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Concurrent SessionsSunday 9:00 - 10:15 Micro-Credentials and Mini-Courses on Ed Leaders Network MAESP has partnered with Ed Leaders Network (ELN) to provide members with online learning experiences to support them throughout their educational career. In this session, you will learn about the unique Micro-Credential program that can be used as an alternative pathway to your career certificate as an educational leader. We will also take a deep dive into the ELN learning management system to explore the on-demand courses available to you as part of your membership with MAESP. Words of Life We will share faith-filled, intentional, and thankful moments we have utilized over the years to keep the joy and spark alive in leadership. The Powerful Six: six aspects of leadership to increase teacher longevity in Hard-to-Staff schools Come discover how school leaders can unleash their power over teacher retention even in schools that have been considered "hard-to-staff". This session will reveal six aspects of leadership to strengthen teacher-admin relationships, increase teacher self-efficacy, and improve teacher overall job satisfaction. Administrators will be given tools and strategies for immediate use in their buildings. Growing Student Internal Engagement through Goal Setting Sometimes we use every song and dance to keep our students engaged in their learning. We have found that using goal setting, along with rubrics, exemplars, and specific feedback, has engaged students to the point that they rush through breakfast just to get started! In this session, I will walk you through how we started our journey, some pitfalls to avoid, and resources to start your own program at your school! Leveled Up Behavior! A proactive approach to level up behavior problems with intentional data tracking, analysis, and decision-making. This approach will help pinpoint patterns and find the root causes of behavior issues in students, as well as provide them with goals to replace negative behaviors with replacement behaviors. Key Elements of Hope-Based Leadership Hope has always been involved in the leadership process. Join principals from North Kansas City School District and Smithville School District to learn about the six key elements of hope-based leadership. Learn applicable strategies to create a vision in your school while increasing culture through Building Leadership Team retreats, achievement through Instructional Rounds and data work, and efficacy through professional development options and strengthened agency. Aiming to achieve better futures, see the possibilities ahead, and inspire others and oneself, hope is the very cornerstone of leadership. Kindergarten Academy - A New Way to Start Kindergarten Do you need help creating balanced classrooms when you know little about the students at the start of the year? If so, Kindergarten Academy may be exactly what you need! Kindergarten Academy is a new way of thinking about how to start kindergarten. This approach allows all educators to assess and sort students into balanced classes based on their individual needs, abilities, and learning styles. Be ready to follow our journey as we share the ins and outs of implementing Kindergarten Academy across our district. All Means All: A CLEAR Continuous Improvement Model To Improve Outcomes For All Students Under MSIP 6 In this session, leaders will learn about the CLEAR Continuous Improvement Model which is grounded in research and developed for educational leaders by an educational leader. Most importantly, this CLEAR model has led to three National Blue Ribbon Elementary Schools, in addition to significantly improving academic achievement for all students. The CLEAR Continuous Improvement Model provides leaders with a linear, research-based model to assist them in closing the knowing-doing gap and achieving the long-term, sustainable results we all desire in our schools. I Thought I Did Everything Right, and I Still Got It Wrong! Preparation for hiring can be relegated to the little time that we have left at the end of the school day. Join us as we dive into the real world of hiring and explore best practices, practical and legal advice to help you identify and hire the best candidates for positions in your district. Sunday 10:30 - 11:45 How Throwing the Kitchen Sink Helped Our School Our building had many needs and they appeared to be progressively getting worse. How did we go about addressing our concerns? We threw the kitchen sink, and more, at it. This session will share some of the ideas we used including kindergarten orientation, kindergarten soft start, behavioral support, PBIS, connection nights, and more. Learn how we cut discipline in half, improved academic performance, and expanded our relationships with our community. This session will discuss interventions we used to help our students and how we use partnerships to provide for families, including giving away crockpots, toasters, and more. Balancing School Leadership and Management Requirements It is very challenging to balance administrator time and responsibilities. This is a refresher session looking at which leadership actions are vital for school effectiveness, based on research on "whole leadership". 21 Survival Tips for Elementary Principals Our jobs as elementary principals are never-ending, ever-changing, and oftentimes exhausting! After 21 years as an elementary principal, I have identified 21 keys to not only surviving the principalship but thriving as a building leader. This session is geared toward assistant principals interested in taking the next step in leading a building, newer principals looking for ideas and ways to balance their workload, or experienced principals looking to add a few tricks to the bag. Gain ideas for working with various personalities in your building, establishing trust with stakeholders, along with staff and student motivators and incentives, and how to smoothly transition to a new building or school district. Special Education Specially Designed Instruction: What is it and How do You Know it is Being Delivered to Your Students with Special Needs? In this session, participants will learn what to look for, what questions to ask, and how to plan for their teachers to understand and utilize the principles of specially designed instruction for their general and special education classrooms. Leading From the Back: Student and Staff Leadership This session will focus on how implementing student leadership in your building will make a significant impact on your building's culture. Our students have shown a new sense of ownership and pride in their school that has been carried into the community and improved our stakeholder's perspectives. In this session, you will learn ways to promote and implement leadership opportunities for the students and staff in your building. We will take a live look at how to organize, schedule, and create consistency with leadership. Our jobs are extremely difficult; use your greatest resource: your students! By empowering your students and staff to take ownership and lead, you will grow your leadership capacity and improve your culture. The True Story of Agency in the Classroom: Lewis & Clark’s Journey Come hear about Lewis and Clark's Journey of Learner Agency! Through our 'We CELEBRATE Growth' Culture, come see one example of how a school is building Learner Agency with kids as they learn to answer the top three Assessment Capable Questions: What am I learning? How am I doing? And where am I going next? You will hear from kids and teachers about how our journey started and continues to grow and evolve as we continue to create a 'School for Kids'! You will walk away with building-wide examples to take back to your teams of different ways our teams have tried, using Self Assessment Trackers, to guide kids towards taking ownership of their learning. Literacy and Justice for All Frederick Douglas said, "Once you learn to read, you will be forever free." Comprehension is the overarching goal of reading. It is a dance between the reader and the text involving thinking and reasoning. Learn how two principals from the Kansas City area implement unique professional development structures, such as PD and Popcorn and Strategy Breakfasts, to enhance teacher understanding using think-alouds, engagement strategies, and student evidence of thinking aligned to state standards while considering the grade level progressions. Collaborative Strategies for Student Success: Empowering Educators through Effective Partnerships Join our breakout session to explore the dynamic collaboration between Instructional Coaches, Behavior Interventionists, and Principals in planning and supporting teachers for enhanced student success. Discover how this cohesive partnership utilizes a combination of ESL and instructional strategies to design and build impactful lessons. Learn practical approaches to address diverse learning needs, promote inclusive classrooms, and ultimately increase student achievement. This session offers insights into fostering a supportive professional environment that prioritizes collaboration, and equipping educators with the tools they need to create engaging and effective learning experiences for all students. Exploring AI in Education: Transforming Teaching and Learning This session explores the dynamic role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in reshaping the educational landscape. It offers an insightful introduction to AI, highlighting its fundamental principles and how it's revolutionizing various industries, with a specific focus on education. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of AI's potential in education, practical knowledge of AI tools that can be integrated into their teaching practices, and an awareness of the ethical considerations surrounding AI in education. Monday 8:15 - 9:30 Leveraging Your Library for Maximum Impact Learn from a panel of school administrators and librarians on how to utilize your school library to help meet your building goals. Using your highly qualified school librarian can promote student achievement, support classroom teachers, and amplify a home school connection. Building Neural Connections: Kindergarten's Key Role in Meeting Learning Standards This session will focus on the pivotal role of Kindergarten in fostering neural connections critical to meeting learning standards amidst the unique social and emotional challenges stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. This engaging session will explore the neuroscience behind early childhood learning, its impact on future academic success, and the pressing social and emotional considerations in today's educational landscape. Attendees will gain insights into strategies and practices that can enhance brain development in Kindergarten while nurturing social and emotional well-being, and increasing each student's opportunity for academic success. Essential Federal Programs - What Why & How?? Do you offer federal programs services in your building? Are you responsible for implementation, supervision, and/or program reporting? Do you feel comfortable with what's required and/or how to maximize your program possibilities? Are you current with the necessary program requirements? This presentation focuses on an LEA’s Federal Programs (Title IA, IIA, IVA, etc.) and will include practical advice and resources for budgeting, planning, compliance requirements, program possibilities, and tiered monitoring. Materials will be appropriate for new or returning administrators or federal programs coordinators and will include resources and examples of required submittals. “We Have Data... Now What?”: Strengthening Data-Based Decision-Making to Enhance IMTSS Implementation Integrated Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (I-MTSS) is a framework designed to use systematic data-based decision-making (DBDM) to match students with needed interventions. While most schools collect data, many struggle to effectively use that data in a way that is manageable for teachers and impactful for students. This presentation will give attendees access to the newly validated Integrated MTSS Fidelity Rubric (IMFR) and describe how the DBDM criteria can help support schools as they work to streamline processes around effectively using data. Attendees will hear from administrators in the field who have used the IMFR to enhance their I-MTSS framework and will be given time to ask questions and collaborate around this important cornerstone of positively impacting student outcomes. Aligning the Wheels... While We Drive the Bus Connecting All of the Initiatives Are your tires deflating as you navigate the many roads in education while also trying to make sure your school is making continuous improvement? This session will focus on the journey Cler-Mont Elementary (Fort Osage School District) is currently taking to balance the state-mandated initiatives, district goals, and the unique needs of the school to form a school improvement plan that aligns the goals, professional learning, resources, and the daily work of staff. Join us to learn about our school improvement process and our efforts to create a unified direction for the entire Cler-Mont team. Small School Principal BIG Impact Unlock the power of every moment as a leader of a small school with this dynamic session focused on maximizing impact from Morning Greetings to End of the Day Bell. This session will delve into tidbits and tools designed to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in school leadership. Explore strategies for nurturing character development, empowering staff, optimizing schedules, and implementing RTI frameworks to meet the diverse needs of your school community. Charting the Course as a New Principal Are you ready to learn the ropes and ride the waves of school administration? If you are a new or aspiring school leader, this session is for you. You’ll leave with ideas you can use in your own building that will inspire smooth SAILING as you begin your school leadership journey. Implementing Curriculum Success: La Monte Elementary’s Journey This session will provide a step-by-step journey of how La Monte Elementary expedited the process of developing a guaranteed and viable curriculum, while also creating a framework for competency-based learning. Curriculum Specialists will share how they utilized a unique process to expedite aligning current resources to state priority standards, while also creating a sustainable and organized curriculum management system. La Monte’s elementary principal will discuss consistent expectations, monitoring the fidelity of instruction and pacing guides, and assessments directly aligned to the MLS. The session will share effective practices used at the district and building level to create streamlined communication among district leaders, building administrators, and building leadership teams. Unique structures and processes that sustained the work will also be shared (administrator PLCs, instructional-focused protocols) as well as key structures and supports provided by the building principal to support teacher learning and student growth. Unlocking Unlimited Possibilities: Leading Like Lasso Join us for an engaging session that delves into the extraordinary leadership wisdom of Ted Lasso. Discover how the 'Leading like Lasso' philosophy can revolutionize your school setting. Learn how to cultivate an environment where limitless potential becomes the norm. Be prepared to be inspired, motivated, and equipped with actionable strategies to create a culture of unwavering positivity, collaboration, and success. Get ready to BELIEVE, achieve, and lead like Lasso! Together WE Lift to Lead MO! (Women Empowered: Strategies for Success) Join us in a panel discussion of women administrators from across the state as we explore the implications of current research in our roles as female leaders. Together we will discuss challenges, successes, and collectively analyze the role of creating sisterhood networks as a pathway in strengthening individual leadership and in creating collective success for all women. Next Level Coaching Next Level Coaching seeks to directly improve instruction by adding effective practices and/or substituting effective practices for ineffective ones. Using observations and conferencing, the school leader will support classroom teaching in improving instructional practices. The instructional coaching model is direct, straightforward, and positive. Active participation and practical application are part of this session. This session is for school leaders who are ready to move beyond 30 Second Feedback and Craft Conversations. Monday 9:45 - 11:00 Leveraging Federal Funds to Start Afterschool Programs Research shows that comprehensive afterschool programs raise grades, raise MAP scores, improve classroom behavior and homework completion, and increase school day attendance. Afterschool programs are increasingly recognized as essential components of districts' educational packages. Learn how the North Central Missouri Afterschool Cooperative has leveraged federal grant money to establish afterschool programs in five school districts. Additionally, learn how you can accelerate learning by using federal funds to start a comprehensive afterschool program in your district. Leveraging MTSS & PLC for Collective Efficacy and Increased Student Outcomes Robinson Elementary is a Title 1 building in the Kirkwood School District. Since the pandemic, we have been tightening our MTSS process and have reinvigorated our PLC work. Our walkthrough data showed that we were implementing our universal (tier 1) and intensive (tier 3) instruction with fidelity over 90% of the time. We began implementing universal small group instruction as a tier 1 expectation. Staff received PLC PD, coaching, and learning walks focused on small group universal instruction. We also tightened up our supplemental (tier 2) small group instruction through data collection and analysis in PLCs and progress monitoring data team meetings. Our teachers shared students across the grade level based on specific skill gaps to ensure every student got the just right instruction. This built our collective efficacy as students became “our” students not “my” students. Over the last three years, we have seen significant student achievement growth to surpass our pre-pandemic levels. Come learn more about our processes with Google agenda templates, Google Forms, Google Sheets, flow charts, fun videos, and tools that you can take back to your building. Micro-Credentials and Mini-Courses on Ed Leaders Network MAESP has partnered with Ed Leaders Network (ELN) to provide members with online learning experiences to support them throughout their educational career. In this session, you will learn about the unique Micro-Credential program that can be used as an alternative pathway to your career certificate as an educational leader. We will also take a deep dive into the ELN learning management system to explore the on-demand courses available to you as part of your membership with MAESP. So You Want to Start a Gifted Program... Beginning next year, all school districts in Missouri will be required to have a gifted program. Starting one from scratch can be intimidating, but the gifted world is here to help! Join us as we help you learn how to start a program from the ground up, including how to identify gifted students, how to find and train gifted resource teachers, scheduling solutions, curriculum building, and support networks. The More You Know, The More You Grow "The more you know, the more you grow and in case no one has told you YET today, I love you" is how I end our morning assembly every day. It's just one of the tips I've learned along the way that helps me make connections and foster a caring culture at JBE. Join us as we talk about a variety of tips and tools that have worked well at Jonesburg Elementary from organization to communication to SEL strategies to culture. We will share, you can share, and we will all learn and grow together. Help, I'm Drowning! Practical Ideas to Support Student Behaviors As leaders, do you feel your day is being consumed with behaviors and providing support to those who are most impacted by trauma? If so, this is the session for you. Together, we will share our journey on how we have created a tiered system of support that allows for regular teacher feedback, immediate support in the classroom, tiered collaboration, collective problem-solving, and a positive, inclusive school environment. You will walk away with: From Burnout to Bright-Eyed: Rejuvenating and Reinventing the Principalship The COVID-19 pandemic and other recent challenges have had a devastating impact on elementary schools, leading to widespread teacher and staff burnout. This has had a trickle-down effect on principals, who are now facing more stress and pressure than ever before. In this session, we will explore the current state of elementary schools and its impact on school leadership. We will also discuss how to refocus our efforts on the mission of education and how to lead effectively despite the ever-growing challenges we face. This session will provide participants with the knowledge and tools they need to prevent and manage burnout, as well as to lead their schools effectively despite the ever-growing challenges they face. Assess This, Not That: Bringing Clarity to Assessment Development The Missouri Priority Standards will account for 80-90% of the MAP and EOC assessments this spring. Calibrating teachers to the proficiency of these standards to ensure high-quality instruction is critical. To do this, educators must have clarity of the standards and high-quality assessments. Ideally, formative and summative assessments should reflect the rigor and question types that students will see on the state assessment. In this session, principal, Melanie Rucker and consultant Shauna Stephanchick will demonstrate an innovative and streamlined approach to aligning assessments to the state’s priority standards. Participants will leave with clarity and the confidence to revise current assessments or create new assessments that are aligned to the standards. This session will provide a clear roadmap to creating high-quality assessments that ensure students and staff are prepared; resulting in clarity, confidence, and improved instruction. Proactive Strategies to Support Dysregulated Students Do you have learners who struggle with self-regulation? Do you spend more time managing the behaviors of dysregulated students than teaching? Administrators and educators, if you are ready to get on the proactive side of behavior and promote self-regulation in your students, this session is for you. Come see how implementing a multi-tiered support system utilizing the core components of neuroscience, trauma-informed practices, and self-regulation programs such as “Zones of Regulation” and “Move, Work, Breathe,” one school has significantly recaptured instructional time, increased test scores, and had an 80% decrease in ISS/ discipline referrals. At the end of the presentation, participants will know how to design a space in their classroom or school building with a structured process to provide breaks, teach self-regulation and self-awareness, and allow students access to tools and techniques to calm and control their bodies. How Collaborative Spirit Can Transform Your School Community As a former alternative high school teacher, K-12 principal, and community liaison, Leigh has transformed schools and communities across the state of Missouri. Over the last decade, Ms. Leigh has developed ideas and programs that are aimed at putting not only her students' well-being first, but the well-being of her student’s families and the community at large. Ms. Leigh has kickstarted Grab and Go programs, Career Expos, a Family Resource Hub, and most recently a LUNCH P.A.L.S. program. Attendees will get REAL LIFE and proven strategies and events to improve relationships with all stakeholders, not only engaging the school community but EMPOWERING ALL involved. This is a HIGH energy and fast and fast-and-furious approach as it takes a village to raise a child. Don’t talk about it, BE about IT! Difficult Conversations: A Leader's Toolkit for High-Stakes Conversations Are you dreading difficult conversations? Not sure how to tackle tough challenges? Join us to learn how to prepare for difficult conversations, and the steps to take to address the issue and maintain the relationship! Participants will walk away with a toolkit of strategies to help them polish their active listening skills, brainstorm solutions, review legal steps, and avoid the emotional drain following the conversation when working with individuals, groups, and community stakeholders. Monday 2:45 - 4:00 Share a Problem of Practice and Share Possible Solutions, Next Steps, and Resources In this session, participants will bring a problem of practice to talk through with one another. We will share ideas, resources, and possible next steps. This is not a sit-and-get session. We are all going through challenges and we are better together. Chances are a colleague has worked through the same challenge you are facing and can share how they responded or reflections of what they would have done differently. We will share resources that we've used to work through our problems of practice to support some possible next steps. Even if it's a challenge nobody in the room has gone through we can talk through ideas and possible next steps. Partners in Education: Solutions to Issues Impacting Educators Horace Mann is a long-time MAESP corporate supporter and your Partner in Education. We’ve been serving the educational community for over 75 years and understand the financial issues impacting educators and their families. Attend this session and learn how you can benefit from our financial wellness resources.
Finance Info for Aspiring Superintendents Learn the key finance data points you need to know as you seek to elevate your leadership career. Whether that is simply understanding what is driving decision-making in your current district or a desire to prepare for consideration of superintendency in other districts, this session will get you the key information you need. We will focus on key local, state, and federal finance topics as well as key indicators of the financial health of a district. A retired Chief Financial Officer and a retired Superintendent will help you walk the basics of school finance so you can run away with that next great role. Small School Culture At Any Size If you ask the students (and teachers) at Gerald Elementary what their favorite part of each week is, most of them will say, “Family Groups!” As schools reach the advanced tiers of PBIS, they are looking for ways to bring the school and community together. GES has created multi-age groups of students to help build positive relationships with students, their families, and the community. In this session, you will see what family groups look like at this Preschool-5th grade elementary building, how groups were formed, how it has affected relationships throughout the building and community, and brainstorm what this could look like for your school. We will also explore other ways in which our small school creates big culture through our morning assembly, morning meetings, and staff and student recognitions that can be used by any school of any size. Embracing the Peaks and Valleys of Being a Principal Develop a positive mindset that will help you handle the highest of highs and lowest of lows in your daily life of being a principal. Using 28 years of experience in education, in a variety of roles, one thing I have found to be 100% true… We have a chance to make a difference every single day. Making sure we have the correct mindset so we don’t let those differences slip by is the key! You will get a wide variety of ideas that you can take to model yourself and implement with your staff. Talk Data to Me Unleash Your School's Potential: Elevate Achievement with Data-Driven Leadership! Join us for a dynamic professional development session tailored for elementary school principals. Learn how to harness the power of data analysis and systems management to revolutionize your school's performance and drive unprecedented success. Get ready to embark on an exhilarating journey towards data-driven excellence! How to Restructure Your Team to Support Student Behavior and Meet Their Social-Emotional Needs Do you have a high number of at-risk students? Do you have students who are chronically disrupting the learning environment? Are your teachers at their wit's end and don’t know what to do? If you answered yes to any of these questions then come and let us share our journey with you. By adding a Behavioral Interventionist we have decreased the number of suspensions and increased the level of support for this student population. Teachers are smiling, students are smiling, and the principal is smiling. The transformation has been amazing! Let us share our story with you. Walking the Leadership Tightrope - Principals and Work-Life Balance Being a school leader can often feel akin to being a tightrope walker. Each day, we work to find a healthy balance between our work and non-work lives so that we can be our best at work and at home. Especially in the years following the pandemic, school leaders (along with numerous other professionals) have begun to re-examine the relationship between the demands of their profession and their personal lives. In this session, participants will explore the nature of work-life balance for principals, the importance of managing the interaction of work and non-work, and how they can systematically and individually pursue a more healthy work-life balance as school leaders. Boom Session 2.0 This BOOM 2.0! session is modeled after the NAESP boom sessions that have been offered at the NAESP National Conference in the last few years! Thanks to the nationally known principals who have agreed to let us borrow their presentation idea! In this upbeat presentation, you will hear from experienced Missouri principals to inspire, engage, and ignite your daily work. Each principal will present an idea that is currently working within their school and how you could take it back to your school community immediately. Reflections from the Outdoor Leadership Experience Are you an OLE alumni? Have you heard of OLE and want to learn more? Join us for a look back at the Outdoor Leadership Experience (OLE) over the years and the impact it has had on former participants as leaders. Participants will revisit past experiences at OLE and how these experiences have impacted them as leaders. Participants will have a roundtable discussion of tools they have taken back and put into practice at their schools. We will review Tom Leahy’s toolbox, as well as some of the foundational tenets that make OLE a unique experience. Be prepared to move, as we will share an initiative or two as well! |