Society & Culture

Public education advocate to speak at UGA Chapel

Athens, Ga. – Anthony Cody, a leading advocate and author for public education will speak on “Local Schools, National Policies: Who’s Listening?” Feb. 4 at 5:15 p.m. at the University of Georgia Chapel.

Cody’s talk will address national educational policies and their effects on local schools. The event is free and open to the public, and will be followed by a free reception in Demosthenian Hall. The lecture is presented by the UGA College of Education and the Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. This lecture is part of an ongoing public conversation about education.

Cody is co-founder of the Network for Public Education and the author of “The Educator and The Oligarch: A Teacher Challenges the Gates Foundation.”

Cody spent 24 years teaching in Oakland, California, and during that time the rise of the Common Core, test-based teacher evaluation systems, and other national educational policy initiatives sparked Cody into action. His blog, Living in Dialogue, first appeared on Education Week in 2008 but became independent of the magazine this past August, just before the publication of his first book. In 2011, he helped organize the Save Our Schools March in Washington, D.C., and today he coaches teachers across the country.

“Anthony Cody poses tough questions to everyone who is interested in public education,” said Jack Parish, the UGA College of Education’s dean of outreach, who is involved with programs such as the college’s Professional Development School District and its Early Career Principal Residency program. “Anthony Cody’s visit is a chance to hear his perspective on education and an opportunity to question him and one’s own beliefs about national educational policies.”