Conference Schedule

The schedule for the 2022 NPE Action National Conference is below. Click on the + icon to the right of the title of each panel for the panel description, panelists, panelist bios and room assignments. Click on the room names to view a floor plan of the hotel conference area.

Ormandy Ballroom

These three authors will discuss critical issues addressed by their books; Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization, The Privatization of Everything, and Getting Into Good Trouble at School: A Guide to Building an Antiracist School System. We will explore how to take action based on the lessons they share.

Aria A

Name	Bio
Maurice Cunningham	Maurice T. Cunningham is the author of Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization.
Donald Cohen	Donald Cohen is the founder and executive director of In the Public Interest (ITPI,) a national research and policy center that studies public goods and services.
Anthony Cody	Anthony Cody worked in Oakland public schools for 24 years, and has been on the NPE Board for the past nine years.
Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr.	Dr. Gregory C. Hutchings, Jr. is a nationally recognized educational leader, antiracism activist, and adjunct professor who unapologetically advocates for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color and racial equity.
Douglas Reed	Douglas Reed is a Professor of Government at Georgetown University and is the co-founding Director of the MA Program in Educational Transformation

We will discuss how philanthropic dollars, state policy and privatization advocates have aligned to create a portfolio district in San Antonio Independent School District. We will discuss the experiences of students, families and teachers as control of our school system is shifted away from the community and share the strategies our community is using to fight back.

Aria B

Name	Bio
Sarah Sorensen	Sarah Sorensen is a proud public school parent and Board Trustee in San Antonio ISD.
Queta Rodriguez	Queta Rodriguez is a SAISD Parent and Community Advocate.
Stephanie Torres	Stephanie is an active San Antonio ISD volunteer, always fighting for the little guys.

Uniting to Save Our Schools (formerly Save Our Schools) continues its work in the struggle for racially and socially equitable schools and society. In this session we will present our current work organizing “National Days of Teaching Truth,” a collaborative response to policies and legislation that silences teachers and bans books. We will also discuss the USOS Program for Public Education that ties the struggle to transform the education system to the larger struggle to dismantle the structural, systemic forces that undermine a just and equitable democracy.

Minuet

Name	Bio
Jesse Turner	Dr. Jesse P. Turner is a founding member of Save Our Schools
Denisha Jones	Denisha Jones is the Director of the Art of Teaching program at Sarah Lawrence College.
Bess Altwerger	Bess Altwerger is a longtime education and social justice activist, a founding member of Save Our Schools and a current member of the organizing committee of Uniting to Save Our Schools.
Rosalie Friend	Rosalie Friend is a long term activist with SOS/USOS and retired educational psychologist.

Will examine public education in Black communities and school communities through a national lens, focusing on pre- and post-pandemic equity and resources, recognizing and meeting needs of Black families, organizing against attacks on Black schools, curriculum and culture, and much, much more.

Symphony

Name	Bio
Erica Jones	Erica Jones is a transformative leader and forward-thinking visionary who serves as president of the Mississippi Association of Educators.
Dr. Tia Mills	With over 16 years of experience in education, Dr. Tia T. Mills is the President of the Louisiana Association of Educators, and an adjunct professor at Southern University and A & M College.
Cecily A. Myart-Cruz	Cecily Myart-Cruz is a teacher, activist, and the United Teachers Los Angeles President.
Erika Jones	Erika is a passionate elementary teacher and educational justice activist.

Our session will explore the role of clergy and faith leaders as natural allies in the fight for public education. We will outline effective strategies for school leaders to identify, recruit, and train these church leaders for public education advocacy. We will pay particular attention on how the American principle of church/state separation is key to involving church leaders in our cause.

Concerto

Name	Bio
Charles Johnson	Rev. Charles Foster Johnson is the executive director of Pastors for Texas Children.
The Rev. Suzanne Parker Miller	The Rev. Suzanne Parker Miller is founder and executive director of Pastors for NC Children based in Raleigh, NC.
Dr. Charles Luke	Dr. Charles Luke is a strong advocate for public schools with over 30 years of experience in education.
Reverend Dr. William Terry Ladd III	President, Pastors for Tennessee Children and Pastor, First Baptist Church E. 8th Street Chattanooga, TN.

The issue of class size is more critical than ever, given the need for uncrowded classrooms and stronger support to students to make up for two years of disrupted learning. There are also federal funds provided to schools that could be used to lower class size. Along with teacher activists, we will discuss what efforts have been made to provide students with the smaller class sizes that they need to maximize their opportunity to learn and stay safe.

Rhapsody

Name	Bio
Leonie Haimson	Leonie Haimson is the Exec. Director of Class Size Matters & the co-chair of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy
Lisa Haver	Lisa Haver is the co-founder and coordinator for the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools.
Eric Blanc	Eric Blanc is an expert on teacher organizing, strikes and activism around social justice issues, and the author of Red State Revolt: The Teachers’ Strike Wave and Working-Class Politics (Verso 2019).
Leah VanDassor	Leah VanDassor is the president of the Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) in Minnesota.
Mike Hutchinson	Mike Hutchinson has spent more than 20 years working and volunteering in Oakland’s schools and was elected to the Oakland school board in 2020.

This panel will consider the use of a performance-based assessment system can be used for schools accountability and student assessment in place of standardized tests. It will examine how such a system works and how it is regarded by teachers and parents.

Maestro A

Name	Bio
Ann Cook	Ann Cook is the executive director and co-founder of the New York Performance Standards Consortium and was the co-founder and co-director of the Urban Academy Laboratory High School, a New York City public school.
Danyelle Gonzalez	Danyelle Gonzalez is the mother of two children who attend performance assessment schools.
Avram Barlowe	Avram Barlowe has taught history and social studies in New York City public high schools for 35 years.
Jeanette Deutermann	Jeanette Deutermann is the public school parent advocate and founder of Long Island Opt Out, co-founder of NYS Allies for Public Education, and co-author of “Opting Out: The Story of the Parents’ Grassroots Movement to Achieve Whole-Child Public Schools”

In order to protect the democratic control of our public schools, education stakeholders must protect the integrity of their local school board elections, and that begins with the adoption of fair maps, the objective of the redistricting process which occurs after every decennial census. Learn from East Baton Rouge Parish public school advocates about what constitutes a fair map in the current political landscape shaped by pro-charter federal policies, the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, and the elimination of the preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act. If you want to know how to deter the pro-charter SuperPACs from targeting your school board elections, come hear from three Baton Rouge advocates who have been deeply engaged in the redistricting process.

Maestro B

Name	Bio
Tania Nyman	Tania Nyman has been involved in education advocacy in East Baton Rouge Parish for 10 years.
Kaitlyn Joshua	Kaitlyn A. Joshua is a Faith Organizer at the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice in Baton Rouge, LA.
Dr. James Finney	Dr. James Finney is a mathematician and musician who believes in both the power of public education and the importance of using data wisely.

We will discuss the various factors that lead to charter co-location. We will discuss the social, political, and financial factors that lead to co-locations as well as local, city, and statewide politics that affect co-locations. Lastly we will present a case study and give participants tools and strategies to fight co-locations.

Minuet

Name	Bio
Mimi Guzman -Duncanson	Mimi Guzman-Duncanson is a National Board Certified Teacher who proudly advocates for her community.
Ofelia Ryan	Ofelia Ryan is a Wellness and Equity Advocate with a mission to help students in their self-discovery journey.
Sara Roos	Sara Roos lives on the westside of Los Angeles and blogs as “redqueeninla.”

Concerto

Name	Bio
Jeanette Deutermann	Jeanette Deutermann is the public school parent advocate and founder of Long Island Opt Out, co-founder of NYS Allies for Public Education, and co-author of “Opting Out: The Story of the Parents’ Grassroots Movement to Achieve Whole-Child Public Schools”
Congressman Jamaal Bowman	Rep. Jamaal Bowman represents New York’s 16th District, which includes the Northern Bronx and parts of Westchester County, including Yonkers, New Rochelle, and Mount Vernon.
Dr. Michael Hynes	Dr. Michael Hynes works as a public-school superintendent of schools, Fulbright Specialist and an associate professor of education and leadership in New York.
Lisa Rudley	Lisa Rudley is the Executive Director of NYS Allies for Public Education, Ossining School District Board Trustee, Sales Manager for Passport For Good, and the proud mother of three children.

Because we work together, we have been able to push back a charter school, negotiate healthy contracts, and maintain open lines of communication regarding expectations, academics and progress. Don’t get us wrong… it’s not always easy, but it is always worth it.

Aria A

Name	Bio
Debbie Baer	Debbie Baer is a teacher in West Windsor Plainsboro School District (NJ) with decades of experience in the classroom who has also served as her union’s Full-time Release President and is currently the Vice President in charge of Negotiations.
Patrick Duncan	Patrick is the Special Assistant for Labor Relations for the West Windsor Plainsboro Regional School District
Dr. David Aderhold	Superintendent of West Windsor – Plainsboro Regional School District and President of the Garden State Coalition of Schools
Shaundrika Stevenson	Shaundrika Stevenson is a Speech-Language Pathologist in West Windsor-Plainsboro School District who currently serves as the President of the West Windsor Plainsboro Education Association.

For over 20 years, Philadelphia has been devastated by corporate education reform, from the closing of neighborhood schools to unfettered charterizaton. Many grass-roots organizations, including the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools, have fought to defend public education. Hear from two APPS co-founders and organizers and from two community organizers, both parents who fought the privatization of their children’s schools, one recently elected to Philadelphia City Council.

Symphony

Name	Bio
Lisa Haver	Lisa Haver is a retired Philadelphia teacher and a co-founder of the Alliance for Philadelphia Public Schools (APPS)
Kendra Brooks	Kendra Brooks is a City Councilmember At-Large in the City of Philadelphia, where she focuses on fighting for housing as a human right, advocating for public education, protecting workers’ rights, and growing healthy neighborhoods.
Kenya Nation Holmes	Kenya Nation Holmes advocates for her children, Philadelphia public schools, and equal education for all.

Charter schools can have a profound impact on the school districts in which they are located. As students leave for charters, stranded costs are left behind, services are cut and often students with the greatest needs are rejected. This panel presents multiple perspectives on the problem including the perspective of a Superintendent, union leader, and a policy expert.

Aria B

Name	Bio
Joseph Roy	Joseph Roy is the superintendent of the Bethlehem Area School District, Bethlehem, PA and a long time public critic of PA’s charter school law.
Keith Benson	Keith E. Benson is the author of Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising: Public Education and Urban Redevelopment in Camden, NJ, President of the Camden Education Association and adjunct professor at Rutgers University – Camden.
Donald Cohen	Donald Cohen is the founder and executive director of In the Public Interest (ITPI,) a national research and policy center that studies public goods and services.
Jeremy Mohler	Jeremy Mohler is a writer, meditation teacher, and communications director of In the Public Interest.

Our panel will discuss Ohio school districts’ lawsuit against the states’ voucher programs and how ‘special needs’ vouchers in particular covertly segregate and violate civil rights. We examine the unconstitutional nature of these programs as well as some strategies to protect and defend an equitable system public education in the state.

Maestro A

Name	Bio
Frank Fitch	Frank Fitch is an associate professor emeritus of education at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College.
Kathleen Hulgin	Kathleen Hulgin is an Associate Professor at the University of Cincinnati Clermont College with a focus on inclusive education, disability studies, and policy.
Steve Dyer	The former Chairman of the Primary & Secondary Education Subcommittee on the House Finance Committee who has spent the last 25 years fighting for equity and adequacy as an award-winning reporter, legislator and policy analyst.
Dan Greenberg	Dan Greenberg is teacher, activist, union leader and NPE Board member from Northwest Ohio.
Dennis Willard	Dennis Willard was a reporter at the Ohio Statehouse for 23 years, the last 15 as bureau chief for the Akron Beacon Journal where he and his partner, Doug Oplinger, wrote extensively about public school funding and the rise of charter schools, vouchers and homeschooling.

A discussion of the fight for quality public education in Oakland CA. Starting with the state takeover in 2003, through the historic school board victories in 2020, to the current fight to end school closures and finally regain full local control. We will focus on how Oakland became ground zero for school privatization on the west coast and how the community has organized to fight back and win.

Maestro B

Name	Bio
Mike Hutchinson	Mike Hutchinson has spent more than 20 years working and volunteering in Oakland’s schools and was elected to the Oakland school board in 2020.
VanCedric Williams	VanCedric Williams teaches students in the San Francisco Unified School District and serves as a school board director of the Oakland Unified School District.

Panel discussion with local elected officials and the President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. The panel will discuss the strategies and goals of political organizing for the PFT, including work on national, state and local campaigns, working to return the district to local control, and securing funding for massive facilities improvements. The group will also discuss coalition building across legislative bodies and the impact of that work.

Rhapsody

Name	Bio
Jerry Jordan	Jerry T. Jordan is the President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and a lifelong educator and advocate for public education in the city of Philadelphia.
Senator Vincent Hughes	State Senator Vincent Hughes is the Chairman of the Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee and represents the the 7th senatorial district.
Representative Elizabeth Fiedler	State Representative Elizabeth Fielder serves the people of the 184th District in South Philadelphia and is a statewide leader in the fight to repair hazardous school buildings.
Hillary Linardopoulos	At the PFT, Linardopoulos serves as the Legislative Representative on the Executive Board, and leads the PFT’s political program, aimed at engaging and mobilizing members around political issues.

Ormandy Ballroom

Dismantling Systemic Racism in Our Schools: A Panel Discussion – with Julian Vasquez Helig, Cecily Myart-Cruz, Rodney Pierce and Adell Cothorne

Presentation: Phyllis Bush Grassroots Advocates Award

This panel will demonstrate the threat The City Fund poses and explain the portfolio model and the common components seen in portfolio districts. It will appeal to attendees in districts implementing the model or targeted by The City Fund and also to attendees concerned about the impact billionaires have on our public education system.

Aria A

Name	Bio
Keith Benson	Keith E. Benson is the author of Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising: Public Education and Urban Redevelopment in Camden, NJ, President of the Camden Education Association and adjunct professor at Rutgers University – Camden.
Gloria Nolan	Gloria Nolan serves as the Interim Parent Liaison for St. Louis Public Schools and is a fierce advocate, championing equity and transformational policy change in true public education.
Sarah Sorensen	Sarah Sorensen is a proud public school parent and Board Trustee in San Antonio ISD.
Thomas Ultican	Thomas Ultican is a retired math and science teacher who blogs at tultican.com

This panel will provide an overview of how administrators, teachers, and community organizations can work together to ensure Black children and their families thrive in schools. Given the history of racial injustice in the founding of American public education and the present day outcomes resulting from this legacy, it is imperative that we explore alternatives. Beginning in the early years and continuing through high school, we will explore strategies that center racial justice, healing, and thriving in education.

Aria B

Name	Bio
Denisha Jones	Denisha Jones is the Director of the Art of Teaching program at Sarah Lawrence College.
LaKisha Reid	LaKisha Reid sits on the advisory board for Defending the Early Years and she is the founder and head of school at Maryland-based Discovery Early Learning Center.
Adell Cothorne	Dr. Adell Cothorne has advocated for students in both urban and suburban school systems for over 25 years.
Erika Strauss Chavarria	Erika Chavarria is an 12th year Spanish teacher, racial and education justice advocate, and community organizer.

With the long term goal of moving the needle in support public education; this panel will emphasize the the success and challenges of our #VotePublic campaign strategy which includes legislative actions, collaboration with the Governor’s office and the Department of Public Instruction along with our our state-wide, grassroots education advocacy teams.

Concerto

Name	Bio
Jenni Hofschulte	Jenni Hofschulte is a public school parent and state-wide public education equity advocate based out of Milwaukee, WI.
Sandy Whisler	Sandy Whisler is a retired educator, public education advocate, and member of the Wisconsin Alliance for Excellent Schools Board.
Heather DuBois Boureane	Heather DuBois Bourenane is a proud public school parent, local organizer, and Executive Director of Wisconsin Public Education Network, a statewide, nonpartisan coalition of advocates, activists, educators, organizations and individuals determined to ensure every child in every public school has the freedom to thrive.
Jill Underly, Ph.D	Jill Underly is the Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction, elected for the term 2021-2025.

This panel will discuss several recent legal victories and pending cases challenging vouchers and charters, including the theories and rhetoric advocates are using to win. It will also include a discussion of recent policy developments on charters and vouchers.

Rhapsody

Name	Bio
Derek W. Black	Derek is a Professor of Law, Chair in Constitutional Law, and Director of the Constitutional Law Center at the University of South Carolina, where he focuses on the legal rights of disadvantaged students.
Preston Green	Preston Green is the John and Maria Neag Professor of Urban Education at the University of Connecticut.
Susan L. DeJarnatt	Professor DeJarnatt has been a member of the Temple Law faculty for 26 years and writes extensively about charter schools.
David Lapp	David Lapp is the Director of Policy Research at Research for Action.

A state representative, a minister leading Pastors for Tennessee Children, and a former Nashville school board representative will share the story of Tennessee’s fight against vouchers. The Tennessee legislature passed a new voucher law by only one vote, but the law was subsequently challenged in court, where it was struck down as unconstitutional. The panelists will share their unique perspectives on Tennessee’s battle against privatization, as well as information to help others fight back against voucher legislation.

Maestro A

Name	Bio
Amy Frogge	Amy Frogge, a licensed attorney and public school parent, served on the Metro Nashville school board for eight years and currently serves as Executive Director of Pastors for Tennessee Children.
Reverend Dr. William Terry Ladd III	William Terry Ladd is the President of Pastors for Tennessee Children and Pastor of the First Baptist Church E. 8th Street Chattanooga, TN.
State Rep. Antonio Parkinson	State Rep. Antonio Parkinson is as fierce fighter for public education who’s been on the frontlines in Tennessee fighting for adequate funding, an environment that is conducive to learning and ensuring that our children are not turned into commodities for benefit of the privateers of public education.

Blueprints in Successful Grassroots Parent Organizing will bring together some of the most successful parent organizations in the country. Julie, Beth and Kylene will talk about successful organizing strategies for parents and resources you can take back to your community to help organizer for public education.

Symphony

Name	Bio
Julie Borst	Julie is the Executive Director of Save Our Schools NJ Community Organizing and the Board President of the NJ Community Schools Coalition.
Beth Lewis	Beth is an Arizona educator, parent, and co-founder of Save Our Schools Arizona, a grassroots advocacy group that has successfully defeated voucher expansion & school privatization in Arizona.
Kylene Dibble	Kylene Dibble is the Executive Director of Parents for Public Schools of Pitt County in North Carolina.

Panel discussion with members and the President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers. The discussion will focus on the engagement of union members in various campaigns related to public education and working conditions, including education funding, contract negotiations, charter school reform, legislative priorities and issues of equity and justice.

Maestro B

Name	Bio
Jerry Jordon	Jerry T. Jordan is the President of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and a lifelong educator and advocate for public education in the city of Philadelphia.
Sharahn Santana	Sharahn Santana is a teacher at Parkway Northwest High School for Peace and Social Justice.
Ben Hover	A veteran educator and Union activist in the School District of Philadelphia, I have worked with the PFT Local 3 to advocate for fair funding and student excellence with Local, State, and National Representatives.
Trina Dean	Trina Dean is an Academic Coach in the School District of Philadelphia, and also serves as a Building Representative and Associate Secretary of Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.

Gerrymandered districts lead to unresponsive, unaccountable state legislatures, undermining the ability of advocates to influence policy or state budgets. Expanded civic engagement is one avenue toward change. Panelists will share their experience in advocacy and outreach and share ideas for action.

Minuet

Name	Bio
Susan Gobreski	Susan Gobreski has worked on public policy in Pennsylvania for 30 years, currently serving on the board of the League of Women Voters of PA and as an advisor to PA Budget and Policy Center and she founded Education Voters of PA, serving as ED until 2016.
Tonya Bah	Tonya Bah is a native Philadelphian from North Philadelphia. She is a single parent, strategist and social justice activist who is the widow of an amazing West African educator, Momodou Bah.

The manufactured Critical Race Theory controversy has been bolstered by a proliferation of phony AstroTurf “parents” and “moms” groups. Our panel of experts and activists will discuss how to recognize these billionaire backed operations, how to expose them, and how to beat them.

Aria A

Name	Bio
Maurice Cunningham	Maurice T. Cunningham is the author of Dark Money and the Politics of School Privatization.
Cathy Atunes	Cathy Antunes is host of The Detail on WSLR radio in Sarasota/Bradenton and author of “Local Dark Money: Citizens United Meets Main Street”
Susan Nogan	Susan Nogan is a research analyst with the National Education Association.
Ricardo Rosa	Ricardo Rosa is the co-founder of the New Bedford Coalition to Save Our Schools and the Director of the Center for Education Policy and Practice at the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
Vanessa Hall	Vanessa Hall is a trusted volunteer in school, scouts, and church, and the mom of two students in Fairfax County, VA schools.

The Federal Charter School has expanded from its original modest mission to become the most favored federal program of the charter lobby. Since its beginnings, it has wasted more than one billion dollars granting money to charter schools that never opened or schools that closed. Learn more about this out of control program, the efforts of advocates to scale it down and what you can do to mitigate the damage to public schools.

Symphony

Name	Bio
Carol Burris	Carol Corbett Burris is the Executive Director of the Network for Public Education.
Julian Vasquez Heilig	Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig leads nearly 3,000 students, staff and faculty as the Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Education.
Jeff Bryant	Jeff Bryant is the lead fellow of The Progressive’s Public Schools Advocate project, and a writing fellow and chief correspondent for Our Schools, a project of the Independent Media Institute.
Cassandra E. Ulbrich, PhD	Cassandra serves as the President of the Michigan State Board of Education.

Nebraska is one of two states with no school privatization policies in place, but national privatizers are increasingly turning their attention there. Hear from nonprofit Stand For Schools about their successful partnership and strategies to preserve and advance public education in Nebraska. Join us for advocacy tips and recommendations on building community partnerships, as well as ways to raise the profile of public schools in your state.

Aria B

Name	Bio
Ann Hunter-Piertle	Ann was the founding executive director of Stand For Schools, a nonprofit that works to preserve and strengthen public education in Nebraska, and which has played a key role in keeping school privatization out of the state since 2016. Ann departed Stand For Schools in early 2022 for a job in Washington, DC.
Melina Cohen	Melina is the Director of Communications & Outreach at Stand For Schools, an outspoken opponent of the privatization agenda, and a tireless advocate for evidence-based policies that promote equity and excellence for all.
Daniel Russell	Daniel is the Interim Executive Director of Stand For Schools, a lawyer, and a committed advocate working to ensure public schools are fully, sustainably, and equitably funded for generations to come.

NC has been on a pathway to privatization for over a decade. Each of the panelists will bring a different perspective on action and advocacy needed to return NC to a place where public education is valued as a public good. You will hear from the president of NC Association of Educators, a veteran school board member, and a university professor in teacher education. We want to share our lessons learned and invite the audience to share their ideas on fighting back!

Concerto

Name	Bio
Yevonne Brannon	Dr. Brannon is Founder and Chair of Public Schools First NC, a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening NC’s public schools and advocating for the constitutional right of every NC student to a free, high-quality public school education.
Tamika Walker Kelly	Tamika is a 15 year Public School Music Educator, currently serving as President of the North Carolina Association of Educators, the state’s largest professional organization for public school employees.
Jen Mangrum	Jen Mangrum is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education at UNC-Greensboro and former candidate for statewide political office in North Carolina.
Christine Kushner	Christine Kushner is a 10-year member of the Wake County Board of Education.

An overview of the last decade of Indiana’s education policy will be presented from the perspective of a state and local lens discussing the impact of a supermajority and external financial influence. Critical public school advocacy practices and successes will be shared as well.

Maestro A

Name	Bio
Jennifer McCormick	Proudly serves as a public school advocate for Indiana’s 1.1 million students, educators, and families.
Leslie Rittenhouse	I have proudly served public education at a state and local level through the Indiana Department of Education, as a local school district CFO, and as a school board member.

With the pandemic and the increase in online learning and use of various ed tech programs, data breaches and the use of student and teacher data for non-educational purposes has proliferated with a devastating impact on their privacy. We will discuss ways in which parents and teachers can advocate for stronger privacy protections in schools.

Rhapsody

Name	Bio
Leonie Haimson	Leonie Haimson is the Exec. Director of Class Size Matters & the co-chair of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy
Doug Levin	Doug Levin, Co-Founder and National Director, K12 Security Information Exchange and an expert on student and teacher data breaches and how to prevent them.

A major component of the Netter Center’s work is mobilizing the vast resources of the University to help traditional public schools become innovative University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) that educate, engage, empower, and serve public school students, families, and community members. For neighborhood schools to function as genuine community centers, however, they need additional human resources and support. UACS engages universities as lead partners in providing academic, human, and material resources.

Maestro B

Name	Bio
Cory Bowman	Cory helps develop partnerships that emphasize the integration of the teaching, research, and service missions of the University and supports the Center’s local and national adaptation efforts of its university-assisted community school programs.
Bianca Del Rio	Bianca del Rio serves as the Executive Director of the Netter Center’s University-Assisted Community Schools (UACS) Programs at the University of Pennsylvania.
Regina Bynum	Regina is the Director of Teaching and Learning at the Netter Center for Community Partnerships and helps to cultivate university-assisted community school programming in West Philadelphia.

This panel will expose the Big Lie that public education has failed. Detailing improvements in student achievement and graduation rates over the years, it will also pay particular attention to the difficult equity agenda for BIPOC students that lies ahead.

Minuet

Name	Bio
James Harvey	Harvey, a former staff member in the U.S. House of Representatives and school lobbyist for the Carter White House, recently retired 15 years after founding the National Superintendents Roundtable and serving as its executive director.
Donald Cohen	Donald Cohen is the founder and executive director of In the Public Interest (ITPI,) a national research and policy center that studies public goods and services.

Ormandy Ballroom

Ormandy Ballroom

Hear from four organizers and advocates who have been integral to protecting and promoting Virginia’s public schools as privatization forces have attempted to use Virginia as a national prototype for dismantling public schools during 2021-2022.

Aria A

Name	Bio
Cheryl Binkley	Cheryl Gibbs Binkley is a teacher, writer, and organizer who believes our public schools for all are our greatest strength, and works to protect and build them.
Rachel Levy	Rachel is a teacher, mother, writer, and community leader who lives in Ashland, Virginia.
Kathy Beery	Retired Middle School Teacher, Reading Specialist, and a fierce advocate for equitable opportunities for all children.
Ashley Kenneth	Ashley C. Kenneth is President and CEO at The Commonwealth Institute for Fiscal Analysis (TCI) where she provides the vision, inspiration, and strategic management to achieve the organization’s goals of advancing racial and economic equity in Virginia.
Dr. Ricardy Anderson	Dr. Ricardy Anderson was elected in November 2019 to represent the Mason District on the Fairfax County School Board and began her term in January 2020.

This panel will explore the Assessment Industrial Complex (AIC) from three different educational perspectives—including PK-12 Teachers, PK-12 Parents, Higher EducationRunning for Elected Office, and Civic Activism. With particular attention to building coalitions, the panel will explore current circumstances and possible ways to disrupt the AIC and replace high stakes testing with better, more equitable forms of assessment and evaluation for public schools.

Aria B

Name	Bio
Daniel Conn	Dan Conn is an associate professor at Minot State University and co-author of the recently published book Unraveling the Assessment Industrial Complex: Understanding how testing perpetuates inequality and injustice in America.
Jen Mangrum	Jen Mangrum is an Associate Professor in Teacher Education at UNC-Greensboro and former candidate for statewide political office in North Carolina.
Susan Book	Susan Book is a parent advocate and a leader of Save Our Schools NC as well as a leadership member of NC Families for Testing Reform
Denisha Jones	Denisha Jones is the Director of the Art of Teaching program at Sarah Lawrence College.

Successful public schools require electing officials who are public education advocates; we share our experience in getting them elected. We organize communities and run political campaigns, research and expose the trace of money in elections, populate public meetings and muster our laws and community resources to push back against charter schools. Collectively, we employ the tools needed in every school board election, from every school board electorate, across all of America.

Concerto

Name	Bio
Jazmin Garcia	Jazmin Garcia is a parent activist who can turn out vast ranks from among the grassroots.
Ayde Bravo	Ayde Bravo is an elementary teacher and member of UTLAA with a 20-year track record of successfully holding off charter schools in southeast L.A.
Sara Roos	Sara Roos lives on the westside of Los Angeles and blogs as a biostatistician aka “redqueeninla” whose children traversed K12 from private to public school, exposing the effect of privatization in Education as a microcosm of the attack on democracy via theft of its public resources.

Hillsborough Public School Advocates was created to advocate for fully funding traditional public schools in Hillsborough County and throughout the state of Florida. We have had successes by reviewing local school board budgets/agendas, tracking relevant legislation and the state budget, but mostly importantly, by actively engaging members in advocacy efforts.

Maestro A

Name	Bio
Paula Castano	Paula Castano is the Co-Founder and Vice-Chair of Hillsborough Public School Advocates with an expertise in educational research and operational strategy.
Ellen Lyons	Ellen Lyons is a school funding expert and serves as the Vice-Chair of the Hillsborough County School Board’s Citizens Financial Advisory Committee.
Jessica DuBois	Jessica DuBois is the Chair of Hillsborough Public School Advocates with an expertise in networking and community relationship building.

In 2012, Camden, NJ became the country’s most undemocratic school district. Gov. Chris Christie placed it under state control. Its right to elect its own school board had been stripped years before. Soon thereafter, the city became a Petri dish for a host of education reform ideas, ranging from no excuses schools, hybrid “renaissance” schools, universal enrollment, and beyond. But it also became the site of a community movement to restore democracy to the city’s education system. This panel discusses that movement, its successes, its failures, and its politics.

Rhapsody

Name	Bio
Keith Benson	Keith E. Benson is the author of Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising: Public Education and Urban Redevelopment in Camden, NJ, President of the Camden Education Association and adjunct professor at Rutgers University – Camden.
Stephen Danley	Stephen Danley is an associate professor and graduate director of the MS/PhD in Public Affairs at Rutgers University-Camden where he studies participation and protest in the context of cities and segregation.
Rann Miller	Rann Miller is Director of Anti-Bias and DEI Initiatives as well as a high school Social Studies teacher.

Symphony

Name	Bio
Jitu Brown	Jitu Brown, married and father of one child, is the national director for the Journey for Justice Alliance, a network of grassroots organizations in over 30 cities organizing for community driven school improvement.
Ronsha Dickerson	Ronsha Dickerson, mother of 6, is the National Organizer of the Journey for Justice Alliance an organization of organization that understands that quality education is a human right.

As public funding for public schools has contracted, Philanthropy and Philanthropists have offered to fill the gap. But their money has come with strings that threaten the future of public education. The session will examine the corrosive impact of philanthropy and philanthropists and suggest avenues to push back.

Minuet

Name	Bio
Marty Levine	Andrea Gabor is the Bloomberg Professor of Business Journalism at Baruch College/CUNY, and author of After the Education Wars, The New Press 2018.
Andrea Gabor	Andrea Gabor is the Bloomberg Professor of Business Journalism at Baruch College/CUNY, and author of After the Education Wars, The New Press 2018.
Munira Lokhandwala	Munira Lokhandwala is the Director of Technology + Training at LittleSis, a watchdog research group that focuses on corporate and government accountability.

Due to socialization, many educational stakeholders display bias when making vital decisions that encompass all aspects of a student’s experience in the classroom. Regardless of whether these biases are explicit or implicit, they still have devastating ramifications on student achievement. In order for students to receive one of their most valuable assets, an equitable education, legislators need to mandate implicit bias training that all educational stakeholders need to participate in for accountability purposes.

Maestro B

Name	Bio
Aireane Montgomery	Aireane Montgomery is an activist and a ratchetdemic educator from Atlanta, Georgia.
Anthony Downer	Anthony Downer II is an abolitionist educator, community organizer, educational consultant, policy strategist, curriculum developer, and researcher of critical race studies who currently teaches Africana studies and civics at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta and serves as Vice President of Georgia Educators for Equity and Justice.
Maurice Brewton	Maurice Brewton is a visionary educator, father husband and entrepreneur.

Ormandy Ballroom

Presentation of Diane Ravitch David Award

Teach For America supporters and corps members still seem to lurk around every corner in education. While Teach For America is smaller than it has been in quite some time, it still has an outsized influence on the privatization of education. In this panel, we will discuss how you can successfully debate their corps members and supporters.

Concerto

Name	Bio
Julian Vasquez Heilig	Dean Julian Vasquez Heilig leads nearly 3,000 students, staff and faculty as the Dean of the University of Kentucky College of Education.
Gary Rubinstein	Gary Rubinstein is a veteran teacher and a blogger who was a member of the second cohort of TFA in 1991.
T. Jameson Brewer	T. Jameson Brewer, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Social Foundations of Education at the University of North Georgia and was a traditionally-trained and licensed K-12 teacher who joined TFA during the Great Recession.

We will explore the illusion of equity in the charter school movement and its relationship to the destruction of traditionally black communities.

Aria A

Name	Bio
Dountonia S. Batts	Dountonia is a Bridge Builder and Education Justice Advocate.
Jitu Brown	Jitu Brown, married and father of one child, is the national director for the Journey for Justice Alliance, a network of grassroots organizations in over 30 cities organizing for community driven school improvement.
Keith Benson	Keith E. Benson is the author of Education Reform and Gentrification in the Age of #CamdenRising: Public Education and Urban Redevelopment in Camden, NJ, President of the Camden Education Association and adjunct professor at Rutgers University – Camden.

This panel, which features a former lobbyist for school choice along with grassroots advocates, will give participants strategies for organizing and pushing back on charter and voucher legislation.

Symphony

Name	Bio
Carol Burris	Carol Corbett Burris is the Executive Director of the Network for Public Education.
Charles Siler	Charles Siler is a former lobbyist and PR specialist for pro-privatization organizations who now provides expert insight into how to strategize against privatization efforts.
Gloria Nolan	Gloria Nolan serves as the Interim Parent Liaison for St. Louis Public Schools and is a fierce advocate, championing equity and transformational policy change in true public education.
Tina Bojanowski	State Rep. Tina Bojanowski represents District 32 in the Kentucky House.

We are presenting three academic papers that discuss how parents, teachers and students have fought privatization and other forms of neoliberal education reform.

Aria B

Name	Bio
Julia Sass Rubin	Julia Sass Rubin is an Associate Professor and Director of the Public Policy program at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
Jerusha Conner	Jerusha Conner is professor of education at Villanova University, with research expertise in youth organizing, student activism, student voice, and student engagement.
Sonia Rosen	Dr. Rosen is a teacher educator at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, and her research takes up questions of agency and identity in student and teacher activism.

In the last few years, the push for new and expanded private school voucher programs has reached a fever pitch. Public Funds Public Schools, a joint initiative of Education Law Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center, is focused on halting and reversing the spread of vouchers through a multi-faceted approach combining litigation, advocacy, research, and communications. We will discuss the latest voucher trends, strategies for success, and—crucially—how we can work together.

Rhapsody

Name	Bio
Jessica Levin	Jessica Levin is a Senior Attorney at Education Law Center and the Director of Public Funds Public Schools, a national campaign founded by ELC and SPLC.
Bacardi Jackson	Bacardi Jackson is the Interim Deputy Legal Director for Children’s Rights at the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Sharon Kirsch	Sharon Kirsch serves as the Director of Research for Save Our Schools Arizona Network
Sharon Krengel	Sharon Krengel is the Policy and Outreach Director at Education Law Center, and a team member of Public Funds Public Schools, a national campaign founded by ELC and SPLC.

Our panel will examine and discuss the Moral Disengagement involved in Mobbing and Mass Bullying of teachers by fellow teachers. Educators will share stories about pushback when advocating for developmentally appropriate practices for students. The potential of caucus and other education organizing spaces will be analyzed to give participants some potential ideas to address these and other issues.

Maestro A

Name	Bio
Wilma de Soto	Retired ESL Teacher, Philadelphia Public Schools, Board of Directors of the Badass Teachers’ Association and National Workplace Bullying Board of Directors.
Maureen McGurk	Maureen McGurk is a National Board Certified Teacher who has had the privilege of teaching in public schools for 25 years.
Melissa Tomlinson	Melissa Tomlinson, Executive Director of Badass Teachers Association, currently teaches special education students in Atlantic County, NJ.

In this panel, three educators will explore the social justice history of the Bilingual Education Act and its parallels to anti-racist education. The panelists will explore raciolinguistics, anti-racist curriculum, teacher ideologies, and teacher activism.

Minuet

Name	Bio
Elvira Pichardo	Elvira Pichardo is an educational leadership doctoral student at Lewis University and her research interests include translanguaging, raciolingusitics, dual language education, and anti-racist education.
Dr. Erica Dávila	Erica R. Dávila, Ph.D. Professor of Educational Leadership at Lewis University in Illinois, where she teaches in a doctoral program focused on social justice and transformative leadership.
Veronica Diaz	Veronica Diaz is a bilingual educator advocate for student voice/choice, social justice, and equity.

Maestro B

Name	Bio
Susan Nogan	Susan Nogan is a research analyst with the National Education Association.
Diane Ravitch	Diane Ravitch is a historian of education co-founder of the Network for Public Education.
Peter Greene	After 39 years in the classroom, retired teacher Peter Greene writes about education for Forbes, The Progressive, and his own blog, Curmudgication.

Conference Schedule

The schedule for the 2022 NPE Action National Conference is below. Click on the + icon to the right of the title of each panel for the panel description, panelists, panelist bios and room assignments. Click on the room names to view a floor plan of the hotel conference area.

Network for Public Education