Warner School Conference will Focus on Fostering Values

"Values in Action" is the theme of a one-day conference on Saturday, May 6, 1995 at the University of Rochester. The conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., will focus on how schools can help pupils live and understand democracy, dignity and diversity -- the values of tolerance and respect that underlie a democratic society.

Dr. James Beane, professor of education at the National College of Education, is the keynote speaker. Beane works with schools to develop democratic classrooms and communities through curriculums integrated around themes that students initiate. He is the author of Affect in the Curriculum: Toward Democracy, Dignity, and Diversity (Teachers College Press, 1990), and is an editor of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's 1995 Yearbook, Toward a Coherent Curriculum. His experience as a secondary teacher and his collaborative work with schools have brought him national recognition for helping others to understand and foster values in schools and society.

The program continues a commitment by the Margaret Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development to focus public discussion upon values in society and to explore what responsibility schools and other institutions have to form character and teach ethical behavior.

The conference will open with the keynote address and a response by panelists representing various sectors of society: Mutiu O. Fagbayi speaks for business; Dr. Gil Gockley, for education; State Senator Mary Ellen Jones, for government; Patrick Madden, for health care; and Jody Siegle, for parents. Following this, participants will attend small group sessions on how to apply theory to practice.

Local organizations engaged in planning and sponsoring the program include the Eastman Kodak Co.'s 21st Century Learning Challenge, Genesee Valley Developmental Learning Group, Genesee Valley District PTA, Goals for a Greater Rochester, Industrial Management Council, Monroe County School Boards Association, Nazareth College's Department of Nursing, Rochester Area Reading Council, Rochester City School District Professional Development Council, Strother and Associates, and Well Read.

The registration fee will be $29 per person. Members of sponsoring organizations will pay $27, and students can register for $22. To learn more or get on the mailing list, contact the Office of Professional Development at 2-141 Dewey Hall, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 14727, or call 275-7833.

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