2008 NNER Events > Annual Conference

You are cordially invited to participate in the
2008 NNER Annual Conference.

The Conference Planning Team invites you to attend the September 19-21, 2008 NNER Annual Conference. We envision a conference that will provide opportunity for engaging in diverse and critical exchanges about issues related to building, sustaining and enhancing partnerships and furthering the Agenda for Democracy in Education. Leaders from the P-12 classrooms and districts, university partners from arts and sciences and education, and community stakeholders areencouraged to share lessons learned from challenges and opportunities they face in partnership settings as they pursue the work of the NNER and the Agenda for Democracy in Education. To help focus discussions, we have identified three conference strands:

Paving the Way- Revisiting our History
Working Together- Reflecting on Current Research, Policies and Practices
Looking to the Future- Considering Possibilities for the Times Ahead

In addition to the traditional concurrent sessions, introduction to each strand of concurrent sessions will be made in a plenary session with a panel of experts presenting ideas and questions to frame each strand. Small group discussions and poster sessions will be also be added during the concurrent sessions. Continuing the tradition of recent NNER conferences, the 2008 event includes, in addition to presentations from member settings, an impressive array of keynote speakers,

including Dr. George C Wright, President, Prairie View A & M University and well known southern historian, and Dr. John Goodlad, professor emeritus at the University of Washington, educational researcher and theorist who has published over 30 books addressing the simultaneous needs for renewal in schools and teacher education.

Other events will include:

Opportunity for school visits paired with educational visits to such places as the JFK Memorial and Museum housed on the 6th floor of the famous School Book Depository.
Friday evening Keynote Speaker followed by a Reception and our first opportunity for conference participants to catch up with old acquaintances and make new friends. Participants will be lead by student mariachi performers from the hotel to the beautiful Ballpark of Arlington, home of the Texas Ranger Baseball team, for a reception in the stadium.
Saturday, in addition to plenary and concurrent sessions, John Goodlad will address conference participants at the noon luncheon and in the evening participants will visit the ever famous Billy Bob’s of Texas. Located in the heart of the Fort Worth Stockyards, Billy Bob’s and the surrounding area will provide a real Taste of Texas experience. Participants will be provided a Texas barbeque spread and will participate in bull riding contests, gun fights and a country western concert.
Business meetings of the Tripartite Council, the Governing Council and the Executive Board.
New Participants’ Session for individuals new to the organization and in need of an orientation to the mission and goals of the NNER.
Award presentations recognizing two institutions for their exemplary work in two specific areas by awarding the Richard W. Clark Award for Exemplary Partner School Work and the Nicholas Michelli Award for Advancing Social Justice.

We are proud to host the 2008 NNER Conference in Arlington, Texas. Arlington sits between Dallas and Fort Worth, and is home to the University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington University-School Network for Educational Renewal (AUSNER) project, Texas Rangers baseball and future home of the Dallas Cowboy Stadium and site of the 2011 Super Bowl. Exciting partnerships are happening all over and around Arlington and we anticipate you will find this to be spectacular location for conducting the business and fun of the 2008 NNER conference.

Sincerely,

Your 2008 Planning Committee