Many students are branded with the label of underachiever early on in their educational careers. This label and a fundamental misunderstanding of the complexity and causes of underachievement at home and school prevent students from reaching their potential. This presentation will explore underachievement from a personal and professional level allowing those in attendance to discover strategies for dealing with underachievement. The power of implementing social/emotional elements into the classroom will also be explored.

 

Richard Pearlman has spent the past ten years in the classroom trying to meet the intellectual as well as social/emotional needs of students. He is a strong advocate for those students branded with the label of underachiever. Richard is currently pursuing a PhD. in Curriculum and Instruction at Saint Louis University.

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12:45 - 1:55 PM

 

Venue: Huxley Theater (Museum)

 

Title: TOUCHING THE SPIRIT: How Successful Urban Teachers Use Culture in Achieving Educational Excellence for Underperforming African American Boys and Other Students

 

Presenter: Augusta Mann (NUA Mentor)

 

Audience: All

 

Conference Themes: Learning Needs of Boys; Creating Culturally Competent Classrooms; Educator Preparation

 

Join in a fun and high-energy session filled with explorations of five unique explicit teaching strategies and an original research-based African American culture-centered framework, TOUCHING THE SPIRIT. As a successful teacher and consultant with over 40 years of classroom and professional development experience guides you in the active and verbal practice and attempts at mastery of these creative vocabulary, comprehension, and writing strategies, there will be lots of lively and amusing interaction and discussion. Your active involvement will help you to consider how these practices can propel African American boys and all students toward knowledge and mastery of skills, accelerate learning, reverse boredom, “touch their spirit”, and awaken their inherent desire to learn.

 

Augusta Mann is a consultant in urban education. She is recognized for her programs and materials in intensified teaching to accelerate learning for students whom our schools are failing to educate to levels of excellence. She has over forty years of experience as a successful classroom teacher, reading teacher, professional developer and manager and designer of professional development services in urban school districts across the U.S.

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12:45 - 1:55 PM

Venue: Room 1

Title: Linking Assessment and Literacy Instruction 

Presenters: Karen Kemp and Mary Ann Eaton

 

Audience: Grades 9 -12

 

Conference Theme: Assessment, Language Development and Literacy

 

Learn how assessment indicators are effectively used to drive instruction for the purpose of addressing language development and literacy in the classroom. Participants will be introduced to The Cardinal Questions that can be used to explore the literacy knowledge of the teacher as well as the abilities of each student to advance accountability and promote student achievement.

 

Karen Kemp is a teaching veteran with a striking level of depth in her circulation and experience as a staff developer. She has presented workshops on a wide variety of topics and authored several educational publications. She is currently the Director of Special Education in Cohoes City Schools.

Mary Ann Eaton is a Speech and Language Pathologist who consults widely on language and literacy topics, co-teaching, differentiated instruction and instructional support teams across the state and nationally. Her recent publication, RTI: The Classroom Connection for Literacy was co-authored with Karen Kemp.

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12:45 - 1:55 PM

 

Venue: Room 2

 

Title: BOOM! Igniting the fire and the desire for ‘Mathematics Intelligence’ for All Students

 

Presenter: Elizabeth Irwin

 

Audience: PreK- 8

 

Conference Theme: Promoting High Intellectual Performance and Enrichment

 

This presentation will address the four-year journey of a New York State urban school in facilitating the development of a mathematical thinking and reasoning community for all students, teachers and administrators. The catalyst of this change has been a focus on teachers as reflective practitioners as well as professional learning, with a collaborative partnership formed with the AUSSIE consultancy, and embedded within a Whole School Framework for School Renewal. Various components of the journey including leadership, professional development, “assessment literacy” (Fullan, 2005), data-driven instruction and students’ outcomes will be explored and discussed. Igniting the fire and desire in all students’ for developing mathematical intelligence has been the motivating outcome of the journey as well as proof of increased achievements and mathematical thinking.

 

Liz Irwin (Dip.T., B. Ed., M. Ed.-Mathematics Education) has worked as a teacher, education consultant, university lecturer, administrator and regional leader in developing Whole School Curriculum Frameworks in Mathematics and Literacy in Australia. Her passions include a constructivist approach to Mathematics teaching and learning, early childhood education and school leadership in a culture of change. Her depth of knowledge and capacity for building professional learning communities in schools has been realized through her professional development consultancy work with teachers and administrators. She is currently working as a Mathematics consultant for Australian United States Services in Education in New York, while completing her doctorate on school leadership and professional learning with curriculum change

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12:45 - 1:55 PM

 

Venue: Room 3

 

Title: Diversity and Differentiation: A Wealth of Perspectives, A Wealth of Options

 

Presenter: Arlene Harris

 

Audience: All

 

Conference Themes: Assessment, Language Development and Literacy; Promoting High Intellectual Performance and Enrichment; Educator Preparation

 

Student diversity may be seen from a rich variety of perspectives. An educator’s responsibility is to acknowledge that rich variety and create an environment which fosters student growth and achievement. Through active engagement, participants will learn of the rich variety referred to by the term “diversity” and the various options for differentiating instruction in order to reach our student populations.

 

Arlene Harris is an educational leader focusing upon the growth and achievement of individuals, schools and organizations. Arlene is an educator in general and special education on all grade levels including adulthood, professional development specialist, published author, educational therapist and counselor specializing in Dyslexia, university faculty member and consultant to schools, districts and corporations. 

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12:45 - 1:55 PM

 

Venue: Room 4

 

Title: How Our Teaching Strategies Have Evolved After a Year of NUA

 

Presenter: George Benson et al (City School District of Albany)

 

Audience: Grades 9 - 12

 

Conference Themes: Promoting High Intellectual Performance and Enrichment; Educator Preparation

 

Harriet Gibbons is a ninth grade academy that is part of Albany High School. Harriet Gibbons teachers from several disciplines will present activities from traditional lessons that have been modified with NUA strategies to engage students and increase learning.

 

Harriet Gibbons is a former alternative education high school re-invented as a ninth grade academy. Currently in its second year we are encouraged by higher promotion rates and student engagement.

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12:45 - 1:55 PM

 

Venue: Room 5

 

Title: The Impact of Visual Arts Instruction on the Mathematics Achievement of English Language Learners

 

Presenters: Robin Finnan-Jones and Marilyn Weill

 

Audience: Grades 4 - 8

 

Conference Themes: Assessment, Language Development and Literacy; Promoting High Intellectual Performance and Enrichment; Creating Culturally Competent Classrooms; Multilingual Education

 

This workshop will discuss a study conducted in a large urban Elementary School. The purpose of the study was to compare the mathematics achievement of English language learners who received visual arts instruction with those who did not receive arts instruction, and to describe ways in which art education activities support and develop mathematical learning. Workshop participants will have the opportunity to view and create art lessons that incorporate ESL and Math Standards.

 

Dr. Robin Finnan-Jones has taught for several years in Corona, Queens, and New York City. She completed her dissertation entitled The Impact of Visual Arts Instruction on the Mathematics Achievement of English Language Learners in 2007. Currently she is the Data Specialist at P.S. 16 Queens and an adjunct professor at Long Island University.

 

Session IV

 

2:15 - 3:35 PM

 

Venue: Hart Theater Lounge (the Egg)

 

Title: "Read to Me" - Reading Aloud to Build Vocabulary - A Teaching Strategy

 

Presenter: Gwynne Smith Scheffer

 

Audience: PreK - Grade 3

 

Conference Theme: Assessment, Language Development and Literacy

 

As educators of young children, we seek to employ the best in practice, research-based strategies in our classrooms. The Commission on Reading in its 1985 report, Building a Nation of Readers, declared "The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children." Reading aloud not only introduces children to the language of books, which is different from speech and conversation, it also helps them to learn new vocabulary. Reading aloud is a strategy that will help achieve the desired learning outcome, which is to increase both the quantity and quality of children's receptive and expressive vocabulary. In addition, as educators we provide a good model of fluent and expressive reading and promote reading as an enjoyable learning experience.

 

Gwynne Smith Scheffer is a Senior Associate with ICF International. She currently works as TA Liaison on national Head Start monitoring. She is the former Region III Early Learning Specialist, ECE subject matter expert with the T/TA Network. Ms. Scheffer earned both her B.A. Education & M.S. Organizational Dynamics from University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of NAEYC, ASCD and IRA, and former adjunct professor, Drexel University.

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2:15 - 3:35 PM

 

Venue: Classroom A/B (Museum)

 

Title: HIP Teachers = HIP Students

 

Presenters: Shelia Fridovich, Melissa Hunt, Eileen Sunderhaft, and Jennifer Wilson (City School District of Albany)

 

Audience: PreK -Grade 3

 

Conference Themes: Assessment, Language Development and Literacy; Promoting High Intellectual Performance and Enrichment; Creating Culturally Competent Classrooms; Educator Preparation

 

Sheila Fridovich (NUA) will begin the presentation with some background about how the NUA arrived in the Albany City School District, with a quick community builder to get the audience actively engaged. Melissa Hunt (a Kindergarten teacher and NUA coach) will provide a brief overview of her role as the NUA coach at Sheridan Preparatory Academy and the changes that have taken place at the school since the inception of NUA. Jennifer Wilson (3rd grade Integrated Teacher) and Eileen Sunderhaft (Special Education Teacher) will then show a video of various classrooms actively engaged in NUA strategies to achieve high intellectual performance. There will be an NUA strategy taught to the audience as if they are 3rd grade students, with a question and answer period afterwards.

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2:15 - 3:35 PM

 

Venue: Huxley Theater (Museum)

 

Title: Translating your Vision and Mission into School-wide Practices

 

Presenter: Jason Stricker

 

Audience: All

 

Conference Theme: Leadership and the Challenges of the 21st Century

 

How does one translate the overarching vision and mission of the school into specific instructional initiatives, professional development, and teacher practices? Participants in this session will analyze and answer the following questions:

 
What is the instructional focus of my school and does everyone understand it?
Do all initiatives relate to instructional goals as guided by the overall mission and vision?
Are classroom instructional expectations clearly articulated?
Do all of the school’s professional development activities support the instructional vision?
And, are teachers given adequate structured opportunities to collaborate?

 

Jason Stricker, a partner with Insight Education Group, Inc., is a specialist in the fields of literacy, standards-based education, and staff development. He has worked as a K-12 teacher, literacy consultant, and extensively as an instructional improvement coach. His comprehensive training on reading and literacy instruction, when complimented by his exemplary teaching methods, has led to his work in both district and county office levels of public education, as well as teaching classes in the Graduate School of Education at UCLA. Jason's experience at these different levels of educational organizations enables him to bring to this project a unique and powerful perspective of how educational change affects all stakeholders at different levels within the system.

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2:15 - 3:35 PM

 

Venue: Room 2

 

Title: All Means All: Strategies for Engaging ALL Students at the Highest Level

 

Presenter: Valerie Braimah

 

Audience: All

 

Conference Theme: Promoting High Intellectual Performance and Enrichment

 

In the engaged classroom, no student can hide. When students are visible and accountable, they receive the attention and support they need to achieve. Join us for this interactive session introducing concrete strategies to create the fully engaged classroom. You will be engaged as you explore how to plan and deliver instruction that creates a classroom characterized by: accountable talk, on-going assessment and feedback, critical thinking, and student purpose and direction.

 

Valerie Braimah, the Chief Learning Officer at Insight Education Group brings a diverse background in education as a teacher, administrator, and program evaluator, which enables her to effectively train and support teachers and principals, and conduct school-wide assessments that inform comprehensive plans for sustainable school reform. She holds a Master's Degree in Education Policy from Johns Hopkins University. 

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2:15 - 3:35 PM

 

Venue: Room 4

 

Title: up Albany: Blazing into a Celebration of Culture Across the Curriculum in the City School District of Albany

 

Presenters: Kristen Lopez, Ken Newman, Valerie Karas, Susan Paultre, and Kate Valette (City School District of Albany)

 

Audience: All

 

Conference Theme: Creating Culturally Competent Classrooms

 

This power session will feature school administration’s and educators’ implementation of the National Urban Alliance (NUA) beliefs and strategies in an urban middle school community. Attendees will be empowered to participate and garner skills, which can be utilized in their own instructional communities. The building principal, educators across content areas, and the school nurse will demonstrate numerous strategies within participatory learning activities that model how culturally competent settings are used to achieve the goal of high intellectual performance for all students.

 

Valarie Karas has been a seventh grade ELA teacher at Hackett Middle School for less than a year. As a new teacher, she has been motivated by the experience, enthusiasm, and innovation present in the NUA. She loves to utilize Denise Nessel’s anticipation guides in her classroom and is inspired by techniques that encourage students to read.

 
Kristen Lopez is in her seventh year of being a Special Education teacher for the City School District of Albany. She has always believed that all students have potential and that all students can learn. NUA has given her an outlet to pass on this belief to not only her students, but to the community around her. Kristen is excited to embrace the philosophy of the NUA and infuses it into her instruction on a daily basis. She has seen first hand over the past year how utilizing NUA ideas have given her underachieving students a feeling of confidence and seen them become more enthusiastic about learning.

 
Ken Newman is an alumnus of Siena College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He is currently pursuing his doctorate in Educational Leadership through NOVA Southeastern University. He holds a Master’s Degree in Education and is permanently certified in Business Education, Special Education and Administration. Mr. Newman has over seven years of administrative experience in urban education.

Susan Paultre has been a teacher with the City School District of Albany for the past nine years. She believes that all students can learn given the right educational environment. Susan is a true believer in differentiated instruction, which is what hooked Susan to incorporate NUA into her classroom setting. Susan has been using NUA strategies since September of 2005 and has seen over a fifty percent increase in her student’s mathematical skills.

Kate Valette is a Registered Nurse and this is her third year working with Albany City Schools. Prior to School Nursing, she spent the majority of her clinical career working in the Emergency Department in urban teaching hospitals. She has been motivated by the staff at Hackett Middle School and has employed NUA techniques in the Health Office so that students feel the consistency throughout the building. Kate’s goal is to provide professional health care to improve attendance and support a positive learning environment so our students can be successful learners.

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2:15 - 3:35 PM

 

Venue: Room 5

 

Title: What They Know and Can Do: A Look inside the Classrooms of Teachers who Closed Black-White Achievement Gaps

 

Presenter: Johnnie McKinley

 

Audience: All

 

Conference Themes: Creating Culturally Competent Classrooms; Educator Preparation

 

This interactive session presents findings of a two-year integrated quantitative study to identify strategies used by thirty-one teachers judged effective with African American students who attained standards on two standardized assessments. Participants will reflect on forty-two strategies observed in classrooms and identified by these teachers and their principals. Interview and video clips illustrate findings that describe how these teachers adapted their philosophies and instructional contexts and practices to meet their students’ cultures, needs, and experiences.

 

Dr. McKinley has over twenty-five years experience in organizational development, training, marketing, and program evaluation. Recognized as a teacher whose African American students closed achievement gaps, her research on effective teaching for African American students was nominated for the 2005 American Educational Research Association and National Staff Development Council Dissertation Awards.