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May 30, 2007

DePaul University’s School Of Education To Address The Importance Of Community Involvement In Educating Urban Youth

June 4 Town Hall Meeting To Feature Input From Top Educators and Community Leaders

Educators and community leaders will gather at DePaul University for a town hall education meeting to address the need for community involvement in the education of urban youth. The program, which is sponsored by DePaul’s School of Education, will be held at 6:30 p.m. June 4 in the Cortelyou Commons, 2342 N. Freemont Street. Laura S. Washington, DePaul University’s Ida B. Wells-Barnett Professor and a noted journalist, will moderate and the Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) board president and the Archdiocese of Chicago’s superintendent will be among the panelists. The event is free and open to the public.

“It is not a myth that it takes an entire community to educate our youth,” said Clara Jennings, dean of DePaul’s School of Education. “This is especially true for young people who must learn in urban environments where there can be so many distractions. Our town hall meeting will provide a forum where people and communities can learn how they can enhance the learning experience of students. This is particularly important because helping our youth become educated and productive members of society cannot be done in the classroom alone. It’s a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week job that requires input from members of the community.”

The program, “The Importance of Community Involvement in the Education of Urban Youth,” will open with a reception that will feature a performance by the fifth grade ballroom dancers from Alcott Elementary School. The dancers illustrate what schools and communities can accomplish in partnership. An alliance between the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and civic and corporate partners made the “Having a Ball” program, which introduces fifth graders in 30 CPS schools to the art of ballroom dancing, a reality.

The reception will be followed by a welcome from DePaul president, the Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, C.M., and brief remarks by a panel of educators and community leaders. Washington will then lead the panel in a discussion of the importance of community engagement in the education of urban students. A question and answer period will follow.

Panelists will include:

  • Sylvia Manning—chancellor, University of Illinois at Chicago.

  • Peggy Mueller—senior program officer in education, Chicago Community Trust.

  • Eva Patrikakou—assistant professor, DePaul University School of Education.

  • Charlie Trotter—noted chef and owner of Charlie Trotter’s Restaurant in Chicago. Trotter regularly hosts CPS students in his restaurant where he introduces them to the world of cooking and teaches them how to eat in a professional setting.

  • Rufus Williams—CPS board president. Williams was a driving force behind CPS’ Real Men Read mentoring initiative. The program, which was launched earlier this year, was the result of a partnership between CPS and Chase Bank.

  • Nicholas Wolsonovich—superintendent of schools for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

    Established in 1962, DePaul’s School of Education has earned recognition as an institution that prepares educators for assignments in urban and multicultural settings. Embedded in its conceptual framework is the belief that urban students grow, learn and succeed in school when they are influenced and assisted by parents, teachers, principals and the community at large. To that end, the School of Education is dedicated to improving education for urban youth through extensive community outreach and educational partnerships with schools and communities throughout the city.

    One such partnership is its signature LINK-INitiative. The program, which is funded by the Searle Funds at the Chicago Community Trust and the McDougal and Oscar Mayer Family foundations, involves a professional development partnership between DePaul and six schools located in CPS and Archdiocese of Chicago school districts. The program’s unique structure links all stakeholders including faculty from DePaul, teachers from the partnering schools, principals and parents. Its activities support and encourage research, best practice teacher professional development and school improvement.