Education Summit 2008 will bring New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to Yonkers to address Westchester County business leaders and Yonkers community members on the importance of community involvement in education. Sponsored by the recently established Yonkers Partners in Education, the event will kick off on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 with a fundraising breakfast for business leaders at Yonkers waterfront restaurant, X20 Xaviars and will feature Yonkers Mayor Phil Amicone and Mayor Bloomberg.
The Mayors will then join community leaders, parents and education advocates at the Riverfront Library to inspire a series of breakout sessions. The groups will all be asked to address the question, "What kinds of contributions from your stakeholder group would be essential to advance the success of all Yonkers public school students?"
Convened by the Yonkers Partners in Education, a public/private partnership working in collaboration with the Yonkers Board of Education, the Summit is designed to engage the community in a conversation about public education and enable participants to work together to take positive action that will support public school children's achievement. The result will be a Blueprint from the Community presented to the Yonkers Board of Education. "Education Summit 2008 provides a great opportunity to engage the Yonkers community in conversations about education. All sectors have an important role to play. They have resources available to advance and enrich the learning of Yonkers children," says Wendy Nadel, Executive Director of Yonkers Partners in Education.
"Mayor Bloomberg has been a dynamic force for positive change in one of the largest public school systems in the country, and we couldn't be more pleased to welcome him to Yonkers to share his model of success," says Yonkers Mayor, Phil Amicone, founder of the Yonkers Partners in Education. Superintendent of Schools, Bernard P. Pierorazio agrees, "New York City is a hub of school innovation and inspired learning, a gathering point of ideas from which educators across the nation benefit."
Yonkers is the largest public school district in Westchester and a member, along with New York City, of the state's most populous districts, known as the "Big Five". The event is being sponsored by Homes for America's Holdings and Hudson Valley Bank.
Yonkers Partners in Education, www.ypie.org, in partnership with the public and private sectors, strives to ensure that all Yonkers public school students receive a quality education that prepares them for high school graduation and life success.
Please see below for the invitation-only Summit agenda:
Agenda:
8:00 VIP Breakfast with Mayor Michael Bloomberg (X2O)
Select participants will be invited to a private breakfast with Mayor Bloomberg.
8:15 Community Breakfast (Riverfront Library Foyer)
All other participants will be invited to a community continental breakfast before the summit.
9:15 Keynote Address (Riverfront Library Main Stage)
Mayor Bloomberg will address the entire group about the importance of community involvement in the future of education.
9:30 Breakout Sessions by Sector
Participants will break into groups by sector. Pre-identified facilitators will prompt a discussion about "What kinds of contributions from your stakeholder group would be essential to advance the success of all Yonkers public school students?" The key recommendations from these breakouts will be published in a report to the community.
11:30 Summit Concludes
Education Summit participants will include community/county leaders in education, philanthropy, business, higher education, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations and Yonkers parents.