Whether it’s developing mentor programs or going all-in on work-based learning experiences, this forum will highlight strategies schools and educators from across the country are using to keep K-12 students engaged, motivated, and on track academically.
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Agenda
2:00pm ET
Welcome and Introduction
We’ll review key takeaways from recent reporting on student engagement & motivation.
Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
2:10pm ET
Interactive Session: How Engaged Are Your Students?
We’ll hear from the audience. How engaged and motivated are the students in their classrooms? What does and does not work to motivate students? This session will get everyone thinking about how schools can do a better job motivating students before digging deeper into these questions in the next sessions.
Lauraine Langreo is an Education Week staff writer, covering education technology and learning environments.
2:20pm ET
Industry Perspective: Checking In Before They Check Out: A Strategy to Boost Engagement
Content provided by Panorama
We check in with our students so they don't check out. When educators have access to meaningful insights into how students are feeling, students become more engaged in school and their learning. And when students are engaged, their attendance and academic performance improves.
Led by 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, Takeru “TK” Nagayoshi, this session shares check-in strategies and tips, and evidence behind their impact on student engagement.
We check in with our students so they don't check out. When educators have access to meaningful insights into how students are feeling, students become more engaged in school and their learning. And when students are engaged, their attendance and academic performance improves.
Led by 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, Takeru “TK” Nagayoshi, this session shares check-in strategies and tips, and evidence behind their impact on student engagement.
Takeru “TK” Nagayoshi is the 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, Professional Learning Director for Community Events at Panorama Education, and a former high school AP English and research teacher in New Bedford, Mass.
2:30pm ET
Panel Discussion: The Secret Sauce for Student Engagement at All Grade Levels
Experts and educators will discuss strategies to engage and motivate all students, from the earliest learners to those about to graduate from high school. The discussion will explore the characteristics of teachers who know how to motivate students to be their best selves, the kinds of school-and district-based programs that enhance motivation and engagement, and the barriers that educators run up against when trying to get students more engaged in their learning. The panel will also feature some of the latest research about student motivation.
Madeline Will is an assistant managing editor for Education Week, leading coverage of school leadership and general education trends.
Kim King
Elementary Art Teacher,
Mansfield Public Schools
Kim King is a choice-based elementary art teacher in Mansfield, Conn., and the 2022 Connecticut Teacher of the Year. Over her 13-year career, she has taught students in grades pre-K to 12th. Regardless of grade level, she carries with her themes of equity, empowerment, and creativity. As a transracial intercountry adoptee and parent to an adopted daughter and a biracial transgender son, King has a profound understanding of intersectionality. She believes what our students see and what they are exposed to matters. King is working with Make Us Visible Connecticut to contribute her expertise to the state’s Asian American and Pacific Islander history curriculum. King received her Master of Art Education from New York University and Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University.
Kimberly Radostits
Spanish Teacher,
Oregon Junior/Senior High School
Kimberly Radostits, a National Board-certified teacher, is a Spanish teacher for 8th-12th grades and a teacher mentor at Oregon Community Unit District 220 in Oregon, Illinois. Her goal is to provide all students with a sense of community in a space where they feel safe and confident that they can excel. In addition to teaching Spanish, Radostits leads a freshman mentoring program known as Hawks Take Flight, with the goal of keeping students on track for graduation in four years. Radostits is the 2023 Illinois Teacher of the Year and one of the finalists for National Teacher of the Year.
Torie Weiston-Serdan
Clinical Assistant Professor,
Claremont Graduate University
Torie Weiston-Serdan is a scholar and practitioner with over 17 years of teaching and youth programming experience. An award-winning leader in the youth mentoring field, she wrote Critical Mentoring: A Practical Guide, which has become the handbook for equity-focused youth work. Weiston-Serdan also serves as Chief Visionary Officer of the Youth Mentoring Action Network, a non-profit dedicated to building youth power globally through mentoring, education, and wellness. She also founded the Center for Critical Mentoring and Youth Work which works extensively with other community-based organizations in support of their youth advocacy efforts, specializing in training mentors to work with diverse youth populations: i.e. Black, Latinx, LGBTQ, etc.
3:15pm ET
Industry Perspective: Increase Student Involvement
Content provided by Promethean
Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Discover how to get students involved and interacting with their learning. During this session, we will explore how visual models, differentiation, and gamifications strategies can be used to meet the needs of students and increase class participation.
Benjamin Franklin said, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Discover how to get students involved and interacting with their learning. During this session, we will explore how visual models, differentiation, and gamifications strategies can be used to meet the needs of students and increase class participation.
Amy Tice
Education Consultant,
Promethean
Amy Tice has more than a decade of experience in education and is currently an Education Consultant for Promethean serving schools in North Carolina. She has master’s degrees in foundational reading education and curriculum development.
3:25pm ET
Panel Discussion: Want to Motivate Students? Give Them a Taste of the Real World.
Work-based learning experiences can be a powerful hook for students who are wondering how what they are learning in class is relevant to the outside world and their professional futures. In fact, more than 80 percent of teenagers surveyed by the EdWeek Research Center say they feel more motivated in class when they can see a direct connection between what they are learning and the skills they would use in a job or career. We’ll hear from school district leaders about how to structure programs that are tailored to students’ interests even in the face of major hurdles.
Alyson Klein is an assistant editor for Education Week.
Beth Benson
Workforce Development Coordinator,
New Albany & Union County School Districts
Beth Benson, Workforce Development Coordinator for New Albany & Union County School Districts - Beth joined New Albany School District in August 2022. Beth was a Career Coach for the CREATE Foundation during the 2021-2022 school year and has worked at the community college and university levels. Workforce development is her passion. Beth is tasked with making sure that the New Albany and Union County School Districts have a systematic approach to workforce development PreK-12th grade; working with all career coaches to implement career awareness and workforce development; serving as a liaison between business/industry and the school districts; and being an available resource for our schools. She is also overseeing the IMPACTO Internship program for both the New Albany and Union County School Districts.
Jon Cerny
Superintendent,
Bancroft-Rosalie Community Schools, NE
In 30 years of leadership as a rural school Superintendent in Nebraska, Dr. Jon Cerny has introduced strong school improvement programs. In 2015, Dr. Cerny received the U.S. Department of Education Terrel Bell Award for outstanding school leadership. Bancroft-Rosalie Elementary School has been recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, and Bancroft-Rosalie High School is recognized by Newsweek as one of America’s top high schools. Dr. Cerny serves as President of the Association for Career and Technical Education of Nebraska.
3:55pm ET
Industry Perspective: How Manipulatives Can Take Student Engagement from Passive to Active
Content provided by hand2mind
Research shows when children use manipulatives in the classroom, they thrive. Hands-on learning actively engages students, and manipulatives provide a way to learn math and literacy concepts with a developmentally appropriate, experiential approach. Discover how you can use free lessons and video instruction to build your confidence in using manipulatives to their full potential.
Research shows when children use manipulatives in the classroom, they thrive. Hands-on learning actively engages students, and manipulatives provide a way to learn math and literacy concepts with a developmentally appropriate, experiential approach. Discover how you can use free lessons and video instruction to build your confidence in using manipulatives to their full potential.
Brittany Goerig
Senior Editorial Manager,
hand2mind
Brittany Goerig has over 25 years of experience in the education field. She is passionate about helping children and teachers and is the lead author and co-creator of Daily Math Fluency, a supplemental curriculum program that helps students build math fluency. Prior to her current position as a Senior Editorial Manager at hand2mind, Brittany spent time as a math and science coordinator.
4:05pm ET
Interactive Session: Give Us Your Best Ideas!
We’ll poll the audience to learn what works best to improve student motivation and engagement and discover which new strategies could energize students to build knowledge, skills, and hope for the future.
Lauraine Langreo is an Education Week staff writer, covering education technology and learning environments.
4:15pm ET
Industry Perspective: In the Post-Pandemic Classroom: Strengthening Culture and Supporting Consistency
Content provided by Boys Town
Engaging students in a post-pandemic classroom is a challenge many educators are struggling to overcome. With social anxiety, depression and suicide ideation at an all-time high, connecting with and engaging students in the classroom is more vital than ever. Discover practical, sustainable strategies to develop connections, improve social emotional confidence and build a hopeful school-wide environment that will set students up for lifelong success.
Engaging students in a post-pandemic classroom is a challenge many educators are struggling to overcome. With social anxiety, depression and suicide ideation at an all-time high, connecting with and engaging students in the classroom is more vital than ever. Discover practical, sustainable strategies to develop connections, improve social emotional confidence and build a hopeful school-wide environment that will set students up for lifelong success.
Stephanie Jensen
Community Contacts Manager,
Boys Town National Training
Steph has been in various positions including middle school teacher, district reading specialist, and school consultant, speaker and author. She joined Boys Town in 2003 and has been overseeing the implementation of external training opportunities nationally and internationally. Steph uses her education knowledge and experience to help schools create healthy learning environments that prioritize the social and emotional needs of students and professional development for educators.
4:25pm ET
Closing Thoughts
Hear the big takeaways from the Forum.
Arianna Prothero covers technology, student well-being, and the intersection of the two for Education Week.
