Geoffrey Canada to speak on ‘Promise of Charter Schools’

Education advocate Geoffrey Canada, a nationally recognized figure for his pioneering work in helping children and families in Harlem, will address “The Promise of Charter Schools” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 10, in Baker Hall in the Zoellner Arts Center.

Canada, who is prominently featured in the 2010 documentary Waiting for ‘Superman,’ will be speaking at Lehigh as part of the 2015 Distinguished Lecture Series hosted by the College of Education. The presentation will include a question-and-answer segment with COE Dean Gary Sasso.

Canada was president of Harlem Children’s Zone, which The New York Times Magazine called “one of the most ambitious social experiments of our time,” for 25 years. In 1997, the agency launched the Harlem Children’s Zone Project, which provides educational, social and medical services to children in a targeted area of central Harlem.

Drawing upon his own childhood experiences and those at the Zone, Canada wrote Fist Stick Knife Gun: A Personal History of Violence in America and Reaching Up for Manhood: Transforming the Lives of Boys in America.

Canada’s talk is part of the College of Education’s ongoing exploration of the issue of school reform. In an effort to find common ground in the often polarizing debate, the College earlier this year hosted education activist Diane Ravitch, a staunch supporter of public education.

Tickets for the Canada presentation are $15 and on sale at the Zoellner Box Office. The presentation is open to the public. For more information, visit lehigh.edu/canada