Dallas ISD is laying off teachers. Mayor Mike Rawlings is adopting schools. But how does the news of the day resonate with the larger purpose of education? The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture will take a long look at the purpose of education with its second annual Education Forum this Friday and Saturday. Speakers will include Dr. Diana Senechal, who, if you remember, was awarded this year’s Hiett Prize by the Institute, Dr. Louise Cowan, and Dr. Wesley Null. Full details below:

THE DALLAS INSTITUTE TO PRESENT THE EDUCATION FORUM:

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF AN EDUCATION?

Dallas, February 7, 2012:  The Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture’s Cowan Center for Education is hosting its second Education Forum, a program during which educators and citizens can consider and discuss together important topics concerning American public education.  This year’s program is sponsored in part by A. Steven Raab & Ginny Jackson and by Laura Baldwin.

The 2012 topic is “What is the Purpose of an Education?” The Education Forum will be conducted at the Dallas Institute and will begin at 6:30 pm, Friday, February 17, with a talk and a book-signing by Dr. Diana Senechal—education author, teacher, and recipient of the Institute’s 2011 Hiett Prize in the Humanities. At 9 am on Saturday, February 18, Dallas Institute Co-Founder Dr. Louise S. Cowan will deliver an address entitled “What is the Purpose of an Education?” Breakout sessions focused on history, literature and reading/language arts, science and mathematics, and music and fine arts will follow.  The afternoon will begin with a talk by Dr. Wesley Null, educator and vice provost for Undergraduate Education at Baylor University, and will conclude with plenary discussions on the Forum topic.

“The task of American public education is the greatest ongoing challenge that we face as a nation. We are, and have been, attempting an achievement unparalleled in human history–to provide a good education for a population defined by its diversity,” said Dr. Claudia Allums, director of The Cowan Center for Education at the Dallas Institute. “This event is an opportunity for educators at all levels as well as Dallas citizens of diverse backgrounds to exchange insights about not only the function of education but also the cultivation of a love of learning. Ironically in an age of instant communication, educators seem to have very few opportunities for communicating either among themselves or with the public. Our Education Forum is a significant step toward remedying that deficiency, and this year’s theme will take us beyond thinking about education only as a practical means to earn a degree or secure a job – it will also be focused on considering the larger purposes of education, those that prepare Americans for civic responsibility and that reveal learning as one of life’s continued joys.”

Schedule for THE EDUCATION FORUM:

Friday, February 17, 2012

6:30-8:00 pm: Dr. Diana Senechal will address “What is the Purpose of an Education?” with a discussion of her recently released book, Republic of Noise: The loss of Solitude in Schools and Culture, followed by a discussion and a book-signing.

Saturday, February 18

8:30 am: Continental breakfast
9:00 am: Dr. Louise Cowan will speak on the Forum topic.
10:00 am -12:00 pm: Workshops co-moderated by faculty and alumni:

Literature and Language Arts moderated by Dr. Larry Allums and Sharon Harris

History moderated by Dr. Wesley Null and Camille Cain

Science and Mathematics moderated by Dr. Bob Frodeman and Pamela Whatley

Music and Fine Arts moderated by Dr. Diana Senechal and DeAnda Brooks

12:00 pm: Lunch provided in the Nancy Cain Marcus Conference Center
1:00 – 2:00 pm: Dr. Wesley Null will speak on the Forum topic in light of his book, Curriculum: From Theory to Practice, followed by panel and audience discussion.
2:30 – 4:00 pm: Plenary Wrap-up Discussion

Admission for the program is $60 for Institute members and $75 for nonmembers. The fee includes the continental breakfast and lunch on Saturday. To register, visit www.dallasinstitute.org, or call (214) 871-2440.  Eight hours CPE credit are awarded for this program.

Education has been a major focus of The Dallas Institute’s work since its creation in 1980, and its distinctive, award-winning Teachers Academy, Principals Institute, Education Forum, and the recently launched Superintendents Symposium are the trademark programs of the Cowan Center for Education.