FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brookline High School Innovation Fund Presents:
What School Could Be – A Conversation About the Intersection of Education and Innovation with
Author and Innovation Expert Ted Dintersmith
WBUR’s Meghna Chakrabarti to Moderate this Free Community Event
September 20, 2018, 7:00-9:00 pm

BROOKLINE, Mass., August 9, 2018 – Brookline High School (BHS) Innovation Fund today announced it will host a conversation with innovation expert and former venture capitalist Ted Dintersmith, author of the new book, What School Could Be: Insights and Inspiration from Teachers Across America. The book offers an inspiring account of teachers in ordinary circumstances doing extraordinary things, showing what leads to powerful learning in classrooms, and how to empower teachers to make it happen. Moderated by WBUR’s Meghna Chakrabarti, the thought-provoking conversation will delve into how teachers can change the education system in creative, compelling and practical ways to positively impact students and better prepare them to succeed in the innovation economy and serve as responsible, contributing citizens.

The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held in Brookline High School’s auditorium (115 Greenough Street in Brookline, Mass.) on Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 7:00-9:00 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. A reception will immediately follow the program. To register for the event, please visit here.

“I am incredibly excited for Ted Dintersmith to visit Brookline High School this September,” said Anthony Meyer, headmaster of Brookline High School. “As we celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Innovation Fund, it makes sense to pause and push ourselves to think about the purposes of school, and how we can better develop students’ skills, agency, and knowledge that is both deep and retained. Ted Dintersmith’s What School Could Be builds on the most sacred relationship in schools: student and teacher. He shines the light on deep, meaningful learning that helps prepare young people for continued education and, more importantly, the broader world in which we live.”

Published in April 2018, What School Could Be captures the common elements of the powerful learning experiences that teachers across the U.S. are creating in their classrooms, and the ways leaders are changing schools at scale by establishing the conditions that let teachers and students thrive. During the 2015-2016 school year, Mr. Dintersmith took an unprecedented trip across America, traveling to all 50 states and visiting approximately 200 schools. As he traveled, he met innovative teachers all across the country — teachers doing extraordinary things in ordinary settings, creating innovative classrooms where children learn deeply and joyously. Each day, these students are engaged and inspired by their teachers, who in turn help children develop purpose, agency, essential skill sets and mind-sets, and deep knowledge. The insights of these teachers offer a vision of what school could be, and a model for how to help schools achieve it. The event is presented by the Brookline High School Innovation Fund, an incubator for new ideas that fosters success for all students by supporting academic innovation at BHS. Founded in 1998 as the 21st Century Fund, the Innovation Fund’s mission is to empower the BHS faculty and community by fostering a culture of innovation and supporting the development of new ideas and initiatives that will enable students to thrive in the new economy.

“Bringing Ted Dintersmith to Brookline is yet another example of the commitment the Innovation Fund has to the Brookline High School’s students and teachers,” said Andrew Bott, superintendent of the Public Schools of Brookline. “Year in and year out, the Fund benefits BHS students by helping to unleash the innovation and creativity within our teachers in a way that has long lasting impact.”

The BHS Innovation Fund invests in new courses, programs, forums and research that help administrators and faculty continue to deliver excellence in an evolving world. Working with BHS faculty and Town of Brookline administration, the Innovation Fund supports the design and implementation of forward-thinking ideas introduced by BHS faculty through a formal grant proposal process. Grants are vetted by both BHS administrators and the Innovation Funds’ board of directors. After a three-year testing and evaluation period, successful investments in new courses may become permanently funded by the Town of Brookline.

About Ted Dintersmith
Ted Dintersmith, PhD, is a change agent, philanthropist, author and documentary film producer, focused on issues at the intersection of education, innovation and democracy. In addition to authoring What School Could Be, he is the co-author of Most Likely to Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for an Innovation Age. He funded and produced the documentary film Most Likely to Succeed, which received critical acclaim and premiered at numerous film festivals, including the Sundance Film Festival. He was also the executive producer of The Hunting Ground, a film about sexual assault on college campuses. From 1996-2015, Mr. Dintersmith served as general partner of Charles River Venture Partners in Cambridge, Mass. In 2012, he was appointed by President Barack Obama to represent the US at the UN General Assembly, where he focused on global education issues, collaborating with UNICEF, the UN Foundation, and the Secretary General’s Office of the UN. He received his PhD in Engineering from Stanford University.

Event Details
What: BHS Innovation Fund Presents: What School Could Be: A Conversation About the Intersection of Education and Innovation with Author and Innovation Expert Ted Dintersmith
When: Thursday, September 20, 2018, at 7:00-9:00 p.m. (Doors open at 6:30 pm)
Where: Brookline High School Auditorium, 115 Greenough Street, Brookline, MA
Reception to immediately follow in the BHS Atrium
Transportation: MBTA: BHS is located at the Brookline Hills MBTA subway stop on the Green Line “D”
Parking: On street parking is available
Admission: Free and open to the public
Registration: Registration is recommended. Click here.

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Media Contacts:
Michele Rozen: 617-953-2214
Mara Littman: 617-304-9488
Email: bhsinnovationfund@psbma.org

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