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2003 Milken National Education Conference
April 30, 2003
FIRST-RATE NATIONAL TEACHING CORPS
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 30, 2003) – As public schools scramble to ensure that a "highly qualified" teacher is assigned to every U.S. classroom, hundreds of outstanding K-12 educators joined elected officials, policy leaders and other education experts April 26-28 as they explored ways to develop a first-rate national teaching corps at the 2003 Milken National Education Conference in Los Angeles.
"Dedicated and talented teachers are the cornerstone of a quality education for our children," said Foundation Chairman Lowell Milken. "We value the outstanding work of inspiring educators throughout America as they help guide and ensure the success of future generations."
Respected annually as one of the premier seminars in K-12 education, the 2003 Milken National Education Conference brought together key policymakers and state superintendents, past and present Milken Award-winning educators and other distinguished experts to discuss the imperatives of teacher quality.
Coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the release of "A Nation at Risk" – the landmark federal report that questioned public education’s ability to prepare young people for the challenges of the 21st century – the three-day conference engaged educators in intensive workshops and professional development opportunities designed to propel effective teaching into greater student achievement.
This year’s session slate featured:
- A keynote presentation by former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett;
- Moderated by Milken, a panel including national radio host Tavis Smiley; reform advocate Jeanne Allen; U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Education Nina Rees; Oakland, Calif. Mayor Jerry Brown and Massachusetts Superintendent David Driscoll discussed ways to equalize educational opportunities for our nation’s most disadvantaged youth;
- A dialogue about the essential indicators of quality teaching with Stanford University’s Eric Hanushek, Lee Shulman of the Carnegie Foundation, Herbert Walberg of the University of Illinois-Chicago, and former Milken Educator and National Teacher of the Year Philip Bigler;
- An interactive debate about whether “certified” teachers are indeed the most “qualified” to teach, featuring Arthur Wise of the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and Michael Podgursky of the University of Missouri; and
- The Fordham Foundation’s Chester Finn outlining the ramifications of the federal “No Child Left Behind” legislation.
The conference culminated with the presentation of the $25,000 Milken National Educator Awards to 100 recipients from across the nation. Dubbed the “Oscars of teaching” by Teacher Magazine, this black-tie gala – featuring mistresses of ceremonies Jeri Ryan of Fox TV’s “Boston Public” and Giselle Fernandez of KTLA-TV Los Angeles – honored K-12 educators and celebrated their achievements in true Hollywood fashion.
Cash awards totaling $2.5 million were attached to this year’s Milken National Educator Awards, designed to recognize excellence in America’s elementary and secondary schools and inspire young people to become teachers. Established in 1985 by education pioneer Lowell Milken, the program is the largest teacher recognition program in the U.S., having presented more than $46 million in awards to 1,877 educators in 46 states.
For more information about the 2003 Milken National Education Conference and the National Educator Awards program, please contact the Milken Family Foundation Department of Communications at (310) 570-4775, or visit the Foundation’s Web site at http://www.mff.org.