There is a problem with education in the United States. The achievement gap between low-income and middle-income students is widening, leaving poor, minority students behind. Heather Tow-Yick, executive director at Teach for America—Rhode Island, believes the trend can be reversed with systematic reform, quantitative analysis, and a small army of committed teachers. Read more about Heather Tow-Yick and her work.

Online registration for Building the Future and Alumni Weekend 2011, May 13–15 in Cambridge, closes Thursday, April 28. Join your classmates and the MIT Sloan community for faculty- and alumni-created workshops, a lunch with Nobel laureates, family-friendly activities, and the dedication of MIT Sloan's new building, which features the Joan and William A. Porter 1967 Center for Management Education. Register and see who has registered (MIT Sloan Account required).

What makes a successful MIT partnership? Ask Semprus Biosciences CEO David Lucchino, SF ’06, and CTO Chris Loose, MIT PhD ’07, and they’ll probably point to each other. Learn about Semprus and its work in the medical device field in these short alumni video interviews with Lucchino and Loose, produced by the MIT Entrepreneurship Center.

The CIO is increasingly critical to competitive success in any industry. The time for CIO leadership companywide is now, a sentiment aptly caught in Beyond the Crossroads, the theme of this year’s MIT Sloan CIO Symposium. The one-day, on-campus event, just three days after Alumni Weekend 2011, is an opportunity to engage with industry thought leaders and explore the newest enterprise technology innovations.

Building the Future is an opportunity for alumni and friends of the School to come together, celebrate achievements, and look to new endeavors that advance the School’s mission to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world. During this special year, please consider a gift to the MIT Sloan Annual Fund demonstrating pride and commitment to your alma mater. Visit our secure online giving page.

Still waiting for the economy and business opportunities to get back to normal? Has your marketing been fundamentally changed by tough times and new technology? The MIT Sloan Sales Conference brings together more than 400 executives, entrepreneurs, industry professionals, professors, and students to discuss these and other questions. Use discount code MITSLSCLB_SloanAlum for a special alumni rate.