| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MEDIA CONTACT:
Allison Seale |
| August 8, 2005 | (818) 314-3661; aseale@hamfish.org |
QUESTIONS, SOLUTIONS ON SCHOOL VIOLENCE TO BE EXPLORED
AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE IN PHILADELPHA SEPTEMBER 11-14
WASHINGTON, D.C.— What can be done to prevent the disruptive effects of school violence?
What new strategies and methods have been effective in different cities in reducing the incidence of violence? What factors contribute to youth violence in school environments?
These questions arise every day among educators, parents, and local government officials in communities where school violence remains a serious problem. These issues and more will be explored at an annual national conference focusing exclusively on school violence. Persistently Safe Schools 2005 will be held in downtown Philadelphia, at the Wyndham Philadelphia Franklin Center, September 11-14, 2005.
This four-day conference, presented by the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence, will bring together some of the nation's foremost experts on school violence—researchers, federal government officials, school administrators and parents—to discuss the most recent practical means and methods for curbing school violence and implementing innovative programs of prevention.
“Few topics are more important than creating safe learning environments for our children,” said Beverly Glenn, executive director of the Hamilton Fish Institute. “And I would venture to say that few better opportunities exist for those charged with that vital task than this year’s conference. We’ve truly built a comprehensive program that presents promising strategies and research to address the unique needs of schools in virtually every type of community, be they urban, suburban or rural. We have presentations covering the gamut—from bullying and gangs to even one panel made up of individuals and organizations from Philadelphia that discusses how to build a successful community collaboration to reduce violence.”
Many Philadelphia individuals and organizations are slated to participate in the four-day conference, including Malcolm Byrd, Mayor’s Office on Faith Based Initiatives; Daryl Coates, executive director of the Philadelphia Anti-Drug/Anti-Violence Network; JoAnn Lawer, president and CEO of Philadelphia Safe and Sound; Stephen A. Glassman, chairman of the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; Daniel M. Welliver, director of Education and Community Services, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission; Myrna B. Shure, of Drexel University; and school children from the William Penn School District in Lansdowne, Pa.
The conference will contain three parts.
- On Sunday, September 11, it will feature six pre-conference, special interest sessions providing in-depth information on such topics as conflict resolution, gangs, resilience, creating safer schools, and trauma.
- On Monday, September 12, and Tuesday, September 13, regular, concurrent conference sessions will be held throughout the day. In addition, on Tuesday, two special events will occur: a morning panel—“Philadelphia Collaboration to Prevent Violence” that will bring participating individuals and organizations in the Philadelphia area to discuss what’s working in their efforts to reduce school and community violence—and a luncheon featuring the second presentation of the Hamilton Fish Institute Award for Service. Mary Ann T. Fish will present the award given in the name of her late husband, the Hon. Hamilton Fish, Jr.
- On Wednesday, September 14, the conference will culminate with demonstrations of two successful programs that use theatre arts to help students learn skills for preventing conflict and other behaviors that might place students at-risk. These special demonstrations will be held with the assistance of school children from the William Penn School District in Lansdowne, Pa.
Confirmed keynote speakers include J. Robert Flores, J.D., administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice; Beverly Watts Davis, director, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Pedro A. Noguera, Ph.D., urban sociologist, The Steinhardt School of Education, New York University; and Raymond Reyes, Ed.D., associate vice president for diversity, Gonzaga University.
The public is invited to the conference. Discounted registration of $450 is available for those who registerbefore August 31. After August 31 and on-site, registration will be $500. Online registration and a preliminary program are available at http://www.hamfish.org/conference/2005. The registration fees cover all conference events and activities, including all the pre-conference special interest workshops, a welcome reception, three breakfasts, two luncheons, and all snacks and beverages during breaks.
The Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence is a non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 1997 with assistance from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs and U.S. Department of Justice. The Institute is administered by the Institute for Education Studies in The George Washington University’s Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
For more information, call (202) 496-2200 or e-mail hfi2004@hamfish.org
For more news about GW, visit the GW News Center at www.gwnewscenter.org
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