Professor Emerita of Education Carol Smith Witherell receives City Club award

Carol Smith Witherell, Professor Emerita of Education, was recently awarded the Annual Award for Outstanding Service to City Club in recognition of her work as co-chair of a series of evening forums this winter titled “Schools Making a Difference: Portraits of Excellence, Engagement, and Equity.”

Spread over 4 evenings, the series included portraits of successful, innovative schools and classrooms from the greater Portland region to Portland, Maine; Finland; China; and India.

While the education models differed, students in these schools were excited about learning and actively involved in team-based real world projects–often extending these into their communities, with frequent use of technology and the arts across the curriculum.

Films were followed by presentations by a panel of educators, students, and community leaders; student performances; and dialogues between audience participants and panelists.

The forum was designed to recognize and celebrate the excellent work of these educators and students with discussions of how their schools might serve as models to bring to scale in educational reform efforts.

Witherell and her co-chair of City Club’s Education committee are planning a fall forum on “Educating for Global Citizenship in the 21st Century.”