Dr. Hardy Murphy, Evanston/Skokie School Chief, to Speak at Evening Reception Sponsored by The New Coalition

Published August 7, 2003

Chicago, IL: Dr. Hardy Murphy, Superintendent of Evanston/Skokie School District 65, will be the featured speaker at a special community reception hosted by The New Coalition. The reception will be held Thursday, August 14, 2003, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Northern Trust Bank, 50 South LaSalle Street, Chicago, Illinois. Due to limited space and security within the building, attendees for the event must make reservations in advance. Those interested should make their reservations by calling The Heartland Institute at 312/377-4000.

Dr. Murphy has served as the Evanston/Skokie School District Superintendent since 1999. Prior to that he was the Associate Superintendent of the Fort Worth, Texas, Independent School District. Dr. Murphy now serves a public elementary and middle school district of 16 schools and approximately 7,000 students.

Under his leadership, District 65 has increased grant opportunities for the district, established a first-time partnership with Northwestern University to enhance teaching and learning in the district’s schools, started a flagship project to create a laboratory school to improve instruction and achievement at Oakton School, transformed the district’s bilingual education program, restructured the District’s central office, and converted the district’s class scheduling process to focus on instruction in core academic areas.

The New Coalition is headed by Lee Walker, a nationally-recognized conservative black spokesperson and board member of The Heartland Institute. The New Coalition has strived for over 20 years to bring common sense conservative and libertarian ideas to nonwhite audiences, and multicultural perspectives to a largely white audience. Along with hosting events, The New Coalition publishes a quarterly newsletter and participates in conferences around the country. Lee Walker is also a highly sought-after commentator on radio and television.

In 2002, The New Coalition partnered with The Heartland Institute, a 19 year-old, national free-market think tank based in Chicago, Illinois, that, among other activities, publishes the monthly newspapers Environment & Climate News, Health Care News, and School Reform News. More information on The New Coalition and The Heartland Institute can be found at www.newcoalition.org and www.heartland.org.

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For further information contact Heartland Public Affairs Director Greg Lackner at 312/377-4000, 773/489-6447, email [email protected]