August+Conference+Planning

January 11, 2010 Agenda
 * SAI Conference Planning Committee**

Introductions
 * Name, Position, Favorite Feature of SAI Conference

Role of the Committee
 * Recommendations for keynoters, presenters, state initiatives
 * Theme for 2010 Conference
 * Help during conference

Feedback from 2009 Annual Conference
 * Percentages
 * Comments

Information on Keynote Presenters
 * Opening – [|Michael Horn], professor @ Harvard Business School
 * Co-Author of __[|Disrupting Class]__


 * Closing – [|David Warlick], teacher and programmer
 * Blogger, “[|Class Blogmeister] & [|Citation Machine] ”

Distinguished Lecturers (To date, need four or five more)
 * [|Nancy Hill] – professor @ Harvard Graduate School of Education
 * Supported by [|PIRC] (Parent Information Resource Center)
 * Focus on middle school


 * [|Alan November] – Founder of Educational Renaissance Planners
 * Promote effective use of information and communication that support and enhance learning for children and communities


 * [|Allison Zmuda] - High School Social Studies Teacher, Sandy Hook, Connecticut
 * Author of __[|The Competent Classroom]__, Co-author of __[|Schooling by Design]__

Pre-Conference
 * Change?

Suggestions for Distinguished Lecturers Invitations and Suggestions for Iowa Initiatives

Other items

Next meeting – April 16, 2010, from 1 – 4 p.m. at the SAI office

Committee ideas - please add any thoughts that you may have
1. Conference Ideas
 * Set direction for education in our state at the fall conference
 * Have real discussions on real, current topics with legislators (e.g. McCoy discussing one superintendent per county. Attendance at a session like this would increase.) Don’t be afraid of this topic.
 * Rich Conversations- so we are all informed of why we are going where we are going
 * SAMs model: principal’s role as instructional leader
 * Student Showcase during the conference: include elementary kiddos
 * Topics for elementary principals
 * Literacy
 * Math
 * Remember superintendents, AEA staff, higher ed attendees
 * Topic- “Transition into school” for kiddos starting school (especially for elementary principals)
 * “Working with media”, Ethics, Hiring/Firing, working with legislation-topics for superintendents
 * Active Engagement in Instruction- get away from “sit and get”
 * Race to the Top
 * Find a way to make sure Iowa superintendents are attending the SAI conference
 * Legislators- be included in conference (they have a lot of influence on what is happening in Iowa schools.) They are controlling the message.
 * Do the speakers’ beliefs match where we are at, as a state?
 * What day during the conference do we make the connection to Iowa?

2. Pre-Conference Thoughts
 * Greater clarification on language in the ICC
 * Q/A panel with folks who wrote ICC

3. Names for Distinguished Lecturers
 * Speaker for Elementary Level
 * Lucy Calkins
 * Susan Leddick (leadership)
 * Dean from ISU, UI, UNI; Ellie Herman (U of IA)
 * Thomas Guskey (did pre-conference a few years ago)
 * Doug Fisher (ASCD is bringing him in)
 * Anita Archer
 * Possibly a motivational speaker (e.g. Ron Clark, Homeless to Harvard)

4. Iowa Initiatives
 * Student Digital Portfolios
 * E-Portfolios
 * Exit Projects (8th grade project, Senior project)
 * Significant budget issues- how it affects school districts
 * Consolidation
 * How it affects school districts
 * What other initiatives are happening out there? What else is happening and how are places dealing with budget issues?
 * Relationship w/Board/Superintendent
 * Strategic Planning
 * Board Goals
 * Goal Setting
 * Superintendent Evaluation
 * SAMs
 * Superintendents evaluating principals- how have principals made evaluation process valuable for teachers?
 * One-to-one laptop initiative
 * Ewalk
 * PLC (Professional Learning Communities)
 * RTI (Response to Intervention)
 * IDM
 * PD planning/opportunities
 * Early releases
 * SINA/DINA
 * Writing Assessment (statewide)
 * Standards-Based Report Cards
 * Peer Coaching
 * Instructional Coaches

5. Michael Horn Thoughts  Connections are important between the speakers
 * Connect to ICC
 * Especially essential characteristics
 * Evaluator 3- focus on what good instruction looks like
 * What does implementing the ICC with fidelity, PS-12, look like?
 * Formative Assessment piece (integrity of it, how it changes your instruction)
 * Appreciate Michael’s big ideas, but make sure they are connected to where Iowa is
 * We need to be pushed