PHILADELPHIA — Three panelists from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education will host a discussion at the 2011 Albert M. Greenfield Memorial Lecture, “Mandates, Models and Methods, Oh My!: A Strategic Look at the Essential Components of Early Childhood Education,” Wednesday, April 27, 4-5:30 p.m. at the Annenberg Public Policy Center, 202 S. 36th St.

Vivian Gadsden and Paul McDermott, professors in Penn GSE, along with John DeFlaminis, the executive director of the Penn Center for Educational Leadership, will discuss practical lessons learned from a large-scale study of the Evidence-based Program for the Integration of Curricula (EPIC).

Jerlean Daniel, the executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, is the keynote speaker and will address the overall challenges confronting early childhood education.  She will also address the need to enhance the quality of education’s strategic components, including assessment, curriculum, family involvement and professional development.

Lecture convener John Fantuzzo, the Albert M. Greenfield Professor of Human Relations said, “We are delighted to have one of our nation’s leading advocates for the well-being of young children speak to us about the early childhood educational system we need to put in place to enable every child to be successful.”

The lecture is free and open to the public.  A reception will follow