Presented by Andrew Fletcher, Senior Executive Director, Early Literacy, New York City Department of Education; Rebekah Nelson, Instructional Specialist, Early Literacy, New York City Department of Education; and Sandy Goldberg, Education Director, The WNET Group
What’s that they say about a silver lining? It looks like COVID-19 has one in the education sphere. Despite myriad challenges schools faced during the pandemic, many will come out of it with richer approaches to teaching and learning.
Presented by James Bridgeforth, Research Associate, USC Race and Equity Center and USC Rossier Center on Education Policy, Equity, and Governance; and Bianca Licata, Professional Development Associate, Center for Technology and School Change at Teachers College, Columbia University
In a diverse school district with more than 20 schools and 23,000 students, providing an equitable opportunity for every student to learn and grow is not an easy task. The plan and process used to generate positive results in the Northshore School District (WA) were discussed during a recent edWebinar, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association and AASA’s Leadership Network.
According to Dr. Tammy Campbell, Superintendent of Federal Way Public Schools (WA), working towards equity requires using the head and the heart. School leaders need to have the skills and understanding to understand and change educational systems, she said, but they must also have a passion for their community and the equity mission.
Presented by Dr. Nick Polyak, Superintendent, Leyden High School District 212 (IL); and Dr. Michael Salvatore, Senior Vice President, Kean University (NJ)
Moderated by Ann McMullan, Project Director, EmpowerED Superintendent Initiative, CoSN (Consortium for School Networking)
Being a teacher during a pandemic may seem challenging enough without taking on potentially divisive political and social issues, but for three teachers who were recently named the Teacher of the Year in their states, working on equity issues with their students is a crucial part of the job and well worth the effort.
The disruptions and changes during the past year have made a return to the industrial education model of the 19th and 20th centuries problematic for school districts committed to preparing diverse students for 21st century careers. Instead, a more innovative and agile approach is needed to help today’s wide range of students recover from the pandemic and achieve more equitable outcomes.
Presented by Venola Mason, Associate Partner, International Center for Leadership in Education; and Meaghan Pavlovich, Ed.D., Director, Product Management & Strategy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt