Conference Sessions

Strands

Friday, February 20

Session A 9:30 AM–10:45 AM

Session AB 9:30 AM–12:15 PM

Session B 11:00 AM–12:15 PM

Session C 2:15 PM–3:30 PM

Saturday, February 21

Session D 9:30–10:45 AM

Session DE 9:30 AM–12:00 PM

Session E 11:00 AM–12:00 PM

Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign

A3

Supporting a Culture of Continuous Improvement by Creating Systems of Accountability
Henry Russell, Deputy Superintendent; Kristel Barr, Principal; Bill Brooks, High School Redesign Coordinator, Independence School District, CA

The effort to improve education through SLC structures coupled with solid, research-based initiatives represents major shifts in thinking for any staff. Undergoing such change requires a staff to embrace a culture of continuous improvement. Participants will learn how Truman High School works to build such a culture and performs multiple checkups on initiatives by using various systems of accountability. These systems do not represent a top-down approach; rather, they distribute accountability to everyone involved in school improvement.

Strands: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION

AB4

Building District Capacity to Support SLC Implementation
Julia Kassissieh, Senior Program Advisor, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, OR

What is the district's capacity to support SLC implementation? In what ways are district policies either fostering or presenting barriers to successful SLC implementation? How might district policy support the development of strong, equitable SLC academic programs? Teams will learn about best practices and will come away with a plan to undergo a district self-assessment for SLC implementation.

Strands: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign

AB6

Strengthening the Instructional Core
Katie Whitney Luers, Senior Program Advisor, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, OR

How do you make your SLC theme come alive within a strong academic program? This workshop engages SLC teams in program design that aligns SLC theme and standards. Teams develop a clear idea of what they want their students to know and do as a result of intensive learning in their SLC, and consider ways for students to demonstrate mastery of these interdisciplinary proficiencies. Participants leave with an action plan for collaborating on coherent curriculum.

Strands: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign

B5

Five Essential Elements of Our SLC Journey
Henry Russell, Deputy Superintendent; Kristel Barr, Principal; Bill Brooks, High School Redesign Coordinator, Independence School District, MO

The move from traditional high schools to SLCs is rife with challenges from a structural and nuts-and-bolts standpoint. The real work of change, however, is in the facilitation of cultural shifts in thinking and practice. We believe there are five essential elements of our SLC journey to learn from, whether you are in the investigating, planning, or implementing stages of SLCs. We will explain these elements from three different perspectives: central office administrator, building administrator, and teacher leader. We will also share specific, critical moments in our SLCs.

Strand: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION

C3

Transforming Comprehensive High Schools: Lessons Learned about Conditions, Practices, and Equity
LaShawn Routé Chatmon, Executive Director; Chinyelu Martin, Program Director, BayCES, CA

A school's or district's structural conditions (organization of time, people, money, space) are deeply intertwined with its sociocultural conditions, or the way race, class, and culture affect efforts to improve educational outcomes for underserved students. Comprehensive high schools can be utterly transformed through purposefully constructed structural and cultural conditions and practices. In this workshop, we will share key lessons learned about SLC development and its links to educational equity.

Strand: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION and KEYNOTE

C4

Cornerstone Academy: Building Support for High School Success
Stefanie Mueller, SLC Coordinator, John B. Connally High School, Pflugerville Independent School District, TX

Schools choosing to restructure struggle with making many tough decisions in a minimal amount of time. The presenters in this session will share their own struggles and successes during their first year of SLC implementation at their own high school. With a focus on transitioning students to a more active, involved, and challenging educational setting, the Cornerstone Academy supports freshman students academically, personally, and socially.

Strand: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION

C5

A Practical Guide to SLC Implementation and Sustainability
Mike Neubig, President, Capture Educational Consulting Services, OH; David Holden, Instructional Coach/Co-Founder AAIS (American Alliance for Innovative Schools, Inc.), Mar Vista High School, Sweetwater Union High School District, CA

This session will provide attendees with practical guidelines for effective SLC implementation and maintenance. Some of the topics to be addressed are getting teachers' buy-in; developing teams; flexible scheduling; analyzing data; inclusion of Special Education and English Learners; meeting protocols; and sustainability. This session is not a prescription for SLC implementation; rather, attendees will receive practical information, tools, and insight that will facilitate SLC implementation and sustainability.

Strands: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign

D5

Advisory Programs for Student Success
Pam Carter, Principal, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley Unified School District, CA; Sara Leibman, Assistant Principal, University Charter Middle School, CA

Research shows that the highest-performing high schools in the U.S. provide effective and meaningful student support programs that connect each student with an adult advocate. While advisory programs come in all shapes and sizes, they will, if executed effectively, transform the culture of your school and trigger major gains in student achievement. Learn how two educators led the effort to create an advisory program for their high school and how the program has contributed to a significant rise in test scores and student success. You will walk away from this session with tools to create a program customized to the needs and interests of your school, along with rationale and research to take back to your staff. You will also be provided with lessons and activities to get you started.

Strands: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION

DE4

The Role of Structures in Student Achievement
Mike Neubig, President, Capture Educational Consulting Services, OH

This presentation focuses on creating school day structures that provide flexible blocks of time for personalized programs, while maintaining the positive elements of the existing structures. We will demonstrate a research-based scheduling system that is proven to enhance the school environment and improve student achievement, specifically at the all-important ninth grade level. Participants will be asked to design schedules that they believe may be useful in their own teaching settings.

Strand: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign

D5

Structure and Support for Student Success
Pam Carter, Principal, Santa Susana High School, Simi Valley Unified School District, CA; Sara Leibman, Assistant Principal, University Charter Middle School, CA

Preparing today's youth for the realities of the 21st century means redesigning schools and reforming programs. This workshop offers ideas, tools, and resources to assist schools in promoting student achievement through structures and strategies such as advisors, smaller learning communities, interest-based academics, flexible scheduling, and senior projects.

Strands: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION

DE6

Reshaping District Support to Mirror High School Transformation: Atlanta's Story
Katie Whitney Luers, Senior Program Advisor, Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, OR; Kelly Walton, Project Administrator-Portfolio/Design, High School Transform Office, Atlanta Public Schools, GA

A district practitioner shares how Atlanta has reshaped district support for high school transformation to mirror the practices they ask of schools. From a "comprehensive" style of siloed initiatives, imposed on schools and monitored with lengthy paperwork, Atlanta is moving toward a flexible "interdisciplinary" mode suited to small schools and SLCs. Participants will leave with ideas for increasing coherence across initiatives, as well as hands-on experience with tools from Atlanta's transformation.

Strand: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION

E2

Strands: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign, NEW SESSION

E5

Building Support for Reluctant Adopters of Change
Robin Shrode, Founder/Consultant/Co-founder AAIS (American Alliance for Innovative Schools, Inc.), TX

This session will share a systemic framework for supporting the early adopters, wait-and-see adopters, and reluctant adopters through the implementation of new structures and strategies of high school redesign. This session will include those successful strategies used in the initial stages of implementation of SLCs at three large comprehensive high schools, as well as strategies used to sustain the momentum once the vast majority of stakeholders were on board.

Strand: Smaller Learning Communities & Small School System Redesign