Latin School of Chicago

is winter Head of School Randall Dunn invited Diana Rauner, president of e Ounce of Prevention and First Lady of Illinois, for a conversation with a group of Latin parents about the critical impact of quality early childhood education in Chicago and elsewhere. "We have a fundamental human capital problem in our city, in our country and in our state that we cannot address at the back end," Rauner told the group, arguing that children who are not getting the nurturing, care and engagement they need are already at a huge disadvantage before they even start school. Rauner's provocative comments sparked a rich dialogue about the achievement gap in Chicago and how Latin, its students and families can support initiatives like e Ounce of Prevention to strengthen early childhood programming for low-income families. e discussion was part of a series of parent meetings, titled Conversations with the Head, that Dunn has been hosting since 2014 to coincide with the school's work on priorities outlined in its most recent strategic plan. His goal was to connect with parents about topics that are on his mind as he thinks about the future of Latin and the world students will encounter once they graduate. "It is about having parents engage in fruitful conversation around topics that pertain to changes that are going on in our society and our city that will have an impact on their kids' lives," Dunn said. To help him facilitate the conversations, Dunn reaches out to experts in the Latin community and friends of the school. Parents have had the opportunity to talk with social media entrepreneur Marc Landsberg about the working world Latin students will experience in the future. ey have engaged with the Rev. Dr. John Buchanan about how the ways of building a community have changed as young people have embraced technology. Hyatt Hotels Corporation CEO Mark Hoplamazian shared his conviction that cultivating empathy in students is essential to their success. Latin's Director of College Counseling Elizabeth Pleshette encouraged a healthy perspective on the college process. And author and media personality Rick Kogan '69 discussed the past and future of the city of Chicago. Most recently, Rabbi Michael Moskowitz, a personal friend of Dunn's, inspired a thoughtful sharing of ideas about finding spirituality in education. To keep the conversation format, each meeting is limited to 40 people, and parents are provided with a list of resources pertaining to the topic as a follow up. "ere is so much shifting in education and in our world right now that if we are going to shift the culture of the school to be looking forward to what the world is going to be like for our students, it is incumbent on parents to be a part of that work," said Dunn. e conversations provide a starting point for parents to delve further into the issues. Often they are also a starting point for Dunn. "Usually the topics are things that I have been thinking about," Dunn said. "But I always come away with some new insight, something I want to learn more about or an idea that I want to implement." Around School It is about having parents engage in fruitful conversation around topics that pertain to changes that are going on in our society and our city." — Randall Dunn, Head of School News & Notes Around School 8

• Cover