Summit on Cultural Responsiveness

Take advantage of the upcoming Summit on Cultural Responsiveness.

This session (# 042571) will be held on August 4^th and 5^th, and the registration deadline is on Monday July 28^th.  Learn with your staff members, please encourage your team to attend.

Dr. Edwin Nichols invites us all to become more culturally competent in our classrooms and our communities. Join him to develop approaches for embarking on this journey. On Day One, participants will become familiar with cultural differences and interpersonal conflicts that influence school culture/climate. On Day Two, we will focus on how we can meet the challenges/needs we face as we educate diverse 21st century learners in our schools today.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Henryett Lovely-Watson
Region 7 ESC
hlovelywatson@esc7.net
(903)988-6854

Online Courses for CTE Teachers Serving Students with Special Needs

Are you an instructional leader, supporting career and technical education teachers who work with special populations? Do they have questions about how to implement best practices for students with special needs?
If so, the Career & Technical Special Populations Training & Resource Center is the place for you and your teachers to receive quality professional development at no cost.

The Center provides online courses for CTE Teachers serving special populations. Courses will help campus administrators plan professional development activities for CTE Teachers.

Individual courses range from 1 to 3 hours in length, and cover topics such as Laws and Legal Issues, Instructional Strategies, Accommodations and Modifications, CTE Role in ARD Meetings, and several others. Best of all, the training is provided FREE of charge!
Get more information with this brochure.
Visit the website for the online course: http://ctsp.tamu.edu/online-courses/

For more information about Career and Technical Education, contact Adrian Knight, aknight@esc7.net

Flipped Faculty Meetings - A Great Idea for the New School Year

Many of you have probably heard the term "flipped classroom." The idea behind this is that students can get the content of the information anytime - anywhere there is an internet connection, and then, when they come to class, they will apply the knowledge or information. Some administrators are using this strategy for "Flipped Faculty" meetings. From what I have seen, the idea is worth trying out.

I thought I'd give it a try, and my first attempt at a "Flipped Meeting" is now online with the purpose of sharing a little about the goals for leadership learning at Region 7ESC, and a chance to show you around the new R7 Leadership website designed with you in mind.

Check it out below - and send some feedback through the comments below. I'd really like to hear what you think!  I am going to try to post a short video once a week and will archive them on the website - here.


Here is a link to the video created last year, by Willard East principal, who is using Flipped Faculty Meetings -  for the back to school information teachers might need prior to school starting!  Share links of others you have found.

Instructional Rounds: Learning Walks for Momentum that Matters

Instructional Rounds is a stellar session, designed to strengthen instruction and nurture a learning culture. 

Wednesday, 
Oct. 1, 2014

Click here to listen to 50 second info-video, created with Movenote.com. 

Presenter, Deborah Childs-Bowen, National ASCD Faculty, has more than 25 years of skilled and knowledgeable practice in management, professional development, facilitation, research, organizational development, executive coaching, and strategic planning. She specializes in program planning, design and implementation, program evaluation, and professional development for pre-service and in-service teachers and administrators. 

Childs-Bowen is respected throughout the United States for her work in these areas and has presented nationally and internationally. She has also designed and implemented professional development opportunities that have catalyzed change within numerous organizations.

Limited space is available, and we expect it will fill up quickly. 

Don't miss out. 

To Register, Click Here.

With Instructional Rounds you will learn to:

• Develop a deep understanding of the importance of Rounds in building and sustaining an instructional culture.
• Create a high quality Problem of Practice, Theory of Action, and Essential Question.
• Capture descriptive evidence that can be analyzed and used to improve the Problem of Practice.
• Participate in and conduct a high quality debrief that drives the instructional work to learning and action.
• Create a Rounds Momentum Plan and learn strategies that ensure Rounds is a powerful instructional improvement practice.
• Develop a plan to ensure a successful implementation of Rounds with fidelity.

Learn more....

According to Robert Marzano, instructional rounds are one of the most valuable tools that a school or district can use to enhance teachers' pedagogical skills and develop a culture of collaboration. The goal of instructional rounds isn't to provide feedback to the teacher being observed, although this is an option if the observed teacher so desires. Rather, the primary purpose is for observing teachers to compare their own instructional practices with those of the teachers they observe. The chief benefit of this approach resides in the discussion that takes place among observing teachers at the end of the observation as well as in subsequent self-reflection.  More.

 for Instructional Rounds at Region 7 ESC.

Evaluating Education Innovation: Questions to Ask Before Leaving the Shore

Innovation and transformation of our current systems in schools require leaders to rock the boat, and shun the fear of change, but before pushing off from the shore, a few questions can help us navigate a much smoother journey.

While reading a post on HASTAC, authored by Sheryl Grant regarding digital badges, her comments about the Nine Questions for Evaluating Education Innovation, a report from Nesta and New Schools Venture Fund that Tony Wan writes about in EdSurge, reminded me that not all innovative ideas are worth the energy it takes to even get the boat in the water.   How can we be sure what constitutes a best practice that leads to sustainable change?

Pine Tree ISD Trustee Recognized Through State Leadership Program

Leadership TASB, a program sponsored by the Texas Association of School Boards, is a board development program designed to take experienced board members to a new level of service and leadership by exposing them to a variety of issues, people, activities, and locations during the year-long program. Class members are selected for demonstrated leadership in their local districts and communities, and for their representation of the diversity of Texas school districts.

The Leadership TASB class of 2014 represents Texas school districts of all sizes, with student populations of 240 to over 201,000, and reflects the range of property wealth.

Each session had a specific theme that builds on the previous session and features state and nationally recognized experts in the fields of leadership development and education. Teams also work on extended learning assignments between meetings throughout the year. Created in 1993, Leadership TASB has almost 700 graduates to date.

Dunn is the first trustee from Pine Tree ISD to complete the program. With the completion of this program, Dunn is now a master trustee.

Are Miracles Possible at 5 am in the Morning?

I am always looking for a good book to help shore up the routines in my personal day to day journey. 

And thanks to the blog post from Jessica Johnson, Elementary School Principal and District Assessment Coordinator in Wisconsin, I learned about, The Miracle Morning, by Hal Elrod. 

 First I listened to, The 5 AM Miracle Podcast, (which you do not have to listen to at 5am.) Then I downloaded the book on Audible.com, so I could also start making changes to my morning routine. Jeff offers a free copy of the book, but I have found listening to books while walking or driving down the road has worked really well for me. 

Like Jessica, I am a morning person, but I don't really have a good routine right now.  When I was a principal I also got up early, just to get to school before anyone else entered the building and get some focused work done. For years, I also got caught in the trap of staying until 5 pm every day. I rarely had the energy to exercise or take care of myself.