Shared Commitment to Education Opportunity at EIE15

There was a call for a new approach to education reform–that acknowledges a shared commitment to education opportunity across party lines and ideologies–that was palpable among the participants in three days of activities at ExcelinEd’s 2015 Summit on Education Reform. The 8th annual National Summit drew more than 950 attendees from 43 states.

"This isn't a Democrat issue, this isn't a Republican issue, this is an ALL OF US issue" says @LevesquePat @ExcelinEd #EIE15

— Carri Schneider, Ed.D. (@CarriSchneider) October 22, 2015

From the opening keynote to closing session, the majority of sessions took a refreshing approach to issues around extending access to high-quality learning opportunities through increasingly innovative approaches.

https://twitter.com/John_Bailey/status/657212910515564544

Dr. Condoleezza Rice, 66th U.S. Secretary of State and board chair of ExcelinEd framed the Summit and the ongoing work of various attendees with an important set of reminders that echoed across the week.

“It doesn’t matter where you came from, it matters where you’re going.” @CondoleezzaRice #EIE15 WATCH:https://t.co/mj8CAH0oTA

— ExcelinEd (@ExcelinEd) October 22, 2015

Arthur Brooks’ dinner keynote centered wholly on the idea of a renewed commitment to all kids that challenged participants to blur political lines and launch a movement in service of viewing people “more as assets to develop versus liabilities to manage.”

Inspiring keynote with @CondoleezzaRice and Dr. @arthurbrooks. 📷: @John_Bailey #EIE15 pic.twitter.com/x9fq67eHnB

— ExcelinEd (@ExcelinEd) October 23, 2015

A moving panel featuring parents and students representing a spectrum of #schoolchoice options kicked off the final day of EIE.

https://twitter.com/John_Bailey/status/657591772214759424

Hearing personal stories of both challenges and success helped frame how important policies that allow student access to all all learning options truly are.

Hearing 2 students discuss school choice opportunities. Parents fought hard to give them best education. #EIE15 pic.twitter.com/HF2yP0IRGn

— Kelly Fenton (@kellyfentonmn) October 23, 2015

As our team talks about in Smart Parents, parents are now more than ever having to advocate for student success, options and access. Students need different learning environments and options at different times and parents need to understand the full range of options to create a personalized learning environment for their children.

Moms advocating #schoolchoice for their kids are not the enemy of public education…we want #edreform cause our kids can't wait. #EIE15

— Julie Parrish (@hotcouponmama) October 23, 2015

These themes continued throughout the remainder of the Summit, as evidenced by these tweets and concluding thoughts.

Read this again: We HAVE to believe families want the best for their children. Even if they don't know how to get them there. #EIE15

— ExcelinEd (@ExcelinEd) October 23, 2015

https://twitter.com/FrickeyJ/status/657588257710981120

Closing #EIE15 words from Dr. @CondoleezzaRice: We have to be dedicated to the proposition…that every child can learn. Our work is urgent.

— Carri Schneider, Ed.D. (@CarriSchneider) October 23, 2015

See highlights of EIE15 including full videos of these powerful keynotes at: http://excelined.org/national-summit/video-library/

Mark your calendar for the November 2016 Summit on Education Reform in Washington, D.C.

For more on the @ExcelinEd National Summit on Education Reform visit the #EIE15 hashtag on Twitter.

ExcelinEd is a Getting Smart Advocacy Partner.