Welcome to the 7th Annual Celebration of Teaching & Learning 
The Celebration of Teaching & Learning continues to grow and flourish. Thanks to the collective wisdom of our partners and the 10,000+ educators who attend, it truly has become the “Davos” of education, gathering every quarter of the education workforce and shining the brightest possible spotlight on solutions rather than confrontation.
Celebration VII is off to an amazing start. The list of speakers and sessions promises to be the best ever. In addition to our longstanding commitment to global awareness, STEM, literacy, leadership and whole school issues, in March 2012 we are focusing on one of the most important issues facing schools and teachers today: the education of Black and Latino males.
Second, this Celebration will be a showcase for creativity. As every successful educator knows, creativity is not a topic or something that belongs to the arts: it is a habit of mind. No country surpasses us in the area of creativity. Our country’s success in the 20th century came from our capacity to innovate, and our schools produced generations of people who did that better than anyone. We have coasted into the new century on the legacy of that work, but our leadership is now at risk as educators have been forced out of that creative space. Together with our sponsors, we have tried to make the Celebration a rallying place for educators who not only refuse to cede that territory, but want to make it even more vibrant.
And let’s remember the special role public television plays in this work as your partner. Every day on our air you see programs that embody the spirit of possibility, wonder, and joy that is at the heart of your work and the purpose of schooling. At Celebration VII, you’ll be hearing from:
- Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and his new series, FINDING OUR ROOTS;
- Yul Kwon, host of AMERICA REVEALED (also known as the winner of the 2006 season of Survivor!);
- HISTORY DETECTIVES;
- ANTIQUES ROADSHOW, which will make its first appearance; and
- MISSION US, our run-away hit online computer game for middle schoolers.
Let me end with a reminder that not only do we live in a global society, but education is the one true global profession, and the Celebration embraces that reality in ways that no other conference does. I am thrilled to announce that Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has chosen once again to host the International Summit on the Teaching Profession at the Hilton directly preceding the Celebration. More than 20 countries will be in attendance. The Secretary has asked us to make sure there are 3-4 sessions at the Celebration that will bring together some of our international guests to continue the conversation that begins at the Summit. We did this last year through the closing plenary session on Day 1 and “Why Finland Works,” hosted by Randi Weingarten, but you can look for much more at Celebration VII.
In the end, however, the Celebration is nothing without each one of you, and we are honored to be your partners in supporting our nation’s children. We hope to see you in New York City in March for what promises to be the best St. Patrick’s Day weekend ever!
Ron Thorpe
VP for Education, WNET
