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Philadelphia (March 31, 2014) – Peace Islands Institute hosted its 6th Annual Academic Dinner in the Bodek Lounge of Houston Hall, at the University of Pennsylvania. The well-attended dinner – emceed by Dr. Shelly Robbins, of Holy Family University – was under the theme ‘The Role of Academicians in the Public School System,’ included an academicians workshop. The dinner included a speech by Dr. Jon Pahl, of The Lutheran Theological Seminary, and the keynote speaker was author, writer, educator, and social activist, Dr. Lorene Cary.

During the the workshop, the following questions were asked to our academic attendees:

1. Please Share any exemplary or extraordinary work you’ve done through your college or university in local public schools. This does not include personal projects, done with your own initiative, money, and time, but rather initiatives that were supported by your institution.

2. Can you see it? Can you, can we, here tonight, envision a public school system that provides what Boston’s website calls “innovative and welcoming” schools for poor, middle-class, and wealthy children. Can we imagine a school system that is to children what the NY subway system is to grown-ups in that city, a good-enough system that takes all classes of people where they want to go, without luxury, but with efficiency and max participation? Have you ever seen such an educational system anywhere? Can each table see it? Really imagine it? What would it cost?

3. Now, please rearrange your argument in two categories: GLOBAL – think about total system change or large-scale changes that might affect total ed systems. LOCAL – think about the specific smaller-scale programs that you have worked with or know intimately, as models that can be replicated, without money or difficulty, by themselves or in your colleges next academic year.

After the workshop, representatives of each table spoke about the questions raised. Many ideas were put forward, and there are projects now in the works to carry these ideas forward in future Peace Islands Institute and Philadelphia community projects.