Last night, Ed hosted its first-ever Birmingham Education Summit, to a diverse crowd of concerned and interested Birmingham citizens of all ages.  Executive Director Mike Froning kicked off the three-part program with the presentation of Ed’s Report Card, a document compiled by two doctoral students at Vanderbilt’s prestigious Peabody College of Education, which outlines for the readers the challenges faced by the community in Birmingham City and what steps need to be taken to overcome them.  Dr. Witherspoon followed the Report Card with his State of Education Address, in which he, too, lay bare the reality of Birmingham City Schools but looked ahead to a very bright and positive future.  Witherspoon’s address ended with a very moving video-preview of the upcoming Career Academies marketing campaign, including testimonials by Birmingham City students.

The final act was the Teachers for Today’s Urban Classrooms panel discussion including three local Deans of Education: Drs. Kelly Russell (Birmingham Southern), Deborah Horn (Miles) and Lou Anne Worthington (UAB).

Overall, the evening was a great success and we at Ed look forward to continuing the tradition in the years to come.

Visit our Flickr page for photos from last night’s event.

Check out this article on al.com for more information.