CSS Toolkit: Attitude
Suzzane Terrill, Jefferson Elementary School, Lindsay USD, CA

What are some things all staff members can do to inspire kids into the classroom? How can you intervene before they reach the stage of suspension or expulsion? How do you manage the transition when moving from an extrinsic to an intrinsic reward system?

Strand: CSS Toolkit
Grade Level: K–12

(PAT) Parents As Teachers
Rebecca Lindquist, Principal, and a team from Sun Empire Elementary School, Kerman USD, CA

Parents As Teachers is a program designed to bring parents and teachers together to help students succeed in early literacy. Teachers model to parents best practices for developing reading skills. Parents use skills with students as students build confidence in reading under teacher supervision.

Strand: Collaboration, NEW!
Grade Level: K–6

SHINING STAR SCHOOLS—Academic Improvement, English Language Learners (ELL), Student Behavior, and Innovation in All Program Areas
Westminster High School, suburban Orange County; Carr Intermediate School, urban Orange County

These Shining Star schools present how they used the SB65 Comprehensive Student Support strategies to make impressive gains in ELL, learning growth, student behavior, and all program areas.

Strand: Best Practices
Grade Level: 7–12

Shining Star School—Academic Improvement, Attendance, Student Behavior, and Innovation in All Program Areas
California Distinguished School Kwis Elementary, San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County; Howard Elementary, suburban San Bernardino County

These Shining Star schools present how they used the SB65 Comprehensive Student Support strategies to make impressive gains in academic improvement, attendance, student behavior, and all program areas. Kwis will also share how implementing CSS helped them to achieve California Distinguished School status.

Strand: Best Practices
Grade Level: K–6

High-Poverty Learners: School Practices that Work
William Parrett, Director, and Robert Barr, Senior Analyst, Center for School Improvement and Policy Studies, Boise State University, ID

Findings from 18 state and national studies of high-poverty/high-performing schools indicate a common pattern of improvement design and intervention. Each of these schools successfully improved aspects of its district’s and/or school’s leadership capacity to better target and serve low-SES students. This session will provide compelling research, program and policy recommendaitons, and effective classroom strategies.

Strand: Dropout Prevention Strategies, NEW!
Grade Level: K–8

Turning At-Risk Learners into Successful High School Graduates
Franklin Schargel, Senior Managing Associate, School Success Network, NM

An inner-city high school composed almost entirely of minority students lowered its dropout rate, increased family involvement, signed business partnerships, and developed school-community collaborations while sending 72.1% of its first-generation high school graduates to post-secondary school. Learn how to increase graduation rate, involve staff in the improvement process, increase family/parent involvement, develop school-community collaborations, and create partnership agreements with institutions of higher learning to help students make a smooth transition from high school through college.

Strand: Dropout Prevention Strategies
Grade Level: 7–12

Student Engagement Now
Ernest Mendes, Consultant/President, Mendes Training & Consulting, Inc., CA

This fast-paced, interactive session will exemplify how to create anticipation, curiosity, enthusiasm, confidence, and cooperation in the classroom. Experience an increase in your own short-term memory in this presentation, and learn how to open the gates to long-term memory recall. This brain-based training will teach participants how to deliver and differentiate instruction through four memory paths and four of the brain’s natural learning systems. Have fun and learn how to engage all learners.

Strand: Instructional Strategies
Grade Level: K–12

The Rock ’n’ Roll Classroom: The Magic of Music in the Classroom
Cristal McGill, Ph.D., Education Consultant, Impact Learning, Inc., CO

Over the past decade, music as an instructional tool has moved rapidly into even the most traditional classrooms. This creative (and frequently hilarious) session provides a hands-on overview of the many ways in which music can power up the classroom in order to boost attention, learning, and recall, as well as improve discipline and create a non- threatening learning climate. Attend this workshop only if you like lots of music and are ready to “rock and roll”!

Strand: Instructional Strategies
Grade Level: K–12

Improve Motor Skills; Accelerate Progress for AD/HD and Other Learners
Cynthia Roth Pahr, M.Ed., Founder, EduClime, CA

Today’s students are struggling with motor skills. Find out what you can do about it! Many AD/HD students’ motor difficulties are misunderstood, resulting in negative school experiences and failure. Learn fun, effective strategies to help students with fine motor, gross motor, visual tracking, and sensory skills. You can employ these strategies on Thursday morning and have a repertoire of ideas to share with teachers who need assistance with students in these areas. Handwriting emphasized.

Strand: Instructional Strategies, Special Education
Grade Level: K–6

Standards Plus®—A Process for Continuous Improvement
Joe Deem, Executive Director, and Dave Ackley, Learning Plus Associates, CA

Standards Plus® is a direct instruction intervention process designed to supplement a school’s regular curriculum and instructional program. The lessons are aligned to discrete elements of essential standards in language arts and mathematics. The instructional schedule is based on student needs identified by thoughtful analysis of local and state testing results. Data indicate that schoolwide use of this comprehensive reform model has been an important element in helping schools consistently reach their AYP targets.

Strand: Instructional Strategies, NEW!, Marketing Session
Grade Level: K–8

The Key to Moving Students Beyond Risk to Resiliency
Tim Burns, Director, Educare Institute, NM

Research clearly supports the view that when educators move from a perception of students at risk to one of students “at promise,” their students’ academic, social, and emotional well-being can be significantly enhanced. How is this accomplished, and what is the single most important protective factor ensuring positive outcomes for students? Come to the workshop and find out!

Strand: Resiliency
Grade Level: K–12

The Resilient Educator: Survival and Success in Today’s Classroom
Jeff Goelitz, Program Director, Institute of HeartMath, CA

To stay the course in today’s complex school environments, educators need stamina and vision to remain effective and healthy over the long run. Over the last decade, neuroscientists and educators have identified some of the practical tools that have been developed and field-tested to help educators better respond to stressful or challenging circumstances—key factors in health, career longevity, and overall performance. Handouts included.

Strand: Resiliency, NEW!
Grade Level: K–12

Point Break Workshops: A Wave of Change on High School Campuses
Teddi Pettee, Point Break Director, and Anthony Maiden, Post-Release/Anger Management Counseling, Campus Life, CA

The Point Break program is designed to build resilient character traits in junior and senior high school students. Its purpose is to help students take responsibility for their words and actions, and choose behaviors that show compassion and respect. Attendees will participate in a number of activities taken directly from the Point Break workshop in order to gain an understanding of what students experience. Marketing session for a great program; funding options discussed.

Strand: Safe Schools, NEW!, Marketing Session
Grade Level: 7–12