Ebony Takes On Education

2010-07-19

CHICAGO -- On Wednesday, August 11, Ebony Magazine and the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute will co-host an Education Roundtable at the University of Chicago’s International House, one aspect of the University of Chicago’s commitment to the welfare of the community and to diversity in business relationships.

A panel of the nation’s most distinguished voices on education will discuss the public education crisis and how best practices from all sources – public, charter, and private schools, as well as the emerging educational technology sector – can be used to transform our nation’s K-12 schools. The goal of the Education Roundtable is to reengage the community on different aspects of education and to identify at-hand tools that teachers and parents alike can use to better prepare our children for the future in a challenging knowledge economy.

Linda Johnson Rice, chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, parent company of Ebony, believes that dialogues like these are essential to the future of education in this country. “Ebony has been committed for 65 years to the important issues facing the black community,” said Johnson Rice. “The Ebony Education Roundtable is an extension of our long-term commitment to our consumers, and provides the ideal platform to bridge real issues with real solutions. This first-ever forum is designed to showcase an exchange of America’s best practices, geared toward making public schools more competitive. Ebony understands the importance of developing the next generation of leaders.”

The panel, moderated by Tamron Hall of MSNBC, will include the following participants: Russlynn Ali, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education; Shayne Evans, Director, University of Chicago Charter School’s Woodlawn Secondary Campus; Paul Goren, Lewis-Sebring Executive Director of the Consortium on Chicago School Research; Ron Huberman, CEO of the Chicago Public Schools; Tim King, President and CEO of the Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men; and Julianne Malveaux, President of Bennett College. Robert J. Zimmer, President of the University of Chicago, and Linda Johnson Rice, Chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company will offer welcoming and introductory remarks. The event is open to the public and will be broadcast live via webcast.

Additionally, the roundtable discussion will be filmed by MSNBC for a special feature on education. President Zimmer said that open inquiry and examination of our system is one way for the United States to make progress on some of the challenges that face K-12 education around the country. “The work of the Urban Education Institute centers around the open examination of data to inform educational decision-making, teacher training, and school operation and instruction,” Zimmer said. “The education
of our youth is one of the most important things that we do as a society.” The relationship between Johnson Publishing Company and the University of Chicago is an example of the broad commitment to diversity that is fundamental to the University’s mission. Working with minority and women-owned businesses, such as Johnson Publishing Company, is integral to this effort.

“University initiatives in urban education, urban health, economic development and cultural expansion are all reflective of our mission to foster diversity throughout our community and to work directly with our counterparts to create opportunities for everyone,” said Nadia Quarles, director of business diversity for the University of Chicago. “Johnson Publishing Company is an iconic minority-owned business that has created tremendous value in the African-American community, and we are pleased to be working together to provide cutting-edge information and opportunities to this community.”

The partnership with Johnson Publishing Company will allow the University of Chicago to reach 12.3 million readers with information about the University’s efforts in the community and the opportunities it provides for minority youth.

“A commitment to diversity is central to our mission of discovery,” Zimmer said. “We have an obligation to see that the greatest variety of perspectives is brought to bear on us as scholars and citizens. Both the University and the community are made stronger by a mutual exchange of ideas and resources.”

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About Ebony magazine:
Ebony magazine, the No. 1 magazine for African-Americans, is published monthly and reaches over 10 million readers with each issue. Published by Johnson Publishing Company, Inc., the largest Black-owned publishing company in the world, Ebony magazine was founded in 1945 by the late Publisher and
Chairman John H. Johnson. Linda Johnson Rice is chairman and CEO.

About the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute:
The University of Chicago Urban Education Institute was established to create knowledge to improve the trajectory of children’s lives nationwide. UEI directly operates four charter school campuses, prepares teachers and leaders for success in an urban environment through its Urban Teacher Education Program, and conducts research that’s connected to problems of practice in schools through the Consortium on Chicago School Research.

About the University of Chicago:
The University of Chicago, which held its first classes in 1892, is home to faculty and students who have earned a reputation for fearless inquiry, interdisciplinary scholarship and the creation of new fields of study. The University is associated with 85 Nobel Prize winners, reflecting the institution’s leadership in a wide range of research, literature and social thought. Working in one of the world’s great cities, scholars at the University of Chicago ask tough questions, engage the world around them, and pursue knowledge with rigor and a belief in the transformative power of ideas.