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PROFESSIONAL LEARNING CONFERENCE FOR EDUCATORS BY EDUCATORS
SPONSORED BY
EDxEDNYC SESSIONS 2019
Attendees at EDxEDNYC can choose to attend whatever sessions they want during the day.
LEADERSHIP-THEMED SESSIONS
BuildingLearning
AdminPanel
Dr. Denver J. Fowler
Leading for Equity, Equality, Social Justice, Inclusion, and Multiculturalism in Schools
SESSION OVERVIEW
In this session, terminology, strategies and techniques for leading for inclusiveness in schools will be shared. More specifically, the presenter will introduce and define several terms as it applies to leading for inclusiveness in schools. In addition, the presenter will share multiple techniques, strategies and resources with regards to leading for equity, equality, social justice, inclusion, and multiculturalism in schools.
HOST BIO
Dr. Denver J. Fowler currently serves as Chair of the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program and Professor of PK-12 Educational Leadership at Franklin University (FU). Prior to his appointment at FU, Dr. Fowler served as a Program Coordinator and Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies at California State University, Sacramento (CSUS), where he also served as an elected Senator on Faculty Senate. Prior to his appointment at CSUS, Dr. Fowler served as an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at The University of Mississippi, where he also served as the elected President of the Mississippi Association of Professors of Educational Leadership. Prior to his full-time experience in higher education, Dr. Fowler held adjunct appointments at The Ohio State University-Newark, The University of West Florida, and Bowling Green State University. In the higher education setting, he has successfully taught courses in a variety of formats (including face-to-face, online, & hybrid) within Ph.D., Ed.D., M.A., M.Ed., Ed.S., and B.S. programs, as well as superintendent, principal, and teacher licensure programs. Additionally, Dr. Fowler has helped numerous Doctoral and Master's students complete the dissertation and thesis/project process, having served on several dissertation/thesis/project committees. In addition to his experience in higher education, Dr. Fowler has over a decade of successful experience in the PreK-12 educational setting, where he served as a coach, teacher, athletic director, technology coordinator, and school administrator. During this tenure, he was named the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators and National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) State Assistant Principal of the Year in Ohio, and nominated for the NASSP National Assistant Principal of the Year in the United States. A strong supporter of education and policy reform, Dr. Fowler has spoken on Capitol Hill in order to advocate for educators and school leaders nationwide. He has written extensively on the topic of educational leadership, and has presented his research around the globe including presentations in China, Turkey, Puerto Rico, Africa, Italy, and Greece. He is an active member of several organizations including the American Educational Research Association (AERA), International Council of Professors of Educational Leadership (ICPEL), World Education Research Association (WERA), American Association of School Administrators (AASA), Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE), and Educational Leaders Without Borders (ELWB), to name a few. Dr. Fowler earned his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Administration at Ohio University, Master of Arts (M.A.) in Education at Mount Vernon Nazarene University, and Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Education at The Ohio State University. In addition to his degrees, Dr. Fowler is currently completing the Certificate of Advanced Educational Leadership at Harvard University, has completed a School Leadership Institute at Harvard University, and is a licensed Superintendent, Principal, and Teacher.
ON TWITTER
@DenverJFowler
Michael Stoll, Amanda Huza, Constance Bond, Alex Brunner
How Are We Using District-Charter Collaboration to Facilitate Racial Equity Learnings?
SESSION OVERVIEW
At the District-Charter Collaborative, we strive to facilitate collaboration between district and charter schools with the goals of improving instructional practices and student outcomes while building schools’ capacity to solve their own problems of practice and eliminate disparities along the lines of race. The key drivers of this work are school leaders, who we believe are can be true “leaders for racial equity” and can make the changes necessary in order to ensure equity and access for all students.However, one does not need to be in a place of positional authority to make a lasting impact on school improvement. In this session, you will hear from those school leaders, as well as the DCC Director, about their experiences, then have the opportunity to collaboratively work with them to consider:
- How to be a leader for racial equity in your own school community.
- How to influence your school community even if you do not possess positional authority.
- Concrete actions and next steps you can take to shift the mindsets and practices of your school to take into account the diverse needs of underserved students.
HOST BIO
Dr. Bond is currently Principal and Executive Director of St HOPE Leadership Academy, a charter school in central Harlem that serves 300 scholars in grades 6 through 8. Before joining St HOPE in 2012, Dr. Bond was Vice President of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation in Princeton, NJ where she launched and directed the Foundation’s multi-state Teaching Fellowship programs. Prior to this, she was Director of the New Teacher Residency Program for the Mercy College New York City Teaching Fellows, Director of the Teach for America Los Angeles office, and a middle school teacher in South Central Los Angeles. Dr. Bond has a BA in Political Science from Wellesley College and a PhD in Politics and Education from Columbia University.
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Alex Brunner is the new principal of the Brooklyn Brownstone School, a public elementary school in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. He began his teaching career at Brooklyn Brownstone School as their art teacher, later becoming their United Federation of Teachers Chapter Leader, a Teacher Leader, and Apprentice Principal through the Department of Education’s Leaders in Education Apprenticeship Program. Alex began his formal leadership career in the District 16 Superintendent’s office as their Teacher Development Evaluation Coach before returning to Brooklyn Brownstone School as principal. He is a self-proclaimed constructivist that believes in project-based learning and fostering the development of the 6 Cs; collaboration, communication, building content knowledge, critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence.
Amanda Huza is the Middle School Principal of Equality Charter School in the Co-Op City neighborhood of the Bronx. She began her teaching career in 2003 and has had the pleasure of working in private, public and charter school settings since. Amanda received her M.S. in School Building Leadership from Mercy College expanding upon her first graduate degree in Reading and Literacy. She became a member of the Equality Charter School family in 2010. In her fifth year as Middle School Principal, Amanda is proud to celebrate Equality's 10th Anniversary. She is inspired each day by the work her organization and teachers do to serve its diverse community of learners, including 25% students with disabilities and currently 10% English Language Learners. Amanda is a firm believer in the importance of collaboration between district and charter schools. Amanda's husband is also an educator working within District 79, and they have two children who attend PS 71 in the Bronx.
Mike Stoll is the Director of the District-Charter Collaborative (DCC), an initiative of the New York City Department of Education. Mike was a founding Facilitator for DCC, facilitating quads with Learning Focus Areas of Innovative Math Instruction and Restorative Practices. Mike has been proud to work alongside a fantastic team of people to craft an initiative that simultaneously bridges the District-Charter divide, promotes strong collaboration, and builds learning around racial equity . Prior to joining DCC, Mike was a teacher/coach/coordinator at three different schools in the South Bronx: the Highbridge Green School, The Laboratory School of Finance and Technology, and I.S. 162.
ON TWITTER
@NYCSchoolsDCP
@equalitycs
Jeannette Franklin,
Daniel Lindsay, Siobahn Scott
The Beauty of Chaos (If It's Organized)
SESSION OVERVIEW
Do you consider yourself to be an agent of change? The Beauty of Chaos will allow participants to explore the idea of chaos and the positive impact it can have on learning in the 21st century classroom. This conversation will force change and empower educators to make learning an equitable experience for all learners, where "chaos" takes center stage. During this session, participants will engage in an open dialog around their definitions of chaos, and ideas around allowing chaos in the classroom. They will explore the question "How can organized chaos positively impact the learning of students?" How can we use what some may consider to be a "chaotic" situation, and make it the norm for an instructional space. The idea of a learning space with flexible seating, all students speaking at once, and students making decisions about their learning may be a chaotic situation for some. However, digging deeper, and taking time to gain an understanding of the classroom dynamic, they will see that students are engaged, in charge of their learning space, and they are able to self- regulate (behaviors, conversations, etc.). We as stakeholders must be willing to make changes for the purpose of transforming our education system. We must disrupt and dismantle what we consider to be the "norm" and develop a system that provides equity and excellence for our children.
HOST BIO
Jeannette Franklin, Daniel Lindsay, and Siobahn Scott are all accomplished educators, each with over a decade of teaching experience.
Modelling Inquiry Through the
Post-Observation Discussion
SESSION OVERVIEW
This interactive session will explore how to use inquiry as an entry point into professional discussions anchored in the Danielson's "Framework", as a means to develop a collective culture for learning. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect upon their current practice, role play, and discuss, in small and large group, how to make the observation process a learning experience.
HOST BIO
Caterina joined the New York City Department of Education in 2001 after a successful career in private industry. She has held several positions in education including English teacher, Chairperson of ELA grades 7-12, and high school principal in NYC and Long Island Schools. Caterina is currently an assistant principal at Hudson High School of Learning Technologies.
Caterina Lafergola
Walter Brown + Dr. Kate Spence + Roberto Cabrera
Adjusting School Systems by Walking the Talk: Leadership and Reflective Dialogue with All Stakeholders
SESSION OVERVIEW
In urban public schools committed to providing quality education to all students, school leaders and professional learning opportunities play a key role in advancing this goal. Principals, assistant principals, and school coaches support the development and implementation of social-justice oriented practices. This collaborative, interactive workshop will explore leadership and coaching practices that have contributed to the creation of a place where these practices could flourish. The need for urban schools that provide equitable, high-quality learning opportunities for all students, particularly those who have been historically underserved is unquestionable. However, creating or developing schools that are able to do so has proven to be a challenge, even in places with well-intentioned teachers or school leaders. At Hudson High School of Learning Technologies, a small, public, unscreened New York City high school, several social-justice oriented practices have been developed and implemented, including the Student Success Center (a restorative justice approach to replace the Dean’s Office), Right to Read (a literacy acceleration program for all) and advisory (a mixed-grade group of students and teacher functioning as a school “family”). In this interactive session, we will consider the question of the role of school leadership and professional learning in supporting the development of a place where these approaches could flourish. A school leader and coach will propose several components that may have been foundational in supporting the development and implementation of these and other social-justice oriented practices at the school, seeking input from participants about areas of resonance, dissonance, and successes and challenges in leadership or professional learning at other school sites.
HOST BIO
Walter, father of four boys, has been in public education for 22 years as a classroom teacher and currently serves as an Assistant Principal at Hudson High School of Learning Technologies as well as co-founder of the annual #EdxEdNYC Learning Conference. He has been invited to speak at the Tech Forum NY "Fostering Innovation at the School and District Level” 2015 ; BREC “How to Implement an Effective Team Approach to Teaching” 2009; Adelphi University “Urban Education Conference” 2007. He currently sits on the board of the nonprofit “InnovatingEd” and is commission of Levittown North Baseball @wbrownhhs
Kate has been a coach with ISA since 2006. She previously taught English at both the middle and high school levels. She has also served as a literacy coach and is an associate professor of education. Kate specializes in curriculum development, professional development, school change, urban education, teacher preparation and induction, literacy, and inquiry-based instruction. As a coach, she enjoys success in collaborating with teachers to develop and implement curricula that leads to students higher order thinking.
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ONLINE
@wbrownhhs
@k8ad0
Melissa Murphy,
Maria Lam + Hannah Brancato
Teacher Leadership: Shrinking the Opportunity Gap While Leading from Your Classroom
SESSION OVERVIEW
When you think about school leadership, who comes to mind? Is it principals or superintendents? Maybe it’s politicians and lobbyists. In 2019, we still struggle to view teachers as leaders. When faced with the recurring statistic that teachers are the number one in-school influence on student achievement, as well as the fact that teachers make up the majority of the educational workforce, it is astonishing that the public education system has not learned how to leveraged this resource effectively. This failing is due in large part to a carefully cultivated public narrative of “the incapable & incompetent teacher,” but we are arguing that the only way to shrink the student opportunity gap, is by developing a pedagogical center of leadership. By starting with a school’s teachers, we can collectively define a vision for student success, develop realistic action plans, build pedagogical and leadership capacity, increase professional agency, and ultimately shift the culture of an entire learning community.
HOST BIO
Melissa Murphy is a career public educator. After 10 years working in the classroom as a grade 5 teacher, Teacher Leader, and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) Chapter Leader, she was recruited by the Teacher Career Pathways team in the NYCDOE's Teacher Recruitment & Quality Department to serve teachers across the city as a leadership coach. Over the past 3 years she has partnered with Manhattan's District 2 superintendent's office, the Bronx 'Renewal School' initiative, and is currently partnering with the 'Advanced Placement for All' initiative and the Office of Equity and Access. Our vision is to increase teacher retention, capacity, and agency in the service of all students. Frequently a member of educational policy organizations, she has worked with the American Federation of Teacher's "Educational Policy & Teacher Leadership" research cohort, and Revive the Dream's Educational Policy cohort. Along with her interest in teacher leadership, she is a passionate CUNY and Columbia trained STEM educator, who is currently engaged as a technology trainer with Google and the NYCDOE's Division of Instructional and Information Technology. In her spare time, she enjoys studying Theodore Roosevelt scholarship, crafting needle-point, working with the women's advocacy group 'The Broadroom', and exploring with friends and family.
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Maria Lam is currently a Teacher Team Leader in the NYCDOE's Teacher Career Pathways program. She loves supporting teacher leaders across the city because she learns from their passion for teaching students and leading adult learners. Prior to joining the TTL team, she served as a High School English Teacher for 9 years in the Philadelphia and New York public school system. In the classroom, she thoroughly enjoyed supporting students develop their voice through performing original poetry at Nuyorican Cafe or advocating for school/community needs through their literary magazine submissions. During her summers, she enjoys teaching in other spaces: ESL abroad (China/Korea), 826NYC (student films), Youth Voices (student blogs and voicethreads). In her leisure time, she enjoys researching new school models (XQ Superschool Project), scoping out neighborhood eats with her friends and family, scanning artwork at galleries and museums, and volunteering for NYCares.
Hannah Brancato is a twelve-year public educator who has worked with English Language Learners on the elementary, high school, and college levels. She currently works as a teacher leadership coach with the Office of Teacher Career Pathways to support Model, Peer Collaborative, and Master Teachers in their instructional leadership. In this position, she has fostered collaboration with district and program level partners to support networks of teacher leaders across the city. She has co-founded and volunteered for a non-profit organization supporting teacher training in Myanmar. Outside of work, she enjoys long distance running, exploring new neighborhoods in the city, and chasing after her one year old son.
ONLINE
@mjmdoe
Laurie Faith
Oprah's Pissed: How Socio-Economic Status Impacts School Performance and What We Can Do About It
SESSION OVERVIEW
Recently, Oprah Winfrey found out about the relationship between growing up in stressful conditions and school performance. It turns out, disadvantaged students struggle a lot more to manage their emotions, executive functions, and performance at school. This session will present a teaching approach that empowers all students equitably. Buckle up. We're going to cover a lot, and you're going to be able to use every single thing you learn with your students. First, we'll get an up-close and personal understanding of the ways that a traumatic or abnormally stressful childhood can impact the brain. Then, we'll explore ways to teach students about their strengths and powers as learners. Finally, we'll practise using a 5-minute classroom conversation to unlock student voice, better understand student challenge, promote community, build compassion and respect, and empower a strategic and "dukes up" approach to learning and life. This simple approach is being devoured by hundreds of teachers in multiple school boards in Ontario, the UK, and the US who are committed to breaking down inequity. The world's got some tricky problems to solve, and the wealthy and privileged don't seem to be getting the job done. Time to bring a more diverse team to the table.
HOST BIO
Laurie Faith is the creator, lead teacher, trainer, and researcher of a teaching movement in Canada. She has been teaching in special and typical classrooms for 17 years and remains a teacher at heart. Currently, Laurie is a 3rd year doctoral student at OISE / University of Toronto, working in the Learning, Engagement, and Attention Lab.
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ONLINE
@LCFaith
Moving Forward by Stepping Back
SESSION OVERVIEW
Influencing others can not only be a daunting task, but sometimes feel impossible in certain cases. How can we have a voice at the table if those around us are not listening? We spend much of our work talking about the students, but at times, forget to consider how do we ensure the other colleagues (whether it be our boss(es), co-teacher(s), etc.) is as effective as we want it to be. In this session, we will examine the parts of our work that are keeping us from having the larger impact and influence we desire and consider some solutions to getting others to buy in more deeply to our goals and ideas.
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HOST BIO
Robert Andruskiewicz has proudly served as a New York City mathematics teacher for more than a decade. He has been a member of Math for America throughout his career, starting his career by being awarded a teaching fellowship and later recognized as a Master Teacher. Robert is a former UFT Chapter Leader, and currently focuses his efforts on creating and sustaining positive learning environments and developing curriculum that is accessible to students of all levels of ability.
Robert Andruskiewicz
LOCATION:
335
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