How can urban school districts and educators help the communities they serve get counted in the 2020 Census? That question will be the focus of the Council of the Great City Schools’ national town hall meeting on October 24 in Louisville, Ky., taking place in conjunction with the Council’s 63^rd Annual Fall Conference.

Data collected from the U.S. Census Bureau is used to guide how an estimated $880 billion a year in federal tax revenue for public services, such as schools, is distributed to local communities across the nation. With this crucial funding at stake, it is critical for urban school districts to reach out to the residents of their communities and encourage universal participation in the 2020 Census survey.

The town hall meeting, which every year focuses on an issue of the day in urban education, will be moderated by Hansi Lo Wang, an NPR national correspondent who covers the people, power and money behind the 2020 census for Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, hourly newscasts, and NPR.org. Wang recently received the Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award from the American Statistical Association for covering census preparations and the legal battle over the now-blocked citizenship question.

The 90-minute town hall will feature these panelists:

Deborah Lee Stein, Network Director for Partnership for America’s Children, is a nationally recognized child advocate who is passionate about improving children’s lives through better public policy.

Antonio Plascencia Jr., Interim Director for the Office of Parent & Community Services for the Los Angeles Unified School District, works to inform and empower families to make good decisions on college, career and life readiness.

Kathryn Block, Chief of Communications and External Relations for the School District of Philadelphia, oversees the district’s internal and external communications, media relations, social media, web presence, marketing campaigns, and content development strategy.

Lizette Escobedo, Director of National Census Program at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, leads national efforts to ensure a full count among Latino hard-to-count populations.

Trent Mosley, Chief of Engagement in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, leads a division that comprises these departments: Family and Community Engagement, Communications, School Choice & Enrollment, Customer Experience, and Policy Liaison.

Jeri Green, Senior Advisor for the 2020 Census for the National Urban League, spearheads the organization’s 2020 Census strategy development and census initiatives.

Michelle Elison, Partnership Specialist with the Philadelphia Regional Census Center of the U.S. Census Bureau, is charged with improving participation in the 2020 Census by forming partnerships through Complete Count Committees in Kentucky.

The  Council’s national town hall meeting will be streamed live at https://youtu.be/g8tZhaCi7ig  on Oct. 25 at 2:30 p.m., EDT.

The national town hall meeting will be the pinnacle event of the Council’s 63^rd Annual Fall Conference, hosted by Jefferson County Public Schools. The conference will also feature 2019 National Teacher of the Year Rodney Robinson, former presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett and historian and best-selling author Jon Meacham. 

Click the i to read the photo captions.