URI fall honors colloquium to explore public education
August 11, 2013 10:48 PM
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The University of Rhode Island is holding a fall honors colloquium titled “Great Public Schools: Everyone’s right? Everyone’s responsibility?”
In this series of lectures and panel discussions, participants will explore how education matters and debate issues central to the future of public schools and higher education. The events will be held Tuesdays starting at 7:30 p.m. in Edwards Auditorium on the Kingston campus.
The colloquium will kick off Sept. 10 with a keynote address by Richard Rothstein, a research associate with the Economic Policy Institute, called “Grading Education: Getting Accountability Right.”
On Sept. 17, URI will host a panel discussion on education that includes state education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist; Ray DiPasquale, president of the Community College of Rhode Island; state Board of Education Chairwoman Eva-Marie Mancuso; and National Public Radio’s Scott MacKay.
Diane Ravitch, research professor of education at New York University, is the keynote speaker at a forum called “Reign of Terror” that includes members of the Providence Student Union, a student activist group.
Other participants include Geraldine Brooks, who will discuss her novel “Caleb’s Crossing”; Sheryl WuDunn, author of “Half the Sky” and a Pulitizer Prize-winning reporter; and a radio show with Providence Mayor Angel Taveras.
A Nov. 12 panel discussion, “The State of Our Rhode Island Students,” will include leaders of Rhode Island KIDS COUNT, the Economic Progress Institute, Council for Exceptional Children and URI’s Veteran Affairs Program. It will be moderated by Maureen Moakley, a URI professor of political science.
The colloquium is sponsored by URI, Rhode Island Public Radio, the Mark and Donna Ross Honors Colloquium Humanities Endowment and the Thomas Silvia and Shannon Chandley Honors Endowment.