When our students returned to school for the 20-21 school year, in brick and mortar or virtually, the academic, behavioral, and social emotional impacts of the extended school closures as a result of COVID-19 became increasingly evident, specifically with students that were already identified as at-risk, learning English as a second language, or have a disability. The term, known as the COVID-19 Slide, has been a focus of school leaders and how to address the slide has become a current priority. Join Liliana L. Salazar as she discusses the components of Explicit Instruction and how the use of this evidence-based model will intercept the COVID-19 Slide.
Restorative Justice is quickly becoming the process to implement in making schools a better, safer place for students and staff. There are practices that campus leaders can explore to help build an environment to which individuals will gravitate. If you build it, they will come!
This session will provide practical tips on promoting your school, staff and students to the media from John Boyd, a former reporter and editor for the Houston Chronicle, Des Moines Register, and others, who now works as a school PR leader for one of Texas’ largest charter school systems. Topics include: finding good stories on your campus, crafting quality press releases and pitch emails, how to overcome story rejection, alternate strategies for getting your school noticed by the news media, and shifts in the media industry that directly impact your schools.
This course will focus on the ways in which gardening and cooking classes can positively impact a school learning environment by creating a space for students to learn about food and nutrition through engaging hands-on experiences. This course will focus on 3 main components: 1) How a school garden and cooking program will dramatically enrich your school culture and curriculum. 2) How to develop or expand upon a school garden program. 3) What does a gardening and cooking class look like and what are lessons you can incorporate into your curriculum. This course will provide information and strategies that are beneficial to all schools regardless of whether or not they have an existing school garden or cooking program.
Our goal in teaching is not just to prepare students for their next math class, but to prepare them for their future careers. Helping students be mathematical thinkers is a way to prepare them for the future. Learn how number strings and math talks help create students become mathematical thinkers and how they can be used to make informed instructional decisions to help students progress towards learning goals. Participants will leave the session with increased knowledge of how to conduct a math talk and an understanding of how to conduct a number string — two essential components of a fluency routine that help create mathematical thinkers. They will, also, learn about models and strategies for teaching fluency standards.
