Many predicted that COVID could very well launch the transformation of education in the United States, given the upheaval it unleashed. After so much disruption, how could educators go back to the way things were? Meanwhile, inside districts, many educators have been managing a complex landscape with multiple crises that have been requiring their full attention. Grave concerns over student mental health and equity, mounting staffing shortages, and a divisive political landscape have combined to make instruction—and leadership—challenging and fraught.
While large-scale transformation might not be close at hand, this forum will focus on what must happen for transformation to occur—not as a blue-sky proposition, but rather what educators and education leaders can do immediately and feasibly to incite lasting and productive change that will make a difference in the lives of their students.
Educators know that tinkering around the edges just won’t cut it right now, but they are also up against some of the biggest learning challenges not only of their careers but that the field of public education has faced in the last century. It’s time to figure out a path forward.
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Agenda
2:00pm ET
Welcome and Introduction
Education Week writers offer key takeaways from their recent reporting on what it will take for schools to get better.
2:20pm ET
Industry Perspective: Curating Magical SEL Conversations
Content provided by Promethean
Forming strong relationships with your students is important all year long. In this session, you’ll get ideas to engage your students in meaningful social and emotional classroom conversations and learn quick and easy ways to add joy and excitement to these conversations.
Forming strong relationships with your students is important all year long. In this session, you’ll get ideas to engage your students in meaningful social and emotional classroom conversations and learn quick and easy ways to add joy and excitement to these conversations.
Ellie Litt
Education Consultant,
Promethean
Elizabeth “Ellie” Litt is an education consultant for Promethean’s North Miami region. A South Florida native, she taught middle school science in Broward County for six years, with a heavy focus on STEAM. Throughout the pandemic, she honed her tech skills while teaching virtually and in hybrid settings. With a strong belief that technology opens doors to the future, she is thrilled to be part of the Promethean team and to be supporting teachers in their quest for engaging lessons.
2:30pm ET
Panel Discussion: Why Can’t We Talk to Each Other Anymore?
Binary, dichotomous, either-or thinking—whatever you choose to call it—has stalled many discussions that could have otherwise led to lasting change. What will it take to turn this way of thinking around? And how do we start talking to each other again? Education Week’s Assistant Managing Editor Kevin Bushweller hosts a conversation about what’s at stake if we don’t learn how to communicate across the table.
Kevin Bushweller oversees coverage of educational technology and learning environments for Education Week.
Chris Dier
History Teacher, 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year,
Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans
Chris Dier is a history teacher at Benjamin Franklin High School in New Orleans. He is the 2020 Louisiana Teacher of the Year and was a 2020 finalist for the National Teacher of the Year. His pedagogical scholarship and his student advocacy have been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico, and he has appeared on NPR, CBS, The Canadian Broadcast Corporation, and CNN. Chris is also the author of The 1868 St. Bernard Parish Massacre, published by The History Press. Dier has two master’s degrees from the University of New Orleans, and he is presently pursuing a Ph.D. in curriculum development.
Dr. Andrea Kane
Professor of Practice, Education Leadership,
University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
Dr. Andrea M. Kane is a professor of practice in educational leadership at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. At the K-12 level, she has held many instructional roles from para-professional to her most recent position as school superintendent for Queen Anne’s County, Md. As an educator, she has received numerous awards for leading large suburban, urban, and small rural districts, including the Maryland Governor’s Citation for instructional leadership. In 2020 and 2021, every school in her district received Green School certification by the Maryland Association of Environmental Outdoor Education.
Don Moore
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs,
Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley
Don Moore is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and holds the Lorraine Tyson Mitchell Chair in Leadership at the Haas School of Business at the University of California at Berkeley. His research interests include overconfidence, including when people think they are better than they actually are, when they think they are better than others, and when they are too sure they know the truth. He is only occasionally overconfident. Moore is also the author of two books: Perfectly Confident (2020), and Decision Leadership (2022) with Max Bazerman.
3:00pm ET
Industry Perspective: Taking Professional Development to the Next Level for the New School Year
Content provided by Inventionland Education
It’s a fact – informed and confident teachers are the cornerstone of school improvement.
Discover how professional development gives teachers and leaders the tools to help students master key concepts, especially in STEM and maker space environments. We’ll explore different professional development options and delivery methods in this fun session.
It’s a fact – informed and confident teachers are the cornerstone of school improvement.
Discover how professional development gives teachers and leaders the tools to help students master key concepts, especially in STEM and maker space environments. We’ll explore different professional development options and delivery methods in this fun session.
Clay Carlino
Director of New Innovations,
Inventionland Education
Clay Carlino has been working in the design field for over 20 years. He has held multiple positions including Product Designer, Project Manager and Prototyping Department Manager.
3:10pm ET
Panel Discussion: How Can We Break Down the Barriers Standing in the Way of K-12 Transformation?
In a recent EdWeek Research Center survey, only 3 percent of educators said that the pandemic had a positive impact on the state of K-12 education. And many educators in that same survey said that they believe that the many challenges arising from the pandemic could persist even once the number of COVID-19 cases recede. But the news is not all bad. Transformation for educators may be closer than they realize. Education Week Reporter Madeline Will and her guests will explore one big step that educators can take on the road to change: controlling what’s in their own orbit.
Madeline Will is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of school leadership and general education trends.
Patrick Harris
Middle School Teacher and Author
Patrick Harris II is a native Detroiter and the author of the book, The First Five: A Love Letter to Teachers, a memoir of his first five years of teaching with a call to action. He is a Black queer writer, storyteller, and middle school humanities teacher and dean of students. He has won multiple national teaching awards for his leadership and innovation in the classroom, including recognitions from GQ Magazine, the National Council of Teachers of English, ASCD, the International Literacy Association, and more. Teaching and creating are only part of who Patrick is. He is a big brother, a cat dad, a lover of all things horror. Read more of Patrick’s work at www.itspatrickharris.com and follow him on twitter @PresidentPat.
Renee Owen
Assistant Professor of Education Leadership,
Southern Oregon University
Renee Owen is an assistant professor of education leadership at Southern Oregon University and an editor of The Holistic Education Review. Her doctorate degree is from Columbia University, Teachers College, where she researched the transformative learning of educators. Prior to her work in higher education, Renee was a school leader for over 20 years at unique public and private schools. As Director at Rainbow Community School in Asheville, NC, Renee was honored as an Ashoka Change Leader for her vision and work in making holistic education more accessible. Dr. Owen’s lifelong work is for education to be a vehicle for helping people to thrive.
Joy Patton
Behavior and Restorative Practices Facilitator ,
Rutherford County School District
Joy Patton is the behavior and restorative practices facilitator at LaVergne High School in Rutherford County Schools in Tennessee. Previously, she was an instructional coach and an English/language arts teacher in Williamson County, Tenn. She is a National Board-certified teacher who was named Teacher of the Year at Renaissance High School in 2020. In the same year, she was chosen as the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s Teacher of the Year for incorporating arts appreciation into her instruction. She graduated from Grace College in 1997 with a B.A. in English Education and completed a Masters of Education degree in Administration and Supervision from Middle Tennessee State University in 2020. She enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, and she occasionally finds time to write freelance articles, blog, and work on her novel.
3:55pm ET
Industry Perspective: Encouraging Problem Solving Skills Development through Design Challenges
Content provided by Tennessee STEM Innovation Network - Battelle
Today’s instruction must cover more than just academic practices and literacy skills. Learn how to build student confidence and nurture inquiring minds—two skills that are vital to success in school and in life—through design challenge experiences. Join us for a 360-degree perspective on how education needs to evolve to cultivate the next generation of creative thinkers and doers.
Today’s instruction must cover more than just academic practices and literacy skills. Learn how to build student confidence and nurture inquiring minds—two skills that are vital to success in school and in life—through design challenge experiences. Join us for a 360-degree perspective on how education needs to evolve to cultivate the next generation of creative thinkers and doers.
Brandi Stroecker
Director,
Tennessee STEM Innovation Network-Battelle
Brandi Stroecker drives the strategy and vision for the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network, a collaboration between Battelle and the Tennessee Department of Education.
Misty Brown
Relationship Manager,
Tennessee STEM Innovation Network-Battelle
Misty Brown manages the state-wide student design challenge for grades K-12. Misty is a former high school educator with a passion for 21st century skills development.
Latisha King
Instructional Coach, 8th Grade Educator,
Arlington City Schools
Latisha King teaches eighth grade physical science and STEM at Arlington Middle School in Arlington, Tennessee. She was selected for the 2022 Excellence in STEM Teaching awarded by the Tennessee STEM Innovation Network and the Tennessee Department of Education and was a 2019 and 2020 Finalist for Middle School Tennessee Science Teacher of the Year, an award given by the Tennessee Science Teacher Association.
4:05pm ET
Interactive Session: What Lessons Can We Learn From DEI Initiatives?
Education Week Reporter Ileana Najarro will lead a discussion that explores what successful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives look like. The session will cover what the research says about best practices and how to achieve them in your district or school.
Ileana Najarro is a reporter for Education Week covering race and opportunity in schools across the country.
4:20 pm ET
Closing Thoughts
