political commentator, and author of eight books about love, loss, and faith by African Americans from all walks of life. He also founded the Tavis Smiley Foundation whose mission is to enlighten, encourage, and empower black youth.
• Edward James Olmos, an actor, producer, director, and community activist. In 1988, he received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Jaime Escalante, the eccentric but dedicated math teacher, in Stand and Deliver that he also produced. He is involved in numerous national projects designed to celebrate Latino culture. Olmos is also a volunteer leader of several national and international relief, health, and violence prevention organizations.
• Dr. Douglas Reeves, founder of the Center for Performance Assessment, an international organization dedicated to improving student achievement and educational equity. He is also an award-winning author whose work has appeared in numerous national journals, magazines, and newspapers.
• Chester Finn, Jr., a scholar, educator, and public servant, who has been at the forefront of the national education debate for 35 years. He has worked in some of the nation's most prestigious universities and the federal government and is currently president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. He is also an award-winning author of 14 books and more than 400 articles that have been published in numerous national newspapers and magazines.
• Richard Rothstein, a research associate of the Economic Policy Institute, and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He was also a former national education columnist for The New York Times, and authored a number of educational books.

O'Connell has made closing the achievement gap the top priority of his second term in office. He has reorganized staff at the California Department of Education to work on this issue and has appointed a statewide P-16 Council, representing all segments of education from preschool through college, to develop a specific and sustainable plan that holds the state of California accountable for creating conditions necessary for closing the gap. The Council will present recommendations to O'Connell during the Summit.

"I know that finding solutions to the achievement gap will not be easy, or quick," he said. "But the time has come to confront this issue head-on. We know all students can learn. We must now figure out what factors in our education system are contributing to this gap and develop a sustainable plan for overcoming these factors. I encourage parents, teachers, students, and administrators to attend this Summit to join me in asking difficult questions and finding the answers to what will level the playing field so all students can succeed."          

In addition to the keynote speakers listed above, there are a number of featured speakers who will lead panel discussions and break-out sessions, including:

• Lowell Milken, Chairman of the Milken Family Foundation. He will lead a panel entitled "Teaching as the Opportunity: When Teachers Thrive, Students Achieve" that will address the central role of talented teachers in raising student achievement.
• Jamal Abedi, a professor at the University of California, Davis. He will lead a panel entitled "Assessment and Accommodations for English Learners" to discuss the impact of language factors on the assessment for all students, particularly for English learners and students with learning disabilities.

• Michael Cohen, President of Achieve. He will lead a panel entitled "Closing the Expectations Gap: Lessons from the American Diploma Project Network." This session will focus on the research background and policy agenda for the American Diploma Project Network, a consortium of 30 states working with Achieve to close the "expectations gap" between what is current state requirements and expectations for students to earn a high school diploma, and the knowledge and skills high school graduates must have in order to be prepared to succeed in postsecondary education and careers.
• Dr. Ronald Ferguson, an economist at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard. He will lead a panel entitled "Closing the Achievement Gap with High-Quality Instruction" that will focus on important findings from several years of surveying students and teachers as part of the Tripod Project for school improvement.
• Kate Kinsella, Ed.D., an adjunct faculty member at San Francisco State University. She will lead a panel entitled "Developing Academic Discourse Skills with Adolescent English Learners Through Mediated Discussion and Writing" that provides participants with a dynamic instructional process for structuring rigorous and accountable academic discussion as a springboard to relatively brief, routine doses of academic writing practice.

A number of other notable education stakeholders will lead discussions, including Russlyn Ali, Founding Director of Education Trust-West; Kevin Johnson, Founder and CEO of St. HOPE Academy; and many more. For a complete list of Summit speakers, biographies, registration, and additional information on the Achievement Gap Summit, please visit GAP Summit - Request to Attend [http://www.sjcoe.org/summit/index.aspx] (Outside Source).