Harper's Ender pledges to host conference after White House summit

Harper President Ken Ender announced this week plans to invite educators from across the country for a conference at the Palatine-based community college.

Ender made the pledge from a White House summit Thursday on getting more students to college.

Harper's gathering would work to create a tool kit for schools modeled in part by the Northwest Educational Council for Student Success. In 2010, Harper and its feeder high school districts formed the initiative to, among other things, align curriculum and testing and offer more dual-credit courses.

Since, the number of recent high school graduates placing into college-level math at Harper has risen from 45 percent to 67 percent.

At the summit, where suburban officials met with President Barack Obama, first lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden, Ender also led a breakout session on developing partnerships between K-12 and higher education leaders.

Harper hopes to host the conference within the next six months.

"We look forward to learning from the (college) presidents and the superintendents who would share their models as well," Ender said.