Agenda: Beyond the Border: Covering U.S. Education in a Global Context

Welcome
8:30 a.m.

• Caroline Hendrie, Education Writers Association
  @chendrie
• Michael Feuer, The George Washington University
  @gwGSEHD

International Tests, Global Comparisons
8:45 – 9:30 a.m.

Why do global comparisons in education matter? What do international assessments reveal, and what are their limitations? Have some countries been over-hyped based on their test scores? How do reporters make sense of it all for their readers?

• Marc Tucker, National Center on Education and the Economy
  @CtrEdEcon (Organization) |
• Tom Loveless, Brookings Institution
  @tomloveless99 |
• Caroline Hendrie, Education Writers Association (moderator)
  @chendrie

Educational Equity: A City-Level View
9:45 – 10:30 a.m.

Learn about efforts to better serve disadvantaged students in Toronto and other major urban systems in the Asia Society’s Global Cities Education Network. This fall, education leaders from participating U.S. cities – Denver, Houston, Lexington, Ky., and Seattle – traveled to Shanghai to visit schools and explore best practices with peers in this network. Other participants include Seoul, Singapore, Hiroshima, and Melbourne.

• Jim Spyropoulos, Toronto (Canada) District School Board
  @JSpyropoulos
• Vivien Stewart, Asia Society
  @AsiaSociety (Organization)
• Erik Robelen, Education Writers Association (moderator)
  @ewrobelen

OECD Test for Schools
10:45 – 11:30 a.m.

Hundreds of U.S. high schools nationwide are participating in an initiative that allows them to see how their students stack up globally, and to gain information to improve their practices. Why are they doing this? What are they learning?

• Jon Schnur, America Achieves
• Tiffany Huitt, School of Science & Engineering (Dallas)
• Daniel Gohl, Broward County (Florida) Public Schools
  @danielgohl
• Liana Heitin, Education Week (moderator)
  @LianaHeitin

What’s Ahead From OECD?
11:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

The OECD regularly produces new reports and analyses on education issues that can be useful to journalists. Find out about upcoming work, and get your questions answered by the OECD’s new deputy director for education.

• Montserrat Gomendio, Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development
  @OECDEduSkills (Organization) |
• Caroline Hendrie, Education Writers Association (moderator)
  @chendrie

Lunch
12:15 – 12:45 p.m.

A Global Lens on Teacher Quality
12:45 – 2:00 p.m.

Leading researchers share findings from a forthcoming book that examines teacher quality practices in high-achieving systems, including Finland, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, and Canada.

• Linda Darling-Hammond, Learning Policy Institute, Stanford University
  @LDH_ed
• Pasi Sahlberg, Harvard Graduate School of Education
  @pasi_sahlberg
• A. Lin Goodwin, Teachers College, Columbia University
  @algoodwin_TC |
• Emily Hanford, American RadioWorks (moderator)
  @ehanford

Testing Sampler: Trying Out TIMSS & PISA
2:15 – 3:00 p.m.

Experts guide reporters through sample items from two major global assessments of student learning and help explain the differences between the exams. |

• Dana Kelly, National Center for Education Statistics
  @EdNCES (Organization)
• Lydia Malley, National Center for Education Statistics
  @EdNCES (Organization)
• Erik Robelen, Education Writers Association (moderator)
  @ewrobelen

Covering Education Around the World
3:15 – 4:15 p.m.

Journalists from Brazil, England, and Finland offer a glimpse into what it’s like to cover education in their home countries. What are the big issues? What are their best stories? Is education policy as divisive there as it is in the United States?

• Maria Annala, Finnish News Agency
  @maria_annala
• Richard Garner, The Independent (London)
  @Independent (Organization)
• Antonio Gois, O Globo (Rio de Janeiro)
  @JornalOGlobo (Organization)
• Greg Toppo, USA Today (moderator)
  @gtoppo

A Long Way From Home: A Conversation With Exchange Students
4:30 – 5:15 p.m.

Students from Germany, Poland, and Taiwan share what it’s like to attend U.S. high schools this year, and compare the experience with their education at home. They are joined by an American, who reflects on her year studying in Japan.

• Lili Hofmann, Germany
• Kamila Mundzik, Poland
• Valentina Tobon, United States (studied in Japan)
• Chun-Te Wang, Taiwan
• Amanda Ripley, journalist and author of “The Smartest Kids in the World” (moderator)
  @amandaripley