<nth of February is an exciting one for the ACT center, because it is the month of the Civic Engagement Series for the year. The theme for this year's series is State of Education. The Series kicked off a day early on Wednesday the 30th with a panel of Alumni and Professors who discussed inequality in the American public school system.
The series will take shape on campus through many venues. Sumo will be showing two films related to the topic of education, and the ACT center will be showing a shorter documentary on the success of the Amistad Academy, with a discussion to follow about using that success as a model for other public schools. (Feb 5)
The popular “Who Is Northfield” panel will be happening again this year as part of the series, with community members selected with education in mind. Local politicians as well as teachers, educational administrators, and educational studies professors will be present to discuss the State of Education (Feb 19).
There will be other opportunities for discussion with visitors.
Minnesota State Senator Charles Wigger and Maplewood City COuncil member John Nephew ’91 will be on campus for a brown bag lunch to chat with students about current education legislation in Minnesota. (Feb 12)
Finally, look forward to a presentation on the “Promise and Failure” of No Child Left Behind by Phil Sandro (Feb 27) or one on grassroots community organizing in Rice County by Janet Muth (Feb 12).
Whether you attend all these events or just watch a Sumo movie, take a second to look at the library exhibit, “Literature on Educational Inequality” and think about the State of Education and what could be changed.