Fall Meeting 2019 Learning Experiences

Learning Experiences – Friday, November 8^th

Fall Meeting participants will select a learning experience from a variety of compelling topics designed to provide participants the opportunity to delve deeply into a particular topic of interest.

Each learning experience will align to SRI’s Achieving Educational Equity and Excellence Learning Framework, with session offerings designed to meet the varied needs of participants fairly new to SRI work as well as those with longevity.

Full Sessions 3-hour sessions – 10:30am-2:45pm
Culturally Inclusive Recruitment, Retention, and Responsibility
Leadership for Equity and Excellence: The Deep Dive into School Reinvention
NYC DOE Yoga and Mindfulness Intensive – An Introduction

Morning 90-Minute Sessions – 10:30am-12:00pm
Building Equity Bridges: Understanding Root Causes of Racial Inequities through an Inclusive and Participatory Process
Empowering Teams to Challenge Privilege: School Quality Inquiry as a Tool for Transformation
Listening Deeply to Students
Protocols in the Classroom
The Secret Sauce to Instructional Rounds: Mash up with Asset Based Community Development & Improvement Science
UP for Learning: Youth-Adult Partnership for School Change

Afternoon 90-Minute Sessions – 1:15pm-2:45pm
And How Are the Children? Addressing Student Hurt Through Trauma Informed Practices and Crisis Awareness
Creating a Foundation of Trust for Fierce Conversations
Empowering Teams to Challenge Privilege: School Quality Inquiry as a Tool for Transformation
Listening Deeply to Students
Protocols in the Classroom
UP for Learning: Youth-Adult Partnership for School Change

Full Sessions 10:30am-2:45pm (with a lunch break)

Culturally Inclusive Recruitment, Retention, and Responsibility
Presenter: Liza A. Talusan, Ph.D., Strategic Partner and Facilitator
Charles B, Level 2, East Tower

It is well researched and documented that a racially diverse and inclusive adult community (i.e. leaders, teachers, administrators, volunteers) uphold a more inclusive, equitable and just community. Despite the field of education having one of the most racially diverse populations, schools and organizations continue to struggle recruiting and retaining people from racially diverse backgrounds. Join Dr. Liza Talusan as we explore how our own institutional structures, practices, and protocols actually uphold homogeneous and white environments that have kept out people of color. Learn how to disrupt existing approaches to this work and develop an anti-bias framework for your community.

Leadership for Equity and Excellence: The Deep Dive into School Reinvention
Presenters: Kevin Fahey, Frances Hensley, Angela Breidenstein, and Jacy Ippoltto
Somerset, Level 2, East Tower

In our view, the scope and depth of the work of building educational equity and excellence is often underestimated. This session (1) explores the mechanistic thinking – the Common Theory – that constrains educators as they tackle fundamental issues of educational equity and excellence, and (2) offers a different theory of action – the Deep Dive – that takes into account the complex ways in which schools operate. This will be an interactive session in which participants will read about, discuss and grapple with a challenging set of ideas, hear the stories of educators who have used these ideas, and apply this learning to their own equity work.

NYC DOE Yoga and Mindfulness Intensive – An Introduction
Presenters: Lauren Levine, Counseling Manager and De-Escalation Specialist, Steven Strull, Director Student Services, Denise Lanier, Counseling Manager, and Leo Macias, School Culture and Climate Manager
Charles A, Level 2, East Tower

The NYC DOE Yoga and Mindfulness Intensive Introduction is designed to meet the needs of teachers and other school based staff, with the focus on self–care and enhanced self-awareness and to develop and deepen an embodied Movement and Mindfulness practice leading to increased classroom and school house efficacy. The learning experience will include multiple movement and mindfulness techniques that may be incorporated into daily school routines and is intended as an introduction to the efforts currently taking place across New York City and builds on the theory of Mindful Behavior(ism) which was facilitated at last year’s Fall Meeting in San Antonio. All Fall Meeting participants will benefit from this experience irrespective of attendance at last year’s meeting.

Morning Sessions 10:30am-12:00pm

Building Equity Bridges: Understanding Root Causes of Racial Inequities through an Inclusive and Participatory Process
Presenters: Tessa Bridge, Khari Milner, and Debbie Bonilla
Skyline A, Level 2, West Tower

Cambridge Public Schools and the Cambridge Education Association have undertaken a year-long effort to understand the root causes of inequities in the Cambridge Public Schools. The Building Equity Bridges Project has focused on building inclusive, participatory spaces for a range of stakeholders to come together to share their stories, look at information, and name the Barriers to Equity that are experienced across the school district. In this session you will learn about the core values of the Building Equity Bridges project, the processes used to hold participatory and inclusive spaces, and the findings from the work. You will have the opportunity to think about how the lessons from the Building Equity Bridges project can be applied in your own schools and communities.

Empowering Teams to Challenge Privilege: School Quality Inquiry as a Tool for Transformation
Presenters: James Noonan, Assistant Professor, Salem State University & Judy Evans, Superintendent, Winchester Public Schools
Longfellow A, Lobby Level, West Tower

In this session, the facilitators will describe and share documentation from a year-long school quality study group organized and run as part of the Massachusetts Consortium for Innovative Education Assessment (MCIEA). Together, a broad cross-section of stakeholders – including the superintendent, principals, teachers, and a parent – used a range of SRI-developed protocols to interrogate personal and professional beliefs about teaching and learning and to bring these perspectives to bear when interpreting and responding to a shared dilemma. In addition, using a sample of holistic school quality data, facilitators will engage participants in personal reflection, collaborative meaning making, and a discussion about effective facilitation techniques.

Listening Deeply to Students
Presenter: Katherine Rieser, Harvard Graduate School of Education
University C, Lobby Level, East Tower

This workshop will deepen participants’ ability to listen deeply to student words and voices. We will begin by reflecting together on the Ladder of Inference and the human tendencies that distract us from listening without judgement. We will then apply this lens to an examination of multimedia documents in which students reflect on their experiences in classrooms and schools. An awareness of the inclination to affirm biases, judge, and solve problems will allow participants to leave with a clearer sense of their growth areas when it comes to listening effectively to students.

Protocols in the Classroom
Presenter: Kari Thierer, School Reform Initiative
Skyline C, Level 2, West Tower

This session will focus on ways to adapt and incorporate SRI protocols into the classroom. Our classrooms should be learning communities, and the SRI protocols can help us establish these communities with any age group we may teach. We will talk about how to set the foundation for using protocols, and review some ways to adapt protocols for the age group you are teaching.

The Secret Sauce to Instructional Rounds: Mash up with Asset Based Community Development & Improvement Science
Presenters: Sonia Mathew, Program Officer at Robert R. McCormick Foundation & Dan Condon, Associate Director of Professional Development at Eagle Rock
Longfellow C, Lobby Level, West Tower

Learn about the successful collaboration between Eagle Rock’s Professional Development Center and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation’s Democracy Schools Initiative in implementing Instructional Rounds with Improvement Science using Asset Based Community Development with the statewide network of Democracy Schools in Illinois. This immersive session will take you through some of the processes and protocols used in Instructional Rounds, Asset Based Community Development & Improvement Science. While not required we encourage multiple individuals from the same school sites to attend.

UP for Learning: Youth-Adult Partnership for School Change
Presenters: Lindsey Halman, Helen Beattie and youth from UP for Learning programs
Parkview, Level 2, East Tower

The integrity of engaging students is tied to mutual respect, equity in an ongoing exchange of ideas and input, and shared responsibility. Students are highly invested in shaping the world that will hold their life story and they possess a deep desire to make a difference now. For youth, working closely with adults toward shared goals seeds the skills and confidence for lifelong learning and civic engagement. For adults, working closely with youth creates the opportunity to learn from the insights and unique perspectives of youth, often renewing their professional sense of purpose and shifting teaching toward more student-centered practices. When young people are challenged to bring forth their best efforts, adults similarly rise to the occasion. Student engagement in facilitation of dialogue through the use of protocols is truly a form of participatory democracy.

Objectives of the workshop:

Share a number of compelling examples of how young people are utilizing protocols to serve them as effective agents of change.
Experience youth demonstrating their protocol capacity by taking a lead in facilitating the session itself (walking the talk).
Guide participants to reflect upon and plan for developing youth facilitation in their own settings.

Afternoon Sessions 1:15pm-2:45pm

And How Are the Children? Addressing Student Hurt Through Trauma Informed Practices and Crisis Awareness
Presenter: Chaney Ledet, Primary Facilitator, Harris County Department of Education Curriculum and Compliance Officer
Skyline A, Level 2, West Tower

Many young children are exposed to traumatic life events. Almost half of children in the United States—approximately 35 million—have experienced one or more types of trauma and young children are at especially high risk compared to older children. Over one quarter of all children with confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect are under age 3, and victimization is most common for children under 12 months old. In addition, children who experience domestic violence are disproportionately young, with 60 percent under age 6 at the time of exposure. Participants should expect the following learning outcomes from this riveting, insightful presentation:

Surface attitudes and beliefs regarding crisis and trauma.
Develop an understanding of the concept of crisis and trauma.
Unpack the warning signs of trauma in our children.
Gain useful intervention strategies for leaders, teachers and family members to help our children thrive and survive.

Creating a Foundation of Trust for Fierce Conversations
Presenters: Jill Harrison Berg, Leadership Coach & School Improvement Consultant; Lea-Antoinette Serena, Second Grade Teacher, Mather Elementary School; Reid Jones, Fifth Grade Teacher, Mather Elementary School
Longfellow C, Lobby Level, West Tower

Under what condition might educators be willing to take the risks required for fierce conversations that advance equity? A foundation of trust is needed.

In this session we’ll unpack why the essential conversations about whether each child is getting what they need cannot happen without trust; we’ll utilize the research literature on how trust is built to analyze and amp up SRI Protocols; and we’ll hear how school-based teacher leader teams have worked to embed the practice of SRI protocols and their components within school routines in order to keep the fierce conversations going with authenticity and impact.

When you return to your school, you will be prepared to empower school colleagues with activities and resources that can help them understand how trust is built, to adapt SRI protocols to ensure your colleagues are prepared for the kinds of trust they require, and to collaborate with school colleagues to embed the practice of protocols and their components within school routines requiring fierce conversations.