SPSSI Policy News RSS Feed - November 7, 2008


By Christopher Woodside

News Item!

American Educational Research Association (AERA) Hosts Fifth Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research University of Chicago Professor Stephen W. Raudenbush presents keynote speech

On October 23, in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC, AERA hosted the Fifth Annual Brown Lecture in Education Research. This year’s keynote speaker was Stephen W. Raudenbush, Lewis-Sebring Distinguished Service Professor at the University of Chicago, who offered remarks entitled:  The Brown Legacy and the O’Connor Challenge: Transforming Schools in the Images of Children’s Potential.  Professor Raudenbush spoke on the legacy of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, a legal landmark which SPSSI proudly played a role in achieving.

During his remarks, Professor Raudenbush examined the continuing achievement gap between white and black students, and talked about ways in which persistent inequality can be overcome.  Professor Raudenbush also discussed the majority opinion in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case Grutter  v. Bollinger, in which Justice Sandra Day O’Connor expressed hope that 25 years into the future, affirmative action would no longer be necessary in America

Professor Raudenbush asserted that, by that date (2028), despite a multiplicity of causes of inequality, school improvement can by itself play a powerful role in overcoming educational consequences of racial inequality.  The task of engaging children in the cause remains the most challenging work of all, however, Raudenbush stated. And the solution must begin with identifying innovative ways of thinking about best school practice and use of the top available education research to make connections between developmental science, instructional practice, and school organization.

Stephen W. Raudenbush’s Brown Lecture, an event that commemorates both the Brown v. Board of Education and the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to take scientific research into account in issuing the court’s landmark ruling, is now in its fifth year.  The Brown Lecture was inaugurated in 2004 by the American Educational Research Association (AERA).  The Lecture features significant scholarship directed toward the advancement of understanding of equality and equity in education.

COMING SOON:  To view a full webcast of this year’s Brown Lecture, please check back on the SPSSI Policy Feed often.

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