A federal education official, state education commissioners and academic researchers will come together at Vanderbilt University March 8 and 9 to discuss how to apply current educational research to K-12 classrooms to improve teaching and meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind.
Phoebe Cottingham, commissioner of education evaluation and regional assistance for the U.S. Department of Education‘s Institute of Education Sciences, will speak about connecting actual teaching practices with K-12 education research Tuesday, March 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 201 of the Wyatt Center on Vanderbilt‘s Peabody Campus.
In addition to Cottingham, participants will include the chief state school officers from Tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia, area superintendents and directors and Vanderbilt faculty members.
“With over 111 calls for research-based practice included in No Child Left Behind, this is a pressing issue for all in the business of education,” Andy Porter, director of the Vanderbilt Learning Sciences Institute and Patricia and Rodes Hart Chair of Educational Leadership and Policy, said.
Cottingham‘s talk is part of a two-day event, “Building a Partnership for Better Connecting Practice and Research in K-12 Education,” hosted by Vanderbilt, Peabody College and the Learning Sciences Institute.
The March 9 event will include an address by Chancellor Gordon Gee and a discussion of current research by Peabody faculty and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center members Doug and Lynn Fuchs on curriculum-based measurement, as well as the research of Ellen Goldring, professor of educational policy and leadership, and that of Pearl Sims, director of the Principals‘ Leadership Academy of Nashville. Participants will brainstorm on the topics of the most pressing issues in school improvement, available and needed assistance and a potential regional partnership to connect practice and research in K-12 education in the Southeast.
Cottingham‘s talk is free and open to the public. For more information, visit: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/lsi.
Media contact: Melanie Catania, (615) 322-7970
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu