Hot topics subject of education conference

Staff report

School accountability and testing. Desegregation. Children with special needs. School choice. These four themes have shaped education in Virginia and the nation over the past century and will influence its direction in the century ahead.

The Curry School of Education is holding a national conference on Oct. 24 to address each of these themes. The conference, “At the Crossroads of Hope and Habit,” will be held in the Newcomb Hall Ballroom as part of the education school’s centennial celebrations.

U.Va. professors Daniel Duke and Jennings Wagoner will look at the hundred-year history of public education in Virginia and implications for the preparation of tomorrow’s educators. Michal Kurlaender, from the University of California at Davis, and John Yun, from the University of
California at Santa Barbara, will discuss trends for diversity. Jay Heubert, a Columbia professor who directed a Congressionally mandated study of high-stakes testing for the National Academy of Sciences, will explore the topic and today’s legal climate.

All presentations are open to the public. For more information, call 924-0854.