AASA announces new pre-conference workshop format for the 2003 Annual Conference & Exposition

School Administrator, Sept, 2002

AASA staff members and conference planners are excited about the new session formats and events planned for the 2003 Annual Conference & Exposition. The conference will take place Feb. 20-23, 2003, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

one of the changes for the 2003 conference is a new half-day pre-conference session format. Make the most of your time in New Orleans by attending one or two of these interactive workshops.

Space is limited, so go to www.aasa.org/nce today for more information and to reserve your spot.

MORNING PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS (8:30 A.M.-12 NOON)

Gentle Pressure-Constantly Applied: Use of Achievement Data Improves School Effectiveness

Allan Olson, President/Executive Director, Northwest Evaluation Association & Donna McCahon, Northwest Evaluation Association

For you as a school leader to accomplish substantial improvement in student achievement within the next several years, you must know what works and what doesn't, gather information about each child that helps educators target instruction appropriately, place appropriate and accurate data in the hands of those who can improve the learning of all children, and have the skills and commitment to improve schools based on facts. This session focuses on the work of Northwest Evaluation Association member school districts making substantial differences in student achievement and a model of school progress based on work with over 800 school districts in 34 states. $140

Accountability, Sanctions and Choice Under the No Child Left Behind Act

Julie Miller, Editor & Publisher, Title I Report Newsletter and the ESEA Implementation Guide

The No Child Left Behind Act is causing major changes in the way schools are held accountable for student performance -- and increasing the consequences for failing to measure up. Attend this workshop to find out what you need to know about the law's accountability requirements and how the rules are actually being enforced at the federal and state levels. Topics include assessment, "adequate yearly progress standards, school sanctions and the mandate that students in low-performing schools be allowed to transfer or use Title I funds to pay for supplemental tutoring. $140

Balanced, Proactive School Security and Crisis Planning in the Wake of Terrorism Kenneth Trump, President, National Safety & Securities

Learn a number of sensible, practical risk-reduction measures to provide a physically and psychologically secure school setting. Topics include current issues in school safety and crisis preparedness, evaluating school responses, lessons learned on 9/11, managing the politics of hot school safety issues, assessing and managing threats, school security assessments and communicating safety issues effectively to the school community in times of crisis. $140

Communication and Community Relations: Key Ingredients to Superintendent Success and the No Child Left Behind Act

Terry Grier, Superintendent, Guilford County Schools, Greensboro, NC; Jane Hammond, Superintendent in Residence, Stupski Family Foundation, Rich Bagin, Executive Director, National School Public Relations Association

Learn the latest and most effective techniques m all areas of communication and community relations, and examine your leadership role in malting these winning techniques a reality in your school district. Topics include the communication responsibilities of the No Child Left Behind Act, public engagement strategies, marketing tactics, winning in the court of public opinion, dealing with an unfair media, effective internal communication, reputation management during a crisis, and strategies to make your entire staff PR ambassadors for your school district. $140

AFTERNOON PRE-CONFERENCE WORKSHOPS (1 - 4:30 P.M..)

Superintendent Evaluation in a Standards-Based Environment

Michael DiPaola & James Stronge, School of Education, The College of William and Mary

Attend this session to hear two of the leaders in the field of effective superintendent evaluation preview a new performance-based model for superintendent evaluation developed for the AASA-sponsored Superintendent Evaluation Handbook. The model incorporates national professional standards and reflects the daily tasks of the superintendency. Specifically learn about effective ways to align job descriptions with performance evaluation, design job performance measures and instruments, develop a meaningful performance evaluation system, use multiple data sources in superintendent evaluation, set goals and measure achievement. Other topics include student achievement measures, portfolios and dossiers, self-assessment and 360 degree assessment (employee, community surveys). $140

Data-Driven Decision Making: From Theory to Practice

AASA Staff Member

Find out how districts are really using data to focus on student achievement. Join in a discussion of ways to identify meaningful indicators of student achievement, consider cultural changes necessary for the effective use of data, examine staff development needs, and explore ways to kick-start your data implementation plans. Relying on their experience and lessons learned from working with over 75 school districts since 1999, AASA's Center for Accountability Solutions staff will cover these topics and more, including reporting data to the board, community and state as required under ESEA legislation. Also learn about a free decision-support software tool that allows user-friendly data disaggregation and generates concise, easy-to-understand, graphic reports for staff, school boards and the public. $140