Webinars

The Nation’s Dropout Crisis: The Educators’ Perspectives

Content provided by AT&T and the AT&T Foundation, in association with Civic Enterprises, America’s Promise Alliance, and Peter D. Hart Research Associates.

“On the Front Lines of Schools” is the latest chapter in a series of seminal reports that represent the critical voices in the dropout debate: students, parents, and now, teachers. The report identifies “expectation gaps” and the need for more support at home as major factors in the rising tide of high school dropouts. The study gives voice to hundreds of educators, including teachers, principals, superintendents, and school board members. This webinar will allow even more educators and education experts to weigh in on the debate with their unique perspectives.

Guests:
John Bridgeland, president and CEO, Civic Enterprises

Geoff Garin, president of Peter D. Hart Research

Content provided by AT&T and the AT&T Foundation, in association with Civic Enterprises, America’s Promise Alliance, and Peter D. Hart Research Associates.

Associates

Moderator:
The webinar will be moderated by Laura Sanford, president of the AT&T Foundation.

Diplomas Count 2009: Broader Horizons

This Webinar was streamed live on Thursday, June 11 @ 3 p.m.
Click here to view the on-demand event now.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format.

At a time when only seven in 10 American students are leaving high school with a diploma, President Barack Obama is demanding that the nation lift its educational sights by asking all Americans to commit to at least one year of education after high school. The 2009 edition of Education Week’s Diplomas Count report, produced with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, investigates the issue of college readiness, exploring national policy debates as well as state and local initiatives to prepare all students for postsecondary education. The report also includes the EPE Research Center’s latest graduation-rate analysis, which identifies several dozen big-city school systems that are exceeding expectations.

Join us for a discussion about the college-readiness agenda, the state of American high schools, and the future of the movement to improve them.

Guests:
Christopher B. Swanson, director of the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center

Sterling C. Lloyd, senior research associate for the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center

Moderator:
Catherine Gewertz, assistant editor of Education Week and senior writer for Diplomas Count 2009

Education Stimulus: A Progress Report

Click here to view the on-demand event now.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format.

Schools are starting to get their first checks from the initial round of federal stimulus funding. What tripwires have they faced so far in securing and sustainably spending the money as the U.S. Department of Education suggests? How have school districts responded to the surge of funding for Title I, professional development, and IDEA? As educators prepare for the next wave of funding, what lessons can they draw from the past three months?

Join our guests, two Education Week reporters who have been covering the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act since its inception, as they look at the law’s promise for education and the progress made to date.

Presenters:
Alyson Klein, Education Week Staff Writer and Politics K-12 Blogger

Michele McNeil, Education Week Assistant Editor and Politics K-12 Blogger

Sponsored by:

Creating and Managing Powerful Professional Learning Teams

Click here to view the on-demand event now.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format.

Professional learning teams are small groups of educators working together at a school to improve instruction and learning. They are quickly gaining prominence as a model for teacher professional development. At their best, they offer educators onsite, research-based, embedded training with the shared objective of advancing student learning.

In this webinar, Anne Jolly and Nancy Fichtman Dana explain how to create the framework and establish ground rules for building successful professional learning teams. Together, they answer questions on how you can form powerful and productive professional learning teams at your school.

Presenters:
Anne Jolly, educational consultant and President of PLTWorks, LLC, former Alabama Teacher of the Year, and member of the Alabama Governor’s Commission on Quality Teaching.

Nancy Fichtman Dana, Professor of Education and Director for School Improvement at the University of Florida.

Stimulating Ed-Tech Investments: How to Maximize Stimulus Dollars

Click here to view the on-demand event now.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains several pots of money slated for educational technology. Those funding sources could be used to help K-12 schools to use new digital tools to improve teaching and learning.

This free, live webinar will help school leaders answer such vital questions as:

Presenters:
Don Knezek, chief executive officer, International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

Keith R. Krueger, chief executive officer, Consortium for School Networking (CoSN)

Mary Ann Wolf, Executive Director, State Educational Technology Directors Association (SEDTA)

Sponsored by:

Technology Counts 2009

Breaking Away From Tradition: E-Education Expands Opportunities for Raising Achievement

Click here to view the on-demand event now.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.

Technology Counts 2009 examines how online learning is disrupting traditional ways of delivering education and what this means for educators as they rethink the best ways to improve their schools and raise achievement. A 2007 report from the U.S. Department of Education, for instance, found that 25 percent of high school students attend schools that make no Advanced Placement courses available to them. E-learning advocates suggest that online courses can help fill that void.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn more about Technology Counts 2009, and how e-education is expanding opportunities for raising achievement in schools.

Click here to view the on-demand event now.

Presenters:
Susan Patrick, president and CEO, International Association for K-12 Online Learning.

William R. Thomas, director of educational technology, Southern Regional Education Board.

Sponsored by:

Creating Effective Teacher Professional Development in Tough Economic Times

Click here to view the on-demand event now.
Click here to download the PowerPoint presentation.

Teaching experts don't necessarily see the current financial crunch in schools as all bad when it comes to teacher professional development. Many believe it could bring focus and innovative thinking to practices that are too often fragmented and hidebound by convention. This webinar looks at how schools and districts can rethink staff development programs in order both to control costs and improve effectiveness.

Presenters:
Stephanie Hirsh, executive director of the National Staff Development Council.

Regis A. Shields, director of Education Resource Strategies.

Sponsored by:

Economic Stimulus & Powering Through the Recession

What will President Obama's stimulus package mean for K-12 budgets? How can you make best use of federal dollars to protect instruction and extend achievement amid cutbacks at the state and local levels?

Click here to view the on-demand event now.

Presenters:
Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools.

Deborah Rigsby, director of federal legislation for the National School Boards Association.

Joseph Conaty, U.S. Department of Education.

Join our expert panel of practitioners and policy analysts for this free webinar on what’s coming down the pike and how to power your way through the recession.

View the free on-demand event now.

Sponsored by:

---

Webinar: Making Algebra Easier

Click here to view the on-demand event now.

Why do so many students find algebra so difficult, and what can districts and private curriculum-developers do to help? Many students fail or are barely able to keep up in their first algebra course, typically taught in 8th or 9th grade. State and school district officials, are trying to solve this problem in several ways, such as by encouraging better teacher preparation, including an emphasis on algebra, and by revamping courses and curricula to help struggling students, such as through the creation of “algebra readiness” classes aimed at girding students for the challenges of that class.

Presenters:
Jon R. Star, an educational psychologist and professor of education at Harvard University.

Mary Jo Tavormina, an elementary mathematics manager at Chicago Public Schools.

Jesch Reyes, an algebra coordinator for Chicago public schools and former algebra teacher.

Sponsored by:

Webinar: Education Week's Digital Directions

Click here to view an archive of this event.

This webinar covered the challenges facing schools that are using computer-based assessments or considering the use of computerized testing. Experts discussed current uses of computerized testing, inexpensive solutions for K-12 schools, and the need for pilot programs. The session also examined the use of computer-adaptive testing and how it could be more widely used in schools. In addition, the experts discussed in general the benefits and drawbacks of computer-based assessments.

Presenters:
Diana Cano, a chief information officer for the Educational Testing Service.

Raymond Yeagley, the vice president of product and business development for the Northwest Evaluation Association.

Webinar: Quality Counts 2009: Portrait of a Population

Click here to view the on-demand event now.

According to Quality Counts 2009: Portrait of a Population, the nation and most states have failed to improve the opportunities for students to succeed throughout their lives. The report also details the urgent challenges posed by ELL students, and the often insufficient responses of federal and state policymakers.

Guests:
Christopher B. Swanson, Director, Editorial Projects in Education Research Center

Amy M. Hightower, deputy director, Editorial Projects in Education Research Center

Mary Ann Zehr, assistant editor, Education Week

Visit Quality Counts 2009 online now.

Quality Counts is produced with support from the Pew Center on the States.

Brought to you by the:

How School Districts Are Enhancing Safety and Communication with Severe Weather Alerting Technology

• Watch the archived Webcast now

Learn how school districts and others are enhancing student and staff safety and communication using the latest Severe Weather Alerting Technology.

• Watch the presentation again now