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The Honorable Norbert Blüm
The Honorable Norbert Blüm is a prominent member of the German Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party from North Rhine-Westphalia. He previously served as Minister of Labor for 16 years under former German Prime Minister Helmut Kohl. In 2001, he received the Leipzig Human Rights Award.
Mr. Timo Lankinen
Permanent State Under-Secretary, Office of the Prime Minister
Former Director General of the Finnish National Board of Education
Mr. Timo Lankinen took up the office of Permanent State Under-Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office in January 2012. He is the previous director general at the Finnish National Board of Education. He joined the Finnish Ministry of Education in 1984, where he worked on major development projects in the fields of education, training and science policies. In 2008 he was appointed director general for the Finnish National Board of Education, the national agency responsible for the development of pre-primary education, basic education, general upper secondary education, vocational education and training, formal adult education and training, liberal adult education and extracurricular basic education in arts. He has actively taken part in education and training policy-making, chaired national committees and reform projects, acted as DGVT for European VET policies, written articles and books (especially about educational law in Finland, financing education and educational administration) and lectured widely.
The Honorable Patrick Meinhardt
Opening Remarks
Member of Parliament, German Bundestag
Education Spokesperson for FDP parliamentary group in the German Bundestag
The Honorable Patrick Meinhardt is a current member of the German Bundestag. He belongs to the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and is spokesman of the FDP parliamentary group on education. Concurrent with his legislative responsibilities, Meinhardt is Vice-President of Liberal International (LI), as well as President of the German Group of Liberal International (DGLI).
Photo copyright: Marko Bussmann
Gordon Neufeld, Ph.D.
Home Education: A Developmental Scientist's Perspective
Founder, The Neufeld Institute
Dr. Gordon Neufeld is a Vancouver-based developmental psychologist who consults with parents and professionals regarding children and their problems. He brings to us his unique synthesis of the developmental literature and his exceptional ability to make children understandable. He has a widespread reputation for being able to make sense of difficult and complex problems and for opening doors for change. His style is dynamic, his approach is refreshing and his effect is to affirm intuition.
With over 30 years of professional experience, Dr. Neufeld is known internationally for his teaching style and theoretical approach.
André Stern
I’ve Never Been to School: Potential, Possibilities and Pathways
André Stern never went to school. He is the son of Arno Stern, an educationalist and research worker, whose work is based on the respect of spontaneous disposition of the human being.
André Stern is a musician, music composer, guitar maker, author and journalist. He is married and the father of a little boy. He published two best-seller books in Germany. He was recently appointed by Dr. Gerald Hüther, as the Director of the Initiative "Männer für morgen" (Men for tomorrow, Sinn-Stiftung Foundation).
He works with universities, journalists, and teachers and with the public at large.
Photo: Peter Lindbergh
Dr. Brian D. Ray
Founder, National Home Education Research Institute
Dr. Brian D. Ray is president of the National Home Education Research Institute and founding editor of the quarterly refereed academic journal Home School Researcher. He has published numerous journal articles and books, been repeatedly interviewed by major media, served as an expert witness in many court cases on home education, and testified to legislatures regarding educational issues. Dr. Ray is a leading international expert in research on home education. In addition, he is a former classroom teacher and a university professor through the graduate level.
Dr. Charles L. Glenn
Can Families Be Trusted?
Professor of Education Leadership and Policy,
Boston University School of Education
Charles L. Glenn is professor of educational leadership, teaching courses in education history and US and comparative policy. His research in Europe and North America focuses on urban schooling, parental choice, schooling of linguistic and racial minority pupils, religion and education, history and sociology of education, reconciling national standards with school autonomy and distinctiveness, school desegregation and equity. In addition, he is vice president of OIDEL, an international organization promoting educational freedom and the right to education.
Michael P. Farris, J.D., LL.M.
Home Education: An International Human Right
Michael P. Farris is Chairman of the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), the world’s largest association of over 80,000 home educating families. Farris is a constitutional attorney who has successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court. As President of parentalrights.org he is dedicated to protecting families from unreasonable government intrusion. He also serves as Chancellor of Patrick Henry College in Virginia. A passionate defender of freedom in education and human rights Farris was awarded an LL.M. from the University of London in Public International Law with Merit. He and his wife Vickie are home educating parents.
