(NOTE: Regular readers will know of my passion for developing an independent school–public school dialogue, and this post on the PubPriBridge.net site, which supports the biweekly #PubPriBridge Twitter chat, details some upcoming events in which I will be participating under the #PubPriBridge banner. If you’re interested in joining the chat—and I hope that you will be—our regular time is Monday evenings at 8:30 ET/5:30 PT. Our next chat, in which we dig into some of the stereotypes and assumptions that can impede this dialogue, will be on February 16.)
#PubPriBridge Goes Live at 2015 NAIS Annual and PSPP Conferences!
We’re excited to announce that #PubPriBridge founders Chris Thinnes, Laura Robertson, and Peter Gow will be taking the PubPriBridge message live on stage at the National Association of Independent Schools 2015 Annual Conference in Boston and at the Private Schools with Public Purpose Conference (PSPP) in San Francisco.
The NAIS session, on Friday, February 27 at 1:30, brings the founders together with Albemarle County (VA) Public Schools superintendent Pam Moran, Washington (DC) Latin Public Charter School principal Diana Smith, and Academy 21 (HI) chief academic officer Karen Aka for an intense, idea-packed hour moderated by NAIS president and longtime education researcher, author, and advocate Dr. John Chubb. The session title is “Sharing Visions: Bring Public and Independent School Educators Together,” and it aspires to fulfill this description:
Independent school educators join public school colleagues in a roundtable on shared practices, common goals, and misconceptions that inhibit our capacity to collaborate. Join us in the spirit of #PubPriBridge, a twitter chat fostering intersector dialogue, to explore the shared voices of independent schools and public schools in the national dialogue about educations.
Register here for the NAIS Conference, which runs from Wednesday, February 25 through 
February 27 and is followed by EdCampIS on Saturday, February 28 at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School.
At PSPP at 10:30am on Saturday, March 14, the crew further explores “Building the Public School-Private School Bridge,” based on this session proposal:
For independent schools to fully achieve their public purpose, partnerships between public and private schools must become more reciprocal, educators from each sector must come together professionally and personally, and dialogue must be fostered to shape the future of schooling for all of our children. The founders of #PubPriBridge, a Twitter chat supporting such connections, will share their perspectives and facilitate dialogue about how to move such partnerships forward — so we can learn from each other’s experiences, connect with a view to future collaborations, and build from a model that sometimes confuses ‘partnership’ with philanthropy. The panelists are experienced independent school educators, with two currently serving in executive roles with organizations committed to cross-sector educational discourse. All share a dedication to the idea that independent schools have an obligation to reconsider their roles and goals in a more equitable and democratic society.
Register here for the PS
PP Conference, which starts on Thursday, March 12 and runs through March 14 at various venues in San Francisco; the #PPB session will be held at San Francisco Friends School.