Education Speaker Series Features Authors Tony Wagner and Madeline Levine

Do you believe that our ‘best’ schools are failing to prepare students for 21st-century careers and citizenship?  What skills will students need to build successful careers?  What skills will they need to be good citizens and are these two education goals in direct conflict with each other?  Are your hopes and fears as a parent about your child’s success (focusing more on grades, trophies, or ‘fat’ envelopes from selective college admissions offices) affecting your parenting?  As parents should we focus more on providing our children with values and coping skills?  World-renowned authors and lecturers Dr. Tony Wagner and Dr. Madeline Levine will address these topics during a special two-night education speaker series sponsored by The Lovett School, Trinity School, The Walker School, and The Westminster Schools.

On Wed., March 20 at 7 p.m. in The Westminster Schools' McCain Auditorium, Dr. Tony Wagner, author of Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, will provide a powerful rationale for developing an innovation-driven economy.  An advocate for the need to better prepare students for 21st-century careers and citizenship, Wagner contends that mastering the basic skills of reading, writing, and math is no longer adequate preparation for today’s kids. Our highly competitive global economy demands that our children know how to think— to reason, analyze, weigh evidence, and problem solve. How do we ensure that we are helping our kids develop these new survival skills? How can parents and teachers nurture kids’ passion, purpose and intrinsic motivation, which are the pathways to developing the new survival skills?  Sharing insight from his new book Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World, Wagner will explore how parents, teachers, and employers can  nurture creativity, spark imaginations, and teach children to learn from failures and persevere.

This event is free and open to the public but space is limited.  To register please visit: http://tony-wagner-at-westminster.eventbrite.com/#

The second part of this collaborative educational speaker series takes place on Thurs., March 21 at 7 p.m. with Dr. Madeline Levine speaking at Trinity School’s Allison Williams Activity Center.  Levine has seen firsthand the effects of our fast-paced, high-pressure world.  She challenges parents to create a healthier family life. She acknowledges the temptation to hyper-parent and offers concrete examples of parenting styles that protect children while encouraging both academic success and emotional well-being. Dr. Levine’s books include the New York Times bestseller, The Price of Privilege and the newly-released Teach Your Children Well: Parenting for Authentic Success, a toolbox for parents, providing information, relevant research, and a series of exercises to help parents clarify a definition of success that is in line with their own values as well as their children's interests and abilities.

Levine is a lecturer, author and psychologist with more than 30 years experience working with children and adolescents.

This event is free and open to the public but space is limited.  To register please visit: http://madeline-levine-at-trinity.eventbrite.com/#.

After both events, a book signing will be held.