Parent Talk Discusses Universal Pre-K With Community and Youth Advocate Nakia Troi Ngwala

Nakia Troi Ngwala's advocacy began more than a decade ago while she held various corporate positions throughout the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. In 2004, out of inspiration from the birth of her first son, Mrs. Ngwala became a full-time parent, full-time community advocate and organizer, and youth advocate and has been actively engaged in promoting unity, social justice and equality in her community of Springdale and in Prince George’s County, Maryland ever since. In September 2008, when Mrs. Ngwala learned that her 4 year-old son was not eligible to participate in the public preschool program in Prince George’s County because of the county’s income requirements, she immediately became a Universal Pre-K/Preschool for All advocate. Since then, as a constituent in Prince George’s County, she has written letters, and has called and continues to call on elected officials to inform and encourage involvement from the county on the importance of early childhood education for all young children in Prince George’s County. In November 2008, she was a contributor in the Universal Pre-K Fact Finding Meeting with the Prince George’s County Public School’s Board of Education to examine national, state, and local data regarding Universal Pre-K and to determine if there was a need to establish a Prince George’s County Universal Pre-K Task Force

Bob Wise Talks About His Work As Co Chair On The Digital Learning Council to Forest Of The Rain Productions--The Journey Begins Internet Radio

Bob Wise is president of the Alliance for Excellent Education and former governor of West Virginia. He currently co-chairs the Digital Learning Council with Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida. Governor Wise also chairs the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Under Governor Wise’s leadership, the Alliance continues to build its reputation as a respected authority on high school policy by advocating for reform in America’s secondary education system and working to ensure that all students graduate from high school prepared for college, careers, and to be contributing members of society.

Since joining the Alliance in February 2005, Governor Wise has become a sought-after speaker and advisor on education issues. He has delivered keynote addresses at high-level functions to core groups of the education community, state and federal government entities, as well as business, philanthropic, civil rights, and community organizations—all with a stake in education reform. Governor Wise has also advised the U.S. Department of Education, White House Transition Team, and frequently testifies before the U.S. Congress.

Governor Wise has appeared on national television and radio programs such as Lou Dobbs Tonight (CNN), the Charlie Rose Show (PBS), PBS NewsHour, the Diane Rehm Show (NPR), and Washington Journal (C-SPAN). He has also been featured in publications such as Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Charlotte Observer, among others. He is author of the book Raising the Grade: How High School Reform Can Save Our Youth And Our Nation.

As governor of West Virginia from 2001 to 2005, he fought for and signed legislation to fund the PROMISE Scholarship program, which has helped thousands of West Virginia high school graduates continue their education in the Mountain State. Governor Wise also established a character education curriculum in all state schools and created the Governor’s Helpline for Safer Schools. During his administration, West Virginia saw a significant increase in the number of students completing high school and entering college.

In 2001, Governor Wise proposed salary bonuses for teachers who achieve National Board certification. The proposal was passed and, as a result, helped triple the rate of certified teachers in the state. Additionally, Education Week’s “Quality Counts 2004” report gave West Virginia the highest cumulative grade out of all fifty states. As governor, he was also the first West Virginian to chair the Southern Governors’ Association.

From 1983 to 2001, Governor Wise served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing the 2nd District of West Virginia. During his tenure, he worked aggressively to preserve federal financial aid for students to attend college and served as a member on the House Education and Labor Committee. For several terms, he was a member of the Democratic Party Leadership team as a regional whip and as a whip-at-large. Committee assignments during these eighteen years included Transportation and Infrastructure, Government Reform and Organization, and Budget. Governor Wise’s notable congressional accomplishments include the Chemical Right to Know legislation, the Wise Amendment to the Clean Air Act, and the first-ever federal Mental Health Parity legislation.

Governor Wise serves on several boards, committees, and commissions including the Public Education Network’s board of directors, the Springboard Project Commission, the board of trustees of America’s Promise, and the steering committee for the Coalition for Student Achievement. He is an advisory committee member for a number of organizations, including the Campaign for Educational Equity, Editorial Projects in Education, the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools, and the National High School Center, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and Office of Special Education Programs and housed at the American Institutes for Research. He also serves on the board of advisers for the Moffitt Cancer Center and the board of directors of C-Change, which works to eliminate cancer as a major public health risk at the earliest possible time.

Governor Wise earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a JD from Tulane University School of Law. He has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He and his wife Sandy live in Washington, DC with their two children

The Journey Begins Internet Radio's--eFocus Exclusive Conversation with James H. Wendorf, Exec. Dir. to the National Center For Learning Disabilities

James H. Wendorf is executive director of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), which seeks to ensure that the nation's 15 million children, adolescents and adults with learning disabilities have every opportunity to succeed in school, work and life. He directs NCLD's efforts to provide essential information to parents, professionals and individuals with learning disabilities; to develop and deliver research-based programs that foster effective learning; and to advocate for policies that protect and strengthen educational rights and opportunities. NCLD's new initiative promoting the implementation of Response to Intervention strategies in schools nationwide — the RTI Action Network — is the largest single program in this effort.

For the past two decades, Mr. Wendorf has worked in the not-for-profit sector to build national and international partnerships supporting learning and literacy programs. Prior to joining NCLD in 1999, Mr. Wendorf served as vice president and chief operating officer of Reading Is Fundamental, Inc., the nation's largest nonprofit children's literacy organization, based in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Wendorf currently serves on the advisory board of the National Center on Educational Outcomes, National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities, the Education Policy and Leadership Center (Southern Methodist University) and previously, with a variety of civic and education organizations. He is frequently called upon by the news media to comment on policies and programs affecting individuals with learning disabilities. Mr. Wendorf earned a B.A. degree from Yale College, and graduate degrees in English Language and Literature from the University of Cambridge and Cornell University.

http://www.ncld.org/about-us