FOR RELEASE:
April 21, 1999

Education Reform Leader to Address Town Hall Meeting

The Commission on Excellence in Teacher Preparation will host the session from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 13, at Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley. Haycock, director of the Washington D.C.-based Education Trust, will talk about why "Good Teaching Matters a Lot."

The commission, appointed by CSUN President Blenda J. Wilson, is a partnership of university, education and community leaders that is planning a yearlong process to recommend significant changes to the university's preparation programs for elementary, secondary and special education teachers.

The purpose of the town hall sessions - each open to the public - is for the commission to seek input from public school teachers and administrators, parents and community leaders, university faculty, school reform advocates, teachers union and social service agency representatives and others.

The title of Haycock's scheduled talk comes from a report issued by the Education Trust last August - "Good Teaching Matters" - that found a crucial link between student achievement and issues of teacher quality, including preparation, recruitment, hiring and professional development.

The report concluded that the academic achievement gap - the gap in standardized test scores and other measures of achievement for low-income students and students of color - could be eliminated if those students also were systematically assigned the most highly qualified teachers.

The Education Trust is a nonprofit group that promotes high academic achievement for all students. The Thursday session will be held in the cafeteria at Francis Polytechnic High School, 12431 Roscoe Blvd. Parking will be available at the corner of Roscoe Boulevard and Arleta Avenue.