Press Releases
Lowell Milken at Milken Global Conference: How Can We Advance K–12 Reform?
Philanthropists, educators and advocates discuss solutions for big cities and beyond
April 28, 2014
Santa Monica, CA—While a number of states have embraced innovative reforms to raise student achievement and strengthen college and career readiness, many others are still saddled with low academic scores, high dropout rates and a lack of high-caliber human capital to transform schools into the vibrant and nurturing environments every student deserves.
From left to right: Rudolph "Rudy" Crew, Anthony "Tony" Miller, Ed Rendell, Antonio Villaraigosa, Paul Vallas and Lowell Milken engage in a lively—and timely—discussion about how to improve education in America's big cities.
At the 2014 Milken Global Conference being held this week at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, Lowell Milken—chairman of the Milken Family Foundation and National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET)—led a discussion of mayors, superintendents and advocates on Monday, April 28, who have used strong leadership to affect change in some of the nation’s largest and most challenged urban areas.
Panelists included Rudolph Crew, Medgar Evers College (CUNY) president and former head of schools in New York City and Miami-Dade County; Anthony Miller, former deputy secretary and chief operating officer of the U.S. Department of Education; Ed Rendell, former Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia mayor; Paul Vallas, candidate for Illinois lieutenant governor who ran schools in New Orleans, Louisiana, Chicago and Philadelphia; and Antonio Villaraigosa, former Los Angeles mayor who created the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools.
View the feature on the Milken Institute's Currency of Ideas blog
On April 29, Lowell Milken participated in a broader exchange with fellow education leaders about the state of K–12 reform today. With continuous debate surrounding the Common Core State Standards, charter expansion and creating systems to hold educators accountable for their performance—among other topics—leaders delved into the pressing challenges today and offered their outlooks and solutions to keeping K–12 reform on track.
Joining Lowell on the panel was Russlyn Ali, chair of the Emerson Education Fund and former assistant secretary for civil rights at the U.S. Department of Education; Kevin Huffman,Texas education commissioner; Patricia Levesque, CEO of the Foundation for Excellence in Education; and Bruce Reed,president of The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation. Ronald Brownstein, editorial director for Atlantic Media, moderated.
View the feature on the Milken Institute's Currency of Ideas blog
Equipped with a diverse staff experienced in education and business, combined with a broad coalition of school practitioners, NIET forges relationships with states, districts and schools to attract, develop, support and retain high-quality human capital to increase achievement levels for all students. Through its two signature initiatives, TAP: The System for Teacher and Student Advancement and the Best Practices Center, NIET is reaching more than 175,000 teachers and 2.4 million students. www.niet.org
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Jana Rausch
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