September 11, 2008

 

Contacts:

Jeannette Vieg, College of Education, 657-2312
Dan Carter, University Relations, 657-2269

 

MSU BILLINGS NEWS SERVICES — The Montana State University Billings College of Education is sponsoring a daylong summit next week designed to encourage new ways of thinking about delivery of education.

 

The summit, “Preparing Teachers for 21st Century Learners,” will be Friday, Sept. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the MSU Billings College of Technology, 3803 Central Ave. The registration fee is $25 and the summit is open to anyone, especially those interested in education policy.

 

The special guest for the day will be noted educator and author John Taylor Gatto, who will provide an overview of how to prepare teachers for the 21st century. He will also lead group discussions on millennial learners, workforce preparation, global interconnectedness, and school services that reach beyond academics.

 

A 29-year veteran of the teaching profession, Gatto is also an activist who has been critical of compulsory schooling and has encouraged new ways of thinking about education and the education profession. He was named the New York City Teacher of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 1991 and the New York State Teacher of the Year in 1991. He has received several awards, including the Alexis de Tocqueville Award for Excellence in Advancement of Educational Freedom in 1997.

 

His books include “Dumbing us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling,” “The Exhausted School” and “The Underground History of American Education.”

 

According to Dr. Mary Susan Fishbaugh, interim dean of the MSU Billings College of Education, the summit is intended to provoke discussion and new ways of approaching education among local educators, legislators, higher education faculty and students, parents and business leaders. Gatto will also provide guidance to the College of Education as it begins its review of programs.

 

Education professionals who attend the summit can also qualify for six renewal credits from the Montana Office of Public Instruction.

 

For more information, contact Jeannette Vieg at 657-2312 or e-mail her at jvieg@msubillings.edu