January 23, 2014
Hello SRI Community,
The National Office staff are finally unpacking (literally and figuratively) after an amazing Winter Meeting last week in Boston. Plans are already underway for next year and we hope to see you at the 2015 Winter Meeting in Tucson, AZ, January 15-17!
Many of you were unable to attend for a variety of reasons, so we wanted to share some highlights as well as invite you to tell your story of SRI.
Our theme for Winter Meeting 2014 was stories – our stories as educators and collaborators, as change agents and advocates for children, as learners, and as an organization. It is time for us to tell a different story of the work of teaching and learning throughout the country.
- The meeting opened with a story-telling exercise led by Gene Thompson-Grove and Beth Graham, inviting us to tell our stories in a new way. Please take a moment to listen to how this work was framed.
- Each participant was asked to share their story in one sentence. Many were posted on Facebook, tweeted using the hashtag #sriwm14, or emailed to stories@schoolreforminitaitive.org. We invite you to share your story through the same methods, so we can continue to learn from each other, even if we aren’t in the same room.
- There were many amazing learning experiences to attend on Friday morning. Each session was unique, powerful, and challenged participants to think, teach, and learn in new ways. Be sure to check out the variety of sessions offered, and if you would like to know more about any particular one, please contact Kari (kthierer@schoolreforminitiative.org)
The closing keynote address by Bryan Stevenson pushed us to think about race and equity through the lens of the legal system, and then in our own context. His moving address included four specific themes that all educators can relate to, and calls us to move into action as we work to create transformational learning communities fiercely committed to equity and excellence. Mr. Stevenson is quietly fierce and his keynote is a must watch.- A compilation of tweets, photos, reflections and highlights from participants can all be found on the Winter Meeting artifacts page.
We’ve heard from many meeting participants since our close on Saturday. Your testimonials of learning in community, of your comfort zones being challenged in just the right ways – Bryan Stevenson talked about this in terms of “proximity” – and of all your “ah ha” moments with regard to ways your work can support equity and social justice are so energizing!
Our greatest intent for Winter Meeting is that you leave transformed – with learning that can be applied when you return home, to your classrooms and with your colleagues. However, it doesn’t end there. Let our mission encourage and provoke you to continue to have hard conversions, to address issues of inequity, to push your thinking as well as that of others, and continue to tell the stories of students and educators.
Special thanks to Souhegan High School, Community Charter School of Cambridge, Child Study and Development Center, and the Francis W. Parker Charter School. To all the leaders of pre-conferences, facilitators of small groups, leaders of learning experiences, The Equal Justice Initiative, and the very fine colleagues and friends who comprised the 2014 Winter Meeting planning team. We couldn’t have done this without all of you.
We are a community of educators with amazing potential to significantly impact the national discourse in education. It makes a difference that you stand with us and that we stand together. We make a difference.
With gratitude,
Kari, Heidi and Chris
On behalf of the School Reform Initiative and the Winter Meeting Planning Team
