Village Leadership Academy to Host Annual Scholarship Reception: Building A Pipeline of Success from Cradle to Career
Chicago, IL (PRWEB) November 21, 2014
As state and federal funds for education plummet, parents of students attending private schools continue to scramble for dollars to pay tuition. With three campuses located in Chicagos South Loop, West Side and University Village, the private, independent Village Leadership Academy (VLA) aims to help aleviate some of that anxiety for its student body.
Illinois Senators Toi Hutchinson and Kimberly Lightford both are on the event planning committee and invite the public to attend Building A Pipeline of Success from Cradle to Career, VLAs second annual fundraiser that provides much-needed scholarships to VLA students. The event is scheduled for Saturday, November 22, from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the newly opened site at 1001 W. Roosevelt Road, Chicago.
This is one of our major events that enables us to continue awarding financial support to very bright, deserving students, says VLA principal and co-founder Nakisha Hobbs. Most of our students receive some type of scholarship which affords them a superior education grounded in real world experiences that help them develop knowledge, skills, productive habits and a critical intellect.
Staunch national education reform advocate Howard Fuller will be the featured keynote speaker. Fuller is a distinguished professor of education and founder/director of the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University in Milwaukee and former superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. Earlier this year, he released his latest book, No Struggle, No Progress: A Warriors Life from Black Power to Education Reform.
I believe deep in my heart that giving low-income and working class parents the power (and the money) to make choices about the schools their children attend will not only revolutionize education, but provide the compass to a better life for the many poor, Black children stuck in failing systems, explains Fuller. Education reform is one of the most crucial social justice issues of our time. I will spend the rest of my days fighting for my people, most especially those without the power or the resources to fight for themselves.
The scholarship reception will include a tour of the new campus, opportunity for networking with innovators in education, and presentations by student leaders. Fuller also will autograph his book after the reception.
Since 2007, Village Leadership Academy has been on a mission to build a legacy of global student leaders. It offers a fresh new approach to teaching and learning that includes high academic standards, exposure to world history and geography, appreciation for cultural differences, development of critical thinking and perspective taking skills, and socially just decision making. For more information about Village Leadership Academy or to purchase a ticket to the reception, contact 312.432.0096 or visit http://www.vlacademy.org.