Not everyone's super pleased about the Duncan administration's waiver-happy ways or its ARRA priorities. Count among them the SES providers who sent out a release highlighting unmet need for tutoring services...

...and warning against districts being allowed to do their own tutoring:

Fall 2009 SES and Dropout Prevention Stakeholders Conference

Conference Register Here: SES and Dropout Prevention Registration

October 28-30, 2009

Marriott at Metro Center

775 12^th Street, NW

Washington, DC 20005

Overflow Hotel Info

Four Points by Sheraton Washington D.C. Downtown

1201 K Street N.W. ·

Washington, District Of Columbia 20005
Phone: (202) 289-7600

www.fourpoints.com

Block of 10 rooms at $249 a night

Contacts are Yolanda at 202-349-2231 or Christina at 202-349-2211 Call 1-888-627-8681 to make reservations and to get rate of $249 for EIA.

Marriot Courtyard Washington Convention Center

900 F St Nw, Washington, DC

Phone: (202) 638-4600

www.courtyard.com

Contact is Nigist at 202-638-4600 x7206 – rate varies by day; can call Nigist directly to get a rate for that day for an EIA member

Embassy Suites Washington D.C. - Convention Center

900 10th Street NW, Washington, District of Columbia, 20001
Tel: 1-202-739-2001 Fax: 1-202-739-2099

www.washingtonconventioncenter.embassysuites.com

Rooms available $299.95 a night

Registration Fees:

EIA Member $199

EIA-ESEA Campaign Member* $85

Non-EIA Member $475

Friday Only $125

Speakers N/C

*Signed Campaign Agreement and paid first installment.

To join the EIA ESEA Campaign to Preserve SES and the private sector role in education, read here:

Draft Program as of Oct. 8, 2009

Wednesday, October 28 , 2009

(11:00-1:00 pm EIA Boards of Directors -lunch meeting)

2:00-6:00 Registration SES Forum

2:00- 2:30 Opening General Session

Welcome, Introductions, and Overview of ESEA Campaign

2:30- 4:00 State SES Coordinators Perspective

Best practices State implementation of SES: provider application criteria, monitoring and evaluation. What works and what are specific opportunities to improve SES at the State level.

Lisa Bacen,FL Department of Education (confirmed)

Gary Greene, IL State Board of Education confirmed)

Wendi Webster O'Dell, NJ Department of Education (confirmed)

4:00-4:15 Break

4:15-5:45 LEA SES Coordinators Perspective

Best practices in contracting, outreach/enrollment management, alignment to district instructional priorities, and communication with teachers/principals. What works and what are specific recommendations to improve SES at the school district level.

Fred Cusimano, Baltimore City Public Schools (confirmed);

Phyllis Dyer, Metro-Nashville Public Schools (confirmed)

6:00-7:30 SES Networking Reception Sponsored by uBoost

Thursday, October 29, 2009

7:30 AM-5:00 PM—SES Forum Registration

7:30-8:15 Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:30 ESEA Reauthorization and the Role of SES in School Improvement

Secretary Duncan has begun the public debate about the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) with a series of listening tours and published guidance on Race to the Top Grants. These initiatives provide an early window in the likely framework of the Administration’s plan for ESEA—but what are some of the details, especially for school improvement strategies likes SES. To help provide this preliminary overview, a former White House official and now a member of EIA's government affairs team will discus a way forward.

John Bailey, Dutko Worldwide, (confirmed)

9:30-10:00 What Works and What Needs Improvement-Parents' Perspective

Parents are often the overlooked stakeholder in policy discussions but they and their children are the ultimate consumer. But they can be highly effective at the local and national level to pressure for greater equity and transparency in SES operations.

Kim Shipp, SES Parent Advocate, CA

10:00- 11:00 Research on SES and Student Performance: Findings that shape quality

A team of noted researchers will summarize SES impacts on student achievement and discussion of methodologies to better isolate effects. What do we know about SES. program design and operations that affect performance?

Curtis Jones, former CPS evaluation chief (confirmed)

Phyllis Dyer, Metro-Nashville Public Schools, (confirmed)

Break

11:15-12:15 Attracting and Retaining Older Students to Your Programs

Historically, middle and high school students have not enrolled in after school programs in significant numbers. What do we know from practice and research that can reverse this trend? This is especially important given the Administration's focus on turn-around the performance of drop-out factories and other low-performing high schools.

John Bower, uBoost (confirmed)

Ryan Balch, NCPI, Vanderbilt University (confirmed)

Jackie Cushman, Learning Makes A Difference Foundation (confirmed)

12:15- 1:30 Lunch on your own

Note: Conference Attendees to go to Congress

1:30-3:00 pm Hill SES Forum for Congressional Staff --Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 430

SES Works!!

Panel Presentation of Researchers, SEA and LEA Coordinators and SES Parents on what is working and specific recommendations to improve SES. Q/Q opportunity for Congressional staff who will soon take up ESEA reauthorization.

3:00-5:30 Meet Your Member of Congress

1:1 meetings with your legislator, with appointments made in advance

SES Providers Forum is Adjourned

6:00-7:15 Networking Reception for SES and Drop Out Prevention

7:15-8:30 Dinner/ Meet and Greet

Friday, October 30, 2009

7:30-8:00 AM Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30-9:30

Education Priorties of President Obama and Secretary Duncan

With the Obama Presidency in full swing and unprecedented spending in education reform driven by ARRA funding, what can we expect from the 44^th President, Secretary Arne Duncan and his education priorities? What are the likely priorities during the ESEA re-authorization, SES, dropout prevention, and what are the topics of keen interest for RttT and i3 Competitive Grants?

Keynote Speaker: Jim Shelton, Deputy Assistant Secretary, OII (confirmed)

9:30:-10:30 What we know about raising graduation rates from research and practitioners

and how can we finance these programs?:

As a country, we cannot afford to lose significant numbers of students each year who drop out of high school. Without the diploma and the skills, these young people will never make more than the minimum wage. What do we know about effective recovery and prevention programs, and what is the outlook for new Federal action that may also become a new opportunity for service providers.

Lyndsay Pinkus, Alliance for Excellence in Education (confirmed),

10:30-12:00

A distinguished panel of national experts will present the work of their respective national advocacy organizations. Discussions will include early indicators of drop outs, blue prints for action that includes alternative pathways for graduation and specific funding streams that pay for the initiatives.

Jennifer Brown-Lerner, American Youth Policy Forum (confirmed )

Nancy Martin, National Youth Employment Coalition (confirmed)

Terry Grobe,Jobs for the Future (confirmed)

12:30-2:00 Luncheon/Speaker

Education Priorities for Congress- ESEA Re-Authorization

While health care captures the headlines, education staff are beginning to work with the Secretary to develop plans for ESEA. Senior Congressional staff will provide an overview of their upcoming priorities for ESEA, WIA, drop out prevention, early childhood development, tax incentives for tutoring for middle class families, and teacher quality.

Speakers:

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee:

Bethany Little,Majority Staff (confirmed), and Lindsay Hunsicker, Minority Staff (confirmed)

House Education and Labor Committee:

Alice Cain, Majority Staff (confirmed) and James Bergeron, Minority Staff (confirmed)

Congressional Staff from House and Senate confirmed along with Jim Shelton, Deputy Assistant Secretary, US Department of Education, (and others pending) are also on the program to discuss their priorities for ESEA, WIA, and Race to the Top and Innovation Competitive Grants.