Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Education conference encourages 'one team, one goal'

Parents + Involvement = School Success
Missouri News


When St. Louis area educator and author Carletta Washington talks about the importance of parent involvement in education, you canĂ‚’t help but see and hear her passion. It's in her voice. It lights up her eyes. At the drop of a hat, she can offer parents at least a dozen ideas to parents who want to help their children succeed in school.

Washington (pictured left) is organizing a unique back-to-school conference designed for parents, educators and anyone else with an interest in children. Education 4 All presents "Parents + Involvement = School Success" on August 19, 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m., at the Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel, 7730 Bonhomme Ave, St. Louis, Missouri.

"This conference provides a unique and comprehensive approach to school preparation," said Washington, who is also founder and CEO of Education 4 All Inc. "Different activities are scheduled - from breakout sessions to opportunities for networking."

The event features Jeffrey Forrest, parent and senior pastor, Blessed Hope Bible Church. Forrest, like Washington, believes that strong, consistent parent involvement gets results.

This event acts as a forum on a number of critical issues in education, such as:

- No Child Left Behind
- Standardized Testing
- Reading Development
- Character Education
- Media Literacy
- Internet Safety
- Career Development


Washington believes that all levels of education are important, including preschool. She is the author of Educational Reform: The Role and Responsibility of School, Parents, Students and Communities, published by Prioritybooks Publications of St. Louis.

"Parents must realize that children across the globe are preparing for college and careers at an early age," Washington said. "It is not okay for our children to wait until their senior year in high school or sophomore year in college to decide what they want to be in life. Our job as parents is to prepare our children for success every day."

One of the center pieces of the conference will be an in-depth forum on parent involvement. A variety of panelists, each bringing a unique prospective to education, will participate. The conference welcomes four special guests: Jessica Z. Brown, Gateway Media Literacy Partners; Tina Grimes, president, Success Academy LLC; Michael Herron, outreach specialist, St. Louis Black Leadership Roundtable; and John Oldani, executive director, Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis.

Local authors and vendors will be on hand to offer resources to parents in areas such as literacy and healthcare. Small breakout sessions will cover parenting, college and career preparation, college athletes and recruiters and the state of urban education.

Education 4 All Inc. is a nonprofit organization providing positive solutions in the areas of student achievement, parental involvement, staff development, and school and community relations.

For more information about the "Parents + Involvement = School Success" conference, click here.


Related: Book advances the platform for education reform


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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Seems to be a nice book; by an even nicer author.

Deb Sistrunk Nelson said...

Shi: I think the book has value for both parents and educators. And, as for Carletta, she is a jewel - a first class educator. She's working on her doctorate degree, keeping up with her responsibilities in public education, and she's a tireless community volunteer.

Somehow she manages to take care of her family, too, while promoting her book and the conference. Like I said, she's a jewel!