A Revolving Door:
Challenges and Solutions to Educating Mobile Students
Tuesday September 20, 2011
9:00-11:00 am
Holyoke Hotel and Conference Center, Sapphire Room
Holyoke, MA
presented by:
Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy
Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC)
| Watch a clip of Secretary Reville speaking about Student Mobility on the Rennie Center YouTube channel | |
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| View the PDF of the presentation. | |
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| View the PDF of the presentation. |
In an era in which all students are held to high standards and a high school diploma is the minimum credential needed to secure gainful employment, the disruption caused by students moving from school to school – often several times within one school year – can have devastating results. Not only are there considerable negative consequences for the students who move into and out of classrooms over the course of a single school year – but also for the teachers, students and the whole culture of the school from which these children depart and to which they arrive. Identifying ways to address the consequences of high student mobility rates may be a key component of Massachusetts’ plan to close its persistent achievement gap. High rates of student mobility are particularly prevalent in Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities – those cities that provide the gateways to the middle class that make the Commonwealth vibrant and successful.
At this event, the Rennie Center and MassINC will release two complementary reports on student mobility. Dr. Lisa Famularo will present the Rennie Center’s report, A Revolving Door: Challenges and Solutions to Educating Mobile Students, which describes student mobility in Massachusetts, its impact in six Gateway Cities and provides promising practices and considerations for action by Massachusetts legislators, policymakers and district leaders. Next, MassINC’s Ben Forman will present a new Gateway Cities report, Going for Growth: New Education-Housing Partnerships to Stabilize Mobile Families and Boost Student Achievement. The report presentations will be followed by a diverse panel that will provide responses to the report from the district and classroom perspectives and will make connections to housing policy. The event will conclude with closing remarks from Secretary of Education Paul Reville.
Event Agenda
Welcome and Opening Remarks:
- Dora Robinson, President & CEO, United Way of Pioneer Valley
- Mary Walachy, Executive Director, Davis Foundation
- Jill Norton, Executive Director, Rennie Center
Research Presentation:
- Lisa Famularo, Vice President of Research & Evaluation, Rennie Center
- Benjamin Forman, Research Director, MassINC
Panelists:
- David Dupont, Superintendent, Holyoke Public Schools
- Geraldine McCafferty, Director of Housing, City of Springfield
- Katie Silva Moran, Teacher, Peck Full Service Community School, Holyoke
- Patricia Spradley, Chief Parent & Community Engagement Officer, Springfield Public Schools
- Moderator: John Schneider, Executive Vice President, Policy, MassINC
Closing Remarks:
- Paul Reville, Massachusetts Secretary of Education, Executive Office of Education
This project is generously supported by the Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation, Nellie Mae Education Foundation, United Way of Pioneer Valley, and United Way of Central Massachusetts.
