Public
education and school choice options will be the focus of the first 2015-16 community
speaker series “Point in Common.”
University
of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Julie Mead will discuss, “The War on Public
Education and What it Means for You.” Her presentation is Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7
p.m. at Sentry’s Theater@1800. It is free and open to the public.
Point
in Common is a collaboration of several local organizations interested in K4-12
educational success. Her talk is intended for parents, educators, students,
business professionals and community members.
Mead
is a professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.
She researches the legal issues associated with various forms of publicly
funded parental choice. Mead is a former special education teacher and
administrator.
Mead
will share her research about forms of school privatization,
including school vouchers, which use tax dollars to support tuition at private
schools. She will discuss the trade-offs in various forms of school choice, the
history of Wisconsin's voucher and charter school programs and the implications
of those policies on public education.
She
has written or edited books including “Charter Schools and the Law:
Establishing New Legal Relationships,” “Legal Aspects of Special Education and
Pupil Services” and “The Principal’s Legal Handbook.”
The
second “Point in Common” talk will be held Feb. 16, 2016, featuring New York
Times best-selling author Dave Burgess, who wrote “Teach Like a Pirate.”
The
series is sponsored by the Stevens Point Area Public School District, Stevens
Point Area Catholic Schools, UW-Stevens Point School of Education, Mid-State
Technical College, Sentry Insurance, Okray Family Farms, Phi Delta Kappa and
the Community Foundation of Central Wisconsin.
To
register or for more information, visit www.pointincommon.org. Free child care is available
during the talk at Schmeeckle Reserve Visitors Center.