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10 reform and school improvement conferences you’ll need in 2019

Reform and school improvement remain a hot topic among educators looking for ways to effect change. When you must improve student achievement, you’ll want to be at these ten conferences that will help you transform learning.

  1. ExcellinEd National Summit on Education Reform

The ExcellinEd Summit presents the most effective strategies used in education today, and they reveal what the upcoming trends will be. Attend this conference to stay ahead in your field. The date and location below are for 2018; 2019 information has not been released yet. Get on the mailing list to be among the first to register when they release the 2019 venue details.

November 20-21, 2019/San Diego, CA: Registration Link

  1. The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2019

With the them “Independence & Interdependence,” the 2019 IAFOR conference sessions will explore the idea that educating children is not an act done in isolation. Education is the result of culture and context. Presenters will share their experiences in creating school improvement through independence and interdependence.

January 3-5, 2019, 2018/Honolulu, HI (RegistrationTBD)

  1. 2019 AASA Conference

When it comes to reform and school improvement, school leaders are most effective when they can connect with other like-minded leaders who are on the same journey to school excellence. This conference brings together superintendents and policymakers to connect and collaborate of reform strategies that make a difference in education.

February 14-16, 2019/Los Angeles, CA (Registration: TBD)

  1. 2019 Whole School Reform Conference

WSR2019 offers keynotes, breakouts, panel discussions, and sessions where educators will ponder, discuss, and reflect on practices to transforms schools. This year’s theme is “How do we push beyond perceptions of race and poverty to attain high achievement?”

February 15-18, 2019/Atlanta, GA (Registration: multiple options available; check website)

  1. Innovative Schools Summit

With three venues around the country, you won’t miss an Innovative Schools Summit. Practicing educators and top-notch consultants share research-based strategies and exclusive insights that you can introduce to your school when you return.

March 21-24, 2019/Orlando, FL (Registration: $325-$475)

June 19-22, 2019/Atlanta, GA (Registration$350-$450)

July 9-12, 2019/Las Vegas, NV (Registration: $350-$450)

  1. Summit on Improvement in Education

Hosted by the Carnegie Foundation, this conference showcases bests practices in school transformation. You’ll hear about lessons learned and aspirations achieved when it comes to improving student achievement, especially for disadvantaged and underserved students. You’ll be among educators, researchers, and philanthropists who are seeking ways to work together for school transformation.

April 16-18, 2019/San Francisco, CA (Registration: TBD)

  1. 27th Annual Model Schools Conference

Speakers and presenters at the Model School Conference shape school reform. Innovation and urgency take the forefront as more than 5,000 educators convene at this conference to share the best practices in education and how to sustain them for last school transformation.

June 23-26, 2019/Washington, DC (Registration: $595)

  1. BbWorld19

Change begins here, with BbWorld. Conference leaders bring together speakers, emerging technologies, experts, and thought-leaders to share best practices in transforming schools and improving students achievement at all levels in the education continuum.

July 23-25, 2019, 2018/Austin,TX (Registration: TBD)

  1. The AIE Conference

The Advancing Improvement in Education Conference (AIE) inspires school leaders to make bold changes in improving schools for greater student achievement. Attendees participate in sessions that are cutting-edge, inspiring, and motivational. Attend this conference, and you’ll walk away with renewed courage to transform your school.

Dates and location for 2019 are pending (Registration: TBD)

  1. LearningForward

Expect five days of fast-paced, engaging, and informative sessions aimed at helping you make dynamic changes when improving student achievement. You’ll leave this conference with practical strategies and tools and that you can implement immediately when you return to your school. This year’s conference takes place in Dallas during the first week of December (2018). Get on the mailing list, so you don’t miss the 2019 conference.

Dates and location for 2019 are pending (Registration: TBD)

Register early for these conferences so you don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn transformative change.

 

 

 

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 6: 8 Ways That Digital Age Teachers Avoid Burning Out

Being a teacher is a tough job. So much so, many new teachers end up leaving the field within their first three years. To ensure that the next generation of students have qualified teachers, we must nip this phenomenon in the bud. In this episode, we will discuss 8 ways that digital age teachers avoid burning out.

The 10 Best Education Leadership & Education Policy Conferences of 2019

Education leaders know that they have to stay on top of current research and trends to remain effective in their roles. That’s why they look for the best education and education policy conferences each year.

Your commitment to innovation and excellence is time well spent when you meet with leaders and policymakers to collaborate on timely issues facing today’s schools.

Try these top conferences in 2019:

1. AIEA 2019 Annual Conference

Higher education leaders and administrators attend this conference to discuss emerging ideas and network with international colleagues and discuss innovative strategies in leadership.

January 20-23, 2019/San Francisco, CA (Registration: $550)

2. 2019 AASA Conference

Superintendents and education leaders attend the School Superintendents Association conference to hear thought leaders and innovators as they present current research and cutting-edge practices in education. This conference provides senior leadership with multiple opportunities to connect with peers and learn about new trends in school leadership.

February 14-16, 2019/Los Angeles, CA (Registration: TBD)

3. SXSWEdu

When you combine the intensity of a conference with the spirit of a festival, you get SXSWEdu. Attendees converge on the musical capital of the world to immerse themselves in research, innovation, and networking opportunities to effect educational transformation back home. You won’t want to miss out on the synergy this event offers.

March 4-7, 2019/Austin, TX (Registration: $395)

4. ASCD Empower19 

Education leaders attend the Association for the Supervision of Curriculum Development to meet with other influencers and leaders in education. This convergence is a huge conference with sessions that encompass curriculum, instruction, and leadership at all levels.

March 16-18, 2019/Chicago, IL

5. 2019 ISN National Conference on Educational Innovation

The national conference on educational innovation brings together creative thinkers and innovative leaders to explore issues and trends in education. The focus is on finding collaborative solutions.

April 10-12, 2019/Wisonsin Dells, WI (Registration: $475)

6. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) 63rd Annual Conference

This year’s conference theme is Education for Sustainability, which will explore the long-term impact of educational policies and their consequences.

April 14-18, 2019/San Francisco, CA (Registration: TBD)

7. SETDA

The SETDA Leadership Summit & Education Forum focuses on emerging technology leadership. Leaders for more than forty states attend this annual conference to learn about advocacy and action in educational technology.

June 21-24, 2019/Philadelphia, PA (Registration: TBD)

8. 2019 NAESP Pre-K-8 Principals Conference

Elementary and middle school principals alike come together for this conference so they can discuss best practices and uncover innovative solutions for pressing problems in education.

July 10-12, 2019/Spokane, WA (Registration: $475)

9. 2019 NASSP Conference

Principals and educational leaders from around the country come to this annual conference to discover innovative solutions to pressing school problems, gain new knowledge, and network with peers.

July 18-20, 2019/Boston, MA (Registration: TBD)

10. New Schools Summit

This exclusive conference by invitation only, but if you get invited, go. Over 1,000 education leaders and policy makers convene at the annual New Schools Summit to share ideas and spark innovation in educational leadership.

Dates and times TBD

Take time from your busy schedule to get yourself a seat at some of these top conferences in leadership and education policy. The experience will be well worth your investment.

 

 

 

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 4: How to Create a Culturally Responsive Classroom

Building a culturally responsive classroom is hard. To help you along your journey, here is your guide to exploring and respecting the cultural backgrounds of your students while also using diversity as an asset. If you you listen to this episode of the podcast, and take my advice, you will have a culturally responsive classroom in no time.

References

Culturally responsive teaching is a theory of instruction that was developed by Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings and has been written about by many other scholars since then. To read more of her work on culturally responsive teaching and other topics, click here to visit her Amazon.com page.

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 2: How Edtech Companies Should Start the New School Year

As summer reaches its peak, and fall gears up to make its arrival, students, parents, teachers, and administrators are all preparing for the beginning of a new academic year. So many gains were made last year, and they are eager to build upon that success. When we talk about education stakeholders who are concerned with starting the school year off right, we rarely, if ever, talk about edtech companies. They too are an integral part of the school community, as they provide a valuable service.

So how do edtech companies stay on their “A” games to begin the new school year? Not to worry, we have you covered.

Hello, my name is Dr. Matthew Lynch and welcome to the second episode of The Edvocate Podcast. Today, we will discuss back to school tips that will help your edtech company get off to a running start and sustain that momentum until summer break comes around again.

Announcing the Winners of the 2018 Tech Edvocate Awards

Every day, technology innovations transform the way people learn and how educators teach. In the last few years, the edtech field has attracted a lot of talented people, all with excellent knowledge bases and ideas. Though the edtech industry has been around for a few decades now, the last few years, in particular, have seen a surge in investment from both school districts and investors.

The education market is currently worth around $5 trillion globally, and it is forecasted that edtech investment alone will reach $252 billion by the year 2020. This growing investment into edtech start-ups has created some exciting changes in the world of education. Naturally, with increasing capital, the number of edtech companies, products, and thought leaders is also growing. In that spirit of change and innovation, we present the Tech Edvocate Awards.

After 4 months of hard work, we’ve narrowed down the year’s top edtech companies, products, people and more. We solicited nominees from readers in June/July and held online voting from June 1, 2018 – August 21, 2018. The nominee’s performance during the online voting period was used to gauge their popularity, but in no way signaled that they would become a finalist or walk away with an award. The finalists and winners were ultimately selected by a panel comprised of two edtech thought leaders, two PreK-12 teachers, one college professor, two K-12 administrators, one college administrator and two PreK-12 parents.  Here are our winners and finalists for 2018. Winners and finalists can access their award seals by clicking here.

 

Best Lesson Planning App or Tool

Winner: ClassFlow

Finalists:

Profile Planner

ActivInspire

Nearpod

Best Assessment App or Tool

Winner: MobyMax

Finalists:

Google Classroom

Evo Social/Emotional by Aperture Education

Best Early Childhood Education App or Tool

Winner: HeadSprout

Finalists:

KIBO – The STEAM Robot Kit for Children 4 – 7

Canticos Los Pollitos (Little Chickies) App

Levar Burton Skybrary Family

MobyMax

Best Literacy App or Tool

Winner: Lexia Core5 Reading

Finalists:

PBS Parents Play and Learn

EssayJack

Microsoft Learning Tools

Raz-Plus

Speare.com

MobyMax

Best Math App or Tool

Winner: MATHia

Finalists:

ABCmouse Mastering Math

Matific

ExploreLearning Reflex

MobyMax

Best STEM/STEAM Education App or Tool

Winner: Vernier Go Direct® Sensors with Graphical Analysis™ 4 @VernierST

Finalists:

KOOV Educator Kit by Sony

FlinnSTEM Powered by IMSA Fusion

WhiteBox Learning

DigitalEd

robots4STEM

Science A-Z

littleBits

ExploreLearning Gizmos

MobyMax

Best Language Learning App or Tool

Winner: Sprig Learning

Finalists:

Languagenut

Voces Digital

 

Best Virtual or Augmented Reality App or Tool

Winner: HoloLAB Champions

Finalists:

DiscoveryVR

Gamar

 

Best Personalized/Adaptive Learning App or Tool

Winner: Nearpod

Finalists:

ABCmouse Mastering Math

AVer CP3Series Interactive Flat Panel

Amplifire

Lexia PowerUp Literacy

StudySmarter

MATHia

Curriculum Associates i-Ready Mathematics and Reading

MobyMax

Best Coding App or Tool

Winner: CoderZ by Intelitek

Finalists:

CodeMonkey

Tynker

 

Best Gamification App or Tool

Winner: Kahoot!

Finalists:

Classcraft

Play Brighter

 

Best Learning Management System

Winner: NEO LMS

Finalists:

Odysseyware

Edsby

 

Best Blended/Flipped Learning App or Tool

Winner: FlinnPREP

Finalists:

ClassFlow

Odysseyware ClassPace

Learnlight

MobyMax

 

Best Assistive Technology App or Tool

Winner: Robots4Autism

Finalists:

Learning Ally

 

Best Parent-Teacher/School Communication App or Tool

Winner: Bloomz

Finalists:

Base Education

Edsby

RYCOR

 

Best Collaboration App or Tool

Winner: Boxlight MimioSpace

Finalists:

Newline Interactive

ADVANCEfeedback by Insight ADVANCE

Project Pals, Inc.

Epson iProjection App

Snowflake MultiTeach® (NUITEQ®)

Best Tutoring/Test Prep App or Tool

Winner: GradeSlam

Finalists:

Learnamic

FlinnPREP

www.winwardacademy.com

StudyLock

Varsity Tutors

 

Best Classroom/Behavior Management App or Tool

Winner: NetSupport School

Finalists:

PBIS Rewards

Impero Education Pro V7

MobyMax

Best Classroom Audio-Visual App or Tool

Winner: ActivPanel

Finalists:

Newline Interacitve

Epson BrightLink 710Ui Interactive Laser Display

Boxlight MimioFrame

 

Best Higher Education Solution

Winner: Study.com

Finalists:

TeamDynamix

CampusLogic

Perceivant

 

Best Learning Analytics/Data Mining App or Tool

Winner: Otus

Finalists:

Edsby

Tableau Software

Best Professional Development App or Tool

Winner: ADVANCEfeedback by Insight ADVANCE

Finalists:

Edthena

 

Best Student Information System (SIS) App or Tool

Winner: Alma

Finalists:

SynergySIS

 

Best Global EdTech Leader

Winner: Dr. Edward Tse

Finalists:

Angela Maiers

Nathaniel A. Davis

 

Best Global EdTech Company

Winner: MobyMax

Finalists:

Promethean

RoboKind

ClassLink

Epson America

GradeSlam

 

Best Global EdTech Startup

Winner: Learnamic

Finalists:

Orange Neurosciences

Yewno

Otus

 

Best K-12 School Leader

Winner: Dr. Adam Hartley, Fenton Area Public Schools, Genesee County, Michigan

Finalists:

Yvonne Mackey-Boyd, River Roads Lutheran School, St. Louis, MO

Shawn Wigg, Director of Mathematics, Duval County Public Schools

Best Higher Education Leader

Winner: Nichole Pinkard, Professor, Depaul University, Chicago, IL

Finalists:         

Anant Agarwal, edx, Cambridge, MA

 

Best School District Technology Coordinator/Director

Winner: Dan Warren, Director of Technology Operation, Central Stores, and Printing Services at Des Moines Public Schools

Finalists:

John Martin, Inter-Lakes School District, Meredith, NH

 

Best K-12 Teacher

Winner: Crystal Avila, Socorro High School, El Paso Texas

Finalists:

Cathy Haskett Morrison, Peel District School Board, Canada

 

Best College/University Professor

Winner: David J. Malan, Harvard University

Finalists:

Nicole Kraft, Ohio State University

 

Best EdTech PR Firm

Winner: PR With Pananche

Finalists:

J Harrison Public Relations Group

Nickel Communications

 

Conclusion

As you can see, there is no shortage of award winners in edtech. With these innovative edtech companies, products and people in mind, it becomes clear that the landscape of education is vast and technology is carving a new path for present and future educators. Well, that does it for the 2nd Annual Tech Edvocate Awards. We will be back, bigger and better in 2019.

The Edvocate Podcast, Episode 1: 8 Attributes of Successful Digital Age Teachers

Regardless of where you go in the world, teachers are the backbone of the education system. Without quality teachers, school districts cannot provide students with the skills that they need to be successful academically. Without teachers, the next generation will not be able to compete in the global economy. These are sureties, and you will find few people who would disagree.

If you have been studying the field of education closely, as we have, you know that it is undergoing a metamorphosis. Students no longer respond to the teacher-centered pedagogy that our forefathers did. No, today’s students are immersed in a technologically advanced world and possess attention spans that last only a few seconds.

Because of this, today’s teacher needs to add a new skill set to their repertoire to be successful. In this today’s podcast, we will discuss the 8 key attributes that successful digital age teachers possess.