Tuesday, December 5

ENLACE Site Visit and Breakfast

This site visit will allow policymakers to see innovative strategies that provide a seamless pathway to college for Latino and other underrepresented students and offer ideas on how to apply these innovations in your state.  Participants will visit programs at local schools and a community college, and meet with students, parents, and program administrators.  Participants will also have the opportunity to visit the Colonial Hills after-school program.  This is a full day visit and all travel costs including airfare, two-nights in hotel, and meals will be covered by NCSL.   

Afterschool Site Visit

Participants will visit the 21st Century Learning Center at Colonial Hills Elementary School.  This afterschool program offers numerous enrichment programs for low-income students and families, including tutoring, computer science, engineering, and language arts classes.  Participants will have the opportunity to meet with students, parents, and program administrators.   

Wednesday, December 6

11:00 am - 6:00 pm
Lois Rios Foyer,
B level

Registration

The Future of Higher Education:  A National and State Perspective

There is growing attention at both the national and state level on the quality of higher education.  Many argue that the American higher education is no longer the best in the world.  Tuition and fees are increasing rapidly and the quality of the educational experience is not keeping pace.  This session will feature the work and recommendations of two recent and highly visible commissions investigating higher education--Secretary Spellings' Commission on the Future of Higher Education and the NCSL Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education.

Presiding:  Representative Geanie Morrison, Texas

Speakers:  Representative Denise Merrill, Connecticut
Co-chair, NCSL Blue Ribbon Commission on Higher Education
Charles Miller, Chair of Secretary Spellings' Commission on the Future of Higher Education, Texas  

Community Colleges:  Key to Developing a 21st Century Workforce 

Eighty percent of employers in a recent survey say they are having trouble finding qualified employees.  To compete in a global economy, today's jobs require some form of postsecondary education and training.  No institution is better placed to meet America's workforce needs than the community college. This session will examine how community colleges are bridging the gap for students and employers in preparing for the workforce demands of the 21st century.

Presiding:  Representative Geanie Morrison, Texas

Speakers:  Mary Crabbe Gershwin, Center for Workforce Success, The Manufacturing Institute, Colorado
Wes Jurey, Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Texas
Byron McClenney, Community College Leadership Program, University of Texas at Austin

Opening General Session

Admiral Thad W. Allen, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, was in charge of response and recovery operations in the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  He will discuss the role of the Coast Guard in homeland security and emergency preparedness.

Presiding:  Senator Richard Moore, Massachusetts
Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

Speaker:  Admiral Thad W. Allen, Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, Washington, D.C. 

Steering Committee Meeting

Standing Committee officers are encouraged to attend this important meeting. 

Thursday, December 7

7:00 am - 6:00 pm
Lois Rios Foyer,
B level

Registration

Plenary Breakfast  -- The 2006 Elections:  A Look Back and a Look Ahead

CNN's incisive, witty political oserver will give an inside-the-beltway view of the mid-term elections will speculate about their meaning for the political  landscape in the next two years.

Speaker:  William Schneider, CNN, Washington, D.C.  

Standing Committee on Education Business Meeting

Federal Update

• No Child Left Behind Reauthorization
• IDEA Regulations and Implementation
• Medicaid and School-based Services

NCSL Policy Update

• Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)

Presiding:  Senator Jim Argue, Arkansas
Chair, Standing Committee on Education 

Speakers:  David Shreve, NCSL, Washington, D.C.
Diana Hinton Noel, NCSL, Washington, D.C.

Legislator to Legislator:  Hot Topics Roundtable Discussion 

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

• Pre-Kindergarten Financing 
  Facilitators: Senator Cynthia Nava, New Mexico
  Vice Chair, Standing Committee on Education and 
  Steff Clothier, NCSL, Colorado
• Distance Learning and Education Technology 
  Facilitators: Wes Keller, Alaska
  Staff Chair, Standing Committee on Education and
  Heather Grinager, NCSL, Colorado
• School Violence 
  Facilitators:  Representative RaeAnn Kelsch, North Dakota
  Vice Chair, Standing Committee on Education and
  Sara Vitaska, NCSL, Colorado
• Education Finance Issue:  School Consolidation 
  Facilitators: Senator Jim Argue, Arkansas
  Chair, Standing Committee on Education and
  Jennifer Stedron, NCSL, Colorado

Plenary Lunch -- Climate Change:  States Take the Lead

Several states have seized the initiative in addressing issues related to climate change.  Legislation passed recently in California has commanded national headlines.  A leader in the passage of this legislation, Speaker Fabian Nunez will describe the new approach and the delicate process that led to adoption of the measure.

Presiding:  Senator Leticia Van de Putte, Texas
NCSL President

Speaker:  Speaker, Fabian Nunez, California Assembly

Using Technology to Inform and Support Teachers

During this session, education experts and state legislators will discuss state efforts to support teachers through the use of technology by featuring appoaches to online induction, mentoring and professional development. 

Presiding:  Senator Michael Chaney, Mississippi
Vice Chair, Standing Committee on Education

Speakers:  Frank Odasz, Lone Eagle Consulting, Montana
Susanna Garza, Education Service Center, Region 20, San Antonio

Educating Native American and Native Alaskan Students

Today, Indigenous students in the U.S. -- similar to black and Latino students -- are experiencing a widening achievement gap compared to white students.  In this session we will hear from experts on the current trends in indigenous student achievement and how state policy cna help narrow the achievement gap.

Moderator:  Representative John McCoy, Native American Caucus of State Legislators, Washington

Speakers:  Frank Odasz, Lone Eagle Consulting, Montana
Norbert Hill, College of Menominee Nation, Wisconsin

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Rio Grande West,
B level

Steering Committee Meeting

Standing committee officers are encouraged to attend this important meeting. 

Reception at the Institute of Texas Cultures

The Institute is a spectacular celebration of Texas cultures, with 50,000 square feet of exhibits showcasing all the groups who have lived in Texas--Native Americans, Latinos, black Texans, the Lebanese, Chinese, Japanese, Danes, Swedes, Czechs and Wends among many more.  There will be special holiday decorations and exhibits -- join your colleagues for food, drink and festivity!  Transportation will be provided.
 

Friday, December 8

8:00 am - 1:00 pm
Lois Rios Foyer,
B level

Registration

Special Briefing:

• Real ID -- An NCSL Town Hall Meeting

Fall Forum Business Meeting:  Debate and Voting on Official Policy Statements and Resolutions

At this time, Forum delegates will debate and vote on NCSL's policy statements and resolutions passed out of committees.  Legislators are strongly encouraged to attend.

Presiding:  Senator Richard Moore, Massachusetts
Chair, NCSL Standing Committees

Closing Plenary Lunch 
U.S. Justice Department Priorities and the States  and
Immigration Policy:  The Debate Continues

U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will discuss the U.S. Justice Department priorities and the states.

Although Congress has been unable to craft a comprehensive package of immigration legislation, state legislatures continue to tackle this most ticklish of public policy dilemmas through an array of approaches.  Mr.  Papedemetriou, one of the country's most respected immigration experts, will offer his insights into the future of the immigration policy debate.

Jay Dick, Director of State Arts Policy for Americans for the Arts, will announce and present a new award, Outstanding Legislator in the Arts.

Presiding:  Kevin Madigan, Deputy Fiscal Advisor, Rhode Island Senate
Senator Richard Moore, Massachusetts

Speakers:  Honorable Alberto Gonzales, Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
Demetrios Papademetriou, Migration Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. 

NCSL gratefully acknowledges the support of Americans for the Arts.

Legislative Education Staff Network Fall Seminar---
Putting an Effective Leader in Every School:  A Role for State Legislatures
Sponsored by the Legislative Education Staff Network and supported by the Wallace Foundation.

This LESN seminar is open to all legislative staff interested in education policy.  There is no fee for this seminar but you do need to register for it by contacting Sara Vitaska at 303-856-1647 or at sara.vitaska@ncsl.org.