2006 Annual Conference Continues Online

Whether you attended ASCD's 2006 Annual Conference & Exhibit Show in Chicago or participated from your home or office, we have plenty of resources still available to help you follow up on the experience—or prepare for next year.

• The 2006 Annual Conference blog is filled with information and is still being updated with session reports and pictures of all the conference action. Be sure to check it out and discuss the conference and issues that interest you.

• Books & All That Jazz: An Annual ASCD Bash resulted in more than 3,300 books being donated to Chicago Public Schools. Read all about it.

• You could be a presenter at next year's conference in Anaheim—submit a proposal for 2007.

• If you enjoyed this conference experience, or were unable to attend, check out our Summer Conference or our Fall Conference for other opportunities to learn and network with colleagues.

Read the full post . . .

Annual Conference Audios

Conference Sessions on CD

Audio recordings of Annual Conference sessions are now available in the ASCD Online Store.

New this year, you can get CD bundles--recordings of sessions on the same topic bundled together. The topic bundles this year include

• Succeeding with ELL/ESL/LEP
• Closing the Achievement Gaps
• Cultivating Positive Learning Communities
• Dealing with NCLB
• Using Instructional Strategies That Work
• and more. . .go to our Online Store and search on CD bundles.
  

You can also get the top 10 set--recordings of the 10 most popular sessions at Annual Conference, such as

• Dennis Littky - Big Picture Education
• Eric Jensen - Learning with the Brain in Mind
• Heidi Hayes Jacobs - The Education Innovation Movement: Beyond Reform to New Forms
• Jennifer James - The Human Face of Technological Change
• Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - Flow and Education
• Sandra Page and Stephen Greene - Looking for Differentiation
• Douglas Reeves - The Multiple Intelligences of Leadership: An Alternative Vision of Leadership Effectiveness
• Charlotte Danielson - Teachers as Leaders: A Framework for Teacher Leadership
• Michael Fullan - System Thinkers in Action
• Todd Whitaker - What Great Principals Do Differently

Read the full post . . .

2005 Summer Conference Blog Now Online

For those who are unable to attend our upcoming summer conference, which is sold out, we have just created the summer conference blog.

Currently, we are posting updates and important notices for attendees, but we will be blogging during the conference to give you a window into the sessions and other conference happenings.

Remember that this conference will be repeated next year in Denver, Colorado.

If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for what we should cover in the blog, please leave us a comment on the summer conference blog.

Read the full post . . .

Invitation to Exhibitors for ASCD's 2006 Annual Conference

ASCD's Annual Conference and Exhibit Show puts exhibitors in touch with educational leaders who cover the breadth and depth of the education market.

With more than 12,000 key decision makers from across the education spectrum—and from around the world—in attendance, this conference is one of the largest meetings in education.

The 2006 conference theme is "Constructing the Future, Challenging the Past: Excellence in Learning, Teaching, and Leadership."

Learn about exhibiting at ASCD's 2006 Annual Conference.

Read the full post . . .

Register Today for the Next ASCD Conference

Can't wait until 2006 for the next ASCD conference?

You don't have to. Although our 2005 summer conference is sold out, you can register today for our 2005 fall conference.

On October 23-25, our Conference on Teaching and Learning will take place in San Francisco, California. This year's theme is "Student Achievement: The Broader Picture."

You can extend your learning through our three Pre-Conference Institutes, and while you're at the conference, you can connect with your colleagues through our networking opportunities.

Read the full post . . .

Join Us in Chicago

From Mary Ellen Freeley, ASCD President

I hope you will join us at the 2006 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show, April 1-3, in Chicago, Illinois.

To allow attendees opportunities to think critically about where we have been and to become actively engaged with where we are going in education, the 2006 Conference Planning Committee selected the theme

Constructing the Future, Challenging the Past: Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Leadership

The conference theme will be organized around three strands:

• Learning and Teaching
• Leadership and Organizational Development
• Policy and Advocacy

Thanks to all who shared the excitement of this year's conference in Orlando. Please mark your calendars now for April 1-3, 2006.

It has been twelve years since we gathered in the "windy city" to exchange ideas and expertise with our colleagues. We will do so again next spring while enjoying the stimulation of this exciting, revitalized venue. Make plans now to attend our 61st Annual Conference.

I look forward to seeing all of you in Chicago!

Read the full post . . .

2006 Call for Proposals Is Closed

Over 1,500 proposals were received by the deadline of May 1. Our thanks to all those who submitted proposals.

By August 2005, ASCD will send notification of acceptance or nonacceptance to the primary presenter.

Read the full post . . .

We're on Our Way to Chicago

From Annual Conference director, Kathleen Burke--

Yes, we all know that Chicago is known for Lake Michigan, the Sears Tower, the El, Michael Jordan, and Oprah, but on April 1-3, 2006, it will also be known for ASCD's 61st Annual Conference and Exhibit Show.

The theme of the 2006 conference is Constructing the Future, Challenging the Past: Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Leadership. It will be held at the Lakeside Center at McCormick Place.

Please make plans now to join us and participate in the conference's exhibit show with over 400 exhibits including the ASCD Center, the three general sessions, 10 special feature sessions, and over 500 concurrent sessions.

A full description of the conference will be available online in August but save the dates on your calendar now.

Read the full post . . .

How Are We Doing?

This blog is the result of feedback from our members and Education Update readers, who told us that they found our Annual Conference coverage useful, but wished that it was more timely.

We strive to make make our Web pages informative, interesting, and user friendly, and we want to hear from you if we are succeeding.

You can provide feedback on our blog by using the comment link at the bottom of any post.

Questions or Concerns?

If you have a question or concern about Annual Conference, you may find the answer to your question in our frequently asked questions. If you don't find the answer to your question there, please contact our exhibits manager or director of annual conference.

Exhibits Questions

Teola Jones
Exhibits Manager
tjones@ascd.org

Conference Program Questions

Kathleen Burke
Director of Annual Conference
kburke@ascd.org

Conference Registration Questions

ASCD Service Center
1-800-933-2723, then press 2
member@ascd.org

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Angry and Aggressive Students

What To Do When Nothing Else Works--An Audio Highlight

In his fast-paced, energetic, research-based session, William DeMeo, developmental school psychologist for Cincinnati Public Schools, shared some proven intervention strategies for calming angry or aggressive students. The techniques are powerful and simple--the ones he describes here require only a paper bag or a finger.

In his conference session, DeMeo explained why the number one technique used to deal with aggressive children is "neurologically, completely useless." Hear him explain an alternative technique that only requires a paper bag in this brief audio highlight from his session.

"A lot of you are going to say to the child, when he begins to escalate, 'You need to breathe!'" Hear DeMeo explain why this doesn't work, and what you can do to get children to take a deep breath and calm down in this brief audio highlight from his session.

You may also be interested in

• Educating Oppositional and Defiant Children
• Motivation: Improving Negative Student Attitudes Toward School and Learning
• Bullying and Harassment: A Legal Guide for Educators
• The Health in Education Initiative information on Bullying

If you have difficulty with the audio file, a transcript is provided below.


Transcript (paper bag)
The number one technique you have been taught to deal with angry and aggressive children is, neurologically, completely useless. When the child becomes out of control, what do teachers or principals tell the child to do? [They say], "Calm down." Guess what? [The child doesn't] hear you--for one to three minutes. So, the technique you have learned is completely useless. How about that? But, since I've criticized your technique, let me show you something you can use. Now, I have what I call wonderful, wonderful, expensive, therapeutic materials. Sir, what is this? [audience response] And how much did the paper bag cost? Nothing. Does it fit into our school budgets? "Maybe," he says! Okay, now, think about this. I have a child who has begun to escalate out of control. All this emotion of anger building up, aggressiveness builds up--it needs to come out. Unless I do something to deal with it, it's going to come out on who? Myself or the other students. So here's what I do: The child begins to escalate, I take my paper bag, put it up, drop it, and I kick it. I take the paper bag at a safe distance, I drop it next to the student, and guess what he does? He kicks it! [crowd banter] When he kicks it, here's what happens--he releases energy. In addition to that, I now have his attention and focus. And I can now verbally calm him down. I've just bought one to three minutes in dealing with that out-of-control child. I have lots and lots of techniques to share with you, today.


Transcript (candle)
A lot of you are going to say to the child, when he begins to escalate, "You need to breathe!" But remember, what do we say? What doesn't happen? They don't hear you! So here's what we do: We develop some of what we call visual cues. Very, very simple. Everybody take your finger, put it out in front of you--not your middle finger, please. And take a deep breath and blow that finger out, like it's a candle. Go ahead and extend it and take a really deep breath--blow it out like it's a candle. And now blow out my finger--really, really deep breath. Okay, now here's what happens. You do this for two weeks. If you have never practiced this technique, and you take your finger, and you put it out in front of their face, what are they going to do? They're going to bite it--they're going to break it! But if you practice ... And, are children going to like doing this? Third grade or younger? Yeah, they like doing this stuff. They begin to neuralistically program their brain for this response. So, when you put your finger out, two weeks later, guess what they automatically do? Right. Blow it out. And as soon as they blow it out, they release energy, and you have their focused attention.

Read the full post . . .

Connecting Dreams to Education

Audio Highlight from Conference Session

"Acknowledge that students can express themselves, understand their world, recognize that they do care about the future, and loosen up," that's the advice Darrell "Coach D" Andrews gave educators who wanted to know how to connect with young people, especially students of color.

Coach D gave an inspirational talk in which he interspersed stories about himself growing up in a single-parent family with accounts of his own children and the students he has worked with in the HYPE program (Helping Youth Pursue Excellence). The HYPE program is a drop-out prevention program that teaches high school students how to be confident and responsible.

He proposed that teachers start a schoolwide dream initiative that asks students to talk about and make posters about their dreams. By remembering which student wants to be a doctor, which a fashion designer, and so on, teachers can connect lessons and dreams. "Don't lower the bar; take it up," he said.

He also addressed "the attention economy" and urged educators to notice what is capturing students' attention in the media. "To get their attention, think like a marketer," he said, "but remember that kids are not committed to programs; they are committed to people." By focusing on the importance of relationships, identity, and dreams, teachers can win their students' attention, he said.

Listen to a brief excerpt of Andrews' session.

• Dennis Littky put the microphone in the hands of his 16-year-old student Josue Lopez, who gave a heart-provoking assessment of his life that includes an imprisoned father and the determination to avoid following in his father's footsteps.
• One Florida school presented data from their program that shows increased parental involvement improved student test scores.
• ASCD Outstanding Young Educator Award winner, Pete Hall, said that the award is a celebration of the contributions of all educators and called for educators to join him in what he respectfully called "the attack."

If you have difficulty with the audio file, a transcript is provided below.


Transcript
I did this one time, in a middle school class, and I tell you, the teacher could not believe it. She said, "How did you get them to start talking about their dreams like that?" I said, "Because they want to. We've got to create the environment to allow them to do this." We created dream posters and all kinds of stuff. We took the posters--I'm going to talk about this in a moment--and put their pictures on it, and then we found people who had succeeded in that career and connected their faces. They're all lined up, like a hall of fame, in a sense. And we put their posters up on the wall, and we would start calling them "Doctor this" and "Lawyer that," and then, "Look at your colleagues up there--That's you and your colleagues." Because they had their pictures and their faces next to famous people who had excelled in that career. I told the teacher, "Every day they come in, call them by their professional name, because I want them to see their dream." We did this with one young man that was in there, whose father had been in jail all of his life, and who had been a challenge in his school. And [his] teacher contacted me three or four weeks later. She said, "Darrell, we have a new person in my classroom. Because now, he was starting to see that he can accomplish his dream."

Read the full post . . .

Providing Equal Opportunities for Latino Children

Audio Highlight from Conference Session

In this audio excerpt from her session, "The Challenges of Latino Demographics to Educational Accountability in a Democracy," hear Ana Martinez Aleman discuss how high-stakes testing disproportionately affects the burgeoning population of Latino students in America.

Listen to a brief excerpt of Aleman's comments.

• Learn more about Aleman's perspective.

• Anica Diaz Rivera Urges: Don't Treat All Latino Students the Same Way

• Explore the issues involved in Multicultural Education.

• How do educators in countries outside the United States teach about other cultures? Find out how conference attendees from outside the Unites States answered this.

• Join ASCD's Hispanic/Latino-American Critical Issues network.

• Get information on purchasing audio CDs of select conference sessions. A complete listing of individual session CDs will be available in mid-May.

If you have difficulty with the audio file, a transcript is provided below.


Transcript
For Latino children this is especially problematic. As the fastest growing sector of our American population, we should be especially concerned with our ability to truly provide equal opportunities for Latino children to develop their gifts, their idiosyncracies--to develop their positive contributions to American society. When we restrict their development through educational policy that presupposes that individuality, that believes them to be already be made, or that they have talents or abilities that are free of time, place, and the conditions of their environment, we're really resorting to what Dewey would say is an undemocratic vision. In that, we betray a more productive and improved American future. What the data on accountability tell us about the prospects of Latino children in the coming decades is that they will be limited largely to service sector and low-wage employment. We're educating the fastest growing sector of our school children to do little more than that. Latino children today will likely be adults whose intellectual resources are unlikely to have been tapped by public schooling, and whose contributions to art, politics, science, music, athletics, medicine, and the law will be underachieved. They will be individuals that John Dewey would charactarize as unused resources in democracy.

Read the full post . . .

Success Strategies for Teachers of African American Children

Audio Highlight from Conference Session

In this audio excerpt from his session, "Success Strategies for Teachers of African American Children," hear Baruti Kafele talk about the importance of getting to know African American children--knowing who they are, in terms of their personal histories and aspirations and within the contextual histories of being black in America.

Listen to an excerpt of Kafele's comments.

Join the discussion
You can read other educators' responses in the comments below and add your own thoughts, opinions, or comments.

• The new issue of Education Update is on Promoting Diverse Leadership, including an article on Managing the Multicultural Classroom, which you can read online. ASCD members can log in for full access to all of the Education Upate articles.

• Closing the achievement gap requires providing students a "counter-narrative," according to Theresa Perry, author of Young, Gifted, and Black. Learn more.

• For more on the achievement gap, read ASCD executive director Gene Carter's column, "Closing the Gap."

• ASCD's African American Critical Issues Network sponsored a session titled "Using Creative Enriched Instruction to Advance African American Students’ Achievement."

• Get information on purchasing audio CDs of select conference sessions. A complete listing of individual session CDs will be available in mid-May.

If you have difficulty with the audio file, a transcript is provided below.



Transcript
Here we are [in] 2005, on April 4th. Guess what? Our children are operating on the same intellectual level as their ancestors back in slavery, relative to knowledge of their history. The same intellectual level. We're talking of a period of 400 years, and they are at the same place. Because nobody has restored it. Nobody has given it back.

There are no mandates that say these children have to know who they are. So, then we want to bring in--well, these kids can't read. Let's bring in the best reading program. These kids can't compute. Let's find the best math program. These kids can't write. Let's find the best writing program. Well, how are they going to receive it if they don't know who they are?

They don't know who they are--They're clueless. When you get back to school tomorrow--and I know there are some [who] know, but I'm talking about the masses--ask them the question ... "Who am I?" But, to be more relevant ... ask them, "What was the significance of April 4th, 1968?" Because Dr. King, he died for them. He was trying to level the playing field for them. But if they have no knowledge of it, then they're not going to be able to produce at the level you want them to produce.

Read the full post . . .

Teach from the Heart to Support Adolescents

In his conference session, Dennis Littky put the microphone in the hands of 16-year-old student Josue Lopez, who gave a heart-provoking assessment of his life that includes an imprisoned father and the determination to avoid following in his father's footsteps.

Littky admitted that such bold approaches are a leap of faith--for example, the student who wanted to study the rapper Tupac. From that project came the student's evolving interest in people who have an effect on society. Before graduation, the same pupil was researching activist Nelson Mandela and orchestrating a peace forum.

Unconventional gambles like these have paid off in other ways for the poor and minority students who attend The Met. Littky said his students not only get into college, 75 percent graduate--a far cry from the typical 10 percent college graduation rate he described for most African Americans and Hispanics.

Read the complete report on Littky's session.

Read the full post . . .

Supporting Families of Struggling Students

How can you enlist families in the effort to improve struggling students' performance? One Florida school presented data from their program that shows increased parental involvement and improved student test scores.

Participants in one conference session learned how a Florida elementary school linked parents into the effort to raise student achievement by hosting well-publicized monthly dinner gatherings that included the children. There was also a topic-focused activity or presentation (child care was provided) designed to support student learning and strengthen families.

The data the presenters gathered showed not only increased parental involvement and interest in their children's academic performance as the year went on but also improved test scores among the children of parents who regularly attended--especially children who were considered struggling learners.

What has your school done to help struggling learners? Join the discussion; post a comment.

At conference, Dennis Littky said. "We enroll families, not just kids." Read about Littky's session.

Read the full post . . .

Teaching Better with Technology

"Technology can be a catalyst for comprehensive school improvement," said Don Knezek, chief executive officer of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), at a presentation on Sunday afternoon.

Knezek and Lynn Nolan, ISTE's director of professional development services, shared several Web sites that educators can use to improve the use of technology for learning.

Knezek observed that "Technology pulls together various content areas, student engagement, and community." Nolan noted that technology can help schools assess their school improvement needs and identify areas of focus for professional development.

The two shared several Web sites as resources for improving the use of technology for learning:

• ISTE--provides educational technology information and resources

• Digital Edge--has multimedia examples of technology integration

• Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership--provides technology plans for educational leaders

• Profiler--includes a self-report assessment environment with NETS surveys

• George Lucas Educational Foundation--has multimedia examples of technology integration

• CARET: Center for Applied Research on Educational Technology--has a database of research findings and other information sources related to the effectiveness of educational technology

ASCD also offers resources to help educators use technology to improve student achievement:

• Teaching Better with Technology, a PD Online course

• The Technology Fix: The Promise and Reality of Computers in Our Schools

• Internet and the Law: What Educators Need to Know

Read the full post . . .

African American Achievement

Schools that have closed the achievement gap give students a "counter-narrative" to combat societal messages that undermine the achievement of African Americans, noted Theresa Perry of Wheelock College in Boston, Mass., in her presentation, Promoting High Achievement Among African American Students.

Some Department of Defense schools, some Catholic schools, and some small public schools have created conditions that ensure high achievement for all students, said Perry, author of the book Young, Gifted, and Black. According to Perry, these schools affirm the humanity and intelligence of black students, upholding the value of commitment, thoroughness, and hard work.

All students at these schools participate as full members, Perry explained, "and membership means being an achiever." Equally important, students practice the behaviors—such as persistence—that give them the capacity to achieve.

Rather than assuming that students should come to school as motivated learners, the educators in these schools create an environment where "participation will create a motivated kid," Perry said. These teachers also recognize that students can be both intellectually smart and skill deficient, so they organize instruction around striving for excellence, not remediation. As a result, they are able to "reframe how black kids see themselves."

• Hear Baruti Kafele discuss "Success Strategies for Teachers of African American Children."

• ASCD's African American Critical Issues Network sponsored a session titled "Using Creative Enriched Instruction to Advance African American Students’ Achievement."

• The African American Critical Issues Network works to enhance the academic achievement of African American children and youth.

• Read sample chapters from Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices. This book and the companion video, Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices Books-in-Action Video, are available in the ASCD Online Store.

• Stedman Graham stated that success is not determined by the color of skin or financial background, but requires you to "step out of your comfort zone."

Read the full post . . .

Practical Strategies for Coteaching

Have you been asked to coteach next year?

Do you coteach now but aren't sure whether you're doing it well?

Judging by the crowd that filled the room for the Monday session Coteaching: Practical Strategies for Facilitating Student Learning, many educators have questions about coteaching. The session presenters gave clear, practical information for getting started or getting better at coteaching, distinguishing four approaches to it:

• supportive
• parallel
• complementary
• team teaching

They also discussed and answered FAQs about these approaches, and helped participants consider various issues related to each. Best of all, the three presenters actively modeled each approach throughout the session, blending content and delivery--really "walking the talk"--to heighten participants' understanding.

What are your thoughts about coteaching? Write a comment using the comment button at the bottom of this post.

• Read seven tips for coteachers and learn about the coteaching balancing act in Making Differences Ordinary Through Coteaching.

• Two of the presenters, Richard A. Villa and Jacqueline S. Thousand, included a chapter about collaborative teaching in Creating an Inclusive School.

Read the full post . . .

How Music Came to the World

Amid presentations exploring the "promise of the future," students from Cypress Elementary School in Osceola County, Fla., shared their creative study and interpretation of the past--specifically the ancient Aztec folk tale, "How the Music Came to the World."

Before Monday's Closing General Session, more than 100 students ranging from age 5 to 11 performed the folk tale using music, dance, and drama.

The curriculum behind their performance supports the findings of our closing general session speaker and relates to other conference sessions on culture and the arts in education.

Directors Debbie Fahmie and Magdali Carrillo headed up the collaborative project that joined three Cypress Elementary groups, the Falcon's Forte Chorus and Orff Ensemble, the Backstage Drama Club, and the Coqui Dancers.

The performance was the culmination of a learning experience that began in October, when students began studying the ancient Aztecs as part of Hispanic Heritage Month. First, students read a book about the Aztec folk tale, then they learned to play authentic Aztec folk instruments. They also had to study the style of music and dance appropriate to the ancient Aztec culture. The performance combined chanting, acting, dancing, and playing musical instruments that included a rain stick, a conch shell, a jaw bone, and an ancient Aztec stone marimba.

The flavor of the past these students communicated so well depends on fulfilling the promise of the future by using power to ensure funding for the arts and fostering the creative passion these students demonstrated so clearly. Director Debbie Fahmie closed the performance with a parting thought along those lines: "We truly believe that through the arts, we can teach to the whole child."

• Fahmie's remark echoes the findings of Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, our closing general session speaker.

• Other conference sessions demonstrated the power of the arts in education.

• Conference attendees from around the world shared how they teach about other cultures in their countries.

• Yasmeen Qadri showed educators the importance of encouraging sensitivity to differing religous expressions in the conference session "Muslims Are Americans, Too."

• Dennis Littky finds that the arts are often gateway subjects that lead students to deeper explorations of other subjects. Littky encourages educators to teach from the heart to develop students.

Read the full post . . .

Leaving Latino Students Behind

Accountability should provide the means for educators to provide equal opportunity for students, said Ana Martinez Aleman of Boston College. Yet today’s accountability movement--with its policies of high expectations coupled with low funding--is ironically increasing the disparities that it was meant to alleviate.

High-stakes tests have disproportionately affected students who are from poor and minority families, Aleman asserted in her comments at the John Dewey Society Memorial Lecture. Schools in high-poverty areas are narrowing the curriculum as they focus on test prep, and the dropout rate for Latino students in Texas is rising.

If their potential is not tapped, Latino youth will become "unused resources in our democracy," destined to low-paying service-sector jobs, Aleman warned. The growing Latino population could become a large underclass if their power and creativity are restricted, rather than enhanced, by our education system. "The consequences for Latino students are very significant," she said.

• Listen to a brief audio highlight of Aleman's presentation.

• Read about what happens when assessment defies best practice.

• How effective are bilingual education programs for improving the English reading skills and general content knowledge of English language learners (ELL)? Find out in ResearchBrief.

• Explore the issues involved in Multicultural Education.

• Anica Diaz Rivera Urges: Don't Treat All Latino Students the Same Way

• Read about adapting practice to address changes in demographics and culture.

• How do educators in countries outside the United States teach about other cultures? Find out how conference attendees from outside the Unites States answered this.

• Join ASCD's Hispanic/Latino-American Critical Issues network.

Read the full post . . .

Teacher Donates Her Personal Library

Books about Native Americans, Black history books, picture books, biographies and more--Joanne Parizek, a K-5 teacher from Jupiter, Florida, has been collecting books for young readers for more than 35 years. At ASCD's Books Bash, she donated 15 boxes worth--about 500 books--to the schoolchildren of Orange County, Florida.

Joanne Parizek hands over some of her books to ASCD staffers Diane Parker and Deborah Brown.

A reading teacher for most of her professional career, Joanne color-coded sets of books to use with children of different reading levels, ages, and interests. Her special fascination is with books that impart an understanding of different cultures. Because she will be taking on a new position as a K-5 math/science lab teacher in September, Joanne decided her books needed wider distribution. The Books Bash was her service project of choice.

The ASCD Books and Fun in the Sun Bash, sponsored by Pearson Education and Nova Southeastern University, was ASCD's second such service project, with all donated books headed for Title I schools in the conference city. The sponsors and conference attendees together donated more than 4,000 books this year.

Joanne was attending ASCD's Annual Conference with her daughter, an assistant principal, who helped transport all the books.

• Learn why providing books to children over the summer might be the best way to prevent summer reading loss.

• A conference attendee said this about a session on a schoolwide writing program that leaves no child behind: "I have not only already used his writing suggestions, but also his active teaching strategies in my class!"

• Read about literacy in a recent issue of Education Update that includes reading resources, strategies from literacy coaches, and information on how blogs can benefit educators.
  ASCD members can log in for full access to this and other member publications.
  Not an ASCD member? Find out more about the benefits of ASCD membership.
  

Read the full post . . .

Closing the Reading Gap

Providing books to children over the summer might be the best way to prevent summer reading loss. Reading researchers Richard Allington, Jennifer Graff, Lunetta Williams, and Courtney Zmach from the University of Florida-Gainesville tested that hypothesis in a three-year research study ending this summer. They shared preliminary results from their federally funded study at ASCD's Annual Conference.

They devised a book fair program that allowed 1,000 students entering 2nd grade to choose 10-12 free books to read during the summer. The children, all from economically disadvantaged families, agreed to complete a simple reading log about each book and return it by mail to the researchers. To discover more about what motivates students to read, researchers also interviewed a subset of students.

Researchers are finding that allowing choice and creating opportunities for social interaction about their reading increases students’' intrinsic motivation to read and stems the loss of reading skills that children who do not read books over the summer often experience.

The presenters also recommended another novel way to get books into the hands of students during the summer: open up school libraries at least one day each week.

Learn more about What Research Says About Reading.
ASCD members can log in for full access to this and other member publications.
Not an ASCD member? Find out more about the benefits of ASCD membership.

Read the full post . . .

A Schoolwide Writing Program That Leaves No Child Behind

In a lively, one-hour presentation to a packed audience, Dennis Pauli explained the Step Up to Writing Program. He modeled strategies as he led participants on a joyous journey through each step, comparing his pace to "taking a drink of water from a gushing fire hydrant."

Participants received a folder of materials filled with activities to practice back in their own school districts. Pauli tied the program to brain research, principles of differentiated instruction, and other best teaching practices. His energy and good humor left participants inspired to get back to the classroom and get kids writing.

Get more information on writing-read the recent Educational Leadership issue on writing.
ASCD members can log in for full access to this and other member publications.
Not an ASCD member? Find out more about the benefits of ASCD membership.

Read the full post . . .

Conference Sights and Sounds

The Sunday General Session was preceded by the music group Can Line Pan Line from Witter Elementary School in Hillsborough County, Fla. The students used trash cans and lids, steel buckets, and oil barrels as instruments to perform what the director called a combination of the movies Stomp and Drumline. The rhythmic performance was accompanied by modern dance routines that combined stomps and shimmies.

The final number was performed using oil barrels designed to sound like steel drums including a melody drum and a guitar pan that mimicked the sound of a guitar being strummed.

Does removing elementary school students from class for music education programs affect their academic achievement? Find out in ResearchBrief.
Join with like-minded educators in ASCD's Arts in Education network.

Read the full post . . .

Adapting Practice to Address Changes in Demographics and Culture

ASCD's African American Critical Issues Network sponsored a session titled "Using Creative Enriched Instruction to Advance African American Students’ Achievement." Rosie Kelley, John Cox, and Minnie Reynolds from Charles County Public Schools in Maryland shared highlights of their district's program to raise minority achievement and include more minority students in gifted and advanced programs.

Cox noted, "We have to acknowledge that these kids are behind and will not get straightened out" unless schools provide something different. He said that equity rather than equality is the goal--Charles County Schools provides funding and support based on need rather than evenly divided resources.

The district is focused on reducing achievement gaps between African American and white students, he said, and "you owe it to all children to get them to move" in terms of their learning.

You'll be able to read the full report on this session in the June issue of Education Update.

• Hear Baruti Kafele discuss "Success Strategies for Teachers of African American Children."

• Closing the achievement gap requires providing students a "counter-narrative," according to Theresa Perry, author of Young, Gifted, and Black. Learn more.

• For more on the achievement gap, read ASCD executive director Gene Carter's column, "Closing the Gap."

• The African American Critical Issues Network works to enhance the academic achievement of African American children and youth.

• Read sample chapters from Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices. This book and the companion video, Closing the Achievement Gap: A Vision for Changing Beliefs and Practices Books-in-Action Video, are available in the ASCD Online Store.

• Stedman Graham stated that success is not determined by the color of skin or financial background, but requires you to "step out of your comfort zone."

• Read Education Update to learn more about Reaching Minority Students.
  
  ASCD members can log in for full access to this and other member publications.
  Not an ASCD member? Find out more about the benefits of ASCD membership.
  

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Jamaican Educators Discuss Island Education

A contingent of 50 Jamaican educators-including 20 principals-traveled to ASCD's Annual Conference in Orlando to find out about new practices and policies and gather materials to improve their own practice. Last year, about 30 attended the conference in New Orleans. Because they found it so beneficial, the Jamaican Ministry of Education sponsored increased participation this year.

Austin Ezenne from the University of the West Indies presented Sunday morning on "Responding to the Call for Accountability." Participants from San Maarten, Trinidad, Barbados, the Bahamas, Jamaica, and the United States compared their education systems in terms of leadership, discipline, teacher/student ratio, and funding.

• Hear from educators around the world who answered the question of the day: How Do You Teach About Other Cultures in Your Country?

• Read about new practices from
  

• Dennis Littky
• Sam Intrator
• ASCD's African American Critical Issues Network
• Richard Villa, Jacqueline Thousand, and Ann Nevin
• Theresa Perry
• . . . and more

• ASCD affiliates span the globe. Find an ASCD affiliate near you.

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If Wordsworth Were Principal

Put a romantic poet in charge of a school today, and what would happen? Sam Intrator, author of Teaching with Fire: Poetry that Sustains the Courage to Teach, suggested to his audience that a poetic viewpoint might be just the restorative needed in an age when so many demoralized educators leave their profession within their first few years.

Just as Wordsworth would have celebrated the innocence of childhood and rejected being turned into a technician, educators must seek a sense of balance and remember why they entered the profession. "Ultimately the vocation of teaching is hopeful, triumphant, and eminently high-stakes," he said. Intrator urged educators to seek both self-renewal and institutional renewal. "Teaching is a rough-and-tumble way of living out your one wild and precious life," he said.

Read Intrator's article "The Engaged Classroom" in Educational Leadership.
ASCD members can log in for full access to Educational Leadership, and other member publications.
Not an ASCD member? Find out about the benefits of ASCD membership.

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How Educators Can Control Stress

Controlling stress may be the most important factor in preventing good teachers and administrators from leaving the field, Allen Queen told educators. He encouraged them to recognize three "time bandits" that create stress:

• procrastination
• the drive for perfection
• the inability to say no

Queen suggested three approaches to combat it:

• physical activity as part of a wellness plan, which can be as simple as taking a walk
• resting activity, such as listening to music or taking a warm bath
• mental activity, such as meditation or visual imagery

He then led his listeners through some simple relaxation techniques.

Learn how to help administrators and faculty cope with a crisis-read the Education Update article "Who Cares for the Caregivers?"

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Plan Ahead: 2006 ASCD Annual Conference in Chicago

I hope you will join us at the 2006 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show, April 1-3, in Chicago, Ill. It has been 12 years since we gathered in the "windy city" to exchange ideas and expertise with our colleagues.

We will do so again next spring while enjoying the stimulation of this exciting, revitalized venue. Make plans now to attend and submit a proposal for our 61st Annual Conference.

The 2006 Annual Conference Planning Committee selected the theme "Constructing the Future, Challenging the Past: Excellence in Learning, Teaching and Leadership" to allow attendees opportunities to think critically about where we have been and become actively engaged with where we are going in education.

The conference theme will be organized around three strands: Learning and Teaching, Leadership and Organizational Development, and Policy and Advocacy.

Please consider submitting a proposal to be a presenter at the 2006 conference. We strongly encourage you to submit your proposal online to ensure a timely receipt and confirmation of your proposal submission.

Thank you for sharing the excitement of this conference in Orlando! Please mark your calendars now for April 1-3, 2006. I look forward to seeing all of you in Chicago!

Mary Ellen Freeley ASCD President-Elect, 2004-05

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Student Leader Speaks

Nichole Brewer, the current ASCD student chapter president at Missouri Baptist University (St. Louis Campus), spoke at the Affiliate Recognition Luncheon Saturday afternoon.

Find out if your school has an ASCD student chapter.

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Question of the Day

What Conference topic or resource have you found most useful?

The issues of cultural competency and diversity training have been very helpful to me. In our school district, this is an issue of concern, and we are trying to broaden our knowledge base and use what we have learned to meet the needs of our students.
Conni Davis, Indianapolis

I liked the workshop on polishing our presenting skills. I learned a lot about the use of a person’s voice in presenting and how to enhance audience participation and have audience members engage with each other.
Nan Kemp, Salt Lake City

Dennis Littky’s presentation was the most moving, and the Second General Session with Jennifer James was most thought-provoking. I enjoyed meeting with author Charlotte Danielson. Spending 10 minutes talking to her puts a face to the concepts presented, and the subject matter means a lot more as a result.
Gordon Davis, Avon Park, Fla.

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Graham: Plot the Master Plan

Stedman Graham understands what it is like to be defined by other people.

He wrote two New York Times bestsellers, played pro basketball in Europe and is a popular lecturer. But despite all that, he admitted to a packed house Sunday that he knew many of them had come to the session “to see Oprah’s boyfriend.”

Author Stedman Graham speaks to a packed house Sunday.

Graham didn’t dwell on his relationship with the talk-show superstar. However, he did cite her as an example of someone who took what she does well-talk-and turned it into a profitable career.

The question is, said Graham, "Do you know who you are?"

Graham stated that success is not determined by the color of skin or financial background. People find happiness by discovering what they do well and build on it.

"It is not about the external," he said. "It is about the internal."

Graham said everybody has the same constraints of a 24-hour day. Those who prosper do not do the same thing over and over.

Instead, they find a way to focus on their passion and realign their lives to make the most of each day and reach their goal.

Plotting that master plan is the premise of Graham’s bestseller, You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan.

His steps revolve around an underlying energy that thrives on the kind of discipline he received in the military and while playing sports.

"If we change the way we view the world, there is nothing we cannot accomplish," Graham said.

Turning negatives into positives is key, as well as overcoming fears, learning to be flexible and creating a support team.

"Step out of your comfort zone," Graham said. "It is doing rather than saying."

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James to Educators: Tell Your Stories

Jennifer James urges educators to tell their own stories at the Second General Session Sunday afternoon at the ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show.

Cultural anthropologist Jennifer James wants educators to tell a story, a story that embraces and reinforces their best values and passes them on to the next generation.

She explained what this involves during her presentation, "The Human Face of Technological Change," at the Second General Session Sunday.

Cognitive Dissonance "Splits the Mind"
"We are changing faster than any culture ever has in the history of the world," James said. "We have never seen change of this depth, this breadth and this intensity."

The result of this dizzying change is cognitive dissonance.

"Cognitive dissonance splits the mind and causes rage because you can't reconcile it with reality," James said.

Imagine a 15-year-old boy surging with testosterone who feels no connection to his culture and therefore experiences cognitive dissonance. That feeling can cause incidents like Columbine and other forms of violence, according to James.

"Everything You Need ... in a Weird Cartoon"
To help children cope, James recommends that educators tell compelling stories about the future. These "stories" are told in the way the storytellers live their lives and in the decisions they make.

Nelson Mandela, for example, tells a moving story of reconciliation that made a positive difference in South Africa, while Slobodan Milosevic tells a 13th century story of revenge that created a blood bath in Yugoslavia and huge loss of life, James said.

In terms of popular culture, children turn to their own storytellers-popular cartoons. The Mutant Ninja Turtles teaches the value of being fast, assertive, adaptable and confident, and it teaches higher forms of consciousness, higher forms of communication, meditation, mediation, teamwork, stress reduction and ethics.

"It's everything you need for this new world in a weird cartoon," James said. "This is a lot better than the Three Bears."

In the daily lives of educators, they too can tell a story in the face of incredible change.

"You are guiding. You are leading. You are taking a generation across a bridge from the past to the future," James said. "When you get over that bridge, we will have moved to a higher level of civilization. You make an extraordinary difference."

• Don't miss any of the news, session reports, interviews, and more from our Annual Conference.
• Listen to interviews with other key conference presenters.
• Learn about Classroom Strategies for Helping At-Risk Students.
• Find out how you can succeed at Educating Oppositional and Defiant Children
• Take an online course to learn more about Teaching Better with Technology.
• Challenging times demand dynamic leaders. Read about How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader.
  ASCD members can log in for full access to this and other member publications.
  Not an ASCD member? Find out more about the benefits of ASCD membership.

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President-Elect Candidates Forum

Conference attendees heard from ASCD President-Elect candidates in a forum on Sunday.

ASCD President-Elect candidates Nancy DeFord of Park City, Utah, left, and Kenneth DiPietro of Coventry, R.I., right, field questions Sunday during the meet the Candidates Forum.

Immediate Past President Ray McNulty facilitated this inaugural event. The President-Elect candidates (who will run for election in the fall of 2005) shared their visions for leadership of the Association.

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Rivera Urges: Don't Treat All Latino Students the Same Way

Insight into the lives of Latino students is critical if educators want to help them excel.

In her session titled "How to Increase Academic and Social Gains in Latino Students," Anica Diaz Rivera explained that while Hispanic students may have the Spanish language in common, they are not all the same.

Cultural differences factor into relationships between parents and the school, Rivera said.

For instance, many Latinos do not question authority figures, such as teachers. As a result, they have to be encouraged to participate in parent-teacher organizations.

"It's not that they don't care," said Rivera, who works with Latino students at Campbell Middle School in Smyrna, Ga. "They have no idea what we expect."

The daughter of immigrant Puerto Rican parents, Rivera said teachers can begin to earn trust during orientation. Translating material that is sent home and offering translators during meetings as well as food and child care goes a long way toward fostering support.

Understanding the dynamics of an immigrant family is also essential to helping a child get ahead. Because many parents are in "survival mode," they depend on their children to translate for them at doctor's offices or help with job applications and rental agreements. This dilemma not only pulls children from the classroom, but makes parents reluctant to discipline children over bad grades.

"The child ends up getting control and, out of guilt, parents allow it to happen," Rivera said.

So Rivera tries to show parents how their behavior affects the child's learning. She will go as far as convincing parents to give up a few days of work-often without pay-so they can shadow their child in school.

Parents learn firsthand that their child is unprepared and not doing their homework.

"What 6th- or 7th-grader wants to have Mom following you?" Rivera said.

• In her conference session, Ana Martinez Aleman warned that the dropout rate for Latino students in Texas is rising and Latino youth risk becoming "unused resources in our democracy." Read more in our newest blog entry, Leaving Latino Students Behind.

• How do educators in countries outside the United States teach about other cultures? Find out how conference attendees from outside the Unites States answered this.

• Read about adapting practice to address changes in demographics and culture.

• Join ASCD's Hispanic/Latino-American Critical Issues network.

• Explore the issues involved in Multicultural Education.

• How effective are bilingual education programs for improving the English reading skills and general content knowledge of English language learners (ELL)? Find out in ResearchBrief.

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ASCD Affiliate Receives Award for Overall Excellence

NCASCD President Terry Grier, superintendent of the Guilford County School District, Greensboro, N.C., accepted the ASCD Affiliate Overall Excellence Award.

Learn more about the benefits of membership in your local ASCD affiliate.

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Texas Educator Advises on How to Meet Needs of Hispanic Students

The Hispanic population is now the largest minority in the United States, and this influx of Hispanic people is causing many educators to wonder what they need to do to accommodate these students.

Ana Guzman, president of Palo Alto College, San Antonio, Texas, describes the needs of Hispanic students during Sunday's session.

Ana Guzman, president of Palo Alto College, San Antonio, Texas, addressed the specific needs of Hispanic children during Sunday's session "Understanding Hispanics to Create Educational Environments of Excellence."

"More and more Hispanics are settling in different areas of the country because that's where the jobs are," Guzman said. "School officials are asking, "What are we going to do with these children?"

Guzman offered specific ideas in three different areas-bilingual education, discipline and high expectations. In terms of bilingual education, Guzman said it is crucial for Hispanic children not to begin reading English until they are proficient at reading Spanish.

"If you do both at the same time, it is absolutely confusing," she noted.

Based on her own bilingual teaching experience, Guzman observed that Hispanic children are ready to enter mainstream education by the third grade.

"[My students'] averages in English reading by the time they entered the mainstream were higher than the average for children in that same school," Guzman said.

As for discipline, Guzman said Hispanic children come from homes where order and structure are valued. The chaotic environment of many urban schools is a disconcerting experience for Hispanic children.

"We need to develop systems that show we care enough about students to create a place that is safe for them," Guzman said. Educators also need to care enough to set high expectations for students, including Hispanics.

Guzman said that Hispanics are often nudged toward the easier general education classes and not the more advanced courses.

Educators often make the mistaken assumption that Hispanics cannot handle advanced courses, she noted. "Hispanic children do not need an easy curriculum," Guzman said. "An easy curriculum gets Hispanic children nowhere."

Listen to a pre-conference interview with Guzman.

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Monday Schedule to Meet ASCD Authors

Come by the ASCD Center in booth 1451 in the Exhibit Hall, where you can meet your favorite ASCD authors, view videos, and find out more about the benefits of being an ASCD member at the membership desk.

Meet Your Favorite Authors
Come and introduce yourself to some of ASCD's most respected authors and have them sign a copy of a book. The authors who will be in the ASCD Center Monday, April 4 are

• 10:00-10:30 a.m.
  Heidi Hayes Jacobs, author of Getting Results With Curriculum Mapping
  
  
• 11:00-11:30 a.m.
  Allison Zmuda, Robert Kuklis, and Everett Kline, authors of Transforming Schools: Creating a Culture of Continuous Improvement
  
  
• 12:00-12:30 p.m.
  Jonathan Erwin, author of The Classroom of Choice: Giving Students What They Need and Getting What You Want
  
  
• 1:00-1:30 p.m.
  Arthur L. Costa, co-author of the Habits of Mind series and editor of Developing Minds: A Resource Book for Teaching Thinking, 3rd Edition
  

View Videos, Explore Books
In the ASCD Center, you can also view ASCD videos and explore our latest resources for educators, including

• Understanding by Design, expanded 2nd edition
• Making School Improvement Happen with What Works in Schools: An ASCD Action Tool Set
  
• Classroom Strategies for Helping At-Risk Students

Join Us
Find out about the benefits of joining ASCD at the membership desk in the ASCD Center. If you're already a member and want to renew or upgrade your membership or have a question about it, you can get your answers here.

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ASCD Board of Directors Meets

ASCD President Martha Bruckner (center) presides over Friday's ASCD Board of Directors meeting at the Rosen Centre Hotel. On the left is ASCD President-Elect Mary Ellen Freeley and on the right is ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter.

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Question of the Day

How Do You Teach About Other Cultures in Your Country?

"We teach a lot about other cultures in social studies. We teach them (students) with textbooks. We use a lot of Internet, movies and newspapers. We try for teachers to become part of the discussion, but not lead it, so it will become more interactive."
Bernardita Stuven, Chile


"We don't have a national curriculum, but we have a national statement of expectations. It includes social justice, which has tenets of multiculturalism, tolerance, diversity and inclusivity."
Ken Avenell, Australia


"We are very global, so cosmopolitan and so interconnected. We have a lot of expatriates and multinational companies. In our school curriculum, it's very natural-naturally diverse. So it's easy to connect."
Betsy Lim, Singapore

"A lot will come from actual cultures, because New Zealand has become very multicultural in recent times.... What we want to do is make the student feel comfortable. We really incorporate within themes, within studies, using the community. Being eclectic. Bringing in different strategies, drawing on resources."
Faye Hauwai, New Zealand

"Our curriculum does include world geography. It includes human geography and culture. We do a lot of current events on different political issues in other countries."
Anna Maria de Samper, Colombia


"We teach tolerance, understanding, respect and compassion. We celebrate diversity. We have some important days (such as when) every child wears a costume from their father's country."
Virginia Bolivar, Venezuela

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Encouraging Sensitivity to Differing Religious Expressions

As more Muslim children become visible in U.S. public schools, the need to enhance religious tolerance and accommodate differing religious expression has become increasingly essential in the school setting. Strategies to accomplish these goals were addressed in Saturday's session "Muslims Are Americans, Too: Embracing Global Education in the 21st Century."

Yasmeen Qadri, professor of education at Valencia Community College, encourages students to embrace commonality.

"The model I wish to present begins with making students aware of their American citizenship," said Yasmeen Qadri, professor of education at Valencia Community College, Orlando, Fla. "I encourage students to see the commonality with their fellow students in being American citizens."

Embracing their common U.S. citizenship breaks down barriers and helps children understand why some children may dress differently and why they do certain things to honor their religious customs, Qadri said.

"This kind of dialogue is helpful for students because it helps build bridges across the different customs," Qadri said. Ahmed Bedier, communications director for the Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Tampa, Fla., discussed the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act of 1984 that protect religious expression in institutions that receive federal funding, such as school districts.

"In making decisions as educators, you cannot discriminate against students' practice of religion or fail to accommodate their religious expression needs," Bedier said.

The First Amendment protects students' rights to religious expression, such as prayer, fasting, religious observance, special clothing or special dietary needs. The Equal Access Act affirms the right for student-initiated religious activities in public schools.

Common excuses for failing to accommodate students' special religious needs, Bedier said, include, "if we accommodate you, we have to accommodate everyone" or "our policy forbids it" or "other students have never requested such a thing." "It's a right for our children to observe our holidays just as other children have the right to observe Christmas," he noted.

"Also, policies are made to be amended according to circumstance, and just because one student doesn't recognize a religious observance, that's their business, but if another student does, that's their right."

Read articles from the Educational Leadership issue "The World in the Classroom," including Susan L. Douglass' article "Teaching About Religion."

ASCD members can log in to read all the articles from this issue.
Not a member? Learn how to join ASCD.

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Scenes from Saturday

ASCD President Martha Bruckner gets a handle on a pair of scissors at the ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the Exhibit Hall Saturday morning at the ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show. Also on hand at the ceremony was the Philharmonic String Quartet from Winter Park High School.



Eduardo Rivas, Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Fla.; Valerie Collins, VL Collins Consulting Professionals, Inc., Apopka, Fla.; Dennis Littky, The Big Picture Company, Providence, R.I.; Belinda Williams, Conshohocken, Pa.; and Tim Waters, McREL, Aurora, Colo., took part in the Improving Achievement for Students in Poverty forum Saturday afternoon at the ASCD Convention and Exhibit Show.

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ASCD Honors Nevada Principal as OYEA Winner

During the Opening General Session, ASCD honored Nevada Principal Pete Hall as the third recipient of the Association's Outstanding Young Educator Award (OYEA). Hall, principal of Anderson Elementary School in Reno, Nev., was selected for the inventive leadership he has displayed in transforming a low-performing elementary school into a high-achieving school.

"Pete Hall is not a typical elementary school principal," said ASCD Executive Director Gene Carter, who presented the award to Hall. "Where others see overwhelming odds, he sees opportunity. Where others see a risk of failure, he sees his calling. For his determination in helping the students who need his help the most, ASCD is proud to name him the Outstanding Young Educator of the Year."

"He is a strong leader who encourages creative thought and innovative teaching among his staff," said Wayland Denny, dean of students at Anderson Elementary, who nominated Hall for the award.

Saying that the award is a celebration of the contributions of all educators, Hall called for educators to join him in what he respectfully called "the attack."

Hall was selected from four national finalists for the 2004 OYEA Award. The other finalists are

• Jarrett Reid Whitaker, a science and lab teacher and instructional coordinator at Port Houston Elementary School in Houston, Tex.
• La'Mont Geddis, a technology coordinator and teacher at Ernest E. Just Middle School in Mitchellville, Md.
• Alesia Slocumb-Bradford, a math teacher at Jefferson Junior High School in Washington, D.C.

As the ASCD Outstanding Young Educator of the Year, Hall will be profiled in Educational Leadership and will receive a check for $10,000. He also earned an ASCD Institutional Membership for his school.
Nominations are currently being accepted for next year's award.

• Learn more about Pete Hall in this Educational Leadership article.
• Hear more from Pete Hall in this Education World "Wire Side Chat."
• Learn more aboutStaffing the Principalship: Finding, Coaching, and Mentoring School Leaders.
• Find out how to best support new teachers, read A Better Beginning: Supporting and Mentoring New Teachers and watch the Mentoring the New Teacher Videos.

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Teach from the Heart to Develop Students

The key to Dennis Littky's talk on "Big Picture Education" Saturday was the snapshot view he gave into life at the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center ("The Met") in Providence, R.I.

Littky is the former principal and current director of the school that creates a curriculum from a student's interests. He wants students to study what they are interested in and expects them to launch into research on that subject with a passion fueled by advisors and parental support.

It is the type of approach that put a microphone in the hands of 16-year-old student Josue Lopez, who gave a heart-provoking assessment of his life that includes an imprisoned father and the determination to avoid following in his father's footsteps. Lopez is one of about 700 students attending The Met. These students have taken on studies that range from designing fashion to putting an award-winning spin on hypertension among African Americans.

"Our mantra is 'one student at a time,'" Littky said. "We enroll families, not just kids."

Littky, known as Doc, admitted that sometimes such bold approaches are a leap of faith-for example, the student who wanted to study the rapper Tupac. From that spark came the student's evolving interest in people who make an impact on society. Before graduation, the same pupil was researching activist Nelson Mandela and orchestrating a peace forum.

Unconventional gambles like these have paid off in other ways for the poor and minority students who attend The Met. Littky said his students not only get into college, 75 percent graduate-a far cry from the typical 10 percent college graduation rate he described for most African Americans and Hispanics.

"I don't think we realize how tough it is for our kids to make it in college," Littky said.

Littky continued to remind his audience that students need to learn how to solve problems, not just learn from books. He challenged educators not only to think outside of the box, but also outside the classroom for tools and ways to give children new and useful experiences. He encouraged the group to roll up their sleeves, and he threw out a challenge: "What can you do on Monday to be a little bit different at your school?"

Read chapters from Littky's recent book The Big Picture: Education is Everyone's Business.

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