Eighth Annual Urban Child Symposium Addresses the Education of the Urban Child, April 7
March 16, 2016
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore School of Law's Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts' eighth annual Urban Child Symposium will take place on Thursday, April 7, in the Moot Court Room in the John and Frances Angelos Law Center (home of the UB School of Law), 1421 N. Charles St. This year's symposium will examine some of the most difficult challenges facing Baltimore and other large urban areas in the effort to strengthen troubled schools and improve outcomes for the children and families they serve. The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. This event is free and open to the public, but an R.S.V.P. is required. Details are listed below. For full detail on panelists and the event agenda, visit the Urban Child Symposium web page.
The keynote speaker for this event will be James Cole Jr., general counsel, delegated duties of deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. There, he serves as chief operating officer and chief legal officer. He oversees a broad range of operational, management, policy, legal and program functions. In this capacity, he manages the Department's work on President Obama's My Brother's Keeper Task Force, which seeks to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and to ensure that all young people are able to reach their full potential. Cole was the first in his family to graduate from college. He credits a high school English teacher with inspiring him to pursue higher education.
The symposium's morning panel will focus on the challenges that school and justice systems face in responding to pervasive educational inequality and poverty in our schools. Panelists and audience members will discuss ways in which agencies, individuals and organizations can work with students and their families to break the cycle of school dropout and failure that poverty and its consequences cause.
The afternoon panel will examine the unique challenges faced by students with special needs and the impact of these issues on school attendance. Panelists will present strategies to address some of the most difficult problems facing our schools and communities, including the complicated Individualized Education Program process, truancy, and parent and community engagement.
There is no charge to attend the conference, but an online R.S.V.P. is strongly recommended, as space is limited. To register online, visit law.ubalt.edu/calendar and locate the event on April 7. Contact Marcellus Anderson at 410.837.5615 with any questions.
Information about visitor parking at the University is available at www.ubalt.edu/parking.
The Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children and the Courts (CFCC) works to ensure that the practice of family law in Maryland, nationally and around the world improves the lives of families and the health of communities. CFCC advocates the use of therapeutic jurisprudence, the understanding that the law has an effect on behavior, emotions and mental health, and a holistic approach to problem-solving in family law and family justice system matters.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the UB School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.