Sustainable Development and The Environment

March 21-23, 2007
Conservation Thresholds for Land Use Planners
This conference developed standards for science-based planning for biodiversity protection.
Co-Sponsors: Environmental Law Institute, The George Gund Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and The Johnson Foundation.

June 4-6, 2007
Leadership Summit for Sustainable America: Community Development and Climate Change (3rd of 4)
This conference was the third in a series of four and focused on community sustainability goals for the US.
Co-Sponsors: CDM, Lend Lease, and The Johnson Foundation. Additional Sponsors: National Energy Center for Sustainable Communities, Water Environment Federation, HDR, 3M Corporation, Interface Environmental Foundation Inc., National Center for Appropriate Technology, Natural Capitalism Solutions, Inc., and Navigant Consulting.

June 26-28, 2007
Presidential Climate Action Plan - A Real Time Review
The Leadership Summit that is holding four Wingspread conferences developed a presidential action plan on climate change for the 2009 adminstration. Several other key environmental groups are developing similar iniatiatives. This meeting brought representatives from each of these initiatives (along with leaders from policy and business) to review a first draft of the PCAP.
Co-Sponsors: Wirth Chair, University of Colorado at Denver, Natural Capitalism Solutions Inc., Baum Foundation, and The Johnson Foundation.

July 19, 2007
Certification of Family Forests
Co-Sponsors: Forest Stewardship Council-US and The Johnson Foundation.

July 19-21, 2007
Advancing Private Lands Conservation Through Family Forest Certification
As forest certification continues to grow, forestry needs to assure that certification does not become a marketplace barrier for private landowners. By creating a national infrastructure, Alliance participants can enlarge the community of landowners and small businesses practicing responsible forestry.
Co-Sponsors: FSC Family Forests Alliance and The Johnson Foundation with support from Flintridge Foundation, Ford Foundation, Fox Foundation, NewPage Corporation, Potlatch Corporation, Stora Enso US and Verso Paper.

October 1-3, 2007
Leadership Summit for Sustainable America: Building an Action Plan (4th of 4)
This conference was the last in a series of four and consolidated the products of the first three into a set of sustainability goals for the US.
Co-Sponsors: Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc., Global Energy Cetner for Community Sustainability, National Center for Appropriate Technology, Navigant Consulting Inc., 3M Corporation, Water Environment Federation, and The Johnson Foundation.

Education

February 23-25, 2007
United States Public Service Academy
Legislative proposals to establish the U.S. Public Service Academy (modeled after the U.S. Military Academies) have been introduced into both the House and the Senate with bi-partisan support. Conferees have been serving on eight task forces to flesh out the concepts and design for the Academy. This conference allowed representatives from each of the task forces to come together for the first time and integrate the work each task force has been doing.
Co-Sponsors: United States Public Service Academy and The Johnson Foundation.

March 4-5, 2007
New Opportunities for Wisconsin Charter Schools
A Wisconsin legislative study committee will release a report during the 2007 legislative session focused on updating the state�s charter school laws. During the conference charter school leaders from Wisconsin and nationally developed strategies for implementing legislative proposals for the state's charter schools.
Co-Sponsors: Wisconsin Charter Schools Association and The Johnson Foundation.

March 27-28, 2007
Examining Learning Outcomes at Work Colleges
Conferees from multiple sectors (higher education, business, healthcare, government, foundations) examined effective, learning outcomes at select liberal arts colleges that employ alternative work and service-learning models as a formal part of the liberal arts curriculum. Central questions for discussion are "How do work, community engagement, and service-learning as a formal part of the curriculum support a liberal arts education?" "What basic preparation is required for college graduates as future community and civic leaders entering the modern workforce?"
Co-Sponsors: Housing Assistance Council, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Work Colleges Consortium, and The Johnson Foundation.

April 16-17, 2007
Reframing the Debate About Education Strategy
This conference brought together a select group of national education policy leaders to launch an initiative to reframe the country�s debate about education strategy. At the moment, critically-important matters remain outside the discussion: the need to focus on motivating students and teachers, the potential of information technology in learning, the opportunities in state legislation to create fundamentally different schools and the question of whether the traditional system is economically sustainable � even in the fairly near term. This meeting is particularly timely with the upcoming reauthorization of the federal �No Child Left Behind� initiative. Conference papers were distributed in advance of the meeting to help focus the dialogue while encouraging new and original thinking.
Co-Sponsors: Education/Evolving, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and The Johnson Foundation.

June 8-10, 2007
Leadership and Diversity in the Academic Community Joint Meeting With Medicine, Dentistry, & Law
Since an initial meeting at Wingspread in 2004 a Consortium of P-20 educators, the bench, and the bar, committed to working across the educational continuum to improve the participation, persistence, and success of diverse students in high school and college, have met six times and produced an action plan and an impressive number of papers and presentations as well as substantial inreases in the numbers of law schools involved. The goal of the group is to enhance these students’ aspirations and capacity for civic engagement and leadership. This conference extended their work and engage the fields of medicine and dentistry who have a longer track record in pipeline work.
Co-Sponsors: Amercian Dental Education Association, Association of American Medical Colleges, The Wingspread P20 Consortium, and The Johnson Foundation.

June 13-14, 2007
Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges
The six institutions have been involved in a project facilitated by the Teagle Foundation to improve assessment of student learning. Through this project opportunities for cooperation that address the purposes of enriched learning and increased efficiency have occurred. This conference, with directed conversations on the advantages and disadvantages of work in consortium, identified areas for further collaboration and shared activity.
Co-Sponsors: Alma College, Augustana College, Gustavus Adolphus College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Luther College, Washington & Jefferson College, Wittenberg University, The Teagle Foundation, and The Johnson Foundation.

June 22-24, 2007
Quantitative Literacy and Its Implications for Teacher Education
This conference integrated national discussions on teacher education and quantitative literacy. Increased demands for quantitative literacy among U.S. citizens, increased knowledge of how people learn, and concerns about quantitative skills of American students and their teachers make this a timely and important topic. Conferees reached consensus on how best to educate for quantitative literacy; explore the use of research on best practices for teaching and learning in science and mathematics; document experiences with innovative approaches to teaching and learning quantitative literacy and identify research topics about the education of teachers and quantitative literacy education.
Co-Sponsors: Mathematical Association of America's Preparing Mathematicians to Education Teachers (PMET) Project funded by the National Science Foundation and The Johnson Foundation.

September 14-16, 2007
Electrifying the Network: Next Steps for the Higher Education Network for Community Engagement
This conference was a follow-up to one held in 2006 involving representatives of over 30 national higher education organizations involved in community engagement. The conference extended the work completed since 2006 and established action goals for 2007-08. The objectives established at the prior conference have been achieved and a longer term stategic plan for the collaboration was needed to extend their work.
Co-Sponsors: The Higher Education Network for Community Engagement and The Johnson Foundation.

September 18-20, 2007
Using Research to Improve Outcomes for Young Children: Challenges, Strategies, and Effective Action
NAEYC is the leading organization focusing on the education of young children and accredits programs which meet it’s high standards. This conference brought together researchers and practitioners to identify and develop effective new ways to generate and use research to improve young children’s development and learning. With the dramatic increase in attention to the expansion of pre-kindergarten programs for 3 and 4 year olds, the need to bring what is learned through research to bear on the delivery of education programs is a high need.
Co-Sponsors: National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), and The Johnson Foundation.

October 7-9, 2007
Student Migration Patterns In and Out of STEM Fields--Part 1
Participants examined student cohort data from participating institutions, reviewed and synthesized information about student migration and designed an interview protocol for use with students. Data resulting from this conference will inform the second to be held in Jan 2008.
Co-Sponsors: Washington University in St. Louis, Swarthmore College, and The Johnson Foundation.

October 18-20, 2007
Community and Technical Colleges Building Sustainable Local and World Community for the 21st Century and Beyond
Conferees included 42 Community Collge Presidents, faculty and senior officials from 16 colleges and several of their community partners. These college leaders have crafted a vision for a Continuous Quality Improvement Network (CQIN) through which they work together to build sustainable communities. At this conference participants identified implications for restructuring their institutions to achieve the vision; created plans for operating a shared innovations laboratory; and established a timeline for implementing their multi-year startegy.
Co-Sponsors: Continuous Quality Improvement Network Vision Implementation Project, Grand Rapids Community College, and The Johnson Foundation.

October 22-24, 2007
20/20: Clarifying a Vision for Quality Teaching
2007 is the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards. Since it’s founding the organization has developed rigorous standards and assessment processes for certifying accomplished teachers. Over 47,000 teachers have achieved national certification in 24 fields. This conference focused on the extent to which the original goals of the organization have been achieved, identified areas of opportunity and change and identified strategies and actions to leverage those areas.
Co-Sponsors: National Board for Professional Teaching Standards and The Johnson Foundation.

October 30-November 1, 2007
Induction of Science and Mathematics Teachers Into Professional Learning Communities
Conferees identified strategies for stemming the teacher turnover in mathematics and science.
Co-Sponsors: National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, National Science Foundation, and The Johnson Foundation.

November 7-10, 2007
Partnerships to Engage Diverse Communities in STEM Fields
Participants included minority scientists from a variety of colleges and universities and professional societies and NASA who have participated in a 8-year effort to bring members of diverse communities into Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. This conference focused on partnership programs undertaken to engage youth from a variety of cultural backgrounds in science. Participants drew upon their experiences with NASA funded partnerships in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of these efforts, defined strategies for sustaining cross-cultural collaborations and designed a framework for a multi-tiered plan for continued work.
Co-Sponsors: DePaul University Space Science Center for Education and Ourtreach, NASA's Science Mission Directorate, and The Johnson Foundation.

Democracy and Community, Family

January 16-17, 2007
Coordinating Strategies for Paid Family Leave
Achieving a minimum standard of family paid sick days is the next battleground for working families. Local and state initiatives have demonstrated that there is clear momentum around this issue, and the results of the recent election means that the policy climate is much more favorable. This meeting of 30-35 carefully selected participants assessed current efforts and developed a more coordinated strategy.
Co-Sponsors: National Partnership for Women & Families, Multi-State Working Families Consortium, The Ford Foundation, and The Johnson Foundation.

January 23-24, 2007
Young Voter Strategies: Solidifying Gains
Pollsters know that if you get someone to vote in three consecutive elections, they will be voters for life. In 2004, voting rates for young people went up significantly. A Wingspread Conference in 2005 analysed the 2004 to develop strategies for 2006. This meeting analyzed the 2006 elections, in order to focus on 2008 and complete the cycle of three.
Co-Sponsors: Young Voter Strategies, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and The Johnson Foundation.

February 15, 2007
Domestic Violence and Family Courts
Domestic violence is an extremely volatile issue, especially in the context of family courts. Victim advocates see the issue as cut and dried; they typically demand that the father be removed from the picture. But things are often not that simple. Some violence is episodic and the best interests of the child may not be best served by such a zero-tolerance policy. This meeting brought together both sides to talk about whether a more nuanced approach is possible.
Co-Sponsors: Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and The Johnson Foundation.

March 1-2, 2007
Milwaukee County Food Share Summit
Milwaukee is the 7th poorest city in America. Yet cumbersome application and reporting requirements mean that thousands of Milwaukee residents who are eligible for food stamps are not signed up. The food stamp program involves federal, state, and county government. This summit brought all parties together to upgrade services and improve efficiency.
Co-Sponsors: The Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee Country, Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation, and The Johnson Foundation

March 7-9, 2007
Contributions of U.S. Food & Agricultural Policy to the Obesity Epidemic: Opportunities & Recommendations
The Farm Bill is a huge, omnibus bill that comes up for reauthorization in 2007. Several items within the bill directly impact what kinds of foods are grown and marketed to American consumers. In short, think corn and soybeans; not fruits and vegetables. Convenors of this conference argued that a better bill could help with the crisis of child obesity. They used this conference to develop strategies for dealing with the upcoming debate.
Co-Sponsors: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, W. K. Kellogg Foundation , and The Johnson Foundation.

April 19-20, 2007
Disproportionate Minority Contact: Young People and the Law
Black and Native American youth have experiences with every branch of law enforcement (police, judges, and jails) far above what their percentage of the population would justify. In 2002, following a Congressional mandate, six Wisconsin communities (including Milwaukee and Racine) developed projects to understand and address this problem. To date, none of these projects have shown much success. This meeting sought to account for these failures, develop a coordinated plan for the future, and to get buy-in from the judges in each of the six communities. Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson was keynote.
Co-Sponsors: Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance and The Johnson Foundation.

April 26-28, 2007
The Declaration of our Generation: A Strategy for Mobilizing Young Voters
In 2004, foundations spent a lot of money to increase youth voting. The next step is to move past that effort to help young people emerge as a potent constituency group. This meeting assessed strategies for mobilizing young people developed for the 2006 campaign, and identified issues and strategies for 2008.
Co-Sponsors: The CASE Foundation, Corfu Foundation, The Marston Family, Mobilize.org, and The Johnson Foundation.

May 18-19, 2007
Young People, Climate Change and the 2008 Campaign
This meeting brought together 25 young activists and organizers around the issue of climate change. These young people want to increase their visibility, clout, and collaboration as the nation starts to ramp up for the 2008 campaign. The purpose of this meeting was to bring these young people in conversation with people who know campaigns, and can help them meet their objectives.
Co-Sponsors: Brico Fund LLC, Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and The Johnson Foundation with support from Energy Action Coalition.

May 21-23, 2007
National Healthy Marriage Resource Center: Developing A Vision For The Future
This is the first of four scheduled conferences that will serve the National Healthy Marriage Initiative. This meeting brought together key leaders in the community to develop a long-term vision for research on how to dvelop and sustain healthy marriages.
Co-Sponsors: Public Strategies.

June 18-20, 2007
Social Work: Future of the Profession
There are now 9 major social work preofessional organizations. All acknowledge that this balkanization has undermined the profession, and ultimately the quality of service. This meeting brought together representatives from all 9 organizations to define a common research and education agenda for the future.
Co-Sponsors: Council on Social Work Education and The Johnson Foundation.

September 10-11, 2007
Funding Strategies for a Broader, Integrated Democracy Agenda
While interest and support around issues of civic engagement have increased over the past few years, almost of all of that work focuses on one specific issue: campaign finance, voting rights for ex-felons and the like. A group of funders believe that a more coordinated approach to funding and to democratic work could produce better outcomes. Funders are loathe to change anything about how they operate, but there is solid interest in this project.
Co-Sponsors: Proteus Fund, The Funders' Committee for Civic Participation, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement, and The Johnson Foundation.

September 24-26, 2007
Launching a National Conversation About Marriage
For young adults (ages 20-30, including some who are married, some who have children but are not married, and some who are not yet even thinking about it), the question of how a couple develops and sustains a healthy marriage is useful, but not readily available information. This conference began a discussion of how to reach young people that helps them think through this question.
Co-Sponsors: Public Strategies, Inc. and The Johnson Foundation.

November 16-18, 2007
Youth Participation in Public Policy
In order to combat youth civic disengagement, some people are trying to involve young people in local politics. There are now enough examples out there to assess what is working best and develop a template for other municipalities. That was the goal of this conference.
Co-Sponsors: Michigan Youth and Community Program, School of Social Work, and Gerald Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, and Surdna Foundation.

Wingspread Briefings and Local Events

February 13, 2007
Public Schooling in Racine: A Comparative Analysis - Year 9
The Public Policy Forum reported for the 9th year on performance of the Racine Unified School District in comparison to nine comparable school districts in Wisconsin.
Co-Sponsors: Education Racine, Inc. and The Johnson Foundation.

March 31, 2007
The Vision of a Parochial High School in 2020
Co-Sponsors: Racine Dominican Sisters and The Johnson Foundation.

May 8, 2007
Leadership Racine
Participants in the 2006-2007 Leadership Racine program reported on projects conducted throughout the year.
Co-Sponsors: RAMAC and The Johnson Foundation.

June 2, 2007
Public Art Preview Event: Pirate Party at Wingspread
The event previewed this summer's downtown public art display. Seventy-six lighthouses, artfully decorated by local and regional artists, were on display.
Co-Sponsors: Downtown Racine Corporation and The Johnson Foundation.

October 4, 2007
Photovoltaic System Reception
To showcase the Johnson Foundation's Photovoltaic (PV) System and share our commitment to renewable energy and socially responsible business practices.
Co-Sponsors: The Johnson Foundation.

October 15, 2007
Wingspread Collection XVIII
Since 1989, The Johnson Foundation has displayed at our offices artwork created by students from the Racine Unified School District to recognize and encourage their creative talents and their teachers. We hold a formal reception and tour at the opening of the exhibit.
Co-Sponsors: The Johnson Foundation.

November 14, 2007
Briefing: Public Schooling in Racine: A Comparative Analysis - Year 10
This briefing provided an annual objective review of the performance of Racine's public schools according to multiple measures and tracks progress over time.
Co-Sponsors: Education Racine, Inc and The Johnson Foundation.

December 12, 2007
Next Generation Now
This event provided an opportunity for the Racine community to learn about the needs of young children and a program that serves them well.
Co-Sponsors: Next Generation Now and The Johnson Foundation.

December 13-14, 2007
Great Lakes Mayors
Co-Sponsors: City of Racine and The Johnson Foundation.