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Since 2008, the Baltimore Curriculum Project (BCP) has convened local and national experts through the Leading Minds Symposium— a dynamic forum designed to spark meaningful conversations about the pressing issues facing Baltimore City students. By bringing together educators, policymakers, and thought leaders, Leading Minds fosters collaboration that shapes policy and drives real change in K-12 education.

Beyond the Status Quo

At Leading Minds, we don’t shy away from tough conversations. We challenge conventional wisdom, embrace the complexity of education policy, and push beyond quick fixes to identify lasting solutions. Through open dialogue and shared expertise, we strive to create a stronger, more equitable future for Baltimore’s students.

2026 Leading Minds

Our next symposium will take place on Friday, February 6, 2026.

The theme will be “30 Years of Learning: Reflecting on the Past to Shape the Future of Education.”

We’re excited to share details about our upcoming event! Check back here for updates, including the full list of presenters and speakers as they are announced. Stay tuned for more information on how to attend and get involved.

Past Topics

February 6, 2026

30 Years of Learning: Reflecting on the Past to Shape the Future of Education 

February 13, 2025

Adapting to a Changing World: Tackling Chronic Absenteeism and Reinventing Parent Engagement and Community Schools Post-Pandemic 

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January 26, 2024

Exploring the impact of social media on students’ mental health and academic outcomes

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January 23, 2023

Violence Prevention and the role of the school

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January 25, 2019

Educating the Whole Child

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February 17, 2017

The adolescent literacy crisis in America 

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October 8, 2014

Cure for the Common Core: Teaching Content Knowledge and the Common Core Standards

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September 26, 2013

Ready to Teach: Preparing New Teachers for the Classroom

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September 27, 2012

How to Evaluate and Support Great Teachers

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The U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top Initiative required states to create teacher and principal evaluation systems that assessed effectiveness through multiple rating categories, incorporating student growth data as a key factor. This approach, which linked evaluations to standardized test scores, intensified the national debate on how to measure and reward teacher performance. To address this, the Baltimore Curriculum Project, Loyola University Maryland School of Education, and Urbanite Magazine hosted a discussion on evaluation strategies such as value-added measures, performance pay, and Peer Assisted Review. Panelists Dr. Andy Hargreaves, Doug Prouty, and Dr. Robert W. Simmons III explored these topics, with The Marc Steiner Show host Marc Steiner moderating.

September 22, 2011

The Impact of Poverty on Education

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Poverty has a significant negative impact on education, contributing to barriers that hinder academic achievement. Despite this, many educational leaders have overlooked these effects, often citing limitations like “you can’t fix the parents” as excuses for inaction. While poverty alone isn’t an excuse for school failure, ignoring its role in creating learning obstacles is unacceptable.

To address these challenges, initiatives such as community schools, children’s zones, and wraparound services are gaining traction. These approaches emphasize that both effective teaching and comprehensive support services are vital, particularly in high-poverty areas, to improve educational outcomes.

We explored this issue with Peter C. Murrell, Jr., Ph.D. (Professor of Urban Education, Loyola University Maryland School of Education); Jane Quinn (Vice President and Director of the National Center for Community Schools, Children’s Aid Society); and Heather B. Weiss, Ph.D. (Founder and Director of the Harvard Family Research Project). Marc Steiner, host of The Marc Steiner Show on WEAA 88.9 FM, moderated the discussion.

May 27, 2010

Diane Ravitch’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System

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Diane Ravitch is Research Professor of Education at New York University, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and former Assistant Secretary of Education. Her best-selling, new book, The Death and Life of the Great American School System, is a passionate plea to preserve and renew public education and a radical change of heart from one of America’s best-known education experts. Drawing on over forty years of research and experience, Ravitch critiques today’s most popular ideas for restructuring schools including privatization, standardized testing and punitive accountability. She shows conclusively why the business model is not an appropriate way to improve schools. Using examples from major cities like New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Denver and San Diego, Ravitch makes the case that public education today is in peril.

September 17, 2009

The unintended consequences of high-stakes testing under No Child Left Behind

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The disucssion featured Daniel Koretz, Professor at Harvard School of Education and author of Measuring Up: What Educational Testing Really Tells Us, and Brian Jacob, Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan. The panel explored perspectives on high-stakes testing under NCLB, addressing issues such as the limits of testing, the true effects of high-stakes tests on learning, and their unintended consequences, including score inflation, narrowing curricula, and impacts on dropout rates. They also examined the appropriate role of testing in school assessments and discussed alternative approaches to student and school evaluation, considering the broader implications of high-stakes testing on the education system.

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Adapting to a Changed World: Tackling Chronic Absenteeism and Reinventing Parent Engagement and Community Schools Post-Pandemic.
February 13, 2025

With 49% of Baltimore City Public Schools students missing 10% or more school days in the 2023-24 school year, the symposium focused on innovative strategies to reengage families, strengthen community partnerships, and ensure students are in school, ready to learn and thrive. A distinguished panel—including Dr. Josh Michael, Dr. Deborah Brooks, Larry Simmons, and Mark Gaither—led a thought-provoking discussion on solutions to address absenteeism and improve student outcomes. The event provided valuable insights, practical takeaways, and a renewed commitment to tackling this critical issue.

Access the Program Here

Matt Hornbeck
Matt Hornbeck has served nearly two decades as the principal at Hampstead Hill Academy, among the highest performing elementary/middle schools in Baltimore City. HHA is a diverse, neighborhood, conversion charter serving 920 PreK-8 grade students.
Principal Hornbeck helped design Fair Student Funding and was a member of the collective bargaining team that negotiated a performance-based teacher’s contract. He has worked as a consultant to urban districts on resource allocation and professional development, a senior associate on Capitol Hill with a project to improve high poverty schools, an elementary school teacher, a program assistant at The Children’s Defense Fund, and an undergraduate admissions officer. He holds a bachelor¹s degree from Bowdoin College, a Master’s in Educational Administration from Temple University, and a law degree from the University of Maryland.
Mr. Hornbeck is a graduate of City Schools, as are his children. He is interested in correcting the systemic undercounting of low-income immigrant students, moving students from learning to read to reading to learn, increasing daily science and math minutes in the schedule, robust arts programming, and using restorative practices to develop the emotional intelligence of students and staff. Mr. Hornbeck lives in Baltimore City. His brother is a principal, his daughter is a teacher, and his son lives and works in Brooklyn.
The Adolescent Literacy Crisis in America | February 17, 2017
February 17, 2017

The discussion featured

Dr. Elizabeth Birr Moje (Interim Dean, University of Michigan School of Education),

Dr. Rhonda Richetta (Principal, City Springs Elementary/Middle), and

Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises (CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools),

with Dr. David Steiner (Executive Director, Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy) serving as the moderator.

Access the Program Here

Cure For The Common Core: Teaching Content Knowledge and the Common Core Standards
October 8, 2014

The discussion featured Dr. Lisa Hansel (Core Knowledge Foundation), Robert Pondiscio (Thomas B. Fordham Institute), and Dr. Marcy Stein (University of Washington Tacoma), with Rachel Mazyck, President of Collegiate Directions, serving as the moderator.

Access the Program Here