SNAPSHOTS OF IEL'S PEOPLE AND ACTIVITIES

Tom Carroll, President of NCTAF, discussed the outmoded “stand alone teacher” model in the 21st century at the February 2008 AERA/IEL education policy forum/luncheon series discussion.

Attendees listen intently to presentation, after which they engaged in a ½-hr. Q&A period with Tom.

Often in the audience are current and former IEL Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) members and former staff, such as the following two.  Cathy Dunn Shiffman is actually both a former IEL employee and EPFP alumni, and Ryan Fink is a member of the current DC/EPFP site.

Pictured below are Rebecca Hare (kneeling, right), IEL's director of the The National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth (NCLD-Youth), along with Stacey Milbern (left, president of the National Youth Leadership Network), and Michael Agyin (right, a NYLN alum), at the North Carolina Youth Leadership Network, Youth Summit, Summer 2006. NC was the third state to pass a Disability History and Awareness Month law.  Rebecca adds that, "So far we’ve supported youth in WV, NC, and ID (states that have passed laws) and are working to support FL, IL, WA, IA, CT, PA, and NY in similar efforts."  NCLD-Youth is a youth-led resource, information, and training center for youth and emerging leaders with developmental disabilities, housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership.  Contact Rebecca Hare for more info about the NCLD-Youth’s activities and upcoming publications.

Following are just a few glimpses of activity during the Jan. 7-11th week-long “Federal Education Policy Institute” that IEL has conducted for the past 11 years in cooperation with Teachers College/Columbia University.  Program leaders (Professor Sharon Lynn Kagan, Teachers College/Columbia U. and Mike Usdan, IEL Senior Fellow, along with current president Betty Hale) introduced over 30 diverse graduate students to current and future issues and people on the front lines of pre-K-to-16 education policy making.  From Capital Hill and the Department of Education, to associations, advocacy groups, and think tanks, students heard from a wide range of speakers (researchers, legislators, business community, media) involved in education policy making.  IEL is grateful to the many experts in our network who share with students their experience and insights.  Feedback as summed up in comments from one of the students:  “The caliber of our speakers was phenomenal.  The opportunity to engage with them was surprising and welcome, the submersion into the DC life profound.  I did not think I would learn so much (indeed, I don’t think I knew how much there was to learn), and I did not expect such access to so many important and diverse players.”  (IEL has helped produce a similar institute for graduate students at George Washington University over the past several years.   Professors and deans interested in exploring a similar program for their students should contact Mike Usdan, usdanm@iel.org, or Denise Slaughter, slaughterd@iel.org.)

Former Governor Bob Wise, president of Alliance For Excellent Education, speaks with the group.

Debra Wiley, Ombudsman, Department of Education (and an alumni of IEL’s Education Policy Fellowship Program---EPFP) talks with the students in a DOE conference room.  There were several “field trips” for the students.

Students debriefed after every discussion.

Doug Levin (left) of Cable in the Classroom (and another EPFP alumni), and Lydia Logan (standing) of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, discussed the business role in education.

Students Visit with Hill Education Staff.

James Bergeron, Minority Staff, House Committee on Education and the Workforce, U.S. House of Representatives and Erin Renner, Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee, U.S. Senate

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