EVERY PARENT'S DREAM!
COMMUNITY CONVERSATION WILL ALLOW RESIDENTS
TO DESCRIBE IDEAL PUBLIC SCHOOLS IF REVERSION OCCURS

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., April 19 -- If Charlottesville and
Albemarle County school districts were combined into one, what
characteristics should the new school system have?
	Area residents can voice their opinions about educational
options that might arise if Charlottesville reverts to town status
within Albemarle County during a "Choice Among Public School
Alternatives" public meeting Wednesday, April 23, at 7 p.m. at the
Albemarle County Office Building. 
	The event is the second in "Community Conversations on K-12
Education," a series of public meetings jointly sponsored by the
University of Virginia's Curry School of Education and the Weldon
Cooper Center for Public Service.
	After a panel presentation by three education experts, the
audience can ask questions and offer comments. U.Va. Curry School
faculty and the topics they will discuss are: 
	¥ Robert McNergney, an education professor and noted
authority on teacher education reform.  He will describe the range of
choices a consolidated school district might offer.
	¥ R. Lynn Canady, an associate professor of education who
introduced "parallel block scheduling" in schools nationwide. A
nationally recognized expert in policies related to school reform, he
will describe how a combined school district could be configured to
offer a broad range of educational choices.
	¥ Donna Ford-Harris, an associate professor of education
widely recognized for her expertise in helping schools teach students
of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds.  She will describe a range
of issues affecting the education of at-risk and minority students. 
	Panelists will describe ideal sizes of schools and number of
students to be served, according to education professor Harold
Burbach, who will moderate the event.
	"The purpose of the meeting is to describe new educational
opportunities that might not be evident when considering the existing
separate school systems," said Burbach, who chairs the Curry School's
leadership, foundations and policy department. 
	After the community conversation, common themes raised by the
audience will be posted on the Curry School's new Education Policy
Pavilion, an interactive Web page.  The Internet site (located at
http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/curry/centers/edpolicy) contains a
"Forum" section in which people can raise questions, post notices and
offer opinions about issues, including reversion. 
	A goal in creating the Pavilion site, according to Burbach, is
to link key players in educational policy-making into one information
nexus.  The site is intended to be useful as the area considers
reversion. 
	"It offers background on the general reversion process and
provides access to articles describing the possibility of
Charlottesville reversion," Burbach said.
	"Policy-makers, by accessing the Web site, can monitor
residents' opinions on reversion. They'll be able to gauge the pulse
of the issue," he noted.
	The community conversations series is being organized by U.Va.
educators to foster discussion about public schooling options. 
	"Regardless of whether a resident agrees with efforts to
promote the reversion of Charlottesville to town status within
Albemarle County, the issue provides a historic opportunity to
reexamine our educational goals," said David W. Breneman, professor
and dean of the Curry School.
###
April 18, 1997
	FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact David Breneman at (804) 924-3332
or via dwb8n@virginia.edu; Harold Burbach at (804) 924-0737 or
hb3c@virginia.edu; Robert McNergney at (804) 924-0749 or
rfm@virginia.edu; Donna Ford-Harris at (804) 924-0843 or
dyf7a@virginia.edu; or R. Lynn Canady at (804) 924-0861.  Television
reporters should call our TV News Office at (804) 924-7550.