Leading Reflective Learning Communities Institute
Chicago, IL
April 22-24, 2020
This three-day institute is designed for educators who are often called upon to facilitate meetings or deliver professional development and need support in designing, implementing and supporting adult learning. Using research-based tools and strategies, participants learn how to nurture ongoing conversations designed to improve teaching and learning. The Institute provides in-depth study of protocols; introduces adult learning theory; builds explicit connections between adult learning and student success; supports participants to ask for and receive feedback critical to their success; and enables participants to design action plans that facilitate the improvement of teaching and learning through the lens of educational equity and excellence.
By the conclusion of the 3-day institute, participants will:
- Gain an understanding of adult learning theory;
- Understand the connection between adult learning and school transformation;
- Understand core considerations when leading with SRI reflective tools and processes;
- Explore themselves as leaders; and
- Begin to develop and/or deepen the facilitative skills needed to lead educators’ learning
Equity First Institute – Tier 2
Burlington, VT
May 14-15, 2020
This two-day institute deepens the “Who am I?” identity work from the Personal Awareness Institute by exploring how our identities influence the way we walk in, interact with others and make sense of the world. As a reflective learning group, we address several key questions: What do we mean by power and privilege? Do we all have some level of privilege? How can I identify unintended harm I’ve created in the past due to my privilege, and determine what I would do differently to make sure that I don’t make those mistakes again? With an explicit focus on equity, participants gain skills for using SRI tools and processes to:
- Participate in reflective conversations about equity;
- Successfully manage dissonance, disequilibrium and anxiety in a reflective learning group; and
- Make explicit connections among educational practice, student learning & barriers to educational equity
Check Out Interviews and Books from Two of SRI’s Founders: Kevin Fahey and Frances Hensley
As part of our celebration of SRI’s 10th anniversary last year we collected interviews from a few of SRI’s founders. Two of them, Kevin Fahey and Frances Hensley, are also co-authors on two books.
Check out their Interviews:
Frances Hensley
Kevin Fahey
Co-Authored Books
An UnCommon Theory of School Change
Leading for Powerful Learning: A Guide for Instructional Leaders
10forSRI
SRI affiliates genuinely care about the students and communities we serve and recognize that schools as they currently exist need to improve so that all students have the chance to succeed. Our affiliates are passionate about making such change. Loving and caring about all students is at the center of where we start. Our goal for 2020 is to help educators remember why they became educators, and to do whatever we can to not only help them to ‘feel’ supported, but to actually ‘be’ supported, and work together to create the schools our students deserve. I hope you will join me and continue to support SRI!
2020 brings even more opportunity for SRI’s growth through affiliate engagement and education. We have amazing affiliate volunteers in our community who are helping SRI board and staff by joining us in our many ongoing and upcoming initiatives including:
- Celebrating ten years and beyond with an #IAMSRI campaign that will lead up to our Annual Fall Meeting in Memphis, TN November 5-7, 2020.
- Continue our national offerings: Intro to SRI Reflective Learning Communities Institutes, Leading Reflective Learning Communities Institutes, and Equity First Institutes, to engage more affiliates regionally – held in Houston, Tampa, Chicago, and Burlington.
- Expand our affiliate base – can you help us add more people in your state?
- Continue to refine the SRI website, adding new tools and resources including videos.
- Additional national institutes designed to continue to support the growth of facilitators, particularly around educational equity and excellence.
- An unending commitment to supporting educators, particularly classroom teachers, to empower them and help them change the system of education to serve all students!
A new year brings hope and possibility. When we collaborate and work together, phenomenal things can happen! I invite you to support SRI so that together we can continue to do good work in service of students. There are several ways to help us grow:
- Donate a tax-deductible financial gift. As a nonprofit, we are primarily supported through grants and individual donations. Your financial gift provides the funding that we need to implement and support our multiple initiatives. A financial gift of any size is extremely importing in helping us sustain ourselves as an organization.
- Become an affiliate. Affiliating is a yearly process, and demonstrates your commitment to SRI and the work we do to support educators throughout the world.
- Share SRI with your friends, families and colleagues. Help us expand our circle of supporters by sharing the work of SRI and explaining how this work has made an impact on your life. Ask your friends and families to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter and enter into the conversation about school transformation – this is a conversation for everyone, not just educators.
- Keep working in ways that lead towards the creation of a culture of collaborative and reflective practice. Have challenging conversations, hold one another accountable, be brave by deprivatizing your practice, and work daily to reflect and collaborate in service of students.
I am filled with hope for 2020, and a renewed commitment to stand for children even in the face of overwhelming odds. SRI is fiercely committed to educational equity and excellence, and we cannot do this work without your support!
Thank you for your commitment to students, families and communities!
P.S. Please give and post your giving to other SRI affiliates and friends on social media.
Do you have news to share? Interesting things happening in your area? Please let us know so we can share with our community! Email Chris Jones, chris@schoolreforminitiative.org.
Thank you,
Deirdre Williams and Chris Jones
On behalf of School Reform Initiative
