FOR RELEASE: Thursday, June 12, 2008
Education of Boys Topic of Two Presentations
Two presentations in September sponsored by the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas will focus on the education of boys.
Sara Mead, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, and Jelani Mandara, assistant professor at Northwestern University, will speak at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, in Rooms 227 and 228 at the Jones Center for Families in Springdale. The following day, the two offer a lecture on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. The event is planned from noon to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12 in Room 343 of the Graduate Education Building.
The Department of Education Reform is in the university's College of Education and Health Professions.
Mead
Mead conducts research and writes about early childhood, elementary and secondary education. Her work has been featured in The Washington Post and USA Today and on CBS and ABC News. Before joining New America, Mead was a senior policy analyst with Education Sector, where she focused on issues related to early childhood education and to increasing choice and diversity in public education. She has also worked for the Progressive Policy Institute, where she remains a nonresident fellow, the U.S. Department of Education and the Gore 2000 presidential campaign. Mead serves on the boards of Democrats for Education Reform and the Apple Tree Early Learning Public Charter School in Washington, D.C.
Mandara
Mandara is a family and developmental psychologist and assistant professor of human development and social policy at Northwestern University. His primary research examines the nature and effects of socialization, fathers' involvement, and how they interact with gender, race and socioeconomic status to impact youth's academic and social development. His current projects examine the effects of parenting styles on black, Latino and white American youth's academic achievement, sexual activity and behavioral problems. He is also creating a comprehensive and culturally relevant measure of parenting called the Socialization and Family Environment Scale. Further interests include socialization differences between teachers and parents, the achievement gap and typological or person-centered research methods. He regularly teaches courses and conducts workshops on African American child and adolescent development.
Both days' events are free and open to the public. The Education Renewal Zone in the College of Education and Health Professions helped coordinate Thursday night's presentation for parents and education practitioners. To register for the lecture Friday, visit http://www.uark.edu/ua/der/Lecture_Series/Education_of_Boys.html. A light lunch will be served Friday.
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Contact:
Heidi Stambuck, director of communications
College of Education and Health Professions
(479) 575-3138, stambuck@uark.edu