The first of three one-hour DU television specials will air on Rocky Mountain PBS Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. The specials will focus on the 2008–09 Bridges to the Future theme, “A Nation Still at Risk: The Future of Education.”
“The Bridges to the Future theme this year is particularly important to so many people,” says Jim Berscheidt, associate vice chancellor for University Communications and executive producer of the PBS series. “We’re grateful to Rocky Mountain PBS for partnering with DU to bring the three programs to others in the state who can’t attend in person.”
DU created the Bridges to the Future programming in 2002 as a way to engage Coloradans in an exploration of American history, values and expectations in a post-Sept. 11 world. The PBS specials aim to spark conversations about education throughout the state, Berscheidt says.
Sunday’s program will feature author, educator and activist Parker Palmer, who spoke to a crowd of nearly 1,400 at the Ritchie Center Sept. 23.
Palmer said trust needs to be put back in the education system and all educators need to explore self-knowledge, no matter their spiritual beliefs, in order to be better practitioners.
Palmer founded the Center for Courage and Renewal, which oversees the “Courage to Teach” program for K-12 educators. During the broadcast, viewers will hear from Denver area teachers and administrators who have completed the Courage to Teach program.
The show also will include local educators’ views on teacher retention and the No Child Left Behind legislation.
For the next Bridges event, Superintendent of Denver Public Schools Michael Bennet and a panel of local educators will discuss K-12 reform. It will take place Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. in the June Swaner Gates Concert Hall at the Newman Center.
RSVPs will be taken at the Bridges to the Future Web site in early January.
[Editor’s note: Michael Bennet’s name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story. We regret the error.]