Pitt's Learning Policy Center Hosts Feb. 6 Colloquium on Changing Role of State Government in Education Reform

PITTSBURGH-The University of Pittsburgh's Learning Policy Center (LPC) will feature Susan Fuhrman, president of the Teachers College at Columbia University, and Ron Cowell, president of the Education Policy and Leadership Center (EPLC), at a colloquium, titled "The Role of States in Education Reform." The event will convene at 2:30 p.m. Feb. 6 in the School of Education's Colloquium Room, 5604 Posvar Hall, 230 Bouquet St., Oakland.

Fuhrman and Cowell will contribute to the national discussion of the increasing role states are playing in public education. States are now forced to the forefront of such educational issues as performance standards and assessment and accountability, as well as, according to No Child Left Behind, in assuring that schools in need of improvement receive remedies. The colloquium will address states' capacity to take on these increased responsibilities.

Fuhrman, who earned her bachelor's and master's degree in history at Northwestern University and her PhD degree in political science and education at Columbia University, is also chair of the management committee of the Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Her many professional involvements include membership on the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Coca-Cola Council for Corporate and School Partnerships.

Cowell, a graduate of Pitt who earned a law degree at Widener University, was a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 24 years. During that time, he served on the boards of the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, and Pennsylvania's Interagency Coordinating Council for Early Intervention Programs. He also served as chair of the Government Affairs Committee of the National Association of State Boards of Education, vice chair of the Education Commission of the States, and member of the National Education Goals Panel.

This event is part of the LPC Colloquium Series, which works to establish informed dialogue between researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and university students on local and national policy questions. Each of the series' events includes the presentation of a researcher's findings, a policymaker's response, and a discussion of potential implications.

The mission of Pitt's Learning Policy Center is to advance ideas that encompass both educational policy and research on teaching and learning. Through Pitt's School of Education, Learning Research and Development Center, and Institute for Learning, LPC works to connect research and learning with education policy decision makers.

This event is part of the LPC's 2007-08 Colloquium Series. Attendance is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Sarah Coon at 412-624-7050.

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