As part of the continuing grassroots efforts to inform the community on the driving forces behind and the effects of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on urban education, the Warner School of Education and the Coalition for Common Sense in Education are hosting Dr. William Cala, Rochester City Schools interim superintendent, on Monday, November 19, at 7 p.m. in the Interfaith Chapel on the University of Rochester's River Campus.
During his lecture, "NCLB and Urban Education," Cala will describe the flaws in the No Child Left Behind Act and how, rather than achieving its stated goal of closing the achievement gap, it leaves our children behind.
Cala is the president of Joining Hearts and Hands, a non-profit organization working to fight AIDS and poverty in Kenya. Founded by Cala and his wife, Joanne, Joining Hearts and Hands is rebuilding schools and providing scholarships for secondary school students in villages in the Lake Victoria area of Kisumu. Prior to his involvement in Africa, Cala was the superintendent of three school districts in New York, most recently the Fairport Schools.
In 2004, he was honored by Phi Delta Kappa International which presented him with the Presidential Award for Exceptional Educator Leadership. He also received the George Eastman Award for Courage and Leadership in Public Policy from the Center for Governmental Research, the Genesee Valley Peacemakers Award of 2006, the Willie Lightfoot Youth Advocate Award of 2006, the Freedom Hero Award of 2006, and the Kiwanis Everyday Hero Award of 2007.
The event will benefit Joining Hearts and Hands, Ltd. (www.joiningheartshands.org). Registration is not necessary. The event is free and open to the public. An interpreter will be provided for individuals who are hearing impaired. For more information about the event, please contact the Warner School at (585) 276-3986 or visit the Warner Web site at www.rochester.edu/warner.
About the Warner School of Education
Founded in 1958, the University of Rochester's Warner School of Education offers master's and doctoral degree programs in teaching and curriculum, school leadership, higher education, counseling, human development, and educational policy. The Warner School of Education offers a new accelerated option for its Ed.D. programs that allows eligible students to earn a doctorate in education in as few as three years part time while holding a professional job in the same field. The Warner School of Education is recognized both regionally and nationally for its tradition of preparing practitioners and researchers to become leaders and agents of change in schools, universities, and community agencies; generating and disseminating research; and actively participating in education reform.