By Cheril Lee
Omaha, NE – A program next week at UNO focuses on the achievement gap in schools.
The League of Women Voters of Greater Omaha and the UNO College of Education are presenting the program, called "Pushing Past the Achievement Gap." Leslie McMillion is the Director of Educational Accountability for OPS. She says the purpose of the event is to present the Making Democracy Work Award. The event takes place February 24th and includes a presentation from guest speaker Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings, Professor at the University of Wisconsin. McMillion says Dr. Ladson-Billings' focus is Teacher Education, "one of the fascinating things about her work is she basically says if you have a good teacher, a child will benefit. All these other things may be happening in a child's life but if you have a good teacher who is convinced that what he or she does will work with every child, it will make a difference for the children who come through their classroom doors."
Pushing Past the Achievement Gap will be held in the Thompson Alumni Center on the UNO campus. Doors open at 5:30, with dinner at 6:30. Reservations must be received by February 17th. For details, the website is www.omahalwv.org.