Law School's First Urban Child Symposium, April 2, Explores the Drop-Out Crisis and Improving Student Success
January 26, 2009
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The University of Baltimore School of Law Center for Families, Children and the Courts will launch the first annual Urban Child Symposium on Thursday, April 2. The symposium, "Solving the Dropout Crisis: Getting the Other Half to Attend and Achieve," will feature a series of panel discussions devoted to issues affecting the education of inner-city children. Panelists will discuss the challenges facing urban children, the issues presented by chronic truancy, and the programs and methods that enhance a child's likelihood to complete high school. The symposium will take place in the School of Law's Moot Court Room, 1415 Maryland Ave. Attendance and registration details are listed below.
Featuring panel discussions with leading national experts in education, law, and child and community development, the symposium is designed to spark a broad discussion on how urban children can be encouraged to stay in school despite the difficult circumstances of their daily lives. The one-day session will feature a luncheon speech by the Hon. Catherine Curran O'Malley, first lady of Maryland and a judge of the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City.
The day's agenda includes three panel discussions on a broad range of topics, including "The Urban Child in Context: Their Families, Their Schools, Their Neighborhoods, and Their Lives"; "The Urban Child in School: Their Attendance, Their Behavior, and Their Academic Performance"; and "A Call to Action on Behalf of the Urban Child: Solutions to the Problems Surrounding School Attendance." (The symposium's complete agenda is available here.)
Panelists will include the Hon. Donald W. DeVore, secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services; Hathaway Ferebee, executive director of Safe and Sound; Prof. Susan Leviton of the University of Maryland School of Law; Andres A. Alonso, chief executive officer of Baltimore City Public Schools; Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality; Robert Balfanz, of The Johns Hopkins University Center for Social Organization of the Schools; Ken Seeley, president of the National Center for School Engagement; the Hon. David W. Young, judge of the Circuit Court for Baltimore City; and Sylvia McGill, director of Experience Corps for the Greater Homewood Community Corporation, among others. (An updated list of participants is available here.)
In the coming days, the event's keynote speaker, as well as other invited guests, will be announced.
Registration for and information about the first annual Urban Child Symposium, including an online form, are available here.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts, and the Merrick School of Business.