NCSL Education Finance Summit 2007

Listen to highlights from the meeting, Feb. 16-18 in Denver.

Opening Session: Are We Competitive Globally?
Friday, February 16, 2007, 6-7 p.m.
Alan Wagner will draw on his extensive experience working for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to address the question, "Are We Competitive Globally"? Dr. Wagner will delineate where the United States is falling short and the implications for education and the economy.

• Welcome: Julie Bell, NCSL Education Program Director (6:30)
• Introduction: Joni Finney of the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (3:34)
• Speaker: Alan Wagner, State University of New York (28:35)

Educating Teachers: Are We Getting Our Money's Worth?
Saturday, February 17, 2007, 9-10:15 a.m.
Recent research concludes that most teachers are prepared by schools of education that have low admission and graduation standards and an outdated vision of teacher education. This session will focus on this research and recommendations and explore whether states are wisely investing in teacher education.

• Moderator: Representative Roy Takumi, Hawaii
• Speakers:
  • Arthur Levine, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in New Jersey (16:17)
  • Sharon Robinson, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in Washington, D.C. (16:00)
  • Observations from a Policymaking Point of View: Hawaii Representative Roy Takumi (4:32)

Luncheon Session: What Works to Reduce the Achievement Gap?
Saturday, February 17, 2007, 11:45 am - 1:30 pm, Sponsored by the National Education Association

The Education Trust has conducted important research on the presence of the achievement gap at both the K-12 and higher education levels. During this session we'll hear about what they are learning about what works to close the achievement gap.

• Introduction: Ray McInerney, National Education Association in Washington, D.C. (2:08)
• Speaker: Kati Haycock, The Education Trust in Washington, D.C. (49:01)

Breakfast and Plenary: Funding Education In An Era of Tax Limits
Sunday, February 18, 2007, 8 - 10:30 a.m.

This debate features two prominent policy analysts with very different opinions about the role of state tax limitation measures. This discussion will focus particularly on how tax limits impact education funding.

• Moderator: Connecticut Representative Denise Merrill (6:13)
• Debaters
  • Wade Buchanan, of The Bell Policy Center in Colorado (10:42)
  • Jon Caldara, of The Independence Institute in Colorado (10:35)
  • Rebuttals (28:07)

Podcast: States Take Cues from NCSL Higher Ed Report (9:05) 

• A conversation with Connecticut Representative Denise Merrill, New Jersey Assemblyman Craig Stanley, and NCSL Education Program Director Julie Bell, recorded Saturday, February 17, 2007.