2008 PEN Annual Conference

November 16-18, 2008
San Francisco, CA
Public Education Network would like you to keep November 16 – 18, 2008 open so you can attend PEN’s annual conference, which will take place in San Francisco at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel. The conference, which will celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of the first local education funds, will focus on the education imperative of extending the reach of high quality learning. This exciting event will feature a number of notable speakers, including Susan Berresford, former president of the Ford Foundation. We hope to see you in San Francisco!

Conference Reservation Deadline: October 31, 2008
Hotel Reservation Deadline: October 17, 2008
Location: Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel
Hotel Phone: (415) 392-3434
Web: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/ic/1/en/hotel/SFOHA/welcome

Check back soon for agenda and other details.

What We Do

What is Public Education Network?
Public Education Network (PEN) is a national organization of local education funds (LEFs) and individuals working to improve public schools and build citizen support for quality public education in low-income communities across the nation.

Our Mission
To build public demand and mobilize resources for quality public education for all children through a national constituency of local education funds and individuals.

Our strategic plan seeks to elevate public education to a pre-eminent position in the public arena, and re-establish its place as the prime public institution fundamental to a democratic and civil society.
 

PEN supports this effort through:
•	High-quality information around school reform
•	Local, statewide, and national policy support for local school reform efforts
•	Grants to member local education funds for selected reform efforts
•	Technical, leadership and organizational management assistance
The network members are:
•	501(c)(3) organizations
•	All in high-poverty areas (urban and rural)
•	Working with, but independent from, their school districts
•	Professionally staffed, with boards frelective of their community
•	Committed to whole-system reform and to ensuring a high-quality education for all children.

The network members advocate:
Accountability	PEN members advocate for accountability - they expect measurable results from those who participate in local public education.
Involvement	PEM members advocate form community involvement - they help put the "public" in public education.
Resources	PEN members generate resources - they facilitate investment in public education from private, public and philanthopic sources.
Excellence in Public Education	PEN members advocate for exvellence in public education - they are independent organizations that work with public schools to make a difference for all students.
Improvement	PEN members advocate for improvement - they encourage innovative practices and programs that make public education better.