Public schools in Chicago are often failing.  Sadly, they’re not alone—across the country, inner-city schools are languishing and leaving students behind.  



Many cities have experimented with the policy of school vouchers, which can give parents the ability to send their children to private schools. The idea is now being considered in Illinois, led by a proposal from state senator James Meeks. Please join us for our education summit, In Our Hands, a gathering of national experts on school choice.  The summit will highlight how vouchers provide students with access to better, safer learning environments—and how vouchers positively impact public schools as well, while potentially saving taxpayers millions of dollars. 
 
Collin Hitt expands on the importance of this summit in this article on the  The Examiner.

The lunch session will be keynoted by the activist, pastor and state lawmaker, the Rev. Senator James Meeks.
 
When:   Friday, February 5, 2010
Time:    Panel discussion: 9:00 am – 11:30 am
              Greeting/reception: 11:30 am – Noon
              Luncheon/keynote address: Noon - 1:15 pm
Place:   190 South LaSalle, 40th Floor
Cost:    Complimentary

Panel One: The Benefits of School Choice

• Dan Lips, Senior Policy Analyst at the Heritage Foundation
• Dr. Greg Forster, Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Educational Choice
• Don Soifer, Executive Vice President at the Lexington Institute and Senior Fellow at the Illinois Policy Institute
  

Panel Two: The Workings of School Choice

• Dick Komer, Senior Attorney with the Institute for Justice
• Dr. James Quaid, Associate Superintendent for the Archdiocese of Chicago Catholic Schools
• Mike Ford, Vice President of School Choice Wisconsin