12:30 PM -- 2:15 PM
Benchmarking Internationally: The Need Confronts the Reality (session #355)
Too few students are leaving the K-12 system ready for college and the global economy, yet the public appears to fear an overemphasis on test scores and a decrease in attention paid to the whole child. This session provides both the rationale and strategies states can take to benchmark to international standards while protecting the public’s traditional commitment to a comprehensive education. The session will raise and address the following questions: · How can we balance a tradition of local control with the need for international level expectations? · How can states keep from reinventing the wheel? · How can assessments be aligned to highest standards without great cost in dollars or in testing time? · What does it take to improve the balance of liberal education expectations with application of knowledge?

PARTICIPANTS
	Andreas Schleicher, Directorate for Education, Indicators and Analysis Division, OECD, France

2:30 PM -- 5:30 PM
In It to Win It – High-Leverage (Yet Often Overlooked) Elements of P-20 Reform (session #370)
While virtually every state has taken on the challenge of P-16 or P-20 reform — either through the creation of a P-20 council or through state policy efforts — relatively few states have adequately addressed the essential components of (1) comprehensive, aligned data systems; (2) the "P" in P-20; and (3) the involvement of professional schools (the 17-20 in P-20). This highly interactive session will provide information on what states need to address in each of these components to enhance the success of P-20 efforts.

PARTICIPANTS
	Kristie Kauerz, Early Childhood/P-3 Policy Director, Office of Lieutenant Governor Barbara O'Brien, Colorado
	Michael W. Kirst, Emeritus Professor for Education and Business Administration, Stanford University, California
	Sarah E. Redfield, Professor of Law, Education Law Institute, Franklin Pierce Law Center, Maine; member, ECS Steering Committee and ECS Commissioner