Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education (GPEE) and Bainbridge College Early County (BCEC) are sponsoring the Second Annual Economics of Education Conference in Blakely.

The conference will be from 10 a.m. to noon at the Blakely campus, located at 40 Harold Ragan Drive.

The conference is for Southwest Georgia area educators, school systems’ leaders, and business and industry leaders, including Chamber of Commerce members.

It will address the impact of education, economic development and work readiness, emphasizing the role quality education plays in building a strong economic climate and in supporting Georgia’s capacity to compete globally, said BCEC faculty member John McRae, who is helping coordinate the conference and who is a member of GPEE’s Advisory Council.

The regional event will feature Susan Walker of GPEE and will include a brief presentation on Georgia’s Work Ready program that BCEC offers.

Cynthia Bennett of Albany State University, who is with the Center for Economic Education, one of several centers across the state that are supported by the Georgia Council on Economic Education, will share information on classes and materials the council offers teachers and school systems.

Kathaleena Edward Monds, who is interim dean of Albany State’s College of Business, will also attend the conference. Monds and Bennett are co-directors of ASU’s Center for Economic Education.

As director of policy and research for the Georgia Partnership, Walker leads its efforts to produce high-quality educational research and publications that fulfill the mission of informing and influencing Georgia leaders. She will present compelling data to point where participants’ communities stand in their ability to compete in economic development based on a community’s educational rankings. A guide for action that can be tailored to each locale will provide the next steps that are essential for making measurable improvements in school achievement.

The Economics of Education Conference in Blakely developed from GPEE’s presentations in Atlanta that have attracted a wide range of audiences from across Georgia since its first Economics of Education presentation in 2004, which was a joint venture with the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Registration deadline is Nov. 1. The registration form is at www.bainbridge.edu or interested persons may call BCEC, (229) 724-2100, and fax the form to (229) 724-2107.