A lesson for teachers everywhere

Andy Lehman
Assistant Lifestyles Editor

The St. Louis Urban Forum will present a free seminar about building better schools from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center, 225 S. Skinker Blvd., St. Louis.

The seminar, which will address how to improve public education, is sponsored by the Missouri Historical Society.

"This discussion will be the struggles of the urban school districts," Director of Education and Community Programs Cathy Kuba said. "The St. Louis Public School District fails to meet the educational needs of its students."

The program will feature Bob Duffy, Cleveland Hammonds Jr. and Lana Stein as moderators.

Duffy, who produces the Imagine St. Louis section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, will identify the challenges of urban schools, such as a limited budget and crumbling school buildings.

"Hammonds will talk about the challenges of creating a dynamic education system," Kuba said. "He will also offer suggestions on how to better complete students' education and prepare them for college."

Stein has finalized a critical look at the urban education situation, focusing particularly on St. Louis public schools. Stein will present the pros and cons of the recent reform efforts by community leaders to divert funds and resources from public schools to alternative schools.

"This is a great program for anyone interested in becoming a teacher," Kuba said. "It deals with the central issues that teachers everywhere will have to face in the new millennium."

For information concerning the seminar or the St. Louis Urban Forum, call (314) 746-4599.