Patch to Live Blog Education Forum

I plan to live blog at the held at the hall this Friday, starting at 12:30 p.m.

I'll be using Cover It Live, a multimedia tool that allows me to easily and instantly post text, video or photos on what's occurring at the meeting. It also gives you, the reader, a chance to interact with me by asking questions or sending responses to what I post — think online "chat room."

However, I think this tool will come in most handy during the forum's "Q & A" portion. If you have questions you'd like me to ask the speakers, go ahead and message them to me on the blog and I'll see if I can get them answered.

Compared to e-mails, Facebook messages or updating an actual Patch article post, this new method makes posting-on-the-go more convenient and faster. It will be your one-stop-interactive-shop to the event being covered.

How to Access Friday's Live-Blog:

A Patch article will be posted on the site before the meeting. After going into that article, you'll see an embedded window with the event name. Wait for it to finish loading. You should then see what is being posted (live!) during the meeting, with the most recent posts at the bottom of the window.

More About the Forum:

"The Federal Role in Pre-K to 12 Education—too little, just right, too much?” is the topic for the kick-off luncheon forum.

Co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters Eden Area (LWVEA) and the American Association of University Women — Castro Valley-Hayward Branch (AAUW), the forum will feature three education panelists who will discuss what the federal role in education was and is now. They'll also talk about common core standards and testing, equity and financial issues.

The speakers include: Jo Loss, board member and former state PTA president; Dr. Dennis Byas, superintendent of the ; and Fernando Yanez, principal of Longwood Elementary of the Hayward School District, who was recently commended for his school’s significant improvement in test scores.

Registration for the forum begins at 11:30 a.m. with lunch at noon. The panelists are scheduled to speak at 12:30 p.m. and the "Q & A" portion starts at 1:15 p.m.

The cost of lunch is $15, paid at the door. There is no charge for people who would like to attend the program only.

Everyone is asked to RSVP to Suzanne at 538-9678 or by email to suzbarba@comcast.net.

Information about the event can also be found at the LWVEA website.