Preparing our learners to be compassionate citizens and creative and critical thinkers is our moral imperative—one that is fueled by the collective understanding that we must address the needs of the whole child, every child. The ASCD 69th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show theme, "@Every Learner: Someday Is Now," speaks to the immediacy of this imperative.
"Instead of wishing things would be different someday, that someday is now," says Becky Berg, ASCD President and superintendent of the Marysville School District in Washington. "We need to do what we believe is best for kids. Let's innovate, let's include students as partners, let's enjoy our differences, and let's act on our shared belief that students need to be supported beyond just academics."
In the fall, Berg attended the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in Qatar, along with 1,200 international education leaders. Despite a diverse attendance from more than 100 countries, "it was mind-blowing how everyone was on the same page about the whole child—and how addressing our global challenges will require compassion, understanding, and cultural competence," says Berg. "WISE reminded me of ASCD's Annual Conference theme because we have remarkable congruence in our ideas about how to improve education."
"Educators from rural Georgia to New York City to Singapore have the same high expectations and aspirations for students," adds Debbie Brown, ASCD senior director of conferences. "The Annual Conference offers the platform for educators to not only build their knowledge base on a wide range of topics but also come together for meaningful discourse with peers in their own states, across the United States, and internationally."
Participants will have the opportunity to network on specific topics throughout the conference program. From March 12 to 14 in Los Angeles, educators can attend 27 different one-, two-, or three-day Pre-Conference Institutes and make six school visits. Pre-Conference Institutes offer intensive learning experiences regarding curriculum, instruction, assessment, and more. During one of the three-day sessions, "Understanding by Design: Advanced Institute in Curriculum Design," Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe will present a comprehensive plan for transforming standards into a teachable curriculum that emphasizes understanding and long-term transfer.
Once the conference is under way, attendees can choose from a lineup of more than 350 concurrent sessions, 21 of which we will live-stream and then archive. The presenters will include at least 70 ASCD authors. The conference will also feature three inspiring general sessions led by Daniel Pink, Sir Ken Robinson, and Russell J. Quaglia.
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Your Votes Are In
ASCD's auditor has certified the ballots cast in a recent vote on proposed changes to ASCD's Constitution, with ASCD members approving those changes. Visit www.ascd.org/governance for more information.
ASCD Forum on Teacher Leaders
ASCD is seeking educator voices from across the globe to contribute to a discussion around the question, "How do we cultivate and support teacher leaders?" Learn more and join the conversation at www.ascd.org/ascdforum now through April 11, 2014.