STATE SUPERINTENDENT JACK O???CONNELL DISCUSSES NEW EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Los Angeles, CA ??" Wednesday, November 28, 2007 ??" TOWN HALL LOS ANGELES welcomes Jack O???Connell, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, California Department of Education, on Tuesday, December 11, 2007, at the Omni Los Angeles Hotel. By 2010, 90% of jobs will require more training than a high school education; O???Connell???s address affords Angelenos the opportunity to ask what type of education their children require.

O???Connell said about vocational training, ???We know not every student is going to a university or college, and that???s OK. But it???s equally important that we don???t limit our students options when they finish high school.??? 

Regarding career and technical education (CTE), O???Connell said, ???We can???t go back to the way we taught CTE a decade ago. We have to match the level of sophistication we need in the job market with sophistication in the curriculum.

O???Connell was elected to his second four-year term on June 6, 2006. He is a former high school teacher and author of legislation - the California High School Exit Exam. O???Connell has served in the California State Assembly and Senate.

Event sponsor, SAGE Publications, is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas, including business, social sciences, humanities, science, technology, and medicine.

Throughout its history, TOWN HALL has hosted leaders in education. In 2006, US Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, updated Town Hall on the effectiveness of ???No Child Left Behind,??? and earlier this month the Superintendent of the LAUSD, Admiral David Brewer, delivered his ???1^st Year Report Card.???

TOWN HALL Los Angeles is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization comprised of engaged citizens dedicated to examining important issues facing our society. To question authority on matters important to you, join TOWN HALL.

All accredited members of the media are invited to cover this event.