Want a chance to discuss public education in Oregon with longtime education advocate Art Pearl? Check out “Who Calls the Shots in Public Education?”, an April 23 meeting featuring Pearl and a group of fifth graders from Edison Elementary School voicing their thoughts on democracy and the Bill of Rights as pertaining to public education.

Last year, the Reclaiming and Renewing Our Public Education Community Dialogues hit the scene with a talk from Nancy Golden, Oregon’s chief education officer, and a series of collaborative conversations between students, teachers, parents and other interested community members. The upcoming meeting is the third in the series, following last November’s group discussion led by a teacher from Seattle who took issue with standardized testing in Washington state.

These community dialogues seek to address public education issues in a unique way, featuring guest speakers but also allowing time for audience participation and round table discussions. The way we think about public education needs to change, and finding ways to allow everyone to contribute to the conversation is a good first step.

“Who Calls the Shots in Public Education?” starts 6:30 pm Wednesday, April 23, at South Eugene High School, 400 E. 19th Ave. The event is free and open to the public. Check out its Facebook page here.

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