GOVERNORS FROM ALL SIDES OF THE AISLE COME TOGETHER TO DISCUSS EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC COMPETITIVENESS AT THE 2011 “EDUCATION NATION” SUMMIT

smf: seven Republicans and two Democrats and an Independent may equal “all sides of the aisle”- but it’s crowded over there on the right!

19 Sep 2011 9:22 PM

Ten Governors Already Confirmed—Budget Cuts, Common Core, Unions Among Topics for Session Moderated by Brian Williams

NEW YORK, NY—Sept. 20, 2011— NBC News’ Brian Williams, along with correspondent Kate Snow, will host governors from states across the country for a special “Education Nation” panel session focused on education and economic competitiveness, entitled The State of Education: The Governor’s Perspective.

Scheduled for Monday, September 26th, the discussion will cover a myriad of major issues facing state leadership such as budget cuts, the Common Core and college readiness, No Child Left Behind, the role of teachers unions, early childhood education, teacher effectiveness, college affordability and completion, charter schools, online learning, and Race to the Top. Assembled governors will also field education questions from their own constituents, including: teachers, principals, parents and students.

To date, confirmed governors include:

• Gov. Lincoln Chafee (RI-I)
• Gov. Nathan Deal (GA-R)
• Gov. Mary Fallin (OK-R)
• Gov. Bill Haslam (TN-R)
• Gov. John Hickenlooper (CO-D)
• Gov. Paul LePage (ME-R)
• Gov. Jack Markell (DE-D)
• Gov. Bob McDonnell (VA-R)
• Gov. Sean Parnell (AK-R)
• Gov. Scott Walker (WI-R)

To read more about sessions previously announced, visit EducationNation.com/2011Summit. The "Education Nation" sessions will be available for live or delayed viewing on EducationNation.com.

Sponsors of the 2011 “Education Nation” Summit include University of Phoenix, State Farm®, Microsoft, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, The Bezos Family Foundation, The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation.

"Education Nation" seeks to create a thoughtful, well-informed dialogue with policymakers, thought-leaders, educators, parents and the public, in pursuit of the shared goal of providing every American with an opportunity to achieve the best education in the world. These discussions cover the challenges, potential solutions and innovations spanning the education landscape. By providing quality information to the public, NBC News hopes to educate Americans so they can make decisions about how best to improve our education system both in the near and long terms, and to shine a spotlight on one of the most urgent national issues of our time, so that America can once again become the Education Nation of the world.

For more information about “Education Nation,” visit EducationNation.com, check us out on Facebook: facebook.com/EducationNation or follow us on Twitter @EducationNation.