Yale Hosts School of the 21st Century (21C) National Conference

July 14, 2005 — National experts in the fields of child development and education will share strategies for responding to the needs of the nation’s children and families at the 17th annual School of the 21st Century (21C) National Conference at Yale, July 18-20 at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, 155 Temple St.

Titled “Partners for Success: Linking Communities, Families and Schools,” the conference will bring together superintendents, principals, teachers, early childhood educators, school board members and others from more than 27 states to learn about cutting-edge research and techniques for working with children in pre-K through grade 12.

Yale Professor Edward Zigler, founder of the 21C initiative and one of the principal architects of the federal Head Start program, will give the opening remarks. Zigler believes 21C provides policy makers with a national model for school-based early education, after-school programming and family-school partnerships.

“The School of the 21st Century is the first universal school reform program of its kind in this country that has been widely implemented,” said Zigler. “It has valuable lessons to share with policymakers now discussing universal pre-k, child care and other initiatives.”

Other speakers will address topics such as using computers in early childhood classrooms; the latest developments in pre-K through grade 12 education; assessment in early childhood; findings of the national Prekindergarten Study. Further talks will focus on how educators can tackle the threat of childhood obesity and improve the nutritional health of students; possibilities for and outcomes of after-school program participation; middle childhood literacy research, practice and policy; and social and emotional learning as the link to academic success. There will also be over 40 skill-building workshops on recently developed techniques in the field.

Also known as Family Resource Centers (FRC) in some communities, 21C transforms schools into multi-service centers offering guidance and support for parents; all-day, year-round preschool; before-, after-school and vacation care for school-age children; health education and services; training for child care providers; and information and referral services for families. There are over 1,300 21C schools across the country. The model has proved successful in urban, rural, and suburban settings and across all socio-economic groups.

The conference will begin at 9 a.m., Monday, July 18, 2005 and will run through Wednesday, July 20, 2005 until 5:00 p.m. For more information, please visit the 21C web site: www.yale.edu/21C or contact Lyn Hogan, senior associate, Yale Center in Child Development and Social Policy, 203-341-9521.