Headlines at Hopkins
News Release

Office of News and Information
Johns Hopkins University
901 South Bond Street, Suite 540
Baltimore, Maryland 21231
Phone: 443-287-9960 | Fax: 443-287-9920

December 11, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Amy Lunday
acl@jhu.edu
443-287-9960


Baltimore Education Research Consortium
Meets Tuesday

Keeping students on-track, lowering the city's
dropout rate to be discussed.

A group of local university researchers, community members and city school leaders known as the Baltimore Education Research Consortium will present its agenda for improving student performance and lowering the dropout rate at a public meeting from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Reporters are welcome to attend this meeting, where educational research scientists from Johns Hopkins University and Morgan State University, as well as Andrés Alonso, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, will be discussing the short- and long-term goals of their partnership, which aims to conduct and disseminate strategic data analysis and research for the benefit of children and families of Baltimore. Over the next three years, BERC will conduct eight projects to identify school and classroom practices that equip students for success at the elementary, middle grades, and high school levels.

A continental breakfast will be served at 8:30 a.m., followed by the formal program. The meeting will take place in Room 210 of the Morgan State University Student Center, 1700 E. Cold Spring Lane in Baltimore. Complimentary parking is available in the MSU garage on Stadium Way.

The program will be led by BERC co-directors Stephen Plank of Johns Hopkins and Obed Norman of Morgan State. The event will also feature remarks from Alonso, a representative from the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers, and other community partners.

"Baltimore is moving more and more into the national spotlight," Alonso said. "This year we have joined a select group of cities called Trial Urban District Assessment or TUDA districts. This means we will participate as a model district in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the gold standard for measuring student achievement in American education. BERC is another component of our readiness and will bring as much insight, intelligence, and energy to the work of helping every young person achieve a full and productive life."

Reporters interested in attending the event should contact Mary Maushard at 410-516-8810.