Madison’s Rick England Moderates World Bank Event for DC Public Schools

Recently, Madison’s Rick England, CFP, Senior Wealth Advisor, was asked to be a moderator on behalf of the England Family Foundation at a prestigious education event held at the World Bank. Along with Rick, the new Chancellor of DC Public Schools, Dr. Lewis Ferebee, participated in the special briefing alongside DC education and youth development funders.

Rick England and DC Public Schools Chancellor, Dr. Lewis Ferebee

Dr. Ferebee shared his vision for DC schools, his immediate and longer-term priorities, and his ideas for how the philanthropic community can continue to partner with DCPS to advance a shared commitment to equitable academic opportunities and outcomes for all DC youth. Following his remarks was a Q & A session with the audience as well as a funders-only debrief and conversation.

The program was hosted by the England Family Foundation, The World Bank Group, and numerous other philanthropy organizations. There were approximately 50 area funders – large and small – at the event.

The event was part of the Chancellor’s “listening tours”, where he hears from constituents and supporters of public education and charter schools. There were a multitude of questions asked during Rick’s moderated session from “Where do charter schools fit into the plans for the city? What is the role of bilingual education in the classroom? Is there support for single-sex high schools for young men and young women of color?” to “What worked and did not work in his previous job as Chancellor of Indianapolis public schools?”

Rick asked the Chancellor about the possible inclusion of financial literacy in the schools. Dr. Ferebee thought it was an excellent question because so many young people come out of school unprepared for the world of work and living with the advent of a new job.

Rick was honored to be a speaker and moderator at this event. These collaborative discussions with community leaders and various foundations / funders mean they are working together to achieve a common goal, in this case, improving the education of DCPS students so that they may reach their full potential.