Family Re-Union 6: Families and Learning

8:30 - 8:40 a.m. Welcome

Roberta Lynne Altman, Faculty, Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY, divides her busy schedule between teaching children, teaching graduate students in Education and acting as Administrator for a number of projects emphasizing Family and School connections. She is also coordinator for Professional Development in a collaborative effort between Bank Street and Midtown West, a city public school. She began her teaching career thirty years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer, when she started a day care center for women who worked in the fields of India.

Dorothy Baldwin Ed.D., Principal, Eisenhower Intermediate School, Bridgewater, NJ, oversees K12 at the Eisenhower Intermediate School. Dr. Baldwin also served as an adjunct professor for the Department of Curriculum and Teaching at Montclair State College in Montclair, NJ. She has presented on the national, state and local levels. Her list of publications include a book entitled Education Leadership. Dr. Baldwin has been included in Who's Who in the East since 1983. She received her doctorate from Seton Hall University in 1987.

Jerold P. Bauch, Ph.D., Professor of Early Childhood Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in early childhood education and parent involvement. He is also Director of the Betty Phillips Center for Parenthood Education, a research and development center at Vanderbilt. Professor Bauch has served as evaluator and consultant for Project Head Start since 1966 with a particular interest in parent and community involvement. Bauch is the editor of Early Childhood Education in the Schools published by the National Education Association (NEA) and is a frequent speaker on parental involvement in child education at state, regional and national conferences. Dr. Bauch is the developer of the Transparent School Model, the award-winning plan for using electronic voice communications to link teachers and parents. He conducts workshops and staff development programs on parent and community involvement for schools and other agencies.

John Bransford, Centennial Professor of Psychology and Education, Co-Director of the Learning Technology Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, is also co-chair of the National Academy of Science committee on "New Developments in the Science of Learning" whose goal is to apply new research findings to create a "user friendly" theory of reaming, including the concept of reaming communities. He has written seven books and is a noted authority on cognition and technology and has designed many award winning programs. He coordinates the "Great Beginnings" project in Nashville which links homes, schools and members of the community.

Patty Burness, Executive Director and Secretary to the Board, George Lucas Foundation, San Rafael, CA, oversees all Foundation projects and the implementation of policy as developed by the Board. The Foundation was established in 1991 based on the filmmaker's belief that education is the most important investment we can make to secure the future of our democracy. It gathers, synthesizes, and disseminates information and other resources to promote changes to the K-12 educational system. Prior to joining the Foundation, Ms. Burness was Chief of Staff to California's former Superintendent of Public Instruction. She serves on several boards, including the Rand Corporation's Institute on Education and Training Advisory Board.

Kelly Allin Butler, Executive Director, Parents for Public Schools, Inc., Jackson, MS, was a special education teacher in the Greenwich, Connecticut, public schools and is currently a member of the Foundation for the MidSouth's Education Advisory Committee. Parents for Public Schools is a national grassroots chapter dedicated to recruiting students, involving parents and improving public schools.

Hodding Carter, Professor and Journalist, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, is currently the Knight Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Maryland and President of "Main Street" television productions in Washington D.C. Formerly, he was editor and publisher of the Delta Democrat Times in Greenville, Miss. He served as assistant secretary of state for public affairs under President Jimmy Carter, and has been a columnist for the Wall Street Journal.

Yvonne Chan, Ph.D., Principal, Vaughn Next Century Learning Center, Los Angeles, CA, is a driving force behind bold public school reforms, including the implementation of high learning standards, one-stop shop for human and social services and a charter school. Through a public-private venture, her school will also soon have a community library, a teacher training institute and a job training center with child care. Vaughn was the 1995 California Distinguished School and nominated a 1996 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. Dr. Chan is also adjunct professor at UCLA and Califomia State University, a member of many boards and recipient of numerous awards.

Herman Clark, Ph.D., Principal, Bowling Park Elementary School, Norfolk, VA, is the product of a supportive community and a religious family, dedicated to the pursuit of an education. Through his leadership, he has increased parent involvement, not only in the schools but in local, state and national PTA meetings, using Dr. James Comer's methods and practice.

Barbara Clinton, Director, Center for Health Services, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. Since 1972, the Center has helped local communities address broad issues of health concern. Ms. Clinton was the first director of the Center's-award winning-Maternal Infant-Health Outreach Worker Project, which has served to mobilize community women in rural areas from Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta to initiate local child development programs built around the talent and energy of local citizens. She is also an adjunct assistant professor in community health at the Vanderbilt University School of Nursing and serves as advisor to several commissions and organizations, including Father to Father.

Lucretia Coates, Assistant Principal, Tench Tilghman Elementary School, Baltimore, MD, directed the Fund for Educational Excellence and Johns Hopkins University's joint program of family involvement for eight years. Mrs. Coates assisted schools and researchers in identifying family involvement practices that are the most effective. She is an advocate of Joyce Epstein's "Six Types of Involvement," a practical approach which has been proven effective with measurable outcomes for students, parents and teachers.

James Comer, Maurice Falk Professor of Child Psychiatry, Yale Child Study Center, Director of the School Development Program, and Associate Dean, Yale Medical School, New Haven, CT, authored Beyond Black and White, Raising Black Children, School Power and Maggie's American Dream, a biography of his mother. Dr. Comer is recognized internationally as the father of school reforms, based on active family involvement. The "Comer Process" which achieves stability and academic and social achievement in inner city schools is currently being replicated in over 600 schools in 82 districts in 26 states. He considers schools to be a "focus for preventive psychiatry." He is the recipient of 36 honorary degrees and numerous national awards.

Betty Cooke, Ph.D., Early Childhood Family Education Program Specialist, Minnesota Dept. of Children Families and Learning, St. Paul, MN, is responsible for teacher licensure, in-service training and staff development, program evaluation and program development for 351 school districts and 4 tribal schools in the state. She works with the state Learning Readiness Program and the Way to Grow Program. Dr. Cooke has been an early childhood educator, an administrator of programs for children and families, a teacher of early childhood and parent educators at the University of Nebraska and the University of Minnesota, and has taught parent education and program evaluation at the graduate level.

Peter Cookson, Jr., Ph.D., Director, Center for Educational Outreach and Innovation at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, former teacher in public and private schools, has written extensively about private education, international education and educational policy and reform and is currently writing a book and textbook about educational policy-making.

Margaret Ann Coyne, Director of Applied Research, Center for Applied Special Technology, Peabody, MA, oversees the collaboration between CAST's product development team and its applied research settings, ensuring that the product development cycle is thoroughly integrated into real reaming environments. Ms. Coyne designed, with the Director of North Shore Head Start, the Family and Community Literacy Project to address technology based literacy issues for low-income families. As a member of the CAST management team, she is involved in the creation of Universally Designed tools and environments which provide multiple avenues to learning for all, including those with disabilities.

Sharon Darling, President, National Center for Family Literacy, Louisville, KY. The Center is a national organization that provides leadership, training, policy development and research for over 2,000 programs of family literacy. Ms. Darling has a 30 year career in education, most recently in the field of family literacy. She has designed and developed a nationally validated adult literacy program that became the model for adult reaming in 32 states. Ms. Darling has served as an education consultant to governors and policy leaders and authored numerous publications and articles. She also serves on the boards of several organizations that support family literacy and has received numerous awards for her contributions to education.

Linda Darling-Hammond, Ph.D., William F. Russell Professor, Foundation of Education, Columbia Teachers College, New York, NY, is also Co-Director of the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching and the Executive Director of the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. Author of many books and hundreds of articles, Dr. Darling-Hammond is past president of the American Educational Research Association and has served many national advisory boards, including the White House Advisory Panel's Resource Group for the National Education Goals.

Don Davies, Ph. D., Founder, Institute for Responsive Education, Northeastern University; Professor of Education, Boston University, Boston, MA, also serves as Co-Director of the Center on Families, Communities, Schools and Children's Learning, a national research and development center, and is principal investigator of the first multinational action research study of parent involvement in school reform. The study is examining issues in the U.S., Australia, Chile, Czechoslovakia, Portugal and Spain. The author of many policy reports and several books, Dr. Davies has taught at the high school and college level. He was Deputy Commissioner of the U.S. Office of Education during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Gloria De Necochea, Manager, Mattel Foundation, El Segundo, CA, was formerly a program officer for the ARCO Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York, two foundations which focused on improving the access of girls and minorities to careers in math and science. The Mattel Foundation is a philanthropic organization which supports organizations serving needy children around the world. The Foundation's initiatives in education include "Hand in Hand" and "Family Leaming Programs," which introduces low-income families and special needs children to technology. Ms. De Necochea has also directed UCLA's precollege programs and taught in public schools. She serves on several boards and committees.

Ruth Dennis, Assistant Director, Educational Issues Department, American Federation of Teachers, Washington, DC, had served for twenty-five years as a High School English teacher, Ms. Dennis joined the national staff of the AFT to work on issues related to school reform and professional development, especially the AFT's Educational Research and Dissemination (ER&D) Program - in which she is currently directing the Parent and Family Involvement component of the ER&D program.

James E. Dezell, Jr., Chairman of the Board, NET Schools Corp., Atlanta, GA, is Co-Founder and Chairman of the Board of NET Schools Corp., whose purpose is to define, design, develop, and deliver the next paradigm for educational technology in K-12 schools. A former IBM corporate vice-president, he founded the IBM K-12 division in 1985. Mr. Dezell was president of that division (called EduQuest) until his retirement in 1994. As president of EduQuest, he was responsible for the development of educational software and hardware and marketing those products throughout the U.S. Mr. Dezell was named Educator of the Decade by Electronic Learning Magazine in 1990 in recognition of his record of bringing innovative reaming systems to children in grades K-12.

John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), Menlo Park, CA, and his partners have invested over $1.3 billion in 250 technology ventures in the U.S., which led to the creation of over 152,000 jobs. Before joining KPCB in 1980, Mr. Doerr was one of Intel's top-ranked sales executives. He was co-chairman of the nationwide effort to defeat Proposition 211 and is very involved in education issues. Recently, he led a group of over 75 high tech executives in calling for national education standards for reading and math.

Rebecca England, Para-Professional Home Visitor, Parent Resource Center, Duff, TN, is a second generation Para-Professional trained by the Vanderbilt Center for Health Services. She works with 32 families throughout the northern area of Campbell County, TN, and is funded by the Governor's Prevention Grant.

Joyce Epstein, Ph.D., Director, Center on School, Family and Community Partnerships, Baltimore, MD, is also Principal Research Scientist at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk and Professor of Sociology at Johns Hopkins University. She has to her credit more than 100 publications on the effects of school, classroom, family and peer environments on student learning and development; two new books are in preparation on school and family partnerships. She serves on a number of editorial boards of academic journals and in numerous advisory roles concerning parent involvement, middle-grades education and school improvement. Dr. Epstein received the Academy for Educational Development Alvin C. Eurich Education Award and is known nationally for her work on family-school partnerships.

Martha Erickson, Ph.D., Executive Director, Children, Youth and Family Consortium, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. The Consortium is a national resource for the well-being of children and families and is co-sponsor of Family Re-Union 6. Dr. Erickson developed the award winning STEEP program, a preventive intervention program for high-risk parents and infants that is based in attachment theory and research. She appears weekly on television as a child and family expert, is the author of many articles and publications, and is a member of several boards, including serving as co-chair to the national Father to Father board.

Sue Ferguson, Director, National Coalition for Parent Involvement In Education, Washington, DC, is also Senior Associate at the Institute for Educational Leadership and specializes in the education of children and youth with disabilities. She undertook an administrative role as a curriculum supervisor and later as program director. She has served as an information specialist and outreach coordinator at the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities (NICCYD), an information and referral center that provides information on disabilities and disability related issues.

Roxy Foster, Executive Director, Minnesota Parenting Association, St. Paul, MN, has oversight of all administrative functions of the first state chapter of the National Parenting Association, whose mission is to create a family-friendly America to put children first. She also serves on several boards and advisory councils and has been active in building coalitions to make the St. Paul schools and communities livable for all families.

Frank Fuentes, Deputy Associate Commissioner, Child Care Bureau, Administration on Children, Youth & Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, has over 23 years of federal experience, including as Director of the Head Start- Migrant Programs Branch in the Administration on Children, Youth and Families. He is currently responsible for the child care and development fund which provides block grants for states, tribes and territories to improve and increase the affordability, availability and quality of child care for low income families. Mr. Fuentes has been a foster parent to over 40 children and adoptive parent to one.

Howard Gardner, Ph.D., Professor of Education and Adjunct Professor of Psychology, Harvard University, Boston, MA, also serves as Adjunct Professor of Neurology at the Boston University School of Medicine, and Co-Director of the Harvard Project Zero. The recipient of many honors, including a MacArthur Prize Fellowship, Gardner is the author of eighteen books and several hundred articles. He is best known in educational circles for his theory of multiple intelligences, a critique of the notion that there exists but a single human intelligence that can be accessed by standard psychometric instruments. During the past decade, he and his colleagues at Project Zero have been working on the design of performance-based assessments, education for understanding, and the use of multiple intelligences to achieve more personalized curriculum, instruction and assessment. Gardner's latest book is entitled "Extraordinary Minds."

Warlene Gary, Manager, Center for the Revitalization of Urban Education, National Education Association, Washington, DC, is the former manager of Intergovernmental Relations in the Government Relations unit of NEA and Acting Executive Director of the President's Advisory Committee for Women. Gary's career began as a teacher in the District of Columbia, where she taught disabled and disadvantaged children. She has trained teachers of children with special needs and has expertise in education, equity and government. While at NEA she has developed and implemented parental involvement initiatives nationally with teachers, parents and community leaders, and has identified and analyzed critical urban issues and special needs of educators and students in urban school districts. Her work also consists of developing and maintaining collaborative relationships between local affiliates and political, business and community groups.

Susan Gendrich-Cameron, Principal, Cason Lane Academy, Murfreesboro, TN, has received many awards, including Tennessee Teacher of the Year 1985 and finalist for National Teacher of the Year, as well as the Governor's Outstanding Achievement Award. She is involved in many education associations and commissions and is the author of numerous publications, in addition to her multifaceted experience in television, radio and film.

Andrea Glovsky, Director of Education and Parent Involvement, WFD, Inc. (formerly Work/Family Directions) Boston, MA, has been actively involved in education for the past 30 years. Ms. Glovsky writes and conducts seminars and workshops on parenting and education topics delivered on site in corporations around the country to employees of WFD clients. She is also on the Executive Committee of the Massachusetts Legislature Blue Ribbon Task Force on Community, Education, Family and Business. In addition, she is on the Board of Trustees and is a Corporator for Lesley College.

Stanley Greenspan, M.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Behavioral Sciences and Pediatrics, George Washington Medical School, Washington, DC, currently is the founder and President of "Zero to Three" at the National Center for Infants, Toddlers and Families. He previously served as chief of the Mental Health Study Center and Clinical Infant Development Program of the National Institutes of Health and is a past member of the Surgeon General's Task Force on Infant Mortality. Dr. Greenspan serves on numerous boards and has authored nearly thirty books and monograms including: "The Growth of the Mind and the Endangered Origins of Intelligence" and "First Feelings: the Essential Partnership." 

Carole Ann Gupton, Ph.D., Principal, School of Extended Learning, Minneapolis, MN, created the first year-round extended day program in Minneapolis, where she has had a long career as a special education teacher. She first became an elementary school principal 10 years ago and has developed and delivered workshops on the learning needs of special education and minority students and on curriculum design. She holds numerous professional affiliations in the field of education.

Ted S. Hasselbring, Ed.D., Co-Director, Learning Technology Center and Professor, Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, is known internationally as a research scholar in the area of technology for at-risk and special-needs learners. Currently, his work is focused on the role of technology in developing deep understanding in literacy and mathematics. He also serves as an international member of Japan's National Institute of Special Education which is conducting an international research program on the Development and Validation of Instructional Methods and Support Systems for Students with Learning Disabilities. Dr. Hasselbring has received a number of honors and awards and has authored numerous articles and book chapters.

Les Hemmings, General Director, John Hancock Education Center, Boston, MA, directs John Hancock's training and development programs for more than 13,000 office and field employees and oversees the company's customer-focused quality effort. He serves as staff assistant and corporate liaison to the company president in his role on the Board of Boston's Private Industry Council, overseeing several of the company's educational outreach programs. He currently serves on U.S. Secretary of Education Riley's Employers for Learning Committee. A former teacher in Rhode Island public schools, he has taught at Boston University and currently serves on the faculties of Northeastern University and Lesley College.

Susan Hogan, Board of Directors, Jumpstart, Boston, MA, is the parent of a child enrolled in Jumpstart and a member of the National Board of Directors of the organization. She is also the assistant pastor of her church.

Gerry House, Ph.D., Superintendent, Memphis City Schools, Memphis, TN, was formerly the Superintendent of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System in North Carolina, and served as teacher, guidance counselor and principal there. She assumed the leadership of the 15th largest school district in the nation three years ago. Family involvement is one of the district's six strategic goals. She is a member of many professional and community organizations, serves on state and national boards and was selected as one of 22 educators to help the BellSouth Foundation examine its role in supporting education reform. She has received a number of awards, many of them for excellence in education.

Paul Houston, Ph.D., Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators, Arlington, VA, previously served as Superintendent in Riverside, CA, and Tucson, AZ, and has also been Assistant Superintendent, principal, teacher, and administrator. He has worked with the University of North Carolina, Harvard, Brigham Young University, and Princeton. He believes that it is important to change the way teachers and administrators are trained if we are to change the "punitive and regimented quality of schools today to schools that are sensitive to kids, where they are respected and where they do meaningful work."

Ronald Jenkins, Program Consultant, Division of Public Health, Georgia Department of Human Resources, Peachtree, GA, serves as consultant to the Atlanta Regional Head Start in areas of health, parent involvement and social services. In addition, he serves as Health Program Consultant to the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health. He has authored numerous articles and publications and is a member of several organizations, including the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity which has partnered with the Atlanta Regional Head Start office to involve over 1,200 men in their children's early learning.

Gwendolyn Johnson, Social Services Parent Involvement Director, ACF, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta, GA, has responsibility for assisting Head Start programs in coordinating social services/parent involvement activities, developing policies, regulations and procedures, and assisting grantees in becoming high performers. Ms. Johnson has spent more than 32 years in the public and private sectors, and has a child development center named after her in Pascagoula, MS.

Joe Jones, Jr., Director, Men's Services Program, Baltimore City Healthy Start, Baltimore, MD, has worked for the Baltimore City Health Department and the Baltimore Project, an infant mortality initiative. The Men's Services Program provides support to the fathers of the babies born to Healthy Start female enrollees. The Program's philosophy is that all children deserve the right to have both parent integrally involved in their lives. Mr. Jones serves on numerous commissions and boards, including Campaign for our Children, which develops public information campaigns to benefit children.

Joe Jones, Sr., Director, Academy Concepts, Inc., Parent Academy, Baltimore, MD, is a former administrator and teacher in the Baltimore City Public Schools. In addition, he designed and created the "Progressive, Prerequisite Skills Mathematics Learning System," an innovative methodology that brings lagging students up to grade level, identifies specific remedial needs and provides a simplified tracking system for student achievement and recognition. Parent Academy is located in five states and is recognized by two national associations.

Ann Kaiser, Professor and Chair of the Department of Special Education and Professor, Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, is also Director of the Institute on Prevention, Early Intervention and Families at the John F. Kennedy Center, and Senior Fellow at the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy. Her current research focuses on preventing serious problem behaviors in young children at risk because of poverty. Previously, her research examined strategies for teaching parents to support children's early language development and examined the long term outcomes of parent implemented language interventions

Larry Kirkman, Executive Director, The Benton Foundation, Washington, DC, The Foundation has organized the Public Interest Summit, accepted the legacy of the National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council's KickStart Initiative and is co-sponsoring a national public service campaign for the Coalition for America's Children. Mr. Kirkman develops programs in communications policy and applications that help shape the emerging communications environment in public interest. He was formerly a professor of media and communications at American University and created Union Yes for the AFL-CIO and the PBS series America Works.

Diana Lam, Superintendent, San Antonio Independent School District, San Antonio, TX, has reorganized the entire district to focus on instruction and student achievement, established a Parent and Community Partnership Network, organized all the District high schools as magnet schools. Over a third of the schools in the district have chosen a New American Schools design. Under her leadership, student test scores have risen 14% in two years and the drop-out rate has decreased 50%. A parent hotline, Parent Academy classes, a newsletter, and other activities bring parents into the schools as full partners.

Diana Lauber, Assistant Director, Cross City Campaign for Urban Reform, Chicago, IL, has served as budget consultant for the School District of Philadelphia, as one of the architects of the 1989 Chicago School Reform Act - decentralizing the district and creating local councils, and head of the Chicago Board of Education's transition budget team. Currently she is directing a six-city budget project to provide budget training to school leaders in managing resources and decentralizing budget functions.

Gilman Louie, Founder and Chairman, Spectrum Holobyte, Inc., Alameda, CA, has guided the company from its early start-up days to its present status as one of the world's foremost developers and publishers of entertainment software. Spectrum Holobyte is an international company that produces (under the MicroProse brand name) some of the industry's best-selling interactive titles including Sid Meier's Civilization II, Star Trek The Next Generation: A Final Unity, Top Gun: Fire at Will and many more. As an advocate for public education, Mr. Louie served on several advisory committees for the San Francisco School District and served as a member of San Francisco State University's Alumni Board. He is a past president and is currently an advisory board member of the San Francisco School Volunteer.

Deanne Magnusson, Ph.D., Director, Continuing Education and Outreach, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, is also an Associate Graduate Faculty Member of the Department of Educational Policy and Administration. Dr. Magnusson has spent much of her career working with children, youth and families in urban schools and communities. Formerly employed by the Minneapolis Public Schools, her leadership and management functions included administrative responsibility for district-wide pre-K-12 school-based special education programs. She is currently assisting in the design and implementation of a language-based, early intervention reading literacy project involving principals, teachers, parents and community volunteers.

Phon Malaikham, Teacher, Cason Lane Academy, Murfreesboro, TN, is an active member in the community, serving as director of education for the Laos American Organization of Student Professionals of Tennessee (LAOSPT). In that capacity she establishes a scholarship fund for high school and college students in the Middle Tennessee area. She also helps coordinate a Big Brother and Big Sister mentoring program for Laotian youth. At Cason Lane Academy, she teaches language arts to eight grade students. Ms. Malaikham left Laos a the age of seven and lived in a Thai refugee camp. She came to the United States in 1978, and moved to Murfreesboro. She holds a Masters degree in Education from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Gaynor McCown, Vice President, Education and Workforce Development, New York City Partnership and Chamber of Commerce, New York, NY, previously served as a Senior Policy Analyst at the White House Domestic Policy Council where she focused on education, community development and comprehensive strategies for children and families. She has also served as a White House Fellow and Special Assistant to Secretary of Education Richard Riley. She previously co-founded and taught at East Side Community High School, worked at Bronx Regional High School, Catholic Charities, and developed and promoted an educational program for adolescents in Santiago, Chile, as a Holy Cross Associate.

Anne O'Neill McGintis, Parent, School and Community Involvement Coordinator, Hamilton County School District, Chattanooga, TN, oversees all Family Resource Center work with PTAs in 80 district schools. Formerly a guidance counselor and a teacher in the district, she is now President of the Family Resource Coalition of Tennessee and member of a wide range of other community organizations, including the Policy Committee for the State of Tennessee for families and children.

R. Parker McMullen, Jr., Ed.D., Dean of Instruction, Wilmington High School, Wilmington, DE, currently the Dean of Instruction at Wilmington High School in Wilmington, DE, Parker McMullen has served in the educational field for twenty-seven years as both a teacher and an administrator. Parker McMullen founded the Phoenix Academy, a school whose basic concept involves narrowing and deepening curriculum to provide a more intellectual approach to reaming. McMullen has worked closely with the Delaware Department of Public Instruction in the Statewide Systemic Initiative where he focused on changes in school culture.

Jordan Meranus, Boston Director, Jumpstart, Boston, MA, is founder of Jumpstart Boston and chair of the Early Childhood Committee of Read Boston. He currently is responsible for all operations of the Boston site. Jumpstart trains college and Americorps volunteers to mentor children who are at risk and their families in Head Start programs. The volunteers commit two years to follow the children through their first year of school.

Carroll Miller, Vice President and Co-Founder, the Family Education Network, Boston, MA. The Family Education Network unites families and schools through information technology and is well known for its radio program "In the Learning Center" which reaches four million listeners and the publication, Education Today. Ms. Miller has served as frequent on-air expert in family education topics on TV and currently serves on the National Steering Committee of the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. She is a board member of the National Coalition of Parent Involvement in Education. Before founding the Family Education Network, formerly the Education Publishing Group, she enjoyed careers in publishing and advertising.

William E. Milliken, President and Founder, Communities in Schools, Inc., Alexandria, VA. His organization, which reached more than 262,000 students and families during the last school year alone, is the nation's largest stay-in-school network, giving young people the help they need to graduate from high school and go on to rewarding careers. Mr. Milliken has served three U.S. Presidents: as White House Advisor on Youth Issues in the Carter Administration; Advisor to President Bush for the Education Summit with the nation's governors; and this year, was involved in planning The President's Summit for America's Future, challenging communities and corporations to address the fundamental needs of youth.

Mario Moreno, Assistant Secretary for Intergovernmental and Interagency Affairs, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C., works with other federal agencies, educators, elected officials at the federal, state and local levels, and with civic, business and religious leaders to encourage participation in education Secretary Riley's initiatives, including the Family Involvement Partnership for Learning. Prior to government service, Mr. Moreno was regional counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and Executive Director of AYUDA, Inc., where he specialized in immigration law.

Myron Ogglesby-Pitts, Principal, Hull-Jackson Magnet School, Nashville, TN, leads Nashville's first public Montessori School and was formerly principal of Caldwell Early Childhood Center, which became the city's first Community Maintenance Organization under her leadership. She successfully implemented the first optional school uniform program in the Nashville, TN school system. Ms. Ogglesby-Pitts has received numerous honors nationally and in the State of Tennessee and is a member of several professional organizations. The Caldwell Center provides education, job training and placement for parents, as well as early childhood education and an array of family services.

Steve Perlman, CEO, President and Co Founder, WebTV Networks, Inc., Palo Alto, CA, originally developed the concept behind WebTV, bringing th Internet into the homes of families worldwide through their television sets. He is an expert in multimedia, video and telecommunications technology. Formerly with Apple Computer, he was instrumental in developing much of the essential multimedia and video technology of the Macintosh. Mr. Perlman holds 11 patents in the areas of graphics, video animation, modems, communications and telephones and has 10 patents pending in related technologies in conjunction with WebTV.

Terry Peterson, Counselor to the Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Washington, DC, assists Secretary Riley and the department with strategic advice, action plans and supporting activities. He leads several cross-country education teams working on vital issues, including acting as co-chair for the Partnership for Family Involvement, and informal partnership between 3,000 schools, religious, county and business organizations and youth groups. He served on the Task Force on At Risk Children and Youth of the Chief State School Officers Association, and has worked as an advisor to the Educational Testing Service and Committee for Economic Development.

Kim Polese, President and Chief Executive Officer, Marimba Inc., Palo Alto, CA. Marimba, Inc., is a privately held software company whose products enable developers to create, deploy and maintain robust, network-managed applications and multi-media experiences within enterprises and across the Internet. In early 1996, Ms. Polese co-founded Marimba with former Sun Microsystems engineers Arthur van Hoff, Jonathan Payne and Sami Shaio. Previously, she spent more than seven years at Sun Microsystems, most recently as the product manager for Oak (now known as Java). As product manager, she played a pivotal role in conceiving and driving the Internet strategy for Java.

Vincent J. Poppiti, Chief Judge, Delaware Family Court, Wilmington, DE, was appointed Chief Judge of the Delaware Family Court in January 1992. Prior to that, he served as an associate judge and resident judge in Superior Court and Family Court. In November 1996, Chief Judge Poppiti became the first recipient of the William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence by the National Center for State Courts. In addition to his judicial work, Poppiti has also had a long-time involvement with the arts. He is currently the President of the Board of Directors of the Cab Calloway School of the Arts and has worked extensively with the Delaware Children's Theatre.

Pamela Price, Local School Facilitator, Department of School and Community Relations, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago, IL, formerly chairperson of Piccolo Elementary School Council for nine years, she kept involved with her children's schools and eventually ran for the local school council. She has been very involved with the council's multi-million dollar budget, is a parent trainer and now works for the Chicago Board of Education training other local school council members and parent advocates on parent issues.

Bill Purcell, Director, Child and Family Policy Center, Vanderbilt Institute of Public Policy Studies, Nashville, TN, is the former House Majority Leader for the Tennessee General Assembly and former Chairman of the Select Committee on Children and Youth. Known for his national leadership in the issues of education reform, criminal sentencing, health care, and workers compensation, Mr. Purcell has led the effort which resulted in passage of the Education Improvement Act, creating "21st Century Classrooms" in schools across the state.

June Pyle, Director, Mt. Community Parent Resource Center, Duff, TN, is responsible for the implementation of programs that are designed to meet the needs of those residing in rural communities. Previously, she worked in northern Campbell County for 22 years, assisting low-income families with parent education, early intervention, adult education and obtaining other needed services. She serves on several local boards. 5. Schools Working with Families Roberta Lynne Altman, Faculty, Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY, divides her busy schedule among teaching children, teaching graduate students in Education and acting as administrator for a number of projects emphasizing Family and School connections. She is also coordinator for Professional Development in a collaborative effort between Bank Street and Midtown West, a city public school. She began her teaching career 30 years ago as a Peace Corps volunteer, when she started a day care center for women who worked in the fields of India.

Alfred Ramirez, Director, Hand In Hand: Parents United for Kids, Washington, DC, leads a million dollar national initiative sponsored by the Mattel Foundation and coordinated by the Institute for Educational Leadership. The initiative strengthens and enhances partnerships which are improving the education of all children by involving parents, school and the community. He has held various leadership positions in both the public and private sectors in the areas of education and public policy, multiculturalism, communication, professional development and strategic planning.

Nan Rich, National President, National Council of Jewish Women, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, has served as the founding President of the Board of Trustees for the Home Instruction Program for Pre-School Youngsters (HIPPY-USA) and is currently Chair of the Florida State Advisory Board for this organization. Ms. Rich has served in many facets as an advocate for community, family issues and abused and neglected children. The NCJW has just released the findings of a national volunteer research/action initiative on parent involvement, "Parents as School Partners."

Richard Riley, Secretary, U.S . Department of Education, Washington, DC, was formerly Governor of South Carolina and in his two terms in office he spearheaded a comprehensive and highly successful reform of the state's school system through a coalition of business leaders, educators and parents. In this administration, he has presided over the expansion and streamlining of college loans, safer schools, linking schools and the workplace, establishment of challenging standards for America's schools. He has worked continuously for active parent and community involvement in schools.

Ricki Robinson, M.D., Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, USC School of Medicine, La Canada, CA, also serves as attending faculty at Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and maintains an active general pediatric practice and consultative practice for the evaluation and treatment of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. She has been a central figure in the evolution of the Cure Autism Now Foundation and has stimulated collaborative research efforts within medical institutions to search for the etiology, prevention and expanded treatment protocols for children with autism. Dr. Robinson has authored several publications and has received numerous honors and awards.

Gayle Ross, Storyteller and Author, Fredericksburg, TX, has been featured five times at the national Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, TN, the largest gathering of its kind In the country. She has appeared at almost every major storytelling and folk festival in the United States and Canada. She received numerous awards, including the John Henry Faulk Award by the Tejas Storytelling Association for her contribution to the art of storytelling in Texas and being featured in the documentary "How the West was Lost," on the Discovery Channel.

Mavis G. Sanders, Ph.D., Assistant Director, Partnership 2000 Schools, Baltimore, MD, is also Associate Research Scientist at the Center for Research on the Education of Students Placed at Risk at Johns Hopkins University and conducts research on the implementation, expansion and outcomes of school-family-community partnerships. Partnership 2000 is a national network of schools committed to developing strong, productive connections with families and communities. Author of numerous papers and articles, she has also co-authored two articles on school-family-community partnerships with Dr. Joyce Epstein, her fellow panelist.

Michael P. Santullo, Co-founder and President, Four 11 Corporation, Menlo Park, CA, has 12 years' experience in the telecommunications industry. Mike spent five and a half years at Raynet Corp. where he rose to hold Director positions in both engineering and marketing. He successfully built two engineering organizations and one in marketing. More recently, his consulting firm, MPS Designs, received a Business Week product design award for his work on the Call Book 220 a product developed in conjunction with Momentum Inc., and Design Continuum. He is also a co-inventor of Momentum's patent-pending technology.

Jane Schindewolf, Working Mother Magazine's "1997 Working Mother of the Year," Beverly Hills, MI, is a trained and active volunteer with William Beaumont Hospital's novel parenting program in Royal Oak, Ml, where she conducts return-to-work seminars that help new parents. As a marketing manager for DuPont Automotive, she used her knowledge and expertise to serve as the first corporate leader of the Troy, Ml Chamber of Commerce "Family Works. Program. "

Sheree Speakman, Partner, Coopers & Lybrand L.L.P, Chicago, IL, specializes in management reporting for K-12 education and is spearheading work on benchmarking for public education. Ms. Speakman is responsible for the development and deployment of resources in the firm's education partnerships with school districts, including its national alliance with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Center for Workforce Preparation. Her recent contributions as a member of a team on education finance have been widely published.

Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, currently serves as President-Elect of the Society for Research on Adolescence, the major professional organization of social and behavioral scientists interested in adolescence. Dr. Steinberg is also currently directing an initiative on juvenile justice reform for the MacArthur Foundation. In addition, he is the author of more than 100 scholarly articles on growth and development during the teenage years, as well as adolescence, the leading college textbook on adolescent development.

M. Denise Tolliver, Dean, Cab Calloway School of the Arts, Wilmington, DE, feels fortunate to be able to utilize her professional and life skills that combine education and the arts. Her experience as an educator spans more than 20 years. She has taught at both the elementary and secondary school levels and also has substantial experience in the arts.

Patricia Wasley, Dean, Graduate School of Education, Bank Street College of Education, New York, NY, where she and the faculty are attempting to define what it means to be a progressive educational institution as we approach the turn of the century. She has served as a researcher on the improvement of public education through teacher and administrator change and whole school change, at the University of Washington and Brown University.

Eileen Wasow, Associate Dean, Division of Continuing Education, Bank Street College, New York, NY, has worked in the field of education for over twenty years. She previously directed Project Healthy Choices, a prevention education program for children, families and schools and has conducted numerous workshops in the areas of racism, substance abuse, AIDS, divorce and death, as well as other sensitive issues in the classroom. Ms. Wasow currently teaches a graduate level class "Family, Child and Teacher Interaction" at Bank Street; a course that focuses on developing partnerships between families and schools in a diverse and changing world.

Betty Webb, Executive Director and Associate Superintendent, Family and Community Educational Services, Minneapolis, MN, has worked in the school district for 28 years, having instituted structural reforms which have resulted in increased middle school success and high school graduation, cultural programs to enhance the success of African American Youth, reorganized Family and Community Educational Services and created the nation's first set of Standards for Family Involvement in an urban school district. The Minneapolis Board of Education recently implemented these standards.

Lois Jean White, President-Elect for the National PTA, Baltimore, MD, was past president of the Tennessee State PTA and is a former member of the National PTA's Education Commission, the Individual 8 Organizational Development Commission, and has served as the state PTA's first vice-president, second vice-president and cultural arts chairperson. In addition, she has served as first vice-president, third vice-president and parliamentarian for the Knoxville Council PTA.

Faith Wohl, Director, Office of Workplace Initiatives, U.S. General Services Administration, Washington, DC, is currently on loan from GSA to the National Performance Review, Vice President Gore's government reinvention task force. Mrs. Wohl's assignment is to help accelerate progress toward a more family-friendly federal workplace. At GSA she oversees policy development and implementation of child care and telecommuting centers throughout the federal government. She previously was with DuPont for 20 years, where she was Director of Work Force Partnering, Director of Corporate Communications and Director of Community Affairs, among other roles. She has been named one of America's ~10 Most Admired Women Managers" by Working Woman Magazine and one of "10 People of the Year" by New Woman Magazine.

Joe Wyatt, Chancellor, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, also serves as Chairman of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, and Director of Sonat Corporation, the Universities Research Association, Advanced Network & Services, Inc., Ingram Micro, and the Reynolds Metals Company. He is co-author of a book entitled, Financial Planning Models, and the author of numerous papers and articles in fields relating to technology, management and education. Mr. Wyatt has received numerous awards and honors, including the Governor's Outstanding Tennesse