8:30 am - 6:00 pm
Cameron

Engaging Latino Communities for Education (ENLACE) Site Visit 

Breakfast for attendees starts at 8:30 am. The site visit starts at 10:00 am.  Pre-registration required.  The site visit is full.

Wednesday, November 28

Registration 

1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
McArthur 7

Speakers:  Kim Quinn, PolyVision, Georgia
Linda Laneback, AZ Teacher of the Year for Excellence Ambassador, Arizona

GASB:  Teacher Pension Funds
Joint Session with the Budget and Revenue Committee 

A number of states are facing huge deficits in teachers pension liability, forcing legislators to make tough choices. This session examines some of the proposals set to resolve the pension shortfalls.

Presiding:  Jan Yamane, Office of the Auditor, Hawaii
Staff Vice Chair, NCSL Education Committee

Speakers:  Michael Rubenstein, Department of Legislative Services, Maryland General Assembly
Ron Snell, NCSL, Colorado
Dave Bohyer, Legislative Service Division, Montana
John Abraham, American Federation of Teachers,
Washington, D.C.

Opening General Session

Dr. Marianne Legato, Partnership for Gender-Specific Medicine, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, is the featured speaker. 

Steering Committee Meeting

The Steering Committee includes the overall standing committee officers and the legislator and staff chair of each committee.  The meeting will review the committee's plans for the Forum, preview policies under consideration, and decide on joint and re-referrals of policy resolutions, if necessary.

Opening Reception at the Biltmore

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association for its sponsorship of this event.

Thursday, November 29

7:30 am - 5:00 pm
Main Foyer, Conference Center

Registration

General Breakfast Program: Coping with Transportation Policy Challenges

The Transportation Secretary brings a unique perspective to her role as the nation's transportation chief.  She has spent her career working on transportation issues in both the private and public sectors, and has led both federal and state transportation agencies.  She will discuss the nation's critical transportation needs and how states and the federal govenment can enhance their partnership.  

Speaker:  The Honorable Mary Peters, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, D.C.

Federal Update:  NCLB Reauthorization and IDEA

Come learn the latest details on NCLB Reauthorization and IDEA implementation. 

Presiding:  Senator John Goedde, Idaho
Vice Chair, NCSL Education Committee

Speakers:  Dan Lips, The Heritage Foundation, Washington, D.C.
David Shreve, National Conference of State Legislatures, Washington, D.C.

State Efforts to Provide Rigorous and Relevant CTE Opportunities (lunch provided)
Co-Sponsored by the Women's Legislative Network and the Human Services and Welfare Committee--Lunch Provided--

Career and technical education (CTE) options continue to be a popular choice for high school students. In an era of increasingly rigorous standards, what are states doing to ensure that schools offer high quality, relevant CTE options to prepare students for success in high-wage, high-skill industries? This session explores the challenges states face in retooling CTE, highlighting two exemplary Arizona CTE programs and featuring student leaders from two national CTE organizations.  

Presiding:  Representative Mark Anderson, Arizona

Speakers:  Domenic Giandomenico, National Association of State Directors of CTE Consortium, Washington, D.C.
Milt Ericksen, Career and Technical Education, Arizona
Art Lebowitz, Phoenix Union High School District, Arizona
Sally Downey, East Valley Institute of Technology, Arizona
Laura Stump, Arizona FFA, 2007 National Officer candidate 
Amy Kijewski, AzHOSA, Arizona

Legislator to Legislator: Hot Topics Roundtable Discussions

This session features information sharing and discussion with state legislators and legislative staff about these timely education topics.

Presiding:  Frances Ramirez-Maestas, New Mexico
Staff Chair, NCSL Education Committee

•   P16/P20 Councils and Activities

  Facilitators: Representative Rae Ann Kelsch,
  North Dakota
  Chair, NCSL Education Committee
  Sunny Deyé, NCSL, Colorado

		Special Education: Residential Treatment Centers and Schools for the Blind and Deaf Facilitators: Frances Ramirez-Maestas, New Mexico Staff Chair, NCSL Education Committee Lamar Bailey, NCSL, Colorado
		Community Colleges: Governance and Other Issues Facilitators: Shirley Iorio, North Carolina Staff Vice Chair, NCSL Education Committee Julie Bell, NCSL, Colorado Vincent Badolato, NCSL, Colorado
		State Education Data Systems Facilitators: Senator John Goedde, Idaho Vice Chair, NCSL Education Committee Sara Vitaska, NCSL, Colorado

Higher Ed: Update on Reauthorization and Activity in the States

2007 witnessed significant activity on higher education at both the national and state level. During this session committee members will hear about federal activity and its implications for the states including reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, student financial aid reform, and reform of the FAFSA. Committee members will also discuss what's on tap for state higher education in the upcoming legislative session.

Presiding:  Representative Rae Ann Kelsch, North Dakota
Chair, NCSL Education Committee

Speakers:  Terry Hartle, American Council on Education, Washington, D.C.
David Longanecker, Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, Colorado

Steering Committee Meeting

The Steering Committee will review policies reported from the standing committees and determine the calendar for the business meeting on Friday.
 

Reception at the Biltmore

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of Schaller Anderson Aetna for sponsorship of this event. 

Friday, November 30

7:30 am - 9:00 am
Main Foyer, Conference Center

Registration

General Breakfast Session and Business Meeting

The 21st Century Belongs to China

The New York Times review of China, Inc. began, "If the 20th was the American century, then the 21st belongs to China.  It's that simple, Ted C. Fishman syas, and anyone who doubts it should take his whirlwind tour of the world's fastest-developing economy."  Now in its eighth printing, China, Inc., charts the effects of China's economic transformation on the lives and busiensses of people everywhere in the world.

Speaker:  Ted Fishman, Veteran Journalist, Expert on the People's Republic of China, and author of China, Inc., Illinois 

Business Meeting

Forum delegates will debate and vote on NCSL's policy statements and resolutions passed out of the committees.  All Forum participants are invited to attend.

Legislative Education Staff Network Fall Seminar Begins

Pre-registration required.  This seminar is full. 

This seminar is sponsored by NCSL and LESN through a generous grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences.

NCSL Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education Meeting

The Commission will meet to discuss plans and priorities for its work in 2008 and 2009.