Urban Sites Network Events
Urban Sites Conference 2004
Urban Literacy and the Challenge of Reform
April 30 – May 1, 2004
The Inn at Penn
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Host site: Philadelphia Writing Project
Join host site the Philadelphia Writing Project for two days of exploring issues related to literacy and urban school reform. Philadelphia, the fifth largest city in the United States and the nation's first capital, is currently the site of one of the broadest school reform initiatives in an urban area. The rich cultural and historical background of the city provides an ideal setting for a meeting of educators interested in addressing the inequities in student achievement that are at the heart of school reform efforts. Meet with educators from across the nation working to improve the teaching of reading and writing in urban schools. Then visit the new National Constitution Center, tour Independence Hall, and enjoy the city of murals. Return to your home schools energized and enriched by new ideas!
Keynote Speaker
Keynote speaker Rochelle Nichols Solomon will be igniting the conference with her opening remarks: "Reflections of Urban School Reform: Twilight Of Nightfall Or the Flush Of Some Faint-Dawning Day." (The title comes from "A Negro Schoolmaster in the New South," written by W.E.B. Du Bois in 1899.) Solomon says: "My talk will focus on my involvement in education reform over the last 30 years, reflecting largely on my 15 years of work in Philadelphia and with high schools, but also including a national perspective drawing on work with groups such as the Cross City Campaign and the Education Trust, and my new work with the Carnegie sponsored Schools for a New Society initiative. In my remarks I will also note and make use of two important observances, the centennial of Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folks, and the 50th anniversary of the Brown versus Board of Education Topeka. That said, I expect that my remarks will be both sobering (Twilight of Nightfall) and celebratory (Dawning Day)." Don't miss the opportunity to hear Rochelle Nichols Solomon and to engage in the conversation her talk is sure to start.
Registration
For registration information, the call for proposals, and conference updates, please download the documents below, or contact the Philadelphia Writing Project by calling 215-898-1919 or emailing philwp@gse.upenn.edu.
Downloadable Files
Urban Sites Conference 2004 Flyer
Download information about the Urban Sites Conference 2004, including the conference registration form. Conference Registration Deadline: April 5, 2004.
Download MS Word
Urban Sites Conference Call For Proposals
The Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP), host of the 2004 Urban Sites Network Conference, invites proposals that address this year's theme, Urban Literacy and the Challenge of Reform. Download the form for more information. To submit a proposal online, go to http://www.gse.upenn.edu/philwp/callforproposals.html.
New Deadline: March 8, 2004.
Download MS Word
