Workshop Descriptions

Workshops are designed to give significant meaning to the sessions held on Wednesday and Thursday. They can serve as a model for programs that you wish to develop and implement when you return home.
(All participants are required to attend one. All workshops meet on Friday, March 23 from 8:30-10:30).

Mark Church & Louis Delgado present:
Communicating a Story of Learning: Creating a Culture of Thinking in an Urban High School

This session will feature one principal’s story of efforts to create a school-wide culture of thinking and learning in service of deep understanding for both students and teachers in his urban high school.  Recognizing when and how to guide his teachers, realizing the importance of creating a staff that functions as a team invested in the learning happening within their classrooms and across the school community, and reframing thinking about “rigor” in terms of quantity of work towards the quality of thinking afforded by and demonstrated within the work represent a few of many defining moments in this ongoing journey.  Louis Delgado, principal of Vanguard High School in New York City, and Mark Church from ATLAS Learning Communities are pleased to share this story of learning and invite thoughtful conversation with other principals and leaders passionate about their role in developing cultures of thinking within their schools.

                       
Brett Cormier & Dr. Anne Levett present:
Using a Critical Pedagogy to Close the Achievement Gap

Every school and school district reflects an institutional culture that is represented by a set of beliefs, values, policies, and practices that either support and nurture all students, families, and educators toward high performance or creates insurmountable barriers to success. Closing the achievement gap will be grounded in a fundamental understanding of how culture, power and discrimination operate in schools and society and effectively implementing strategies that address these issues.

This session will focus on how the entrenched school culture can affect the quality of a school’s social-emotional climate, expectations for student achievement, student and adult relationships, home-school partnerships, and operating procedures and practices. Presenters will share specific recommendations regarding critical pedagogical practices, school procedures, and district policies that can interrupt discrimination and facilitate the creation of an equitable learning environment.

Marjorie Stealey Presents:
Taking a Hard Look at Where We Need to Go: The Dodson Scholars Project

The Dodson Scholars project was created 7 years ago by Principal Marjorie Stealey in response to the realization that none of her African American male students were represented in honor graduate categories.

This workshop will trace the development of the successful program to increase the number of African American scholars. Participants will be given the opportunity of how this project was developed and implemented.