FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
	Date: June 7, 2004
	Contact: Sherry Freeland Walker
	e-Mail: swalker@ecs.org
	FAX: 303.296.8332
	ECS Web Site: www.ecs.org

		Equity, Excellence a Focus of National Forum on Education Policy DENVER – Why, 50 years after the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregated schools illegal, do racial and ethnic gaps in achievement still persist? And what will it take to realize the promise of an excellent, equitable education for all young Americans? Policymakers and experts will share their views and debate these and other questions at The 2004 National Forum on Education Policy, July 13-16, in Orlando. The Forum is sponsored annually by the Education Commission of the States (ECS). It will be held at the Peabody Hotel. More than 600 state and national policymakers from around the country are expected to attend, including governors, legislators, state heads of K-12 and higher education, state board members, business leaders and others. Sessions will focus on the major education issues facing the states and nation, including No Child Left Behind, teaching quality, early learning, finance, the quality of postsecondary education, choice and others. Sessions on equity and excellence include the following: Wednesday, July 14, Noon-1:45 p.m. -- “50 Years of Equity and Excellence: How Far Have We Come?” In a session sure to be provocative given the varying views of the participants, four renowned panelists will discuss why some school and students succeed while others fail, and what state policymakers can do about the problems. U.S. Secretary of Education, Roderick Paige will provide the introduction. Other participants include: Christopher T. Cross, ECS Distinguished Senior Fellow and senior fellow with the Center on Education Policy; Ronald Ferguson, lecturer in public policy, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; Juan Perea, professor of law at the University of Florida; Abigail Thernstrom, senior fellow, Manhattan Institute; and Stephan Thernstrom, Winthrop professor of history, Harvard University. Thursday, July 15, Noon-1:45 p.m. – “50 Years of Equity and Excellence: Unfinished Business.” This session will examine the issues and challenges facing state policymakers and what needs to happen to ensure every young American gets the education he or she needs. Other panelist include: Sarita E. Brown, president, Excelencia in Education, Inc., and senior fellow with the Pew Hispanic Center; James W. Guthrie, Peabody College of Vanderbilt University and ECS Distinguished Senior Fellow; Jay Mathews, education writer with the Washington Post; Carolynn Reid-Wallace, former president, Fisk University; and James E. Sulton Jr., executive director of the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board. In addition, on Thursday from 7-8:45 p.m., ECS will present the James Bryant Conant Award for outstanding service to education posthumously to two national leaders in equity and excellence – Thurgood Marshall, former Supreme Court justice, and John H. Stelle, known as “father of the GI Bill.” To see the full National Forum agenda or register for the meeting, visit the Newsroom at www.ecs.org/NationalForum2004 or contact Sherry Freeland Walker, ECS communications director, at 303.299.3626 or swalker@ecs.org. ### The Education Commission of the States (ECS) is a national, nonprofit organization that helps governors, legislators, state education officials and others identify, develop and implement public policies to improve student learning at all levels. A nonpartisan organization, ECS was formed in 1965 and is located in Denver, Colorado.
Helping State Leaders Shape Education Policy