ASCD Conference Theme and Strands
Our conference theme and strands are developed each year by an independent team of practitioners that we bring together to ask "What are the most important questions and issues that face educators in the field today?" Each strand is an embodiment of the touch points we strive to have our concurrent presenters speak about or tie into their presentations to the conference attendees.
The theme and strands are a large part of what ASCD's team of reviewers take into consideration as they move forward in the proposal reviewing process. For more information about how proposals are scored, please take some time to read All About Annual Conference proposals.
Theme: A Collective Call to Action
In a city where visionary leaders collaborated in difficult times to break away from tradition, ASCD seeks a collective call to action. Together we will create a tradition of global action rooted in strong beliefs, lead with conviction, and fulfill our commitment to elevate education to the top global priority. We must engage collectively, personalize learning and teaching, and advocate as leaders.
Strands
Presenters will be prepared to share approaches, experiences, and results that reflect one of the following strands:
Personalize Learning and Teaching
The learning environment has changed from one-size-fits-all to customization. We must empower all learners to find meaning, develop strengths, and pursue interests that enable them to choose their own paths to learning. How can we personalize tools, ideas, and strategies to support learning and teaching for both the learner's and educator's needs?
- Professional learning communities
- Student learning
- Addressing the needs of special populations, English language learners, and potential dropouts
- Brain research
- Student portfolios
- Student leadership
- Career pathways
- High schools that prepare students for college
- Student-centered classrooms
- Multiple intelligences
- Strong, positive relationships between teachers and students
- Differentiated instruction
- Multiple measures of learning
- Data-driven decision making
- Response to Intervention
- Creating a learning culture
- Motivation
- Effective communication
- Meaningful work and project-based learning
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- High school redesign
- High expectations
- Coaching and mentoring
- Collaborative planning
- Professional development
- Teacher leadership
- Helping teachers feel comfortable with technology
- Effective communication
- New and improved technologies (e.g., iPad, texting, online courses, digital textbooks)
- Nontraditional methods and programs such as Teach for America, the Met charter school, alternative certification, and the New Teacher Project
- Teacher induction programs for the new teacher and programs for the seasoned professional
- Individualized professional development plan cycle that includes walk-throughs/
instructional rounds, feedback, and evaluation
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Engage
In this crucially important time, it is imperative that we all engage as we collaborate to learn from each other, teach with value and voice, and lead through complex and powerful change. How do we actively reengage both educators and teachers to better support learning and teaching?
- Educators across generations
- School leaders in effective balanced assessment models
- Continue to engage all teachers
- Educators around technology-rich settings
- District and school leaders addressing the achievement gap
- District and school leaders addressing the digital divide
- Develop the role of instructional coaches as school leaders
- Use student data to inform decisions
- Educators in conversations about incarceration and addiction
- Ways technology supports and detracts from engaged learning
- Finding benefits of technology-rich classrooms
- Schools promoting project-based learning
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- Effectively using high-yield strategies
- Teachers and administrators building effective antibullying programs, strategies, and efforts
- Teachers in value-added growth models and evaluation systems
- Implementing effective school improvement models
- Ways and best uses of technology, and how it can effectively enhance education in and across a variety of contexts (urban, rural, and other)
- Effectively replicating whole child efforts
- Ways education practices can be improved and shared across classrooms, buildings, districts, and abroad
- Ways to learn from research, other professional development, charter schools, and international schools
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Advocate
We continue to work in challenging educational times. Now we must seize opportunities that will allow us to develop and share our collective voice. We will make education the top priority around the world. How will we advocate for elevating education to the top global priority?
- Advocate for the whole child? (healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged)
- Advocate for the access, connectivity, and use of technology as a learning tool
- Advocate and support programs for families, educators, and students who’ve faced incarceration and addiction
- Advocate for full and equitable social services funding for families
- Advocate for full and equitable education funding
- Advocate for sound policies related to common core state standards
- Advocate for sound policies related to the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act
- Advocate for sound policies related to grants and awards
- Advocate for sound policies related to federal programs
- Advocate high school–to–university articulation
- Advocate for the alignment of preK–20 education
- Advocate for hiring and retaining highly effective teachers and leaders
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- Promote, model, and champion respect for all
- Advocate for high-quality early childhood programs
- Advocate for and implement meaningful partnerships
- Advocate for closing the learning gap
- Advocate for public support of education
- Advocate for including the arts
- Advocate for studying and sharing global educational initiative
- Advocate for and implement policies that maximize online and virtual learning
- Advocate for curriculum that is relevant, challenging, interactive, and exploratory and that responds to the unique needs of all learners
- Advocate for innovative and useful reform that requires governments and legislators to dismantle the obstacles to collaboration
- Advocate for alternative pathways for learning for all learners
- Advocate for informed use, implementation, reporting, and sanctions related to accountability systems
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