Goodman Theatre Hosts 'Too Broken To Reform?' Panel Tonight 5/11

Tonight, Goodman Theatre's Education and Community Engagement department presents a special panel discussion, Too Broken to Reform? How We Can Fix Public Education. Education experts Valerie Hannon and Dr. Tim Knowles, discuss the current state of Chicago school systems, while engaging the community in a call to action for education reform. Too Broken to Reform? will take place on Tuesday, May 11 at 6:30pm at the Goodman (170 N. Dearborn, Chicago). This event is free, but reservations are recommended by calling 312.443.3800. Goodman Theatre's CONTEXT series uses themes from main stage productions to engage the community-both at the theater and at venues across the city-in conversations that explore particular issues raised within the plays and how they resonate in today's culture.

America's education system is in crisis; in Chicago, less than 60% of public school students graduate each year and thousands of children are being left behind. Too Broken to Reform? is the Goodman's second annual event on education reform , a call to action to explore the misconceptions and problems within the current reform discussions.

About the Panelists

Valerie Hannon is managing partner of the Innovation Unit where she leads their work on education and children's services. Hannon has worked for a broad range of local authorities and was director of education at Derbyshire, she also worked as an advisor to the Local Government Association. Before joining local government, she was a senior research fellow at the University of Sheffield and led on education policy for the Equal Opportunities Commission. Hannon was a member of the National Advisory Committee on Creative and Cultural Education, which produced the report All Our Futures. She subsequently acted as advisor to the DCSF, the QCDA and to the Creative
Partnerships program. She works for both the OECD and ANZSOG (Australia and New Zealand School of Government). Valerie is a Trustee of two third sector organizations working in the field of creativity and learning.

Dr. Timothy Knowles is the John Dewey director of the University of Chicago Urban Education Institute (UEI), which is dedicated to addressing the question of how to reliably produce excellent schooling for children growing up in urban America. During his tenure at the University of Chicago, UEI has initiated the creation of 20 new schools across Chicago's south side, four of which are designed and operated directly by the University of Chicago. This portfolio of schools is designed to serve as an existence proof that poor children can learn at high levels. The schools also serve as a locus for developing new methodologies for training aspiring, new and veteran teachers and school leaders. Prior to coming to Chicago, Knowles served as deputy superintendent for Teaching and Learning at the Boston Public Schools. While in Boston he created two organizations devoted to building the pipeline of high quality teachers and school leaders for Boston Public Schools and served as co-director of the Boston Annenberg Challenge, a nationally recognized effort to improve
literacy instruction. Prior to his work in Boston, Knowles founded and directed a full-service K-8 school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York City. He also served as the founding director of Teach for America in New York City, and a teacher of African History in Botswana. He has written and spoken extensively on the topics of school leadership, teacher quality, school reform, and accountability in public schools. Knowles received his B.A. in anthropology and African history from Oberlin College and an M.A. and doctorate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Goodman Theatre's Education & Community Engagement department offers many opportunities for students and audience members to engage in deeper explorations of topics within and outside our season. Programs offered entirely free of charge include the Student Subscription Series for Chicago public high schools, the General Theater Studies summer program, the Cindy Bandle Young Critics theatre criticism program for young women, CONTEXT: Discourse and Discussion community
forums, and a theatre-wide Internship Program.

About Goodman Theatre

Currently on stage is the Chicago premiere of The Good Negro by Tracey Scott Wilson, directed by Chuck Smith (through June 6; Albert Theatre). Hephaestus, a Lookingglass and Silverguy Entertainment production at Goodman Theatre, appears in the Owen Theatre. 

Upcoming productions in the 2009/2010 Season include: The Sins of Sor Juana by Karen Zacarías, directed by Henry Godinez (June 19 - July 25; Albert Theatre) which launches the Goodman's 5th Latino Theatre Festival.

The upcoming 2010/2011 Season (starts September 2010) celebrates ten years in Goodman Theatre's home on Dearborn Street-and a decade of great accomplishments. Productions in this special season include Candide, music by Leonard Bernstein, book adapted from Voltaire by Hugh Wheeler, lyrics by Richard Wilbur, additional lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, John Latouche, Lillian Hellman, Dorothy Parker and Leonard Bernstein, directed by Mary Zimmerman (September 2010; Albert Theatre); The Seagull by Anton Chekhov, directed by Robert Falls (October 2010; Owen Theatre), the world premiere of Rain by Regina Taylor (January 2011; Albert Theatre); the world premiere of Mary by Thomas Bradshaw, directed by May Adrales (February 2011; Owen Theatre); the world premiere of Stage Kiss by Sarah Ruhl (April 2011; Albert Theatre); and the world premiere of Chinglish by David Henry Hwang, directed by Leigh Silverman and produced in association with The Public Theater (June 2011; Albert Theatre). Two plays in the 2010/2011 Season-one in the Albert and one in the Owen-are still to be announced.

Goodman Theatre has been internationally recognized for its artists, productions and programs since 1925. In 2010/2011, the Goodman's 85th year, the nation's "Best Regional Theatre" (Time magazine) theater celebrates ten years in the North Loop Theatre District, as a major cultural, educational and economic pillar in Chicago. The Goodman has garnered hundreds of awards for artistic achievement and community engagement, including numerous Tony Awards and two Pulitzer Prizes. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the Goodman's priorities include new plays-including more than 100 world or American premieres over the last 30 years-re-imagined classic productions, culturally specific work and musical theater. Robert Falls' contemporary versions Death of a Salesman, Long Day's Journey into Night and King Lear have been celebrated nationally and internationally, along with his artistic collaboration with actor Brian Dennehy. Over the past two decades, the Goodman has produced 25 musical theater works, including 10 world premieres. Cultural diversity stands at the forefront of the Goodman's mission; one-third of Goodman productions have featured artists of color (including 21 world premieres) since 1990, and the Goodman was the first theater in the world to produce all ten plays in August Wilson's 20th Century Cycle. Since 2003, the Latino Theatre Festival has been a biennial celebration of Latin theater companies from Chicago and around the globe. Each year Goodman's numerous education and community engagement programs, including the highly praised Student Subscription Series, serve several thousand Chicago Public High School students. In addition, for 33 years the annual holiday tradition of A Christmas Carol has led to the creation of a new generation of theatergoers in Chicago. Goodman Theatre's leadership includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Frank Galati, Henry Godinez, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, and ReGina Taylor. The chairman of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees is Patricia Cox and Karen Pigott is President of the Women's Board. American Airlines is the Exclusive Airline of Goodman Theatre.

Visit the Goodman virtually: watch artist interviews at ExploreTheGoodman.org; catch the latest news from rehearsal on the Goodman's Blog, Goodman-Theatre.Blogspot.com/; Friend us at Facebook.com/GoodmanTheatre; Follow us at Twitter.com/GoodmanTheatre and peek behind-the-scenes at YouTube.com/TheGoodmanTheatre.

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