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AERA, IEL to Co-Sponsor Early Childhood Leadership Policy Forum

Photo of Maurice Sykes in front of a bookshelf, a detail of his book cover: "Doing the Right Thing for Children"

AERA, IEL to Co-Sponsor Early Childhood Leadership Policy Forum

On December 19, the American Educational Research Association and IEL are hosting an educational policy luncheon on “Doing the Right Thing for Children: Eight Qualities of Leadership.”

On December 19, the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and IEL are hosting an educational policy luncheon on “Doing the Right Thing for Children: Eight Qualities of Leadership.” The luncheon will feature Maurice Sykes an author and expert on building quality leadership to promote high-quality early childhood education. Based on his book and experiences, Sykes will highlight eight core leadership values: human potential, knowledge, social justice, competence, fun and enjoyment, personal renewal, perseverance, and courage.

Sykes is the director of the Early Childhood Leadership Institute at the University of the District of Columbia’s National Center for Urban Education. He has spent his career advancing high-quality early childhood education and advocating for educational reform and teacher professional development. Sykes formerly served in the District of Columbia Public School System as deputy superintendent for the Center for Systemic Educational Change and director of Early Childhood Programs. Sykes has also advised the U.S. Department of Education on educational policy and programs related to urban school improvement. Sykes has served as teacher, teacher trainer, and curriculum developer. He is an alumnus of IEL’s Educational Policy Leadership Program (EPFP, ’78-’79) and is former EPFP national director.

AERA and IEL will hold the luncheon from noon to 2:00 pm EST on Friday, December 19 in the ground floor conference room of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education, located at 1307 New York Avenue, NW in Washington, DC.

Reservations are required and can be made by emailing AERA’s Christy Talbot at ctalbot@aera.net. Limited available seating is assigned according to the order in which reservations are received. Thirteen dollars for the subsidized lunch will be collected at the door.