Conference Focus
- Adopting Rigorous Standards That Prepare Students for Success in College and the Workforce
To help students succeed in the global knowledge economy, schools must adopt world-class standards that allow our students be competitive with their peers in other countries, especially in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Curricula must develop critical thinking, problem solving, and the innovative application of knowledge to provide students the competitive edge they will need in college and in their careers. What will be the new measures of success, and how will we know if students have achieved those measures? How will accountability for students’ academic growth be built into the system? Answers to these questions will guide instruction and assessment throughout the coming decades.
- Building Data Systems to Track Student Achievement and Teacher Effectiveness
If all students are expected to achieve at a high level, what are the best ways of measuring and tracking the teaching/learning process? It is easy to become overwhelmed by data; however, if data does not link effective instructional practices and learning activities, there is often no evidence of our accomplishments. What are the most effective, efficient ways of tracking data surrounding students’ academic growth? How can we best track highly effective instructional practices and teachers’ professional growth, both which contribute to academic success? What kind of data will promote success on both counts? How do we prevent becoming lost in the numbers while using them to build world-class learning environments?
- Using Data to Inform Instruction
Summative and formative assessments are valuable tools in educational practice. However, they are not the only type of information that can inform instruction. How can we use the data from these assessments to improve instruction and help students succeed at a high level? What other kinds of data are useful in creating success? What do we need to know about our learners, and how will we use that information to develop strong thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators who can compete in a global economy?
- Using Technology to Enhance Continuous Improvement Efforts
What is the role of technology in continuous improvement? How can technology assist us in running efficient systems, enhancing learning, accentuating instruction, and helping students to be successful? Which technologies are the most useful in increasing learning and demonstrating improvement? What about the cost of adopting these technologies? Share your best finds and discover what has worked for other districts.
- Quality in Higher Education
Today’s focus on improving student outcomes, the teaching and learning process, meeting accreditation requirements, increasing retention and graduation rates, and running more efficient and effective operations extends beyond just our traditional primary and secondary audience to higher education as well. For this track, we will be accepting papers from the higher education community that have to do with issues related to quality in higher education, and that are in line with the theme of innovation in education and creating world-class student learning.
- Creating a Culture of Success
Success breeds success. Too often, however, lack of success lends itself to inertia, a "we can’t change this" way of thinking. Schools and districts are capable of turning the tide of failure and high drop-out rates to become leaders in achievement, innovation, and graduation. What’s their secret? How do they arrive at a winner’s mindset? How do formerly low-achieving schools and districts become the envy of others? Often, they create capacity by researching and sharing best practices while focusing on an appropriate mission and goals. They determine appropriate curriculum and try innovative approaches to assessment and evaluation. Everyone in the district buys into the changes that will drive them toward success. In these sessions, learn from schools and districts that have taken this journey and have come out on top.
