Update: The March 3 Symposium on Public Education can be streamed here.

The University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) is partnering with the Texas Tribune for two interactive events promoting dialogue on public education. UHD will host The Tribune's "Parent & Educator Forum" on March 2 and "A Symposium on Public Education" on March 3. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Texas Tribune, a nonpartisan and nonprofit media organization, is dedicated to covering state politics and policy issues; engaging the public on those issues, and hosting more than 60 public events annually.

The "Parent & Educator Forum" will feature community roundtable discussions focused on school testing, special education, and school choice. Subject matter experts from UHD's Urban Education Department and the University of Houston's (UH) College of Education will team-up to share

their perspectives on these topics with parents and teachers.

Space for this event is limited, and RSVP is required. For questions or more information on this forum, contact Amanda Zamora at azamora@texastribune.org

March 2: "Parent & Educator Forum: What's next for Texas Public Education?"

6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Milam/Travis Rooms (Third Floor in UHD's Welcome Center)

• Testing: What does a good accountability system for Texas public schools look like?

• Facilitator: Leigh Van Horn, dean of UHD College of Public Service
• Ron Beebe, chair of UHD Urban Education Department
• John Schwartz, associate dean of graduate studies, UH College of Education
• Special Education: After the state stops capping special education, where should the fight for students with disabilities go next?

• Facilitator: Brian M. Rosenthal, state bureau reporter for the Houston Chronicle
• Kim Schoger, UH clinical assistant professor
• Kristi Santi, UH associate professor of education
• Bernardo Pohl, UHD assistant professor of education
• School Choice: How could "private school choice" legislation harm or help students with disabilities?

• Facilitator: Aliyya Swaby,public education reporter for The Texas Tribune
• Anthony Rolle, UH professor of education, leadership and policy Studies
• April Peters-Hawkins, UH associate professor of education, leadership and policy studies

On March 3, The Tribune's "Public Symposium on Public Education" will feature discussions with state policymakers on the issues facing the public education landscape in Texas. A separate RSVP is required for the symposium. For more information or questions on the symposium, contact Agnes Varnum at avarnum@texastribune.org

March 3: "A Symposium on Publication Education"

8 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Wilhelmina Cullen Robertson Auditorium

Academic Building (Third Floor, 201 Girard Street)

Scheduled Symposium Panelists:

State Sen. Larry Taylor, R-Friendswood

State Reps. Harold Dutton, D-Houston, and Dan Huberty, R-Humble

Richard Carranza, superintendent for Houston Independent School District

Robert Scott, former Texas Education Commissioner

Mike Feinberg, co-founder of KIPP Foundation

Deena Hill, executive director of Special Education for Fort Bend Independent School District

Bonnie Garza, special education advocate and attorney

Theresa Treviño, president of the Board of Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment

Randan Steinhauser, policy expert for Texans for Education Opportunity

Jim Walsh, school district attorney for Walsh Gallegos Treviño Russo & Kyle P.C.

Public parking for both events is available in UHD's visitor's garage at 201 Girard Street (at the corner of Travis and Girard streets).

For event updates, visit The Texas Tribune's website.