Presenters: Danny W. Taylor, superintendent, and Shelley S. Sweatt, Stacey Darnall, and Scott Slater, administrators, Burkburnett ISD

 

Burkburnett ISD launched a major district initiative in the fall of 2005: Professional Learning Communities.  Come hear how they implemented this very positive process, and how they have modified it as they continue into their second year.  PLTs are described from both the district and campus perspective, and handouts are provided to enable you to begin this process in your own district.

Presenter: Marta Tienda, professor, Princeton University

 

Drawing on the bold Texas experiment that guarantees automatic admission to high schol students who graduate in the top 10 percent of their class, Tienda debunks the myth that high-performing students from low-performing schools cannot succeed in college, questions the wisdom of emphasizing standardized test scores rather than grades as a metric of academic achievement, and elaborates on the potential dividend of capitalizing on the growing diversity of Texas’ school-age population for maintaining the state’s competitiveness nationally and globally.

Presiding: Kay Waggoner, TASA president and superintendent, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

 

Presenter: Rich Teerlink, chairman of the board, QLD-Quality Leadership by Design: and former chairman, Harley-Davidson, Inc.

 

Strategy is developed on paper; execution, however, is done on the front lines.  But the front-line people executing the strategy must have a strong commitment to the organization to get results.  Remember, most good performers are really volunteers in the organization and usually have other employment choices.  They can only do their best work if they are committed to the organization’s purpose.  The question is: can the organization provide the process that support and earn that commitment?  Developing the supporting process is not rocket science.  Those processes focus on awareness, personal responsibility, lifelong learning, involvement opportunities, and appreciation.  All of these come about through common sense.  See and hear how this strategy can evolve in your organization. (SBEC #6)

Presenter: Dick Erdmann, president, Syfr

 

The world has been flat before, but individuals have never been affected by it in the same way because of technology.  Globalization widens the income gap between those who are educated and those who are not, and this gap is visible at the national, organizational, and even personal level.  How do we respond at the district and campus levels?  What reform strategies will or won’t work, and how do we allocate the scarce resources of time, people, and money to accomplish new goals?

Presiding: Kay Waggoner, TASA president and superintendent, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

 

Presenter: Shirley Neeley, commissioner of education

 

The commissioner addresses key issues facing Texas public schools, including those already on the table for the 80th Texas Legislature. (SBEC #4)

Presiding: Kay Waggoner, TASA president and superintendent, Grapevine-Colleyville ISD

 

Presenter: John Walsh, co-founder of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and host of America’s Most Wanted

 

John Walsh is the father of an abducted and murdered 6-year-old son.  Walsh and his wife turned their personal tragedy into a mission to protect children by founding the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 1986 and working tirelessly to toughen laws.  Last July, John and his family joined President Bush in the Rose Garden for the signing of the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act.  Walsh announces a major safety education initiative that will benefit every Texas school district.

Presenters: Anita Givens, administrator, Texas Education Agency; Lisa McCray, administrator, ESC Region 12 and ETAC co-chair; and Don Knezek, CEO, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and ETAC co-chair

 

Learn about the vision for educational technology in Texas for the years 2006-2020.  The purpose of this presentation is to share the new Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology and the companions tools: Texas Campus and Teacher STaR Charts and ePlan system.  Come find out how the new plan will impact your school district. (SBEC #4)

Presenters: Anita Givens, administrator, Texas Education Agency; Lisa McCray, administrator, ESC Region 12 and ETAC co-chair; and Don Knezek, CEO, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and ETAC co-chair

 

Learn about the vision for educational technology in Texas for the years 2006-2020.  The purpose of this presentation is to share the new Texas Long-Range Plan for Technology and the companions tools: Texas Campus and Teacher STaR Charts and ePlan system.  Come find out how the new plan will impact your school district. (SBEC #4)

Moderators: Fred Richardson, administrator, Texas High School Project/Communities Foundation of Texas; and Sean Cain, administrator, Texas High School Project/Texas Education Agency

 

Panelists: Mary Alice Deike, administrator, Austin ISD; Melonie Hammons, administrator, San Antonio ISD; Aida Tello, administrator, Houston ISD; and Mike Laird, administrator, Weimar ISD

 

Hear a distinguished panel discuss the issues and challenges surrounding the redesign of large high schools into environments that offer students rigorous and meaningful courses of study.  These seasoned principals share the successful practices they have used as part of the High School Redesign initiative of the Texas High School Project to turn around low-performing high schools.

Moderators: Alma Garcia, administrator, Texas High School Project/Communities Foundation of Texas; and Kelty Garbee, administrator, Texas High School Project/Texas Education Agency

 

Panelists: Nancy Williams and Bridget Beyer, administrators, Houston ISD; Pam Tuckett, Texas Association of Community Colleges, and Mel Fuller, Texas A&M University

 

Learn how Early College High School is providing traditionally underserved students with opportunities that fit their educational needs.  Panelists share their experiences in creating not only an academically supportive environment for student success but also a seamless transition from high school to college.

Presenter: Charles E. Patterson, consultant

 

To be an effective leader in addressing current challenges in education, it is critical that educators understand the significance of social and emotional intelligence.  It is imperative that leaders nurture positive human capacities in themselves and others.  How do we calm those who approach us with hostility and anger?  How do we respond when employees in the workplace experience trauma and sadness?  The works of Daniel Goleman, Terrence Deal, Parker Palmer, and others are reviewed to assist leaders in responding to issues such as these with social and emotional intelligence.

Presenter: Fenwick English, Robert Wendell Eaves Sr. Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership, University of North Carolina

 

While Most Texas educators are familiar with Fenwick English’s concepts of alignment between the written, taught, and tested curricula, many do not sufficiently understand its implications when implementing it on a systemwide basis.  The achievement gap is a complex, multi-faceted problem not amenable to simplistic off-the-shelf solutions.  Rather, it takes systematic work to confront “slack” in the school district and eliminate it as a causative variable in curriculum design and delivery.  In addition, this presentation reveals the “paradox of administration” in that some variables must be “tight” while others should be “loose” in formulating change strategies.  Most school systems have it backwards.  (SBEC # 7)

Presenter: Ronald Gallimore, distinguished professor emeritus, UCLA, and chief scientist, LessonLab Research Institute

 

John Wooden’s UCLA team dominated college basketball in the 1960s and early 70s.  Coach Wooden, often called the Wizard of Westwood, says he learned to coach by applying what he learned as a high school English teacher.  Researchers concluded Wooden’s teaching practices revel robust principles of effective instruction.  Wooden demonstrated, in the classroom and on the court, that student learning and achievement are not results of wizardry.  They are products of subject mastery, planning, continuous improvement, effective pedagogy, and the intangible example of a dedicated teacher.  This session is based on Gallimore’s recent book (with Swen Nater), You Haven’t Taught Until They Have Learned: John Wooden’s Teaching Principles and Practices. (SBEC #8)