Keynote Speakers

RON Clark

Bestselling Author and Founder, The Ron Clark Academy

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Sunday, 8:00 - 9:00 am

Ron Clark has been called "America's Educator." His outstanding success with students from low-wealth areas of North Carolina and NYC led him to be named Disney's American Teacher of the Year. He is a New York Times Best Selling author, and his classes have been honored at the White House on three separate occasions. He has been featured on “The Today Show,” CNN, and “Oprah,” and Ms. Winfrey has even named him as her first "Phenomenal Man." Ron's teaching experiences in New York City are the subject of the uplifting film, “The Ron Clark Story,” starring Matthew Perry.

Most recently, Mr. Clark has founded The Ron Clark Academy, a dynamic and innovative middle school serving students in Atlanta, Georgia. The privately-funded institution provides an out-of-the-box curriculum that focuses on raising test scores by using exciting, creative, and engaging strategies. In addition to educating students, the Ron Clark Academy is a training site for teachers. Each year, over 3,000 educators from around the world visit the Academy to observe Ron and his staff in action and to learn more about how to help students of all levels achieve great success. For those who are unable to visit in person, please visit RonClarkAcademy.com for information on how to download lesson plans and to watch classroom videos from the Academy.

willard daggett

President, International Center for Leadership in Education

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Saturday, 8:00 - 9:00 am

Dr. Willard R. Daggett is Founder and President of the International Center for Leadership in Education. He is known worldwide for his efforts to move education systems towards more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for all students. Dr. Daggett has assisted states, school districts and education ministries in other countries with their school reform initiatives. He is the creator of the Rigor/Relevance Framework, a practical planning and instructional tool that is used in schools throughout the United States. Dr. Daggett helps people look at education differently. He encourages his audiences to embrace what is best about our education system and to make the changes necessary to meet the needs of all students and keep this country strong.

pedro noguera

Executive Director, Metropolitan Center for Urban Education and Co-Director, Institute for the Study of Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings (IGEMS)

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Friday, 1:30 - 2:30 pm

Pedro Noguera is a professor in the Steinhardt School of Education at New York University, the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education, and Co-Director of the Institute for the Study of Globalization and Education in Metropolitan Settings (IGEMS). He is the recipient of several awards and honors for his work and leadership in the field of education.
An urban sociologist, Noguera focuses his research on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions in the urban environment. He has served as an advisor and engaged in collaborative research with several large urban school districts throughout the United States. He has also done research on issues related to education and economic and social development in the Caribbean, Latin America and several other countries throughout the world.
Pedro Noguera has published over 150 research articles, monographs and research reports on topics such as urban school reform, conditions that promote student achievement, youth violence, the potential impact of school choice and vouchers on urban public schools, and race and ethnic relations in American society. Noguera is the author of The Imperatives of Power: Political Change and the Social Basis of Regime Support in Grenada; City Schools and the American Dream; and, most recently, Unfinished Business: Closing the Achievement Gap in Our Nation’s Schools (with Jean Yonemura Wing).