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Duke Arts Presents

Public Conversation: The Civilians & School Choice

Monday, October 2, 2017 | 12:00 pm


Nationally renowned educational policy experts Helen “Sunny” Ladd and Thomas Nechyba (both of Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy and Department of Economics) discuss the school choice debate in North Carolina and the trend toward privatization in the US public education system more broadly.

The event coincides with the residency of NY-based investigative theater company The Civilians, who return to Duke to continue developing their new play on the charter school movement in North Carolina. Moderated by Obie-winning playwright Ethan Lipton.

Monday, October 2, 12-1:15PM
Forum for Scholars and Publics, Duke University
011 Old Chem, West Campus
Free and open to the pubic
Free catered lunch provided

The Civilians’ residency will culminate in a workshop reading of their new play, School Project, at Motorco Music Hall in downtown Durham on the evening of Wednesday, October 4. Info and tickets available HERE.

Participant Bios:

Helen F. Ladd is the Susan B. King Professor Emeritus of Public Policy Studies and professor of economics at Duke University’s Sanford School of Public Policy.  Her education research focuses on school finance and accountability, teacher labor markets, school choice, and early childhood programs.  With colleagues at Duke University and UNC, she has used rich longitudinal administrative data from North Carolina to study school segregation, teacher labor markets, teacher quality, charter schools, and early childhood programs. She is the co-author or co-editor of 12 books, including Holding Schools Accountable: Performance-Based Reform in Education (Brookings Institution, 1996); The Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy (2008 and second edition 2015); books on school reform in New Zealand and South Africa; and a forthcoming book entitled, Educational Goods, Values, Evidence and Decision Making.

Thomas Nechyba is Professor of Economics and Public Policy, and director of the Social Science Research Institute at Duke University. In addition to his extensive research on public finance and fiscal federalism, his studies have focused on the economics behind primary and secondary education. His investigations into these issues have been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Lincoln Institute for Land Policy, the Spencer Foundation, the Hoover Institution, and the New Zealand Ministry of Education, the latter for a study on “The Impact of Family and Community Resources on Education Outcomes.” Nechyba has also received support from the Center for Economic Policy Research for various projects concerning education and welfare policy. In addition to his individual research pursuits, Professor Nechyba is also a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Ethan Lipton is an acclaimed, NY-based playwright, songwriter, and performer. His produced plays include Tumacho, Red-Handed Otter, Luther, Goodbye April Hello May, 100 Aspects of the Moon and Meat. His Obie-Award winning musical No Place to Go was produced by the Public Theater in Joe’s Pub and has been presented in more than 20 cities across the US and UK. Ethan is an alum of the Public’s Emerging Writers Group, a Clubbed Thumb associate artist, and a Playwrights Realm Page One fellow. He has received grants and commissions from NYFA, Clubbed Thumb, Playwrights Horizons, True Love Productions, MTC, the Public, the Civilians and Barrington Stage.

Co-sponsored by the Forum for Scholars and Publics and the Program in Education at Duke University.