Issue 4

A Catalyst for Change

Here at NWEA, one of our goals as an organization is to be a catalyst for change in education policy. As we strive to stay sensitive and in tune to the educational landscape, it’s vital to create ways and opportunities for those involved at various levels of education to come together and discuss topics that are important to them.

Significant Activity to Impact Education

In recent weeks, many education-related topics have been in the news, including new funding opportunities tied to innovation. Also, the U.S. Department of Education is planning to host a series of meetings to gain feedback on the next generation of assessments. These topics are great conversations in NWEA’s SPARK Community, and we invite you to continue to share your perspectives. These issues, along with others, are becoming more prevalent in the news and for good reason—they will have a significant impact on the future of education.

Amidst these more major nationwide shifts in policy, we also see many important changes taking place in our classrooms from day to day. For instance, social media is expanding its presence on a daily basis and is something we as parents, teachers and administrators cannot ignore. It is exciting to see how classrooms, schools and districts are embracing social media and utilizing it to support daily teaching and instruction. 

NWEA’s Winter Forum – FORWARD>2010 – to Provide Opportunity to Explore Innovation

NWEA is committed to being a resource for discussions on controversial education-related topics, such as those we mention above. The educational landscape is changing on a daily basis, and together we can further understand the important issues and take steps to make improvements. As part of this commitment, NWEA will host our first annual Winter Forum called FORWARD>2010. This two-day event, being held February 4-5, 2010 in Charlotte, NC, will bring together education policy makers, researchers and practitioners to share ideas and discuss the future of education. 

Our hope is that FORWARD>2010 will be a place where education policy is vetted, conversations take unexpected and enlightening turns, and issues are addressed in a participatory way. We want to host an event that encourages two-way dialogue and collaboration. We look forward to addressing topics like the $650 million innovation fund and new USDOE testing plans with education professionals from across the country, including our keynote speaker Richard Riley, the former U.S. Secretary of Education and former Governor of South Carolina.

We hope you can join us to participate in FORWARD>2010. In the coming months, we will continue to solicit your feedback in the SPARK Community on various key issues in the current educational landscape. All opinions are welcome, and we hope that you will take a few moments to be part of the conversation and make your voice heard by others.

For more information about FORWARD>2010 visit this page.