Best Practices Conference Draws Educators’ Praise for Relevance, Focus
JBHM Education Group’s second annual Best Practices Conference, focusing on Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and best instructional practices, was of such value that educators who attended will push for more of their staff to be at the 2012 conference.
“I would love to take my whole faculty because of the hands-on format of the Best Practices Conference,” said Lee Ann Harrell, Principal of Riverside West Elementary in Lake City, Arkansas. “I brought back several ideas to immediately begin using on our campus.”
The school partner presentations were excellent, she continued, “because the actual teachers and administrators who had implemented the practices were there to talk about what they learned, adjustments they made, and results they saw.” Her favorite sessions were on literacy components of CCSS and students self-monitoring their learning. All sessions were “far more relevant” than other professional association conferences she has attended.
Having attended JBHM’s first Best Practices Conference in 2010, Glenn Carlisle, Superintendent of Durant, Mississippi, Public Schools, knew to expect a high caliber program; he took half of Durant’s staff this year because of the CCSS emphasis.
“I wanted to expose as many teachers as possible to the outstanding information and guidance on Common Core,” Carlisle said. “In planning how we will go forward, it is good for our district to have more input and wider involvement by those who will actually implement Common Core in classrooms.” He added that he intends to use information from the conference to establish implementation milestones for his schools. “We want to put some signposts along the way to understand how well we’re proceeding.”
Durant staff returned home enthusiastic and energetic, describing CCSS as “a step forward,” he said. “Education is the only way for our kids to succeed and to be able to compete in a global market. JBHM keeps us focused on that.”
More than 75 school districts and 125 schools were represented at the July 19-20 conference held at Tunica Resorts, Mississippi. The 600 educators who attended were from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas.
Joining the district and school administrators, school board members, and teachers were JBHM staff and specialists from all service areas. Most of them echoed the comments of Gaynell Roberts, Ed.D., a JBHM teacher coaching specialist from Louisiana. “I enjoyed our 2010 conference, but this year’s surpassed it,” she said. “Highlighting Common Core State Standards provided valuable support and training that will impact our work as JBHM specialists today and tomorrow.”
Roberts affirmed that she was inspired and motivated by the keynote addresses of Dr. Larry Lezotte and Dr. Douglas Reeves, who returned this year by popular demand. “Learning from them about the latest research and tools for leadership and effectiveness motivates me to take more action in school improvement,” she said.
Connecting the Common Core State Standards to the education of students with special needs impressed Kathie Jamieson, a struggling learners specialist from Arkansas. “Not many educational groups have made the connection,” she explained.
Jamieson also was captivated by the Lezotte and Reeves addresses: “[They] reinforced the need for more research and instructional strategies that help all children learn—and how we do that in the ever-changing world.” Closing remarks by Dr. Mike Walters, JBHM CEO, stirred her emotions, she said, by “reminding each of us that we do what must be done for children to succeed.”
The Best Practices Conference helps clarify key principles of JBHM’s improvement processes, including JBHM’s embedded professional training, observed Jamieson. “Seeing the presentations by school partners and JBHM specialists illustrates the benefit of having someone working beside you as you implement and follow up on improvement strategies,” she said.
Dr. Evelyn Webb, Vice President for Strategic Programs and Special Projects, said the JBHM team is excited about building on the strengths of the 2011 event in planning for the third annual Best Practices Conference.
“We heard from our attendees that our conference was an exceptional educational experience for teachers, administrators, and school board members,” she reported. Noting that Sonny Savoie, past chair of the National School Boards Association, and Miranda Beard, president of the Laurel, Mississippi, school board, were present, she revealed JBHM’s commitment to put together a strand specifically for school board members who attend in 2012.
Webb added that the Best Practices Conference is the only conference of its kind, “where attendees hear school staffs presenting what has worked instead of theory and how it’s supposed to work.”
“The school partner presentations are very poplar because they provide strategies and timely information to take back home and begin using immediately,” she said. “With budgets being extremely tight, district and school staffs must reap great returns on their professional development investments.”
Petal Superintendent Dr. John Buchanan and a team of his administrators conducted a presentation called “Changing the Conversation from the Boardroom to the Classroom.” One of the highest-performing districts in the state, Petal, implemented a systemic model of continual improvement focusing on standardizing best practices K-12.
Conference attendees enjoyed several speakers including Dr. Larry Lezotte, Dr. Doug Reeves, and Dr. Brian McNulty.
Breakout sessions kept participants involved with collaborative activities.