Education Reporters In Chicago

Hundreds of education writers -- and the folks who try to get them to write their stories -- are going to be in Chicago this week for the Umpteenth Annual Education Writers conference. Speakers include Michelle Rhee, the new District of Columbia education chancellor, and Steve James, director of the award-winning documentary, Hoop Dreams. Sessions will look at pay-for-performance for teachers, gender and brain research, the hidden costs of college, college sports, and other topics.  UFT president Randi Weingarten, Chicago schools CEO Arne Duncan, researcher Sabrina Laine and Denver teacher Margaret Bobb will explore pay-for-performance and merit pay. Researcher Sandy Baum and US PIRG higher ed expert Luke Swarthout will look at the hidden costs of college. National Association for Single Sex Public Education president Leonard Sax and neuroscientist Lise Eliot will break down the issue of what brain research says about gender and learning. Click ewa.org to get all the details. Come up and say hi if you see me there.