7:30 am - 8:30 am |
Networking Breakfast and LESN Steering Committee Business Meeting
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8:30 am - 9:45 am |
A Critical Link to School Turnaround: A Spotlight on Principal Preparation and Support
School leaders play a critical role in school improvement and student academic achievement. Effective principals shape a vision of academic success for all students, create a climate hospitable to education, cultivate leadership in others, improve instruction, and manage people, data and processes. This session will focus on how principals are being prepared, through traditional university-based preparation programs and alternative programs, and continuously supported to lead school turnaround. Staff will have the opportunity to discuss in small groups ways in which states can support the preparation and ongoing support for principals who take on our most challenging schools.
Moderator: Sara Shelton, Program Principal, National Conference of State Legislatures
Speakers: Jackie Gran, Chief Policy and Partnerships Officer, New Leaders
Michelle Young, Executive Director, University Council for Educational Administration
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9:45 am - 10:00 am |
Break |
10:00 am - 11:15 am |
What Principals Need to be Successful in Turning Around Low-Performing Schools
As principals strive to meet increasingly demanding state and federal accountability and take on school turnarounds, they are seeking greater autonomy over staffing, budgets and curriculum. In response, states are granting principals more autonomy using a variety of approaches, including mutual consent laws and providing schools with innovation zone status. This session will highlight efforts at the state and district level to provide principals, particularly those charged with turning around low-performing schools, with more autonomy in exchange for greater accountability.
Moderator: Catherine Barbour, Senior Consultant School Turnaround, American Intitutes for Research
Speakers: Melissa Irby-Marshall, Senior Consultant School Turnaround, American Institutes for Research
Tonya Kales, Zone Superintendent, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, North Carolina
Julie Pelegrin, Assistant Director, Office of Legislative Legal Services, Colorado General Assembly
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11:15 am - 12:15 pm |
Reconnecting McDowell
Learn about how a labor/business/community partnership is addressing issues that impact student outcomes and school improvement in a rural county in West Virginia. This panel will describe the critical activities and initiatives that this collaborative is leading to address economic decline, housing shortages, technology shortcomings and the supports that students need in order to turn around the school system.
Moderator: Leah Daughtry, Assistant to the President, American Federation of Teachers
Speakers: Bob Brown, Project Manager, Reconnecting McDowell
Chris Kyle, Vice President, ShenTel Communications Company, Virginia
Delegate Clif Moore, Chair, House of Delegates Banking and Insurance Committee, West Virginia and McDowell County Board of Directors
Senator Bob Plymale, Chair, Senate Education Committee, West Virginia and McDowell Conty Board of Directors
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12:15 pm - 1:15 pm |
Lunch |
1:15 pm - 2:15 pm |
Breakout Discussions
- State Takeovers: Delegate Rob Krupicka, Virginia, facilitator
- SIG Grant Update: Carlas McCauley, Office of School Turnaround, US Department of Education
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2:15 pm - 3:30 pm |
Lessons Learned from Charter Schools
As one of the federally permissible school interventions, charter schools have frequently been used as a school turnaround strategy. Hear from researchers about the successes and challenges of using charter schools as a turnaround strategy as well as what lessons struggling schools can learn from successful charter schools.
Moderator: Josh Cunningham, Policy Specialist, National Conference of State Legislatures
Speakers: Taishya Adams, Senior Technical Consultant, American Institutes for Research
John Bray, Senior Communications Specialist, American Institutes for Research
Tammie Knights, Senior Technical Consultant, American Institutes for Research
Darren Woodruff, Principal Researcher, American Institutes for Research
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3:30 pm - 3:45 pm |
Break
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3:45 pm - 5:00 pm |
Improving Student Outcomes Through Deeper Learning
Research confirms that opportunities for learning are not equal for all children. Some students--primarily those who are white and affluent--are exposed to "deeper learning" opportunities where they can gain the skills to critically think, analyze and reason. Other students--primarily low-income students of color--have educational experiences focused on mastery of only basic skills and knowledge often through rote memorization and worksheets. Hear from experts about policies state legislators might consider to create a deeper learning experience for all children.
Moderator: Dan Thatcher, Senior Policy Specialist, National Conference of State Legislatures
Speakers: Bob Rothman, Senior Fellow, Alliance for Excellent Education
Elizabeth Schneider, Sneior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Alliance for Excellent Education
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5:00 pm |
Dinner on Your Own
NCSL will cover dinner on Saturday night, December 7, up to $50 with a receipt. Enjoy your night out in the city!
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