Syracuse University to host national Say Yes to Education conference

Syracuse University will host the 2009 National Say Yes to Education Fall Institute this weekend at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, drawing more than 150 teachers and administrative staff from all five Say Yes to Education program cities to engage in workshops and other professional development activities. Conference attendees will represent Say Yes chapters from Philadelphia; Hartford, Conn.; Cambridge, Mass.; Harlem, N.Y. and Syracuse.

The institute will focus on models and methods for academic and talent development, including keynote addresses from national leaders in the fields of inclusion, talent development and student achievement. Site visits, practitioner workshops and networking opportunities will also be part of the three-day conference.

Say Yes to Education, Inc., is a national, nonprofit education foundation committed to dramatically increasing high school and college graduation rates for urban youth. The success of the program relies on providing the necessary supports to children and their families that will enable and inspire students to graduate from high school, accomplish post-secondary education success and achieve meaningful life goals, including giving back to their community.

The Syracuse chapter is unique in that it is the first to embrace an entire city school district, making it the largest school improvement program of its kind in the nation.