Please note that the agenda is a dynamic document and sessions may change before the conference. You will receive a final agenda in your conference packet when you register at the conference. Thank you.
Friday, April 17, 2009
12:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Conference Registration
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
TAP Is the Solution!
On March 10, 2009, President Barack Obama delivered a major address focused on the nation's education agenda. In his speech, he highlighted the Teacher Advancement Program. Now impacting over 6,200 teachers and 72,000 students across the country, TAP is revolutionizing the structure of the teaching profession to make sustained and meaningful improvements in teacher quality and student achievement. NIET Chairman and Founder Lowell Milken will explore the current demands on our economic and educational systems, and TAP's critical role in reforming K-12 education to meet such challenges.
Keynote Presenter
Lowell Milken, Chairman and Co-Founder, Milken Family Foundation; Founder, Teacher Advancement Program
7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Welcome Reception
7:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Welcome Dinner
Saturday, April 18, 2009
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Conference Registration
7:15 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Breakfast
8:30 a.m. – 10 a.m.
TAP Concurrent Sessions, Block A
There will be 11 sessions for attendees to choose from. Sessions will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please select another session if the room is at capacity.
Working with the Union to Implement TAP
Research and experience have shown that educational initiatives are more successful and enduring if all stakeholders are included in the effort from the start. Teachers' unions can represent one of the most valued partners in school reform. Panelists will include school leaders and union officials who have worked to foster a partnership in TAP's implementation.
Effectively Presenting TAP to Parents, Community Members and the Media
President Obama and Education Secretary Duncan have called for performance pay and related support to be a centerpiece of the national education agenda, and have cited TAP as a leading model. As a result, TAP teachers and administrators implementing this innovative reform in schools and districts are in demand as experts on the subject. The challenge is to describe TAP's comprehensive, multifaceted system in simple and clear terms to non educators. In this session we will hear from TAP leaders about their successful strategies for communicating the key aspects of TAP to the media, community members, funders and parents. We will also discuss and distribute messaging for effective group presentations, interviews and one on one conversations.
TAP in the Secondary Schools
The core elements of TAP have led to a powerful and rigorous high school reform model. Given the unique culture and structure of a high school, some aspects of TAP have been approached and implemented in a different way than in TAP elementary or middle schools. This panel will feature high school leaders and practitioners from the field. They will describe successful practices in TAP high schools, highlight ongoing development issues and discuss challenges they have overcome.
Tips for Leading Meetings
Leading an effective meeting can be like walking through a minefield. There are potential "disasters" with every step. Those who are masterful at leading meetings have learned how to successfully employ a few key strategies that make the meetings more effective. Through interactive role play, participants will analyze and apply 10 different tips to employ when leading meetings. The strategies are designed to assist meeting leaders in handling a variety of the most common situations by allowing them practice and immediate coaching with each of these skills during the training.
Key Stakeholders in Ensuring TAP's Success
Key to TAP's success is the support and partnership of stakeholders at the local, state and federal levels who share the common goal of improving teacher quality to increase student achievement. In some communities, school boards have played an integral role in TAP's implementation. In others, district administrators, legislators or other community members have led the charge to transform the system. In this session, local and state stakeholders will discuss policies they have developed to ensure TAP's successful implementation.
Teaching Students to Think Beyond the Facts
For students to acquire the more complex and analytical skills they need for the 21st century, teachers must learn to teach in ways that move student learning beyond memorization of facts. Instructional strategies teachers need to implement will be examined as well as the impact teaching beyond the facts has on lifelong learning. Participants will actively engage in learning activities and examine how they move students beyond the facts.
Nine Grouping Strategies in 90 Minutes
Instruction that enhances understanding provides opportunities for student-to-student interaction. Processing information through structured interaction greatly impacts achievement. How do we accomplish this and ensure equal participation and accountability? Participants will learn nine new grouping strategies in this session, but more importantly, they will explore the characteristics of when and how to successfully employ each of these techniques in order to accomplish the curricular goals for the students.
Implementing an Evaluation System That Is Fair and Transparent
TAP's instructionally focused accountability system holds teachers accountable for their instructional practices and the achievement of their students, while providing a support structure to identify areas of improvement and reinforce areas of strength. Panelists from TAP schools will discuss how the TAP evaluation system and increased accountability have led to improved instruction and learning.
Viewing Student Work to Begin Cluster Meetings
Why should teachers examine student work collaboratively? How does this impact the effectiveness of cluster meetings? Guiding questions for this process will be examined along with an analysis of video clips in which teachers are analyzing student work together.
Recruiting Talented Instructional Leaders
The most essential element to ensure TAP's successful implementation is hiring the highest quality master and mentor teachers. This session will provide guidance and strategies TAP schools have used to hire the most capable and appropriate teachers for these TAP leadership positions.
TAP Implementation: Beyond Three Years
What happens now that your school has been implementing TAP for three years or more? This session will focus on taking TAP to the next level at your school. Learning from the experiences of teachers and administrators in the field, attendees will come away ready to refine the TAP elements to ensure that all students achieve the goals set for them.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
The Educator’s Role in Education Reform that Improves Student Achievement and Teacher Excellence
In order for school reform to be successful, educators need to be involved in the process. Teacher buy-in enables change to occur in the classroom, while leadership at the school and district levels allows for systemic change to be sustained. This panel of outstanding educators will discuss their role in bringing about change in their schools and districts. They will discuss challenges and opportunities when developing systems that lead to improved student achievement and teacher excellence.
Moderator
Lowell Milken, Chairman and Co-Founder, Milken Family Foundation; Founder, Teacher Advancement Program
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
1:15 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.
TAP Concurrent Sessions, Block B
There will be 11 sessions for attendees to choose from. Sessions will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please select another session if the room is at capacity.
The Impact of Bonuses on Teacher Attitudes
It is not common in education for teachers to be rewarded for their students' achievement growth and their own effective instructional practices. Panelists will reflect on the impact of the TAP performance bonuses in their schools. They will also share the communication efforts required to ensure that the process is a fair and understandable experience for the entire school team.
Specialists in TAP Schools
Specialists and special area teachers are instrumental in the successful implementation of TAP. As an integral part of the TAP structure, they are involved in each element of the system. In TAP schools, specialists must have strong content and instructional knowledge. Panelists will discuss their experiences as special area teachers or leaders of the specialist clusters in TAP schools.
Teacher Incentive Fund Impact on TAP Expansion
The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) provides federal funding for schools and districts that find innovative ways to attract and retain more effective teachers in high-need schools. Panelists will discuss their schools' use of TIF funds to create successful performance-pay plans that include meaningful professional development, clear systems of teacher evaluation and career opportunities that allow the most talented teachers to take on additional responsibilities.
Identify Your Leadership Style
After taking an initial assessment, participants will explore the three main types of leadership styles: authoritarian or autocratic, democratic and free reign or delegative. While most people assign a value-judgment to these titles, each is important and useful in a leader's arsenal of skills. Using those styles, participants will identify opportunities and obstacles that enhance or stand in the way of their personal effectiveness as a leader based on the leadership style they choose in a given situation, while gaining a deeper understanding of each style.
Effectively Using Value-Added Data in the Classroom
TAP uses value-added analysis at the district, school and classroom level to identify schools, grades and content areas that have or have not increased student achievement, to address teachers' strengths and areas of improvement, and to analyze the growth of students by subgroup. Both teachers and administrators will discuss effective uses of value-added data to improve instructional practices and leverage teacher effectiveness.
Tips for Leading Meetings
Leading an effective meeting can be like walking through a minefield. There are potential "disasters" with every step. Those who are masterful at leading meetings have learned how to successfully employ a few key strategies that make the meetings more effective. Through interactive role play, participants will analyze and apply 10 different tips to employ when leading meetings. The strategies are designed to assist meeting leaders in handling a variety of the most common situations by allowing them practice and immediate coaching with each of these skills during the training.
How to Develop Scaffold Questions Targeting a Single Objective
Teachers know they should be asking questions of their students, but how do they effectively scaffold questions to ensure they ask questions on a variety of levels that build on student learning? Thru examination of a teacher's pre-planned questions and video clips of classroom instruction, participants will examine ways for doing this, as well as, plan their own use of scaffold questioning based on a single learning objective.
TAP Implementation: Beyond Three Years
What happens now that your school has been implementing TAP for three years or more? This session will focus on taking TAP to the next level at your school. Learning from the experiences of teachers and administrators in the field, attendees will come away ready to refine the TAP elements to ensure that all students achieve the goals set for them.
Viewing Student Work to Begin Cluster Meetings
Why should teachers examine student work collaboratively? How does this impact the effectiveness of cluster meetings? Guiding questions for this process will be examined along with an analysis of video clips in which teachers are analyzing student work together.
TAP Implementation: First Year Schools
Changing a school culture is always a challenge. TAP's comprehensive reform requires teachers and administrators to deviate from the status quo. Panelists will reflect on their first year of implementation and share strategies used to overcome obstacles. TAP administrators and teachers working "in the trenches" will describe how the basic elements of TAP are incorporated into the school's day-to-day operation.
Effectively Presenting TAP to Parents, Community Members and the Media
President Obama and Education Secretary Duncan have called for performance pay and related support to be a centerpiece of the national education agenda, and have cited TAP as a leading model. As a result, TAP teachers and administrators implementing this innovative reform in schools and districts are in demand as experts on the subject. The challenge is to describe TAP's comprehensive, multifaceted system in simple and clear terms to non educators. In this session we will hear from TAP leaders about their successful strategies for communicating the key aspects of TAP to the media, community members, funders and parents. We will also discuss and distribute messaging for effective group presentations, interviews and one on one conversations.
3:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
A Conversation with Lowell Milken, Governor Tim Pawlenty and Superintendent Paul Vallas: Effective K-12 Education Reform—Federal, State and Local Roles
The successful implementation of effective K-12 education reform requires a partnership among local stakeholders, as well as state and federal policy makers. From parents and educators to elected officials at all levels, it takes a collaborative effort to improve our students’ achievement growth. The recently approved federal economic stimulus package, along with the President’s pending education budget, provide new opportunities for states and districts to access critical funds to spur innovation and improvement in our schools. This conversation will explore the politics of effective K-12 reform, the role of key stakeholders and the importance of teacher quality in providing the needed educational opportunities for all students.
Moderator
Lowell Milken, Chairman and Co-Founder, Milken Family Foundation; Founder, Teacher Advancement Program
4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
TAP Concurrent Sessions, Block C
There will be 11 sessions for attendees to choose from. Sessions will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please select another session if the room is at capacity.
Shared Leadership in a TAP School
TAP provides the unique opportunity for master and mentor teachers to share some of the school leadership responsibilities with the principal. This shared leadership model empowers teachers and administrators alike to take ownership of TAP. Principals continue to be the core driving force behind school change; however, they do so with the explicit support and partnership of the other TAP leadership team members. Administrators will discuss the changes in their leadership role as a result of TAP and how these changes have strengthened their schools as a whole.
Specialists in TAP Schools
Specialists and special area teachers are instrumental in the successful implementation of TAP. As an integral part of the TAP structure, they are involved in each element of the system. In TAP schools, specialists must have strong content and instructional knowledge. Panelists will discuss their experiences as special area teachers or leaders of the specialist clusters in TAP schools.
Sustaining Funding for TAP in Tough Economic Times
How will securing financial support for TAP be affected by the current economic climate? Ongoing sources of funding are essential to the continuous and successful implementation of TAP. Schools, districts and states must develop reliable sources of funding to support the system. Panelists will discuss how they have used existing and new sources of funds to sustain TAP in their schools and districts.
Identify Your Leadership Style
After taking an initial assessment, participants will explore the three main types of leadership styles: authoritarian or autocratic, democratic and free reign or delegative. While most people assign a value-judgment to these titles, each is important and useful in a leader's arsenal of skills. Using those styles, participants will identify opportunities and obstacles that enhance or stand in the way of their personal effectiveness as a leader based on the leadership style they choose in a given situation, while gaining a deeper understanding of each style.
Defining Principal Compensation in TAP Schools
Principals are essential to successful TAP implementation. As such, most TAP schools have a system to compensate principals for their leadership based on multiple measures, including school-wide student achievement growth. Panelists will share what strong principal leadership looks like in a TAP school. They will discuss the various methods used to compensate principals for successful leadership, and the implications these systems have on improved student achievement.
Reflective Teaching
Research shows that when a teacher is self-reflective, student learning increases. If this is true, then how do coaches and administrators develop self-reflection in the teachers with whom they work? Participants will examine different stages of self-reflection and develop strategies for effectively coaching teachers at each stage.
Nine Grouping Strategies in 90 Minutes
Instruction that enhances understanding provides opportunities for student-to-student interaction. Processing information through structured interaction greatly impacts achievement. How do we accomplish this and ensure equal participation and accountability? Participants will learn nine new grouping strategies in this session, but more importantly, they will explore the characteristics of when and how to successfully employ each of these techniques in order to accomplish the curricular goals for the students.
Implementing an Evaluation System That Is Fair and Transparent
TAP's instructionally focused accountability system holds teachers accountable for their instructional practices and the achievement of their students, while providing a support structure to identify areas of improvement and reinforce areas of strength. Panelists from TAP schools will discuss how the TAP evaluation system and increased accountability have led to improved instruction and learning.
How to Interpret Nonverbal Cues
Did that person just roll her eyes at me? What do you do when a person's body language conveys a message different than what they are really thinking? Participants will learn some of the key signals to watch for when conferencing and coaching, including signs of deception. They will also explore how the context and physical location of the conversation can influence body language and often cause people to misread those signals. At the end of the session, participants will apply what they have learned to a coaching session by trying to identify what the participants are thinking versus what they are saying.
Data-Driven Professional Development
TAP's ongoing applied professional development is based on the premise that student assessment data must guide the professional growth activities of TAP teachers. The data may be drawn from measures developed by the state, district or classroom. This method is a shift from the traditional way that teachers have received professional support. TAP school practitioners will discuss successful strategies using data to drive professional growth activities.
TAP Implementation: First Year Schools
Changing a school culture is always a challenge. TAP’s comprehensive reform requires teachers and administrators to deviate from the status quo. Panelists will reflect on their first year of implementation and share strategies used to overcome obstacles. TAP administrators and teachers working “in the trenches” will describe how the basic elements of TAP are incorporated into the school’s day-to-day operation.
Free evening
Sunday, April 19, 2009
7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Conference Registration
7:45 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
Breakfast and Presentation, Leadership and Learning
Milken Family Foundation Co-Founder Mike Milken will discuss why human capital – the skills, knowledge and experience of people – is the world's largest and most important asset and why educators are so vital to any nation's future growth. There are only three ways to build human capital: through education and training; by improving health and life spans; and through immigration. Educators will play an even more vital role as America goes through major cultural changes in coming years. We'll spend less on housing, cars and other consumables and more on education, medical research and other social investments. This is a positive trend: "Living in a smaller house disease-free with well-educated kids sure beats living in a big house."
Presenter
Mike Milken, Co-Founder, Milken Family Foundation; Chairman, Milken Institute
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Successful Strategies for Introducing and Sustaining Teacher Quality Reforms
The passage of the recent American Recovery and Reinvestment Act included major new funding for innovative programs to attract, retain and develop talent in our schools. How can states and districts use these short-term funds to achieve longer-term reform and results? Can the stimulus provide the jump start we need to finally reform decades old teacher compensation systems to better meet the needs of the 21st century workplace? What challenges and barriers exist and how are innovative leaders overcoming these?
Moderator
Kristan Van Hook, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Development, NIET
10:45 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
TAP Concurrent Sessions, Block D
There will be 12 sessions for attendees to choose from. Sessions will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Please select another session if the room is at capacity.
Primary Teachers in TAP Schools
This session will focus on the unique challenges that primary teachers face and the strategies TAP master and mentor teachers use to successfully address those challenges. From assessing student data using alternative assessments to identifying strategies that support our youngest learners, primary teachers in TAP schools will discuss their experiences.
The Roles of the TAP Master and Mentor Teacher
The career path is an essential element of the TAP system. Experienced master, mentor and career teachers will discuss their roles and provide a clear understanding of how the TAP leadership positions work together to improve and support excellent instructional practices in their schools.
Transforming a School: Stories from the Field
This session will provide the opportunity for TAP teachers to share their stories of transforming schools. The conversation will focus on the challenges TAP practitioners face as leaders in the process of school reform and the solutions they have discovered to create meaningful educational improvement in their schools.
Reflective Teaching
Research shows that when a teacher is self-reflective, student learning increases. If this is true, then how do coaches and administrators develop self-reflection in the teachers with whom they work? Participants will examine different stages of self-reflection and develop strategies for effectively coaching teachers at each stage.
Hands-on TAP Planning Workshop
This hands-on planning workshop will provide the opportunity for new schools and districts considering TAP implementation to ask questions of practitioners in the field. TAP school and district leaders, as well as other stakeholders, will address concerns and discuss issues related to TAP implementation.
Teaching Students to Think Beyond the Facts
For students to acquire the more complex and analytical skills they need for the 21st century, teachers must learn to teach in ways that move student learning beyond memorization of facts. Instructional strategies teachers need to implement will be examined as well as the impact teaching beyond the facts has on lifelong learning. Participants will actively engage in learning activities and examine how they move students beyond the facts.
How to Develop Scaffold Questions Targeting a Single Objective
Teachers know they should be asking questions of their students, but how do they effectively scaffold questions to ensure they ask questions on a variety of levels that build on student learning? Thru examination of a teacher's pre-planned questions and video clips of classroom instruction, participants will examine ways for doing this, as well as, plan their own use of scaffold questioning based on a single learning objective.
Understanding TAP's Continuous Improvement Model
TAP's goal is to attract and retain the most effective teachers to the profession, while motivating and developing these teachers to stay. In part, TAP accomplishes these goals by establishing job-embedded professional development based on the belief that all teachers, even the most accomplished, can improve. School leaders will discuss how TAP focuses on continual growth targeted to improve achievement gains for all students.
How to Interpret Nonverbal Cues
Did that person just roll her eyes at me? What do you do when a person's body language conveys a message different than what they are really thinking? Participants will learn some of the key signals to watch for when conferencing and coaching, including signs of deception. They will also explore how the context and physical location of the conversation can influence body language and often cause people to misread those signals. At the end of the session, participants will apply what they have learned to a coaching session by trying to identify what the participants are thinking versus what they are saying.
The Lowell Milken Center: Projects Teaching Respect and Understanding
The Lowell Milken Center creates exciting projects making an impact throughout America. See how educators can develop project based learning using unsung heroes as role models. We will discuss the mission of the Center in teaching acceptance of all people. We'll share activities of the center, plus opportunities for all teachers. Learn how to collaborate with the Center and produce exciting stories into educational learning activities. Also, see our landmark program, Life in a Jar, which led to the Hallmark Hall of Fame CBS movie airing in April 2009.
Science Expeditions
Grab your hand lens - pick up your net as Rick Crosslin whisks you off to experience science in ways you never imagined. The teacher who went from the Diet-Coke suit to the mines of Indiana has a new lineup of fascinating ways to bring the fun of science home to kids and adults alike. See how simple household items are cool science, what ties music and balloons together and why, even in the 1600's, Sir Isaac Newton must have been great in the classroom!
Help Students Make Sense of Math Problem Solving!
Winnie Miller invites you to participate in scaffolding rich problems that stimulate deep processing of mathematical concepts and target the NCTM Curriculum Focal Points. Engage in lessons that emphasize visual, hands-on processing and focused discourse, and learn about the K-8 math problem solving supplementary program that Winnie has co-authored with other leading educators.
12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Farewell Luncheon
All TAP Participants who register in advance and have flexible travel plans are invited to this informal luncheon for conversation and conference reflection.
The Late Cecil Picard, Former Louisiana Superintendent of Education
"TAP has enjoyed solid progress and expansion in Louisiana. Its record of success has strengthened our schools, helping teachers excel and students learn. TAP is a model for our state and the nation."