AMES, Iowa – An expert on school reform and education equity will speak at Iowa State University as the Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair in the College of Human Sciences.
Linda Darling-Hammond’s lecture, “The Flat World and Education,” will start at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, in Kildee Hall, Room 125. Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education at Stanford University, where she is faculty director of the Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. Her lecture is free and open to the public.
In her book, “The Flat World and Education: How America’s Commitment to Equity will Determine our Future,” Darling-Hammond examines issues of inequality in schools and how the education system is not adequately preparing students with skills needed for a global economy. Marlene Strathe, School of Education director, says these issues will impact the future of educator preparation.
“Education standards and reform are ever-changing and it’s critical we provide future teachers with the skills they need to be successful. Darling-Hammond has advised educators at every level and can offer insight on how policy issues might impact the future of education,” Strathe said.
One of those policy issues includes the ongoing debate over Common Core standards. In a 2014 Huffington Post column, Darling-Hammond and the president of the American Federation of Teachers addressed concerns about Common Core testing. They wrote, “If we assume that the goal of accountability should be better education, the test-and-punish approach must be replaced by a support-and-improve model.”
Darling-Hammond is a former president of the American Educational Research Association and member of the National Academy of Education, as well as the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Her research and policy work focuses on issues of educational equity, teaching quality and school reform. She has advised school leaders and policymakers at the local, state and federal levels. In 2008, she served as director of President Obama's education policy transition team.
About the LeBaron Hilton Chair
The Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair was made possible by Helen LeBaron Hilton, who from 1952 to 1975 served as dean of what was then known as the College of Home Economics. In 1993, her bequest of more than $1.4 million established the largest fully funded endowed faculty chair at the time to Iowa State University.
The chair is intended to be someone who is visionary; advances the well-being of children, families and consumers; and has excellent academic credentials.
Darling-Hammond’s presentation is co-sponsored by the College of Human Sciences, the Helen LeBaron Hilton Endowed Chair and the Committee on Lectures, which is funded by the Government of the Student Body. More information on ISU lectures is available online at http://www.lectures.iastate.edu, or by calling 515-294-9935.
