Education Conference At Trinity To Focus On Education Options

HARTFORD — Governor John G. Rowland will be one of two keynote speakers when Trinity College hosts a special evening conference on educational alternatives for urban families this month.

Kaleem Caire, the executive director of Black Americans for Education Options (BAEO), will also be a featured speaker when the conference, “Meeting of Ideas,” convenes at Trinity’s Mather Hall, 300 Summit Street, on Wednesday, May 9, from 6 to 9:30 pm.

Mr Caire’s presentation will inform attendees about parent choice initiatives on the local and national level, and include the numerous types of educational options available to parents.

Governor Rowland will speak about his proposed plan to invest $10 million on a five-year pilot program that would offer parents in the state’s poorest districts grants of up to $2,000 a year to send their children to private or parochial schools.

The conference, hosted by Trinity College and co-sponsored by Yankee Institute for Public Policy, with funding support from the Shelby Cullom Davis Endowment, will provide an opportunity for exchanging ideas and discussing such topics as equal opportunity in education, school choice, vouchers, charter schools, parents’ choice, tax credits, and more.

Leading experts, parents, clergy and urban community leaders from across the state are expected to attend. For more information about the conference, call 860-678-7526.