19th annual National CHARACTERplus Character Education Conference this June

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Character Education Conference, CHARACTERplus, Dave Kuschel, General Stephen Lorenz, Julia Cook, Kevin Kuschel, Michelle Borba

The 19th annual National CHARACTERplus Character Education Conference takes place June 17-19, 2013. Building a positive school climate and developing caring & productive citizens is the core to student academic achievement. Cooperating School Districts invites K-12 educators to attend the Character Education Conference in St. Charles, Missouri, and learn how character education will positively change their worlds. The expertise of the conference’s presenters will provide participants with one of the most thought provoking culture-changing experiences of they will have gained in their professional career. In addition to 50 breakout sessions, the Character Education Conference delivers four keynote addresses:

Julia Cook • A motivational speaker and former school counselor, Julia Cook is one of the nation’s foremost authors of guidance storybooks for children. Her books like Soda Pop Head teach readers to become life-long problem solvers. She energizes her audience with valuable tips of the trade. Audiences will laugh, cry, and leave with “stuff” that they can really use and apply to their lives.

General Stephen Lorenz • A true leader of American heroes, Stephen Lorenz is a retired Four Star General. He was Air Education and Training Commander of Randolph Air Force Base. His inspiring stories will motivate participants to take leadership skills to a new height. Learn secrets of great leadership to empower staff and students from a man who led the recruitment, training and education of more than 340,000 Air Force personnel annually.

Kevin and Dave Kuschel • Life looks different when you’re confined to a seated position. For St. Louis teacher Kevin Kuschel, overcoming his disability has enabled him to meet the challenge of helping his high school students overcome their obstacles and achieve great things. Using anecdotes—both humorous and emotional, Kevin and his younger brother Dave will motivate and inspire the audience to rise above the circumstances in their own lives.

Dr. Michelle Borba • Michele is an internationally recognized author, speaker, and educator on character education, parenting, and bullying prevention. She has worked with hundreds of schools to help strengthen children’s character and resilience, reduce peer cruelty and create compassionate, just learning cultures. Learn about her 6 R’s of Effective Bullying Prevention and other strategies to enhance school community and academic achievement.

Registration for the 19th annual National CHARACTERplus Character Education Conference is now open. To learn more about the conference, visit this link. CHARACTERplus is a program of CSD.

Missouri Pathways to Prosperity Network

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Cooperating School Districts, DESE, St. Louis Public Schools, Chris Nicastro, Pathways to Prosperity Network, Jobs for the Future, BJC HealthCare, Harvard Graduate School of Education, College and Career Readiness, St. Louis Magazine

Cooperating School Districts has rescheduled the Pathways to Prosperity meeting for Friday, April 5, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at 1460 Craig Road. Dr. Bob Schwartz of the Harvard Graduate School of Education will discuss Missouri’s participation in the national Pathways to Prosperity Network, a joint initiative of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based workforce development intermediary. Deans from college and university schools of education from across the metropolitan area have been invited to attend.

The Network was created to help states build a system of career pathways that enable all young people to successfully transition from high school though a postsecondary credential of high skills and family-supporting careers. The states selected to participate in the Network include: Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, and North Carolina, with California and Georgia in the process of joining. In Missouri, the focus of this effort will be in the St. Louis region with the idea of expanding strategies statewide.

Each participating state will build career pathways aligned with high-growth sectors of the regional economy that combine rigorous academics with powerful technical education.  Initial industry areas of focus for Missouri include those with high workforce demand in St. Louis and statewide: healthcare, biotech/plant science/ agriculture and finance/information technology.

In Missouri, the Pathways work is being led by Commissioner Chris Nicastro and Sharon Hoge, Assistant Commissioner of College and Career Readiness.  The Steering Committee is co-chaired by Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, and June Fowler, Vice President of Corporate and Public Communication for BJC HealthCare. The Project Management team is Stephanie Riven, retired COCA CEO, and Laura Winter, past editor of St. Louis Magazine. Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis is serving as the regional intermediary and fiscal agent.

To attend this informational meeting in St. Louis, please RSVP to Karen Sisco at ksisco@csd.org by Friday, March 29. Learn more about the Pathways to Prosperity framework by clicking here.

K-12 Blended Learning Forum taking place April 8 at CSD

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Blackboard, Cooperating School Districts, k12itc, Learning Management System, mobile learning, online learning

Blackboard Lunch & Learn | Monday, April 8, 2013 | 11:30 a.m.–1 p.m. | 1460 Craig Road, St. Louis, Missouri

With more than 20 million global users and thousands of K-12 clients, Blackboard is an industry leading Learning Management System for education. Join the Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis and k12itc on April 8, 2013 for a Blackboard Lunch & Learn. k12itc delivers technology solutions and services exclusively to K-12 school districts. Learn more about k12itc’s exclusive Blackboard pricing for Missouri school districts and see a live demonstration of Blackboard Learn & Blackboard Mobile.

During the blended learning forum in April, participants will:

•  Investigate how virtual learning models can improve student achievement
•  See how districts are utilizing Blackboard Learn & Blackboard Mobile to increase  district communication and cost efficiencies
•  See the industry leading Learning Management System firsthand
•  Enjoy lunch and network with colleagues from across the state
•  See how content providers such as NBC Learn can be used within Blackboard to increase instructional effectiveness

Registration is complimentary and lunch will be provided. Please RVSP by April 3, 2013 to Amy.Geha@k12itc.com. Click here to preview Blackboard Learn.

CSD is excited to continue to provide learning opportunities for K-12 educators.

Annual Legislative Committee Meeting

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Cooperating School Districts

The Legislative Committee of Cooperating School Districts is sponsoring its annual breakfast meeting for area legislators, school board members and superintendents. This breakfast is 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, March 9, 2013, at the Marriott St. Louis West, 660 Maryville Centre Drive.

This year’s program will feature small group discussions that will provide an opportunity for districts to network with their legislative representatives and to share insights and views on key education legislation. CSD hopes that every district will attend this major event. Tables will be grouped by legislators and the districts they represent. After the discussion period, a spokesperson from each table will report out and we will get reactions from a panel of legislators. Districts are encouraged to submit questions that they would like to have discussed in advance of the breakfast.

In order to make final arrangements for the breakfast, we must know the number of people who will attend the meeting so please register no later than March 5. Due to generous sponsorship by Stifel, Nicolaus and Tueth, Keeney, Cooper, Mohan, & Jackstadt, there is no cost for the breakfast. (The breakfast expense for legislators will be covered by the Legislative Committee). Board members and school administrators should register through their district’s Superintendent’s Office. For additional information or assistance, contact CSD’s Karen Sisco at ksisco@csd.org or 314-692-1253.

Missouri Leads the 2013 National Schools of Character Finalists

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CEP, character education, Character Education Partnership, CHARACTERplus, Cooperating School Districts, Francis Howell School District, Jefferson City Public Schools, Mehlville School District, National Schools of Character, Rockwood School District, Wentzville School District

The Character Education Partnership named 28 public schools, 2 charter schools, and 5 school districts as National Finalists in the 2013 National Schools of Character (NSOC) program. The state of Missouri leads again, with 26% of the schools listed, and all are CHARACTERplus members.

• CHARACTERplus is a program of Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis and is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2013. For information on how to qualify to be a National School of Character, visit CHARACTERplus.org.

Schools that apply for NSOC recognition benefit from self-assessment as well as the expert feedback they receive at no cost. Once they reach a standard of excellence, a process that may take several years, they are recognized as Schools of Character and asked to help other schools transform their school cultures. Describing the program as a path to school improvement through high-quality character education, CEP has offered the NSOC program to K-12 schools and districts in the U.S. since 1998.

According to CEP, the 35 National Finalists were selected from an applicant pool of 131 schools and districts across the United States based on the quality of their written applications. In March & April, they will undergo an intensive screening process that will include site visits and analysis of the impact of their character-related efforts on academics, student behavior, and school culture.

The finalists include 21 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 3 high schools, 4 mixed-grade schools, and 5 districts that include a high school district and a national charter school district. Finalists represent 16 states, with Missouri having the highest number at 9. Over half of the finalists have student populations where one-quarter or more qualify for free or reduced lunch.

The 2013 National Schools of Character will be announced in early May. CEP will honor these schools & districts at the 20th National Forum on Character Education, to be held October 24-27, 2013 in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to the 2013 NCOS finalists from Missouri:

Francis Howell School District
Independence Elementary School, St. Charles, MO

Jefferson City Public Schools
Jefferson City Academic Center, Jefferson City, MO

Mehlville School District
Beasley Elementary School, St. Louis, MO
Bierbaum Elementary School, St. Louis, MO
Hagemann Elementary School, St. Louis, MO
Mehlville High School, St. Louis, MO

Rockwood School District
Chesterfield Elementary School, Chesterfield, MO
LaSalle Springs Middle School, Wildwood, MO

Wentzville School District
Discovery Ridge Elementary School, O’Fallon, MO

Visit www.character.org to learn more about the NSOC program and see all the 2013 National Finalists.

30th Annual Midwest Education Technology Conference Celebrates Students & Staff

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Cooperating School Districts, Midwest Education Technology Conference, Show-Me a Movie Contest

30th Anniversary Midwest Education Technology Conference

Cooperating School Districts celebrated three decades of the Midwest Education Technology Conference in February. Over 1,900 educators- a record number- attended METC from across the country. This year also marked increase attendance and participation of K-12 students; students from the school districts of Brentwood, Ladue, Maplewood-Richmond Heights, SSD, and Wentzville as well as a student from John Burroughs contributed to the conference is several capacities, including program and T-shirt design; reporting on conference events through the e-news bureau; and acting as tech support on breakout sessions. The Show-Me a Movie Contest held its winners’ reception at METC on the evening of February 12.

the Midwest Education Technology Conference’s theme was Motivate, Engage, Transform, Connect.

METC also streamed several Keynote, Featured Speaker, and Midwest Spotlight Educator presentations live during the conference, and those sessions are still available for free viewing on the METC website, courtesy of Conference Technologies, Inc. and SqoolTechs, LLC.

To see more images of METC 2013, visit our Flickr group, and follow our Twitter feed.

CSD offers Identifying & Troubleshooting Potential Roadblocks in Special Education Identification of English Language Learners

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civil rights, Cooperating School Districts, English Language Learner, Section 504, Special Education, Student discipline, student rights

Cooperating School Districts is offering a seminar on March 25 for superintendents, principals, counselors, Special Education administrators, Special Education teachers, and Federal Program Supervisors. Special Education Identification of ELL Students will be presented by Michelle Basi from 1-4 o’clock. She practices in the areas of school law, Special Education, school litigation, and labor and employment law. Michelle represents school districts throughout Missouri with respect to employment and termination matters, Special Education, Section 504, student discipline and student rights, civil rights, and church/state issues.

This program will address the unique issues surrounding
the Special Education identification of
English Language Learners.

This seminar will include a discussion of the legal requirements and practical implications of specific procedures, including child find, evaluation, statewide accountability testing, and the provision of services. We will discuss legal and practical tips for the involvement of non-English speaking parents in the IEP process, and will identify and troubleshoot potential roadblocks to the appropriate identification of and successful service to ELL students.

[Register now | $30 CSD Members | $40 Non-Members]

Decreasing Suspensions: Effective Practices Supporting Change in Student Behavior

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academic success, accountability, conflict resolution, Cooperating School Districts, responsibility, school safety, social success, student behavior, support

This one day workshop is for administrators working to decrease suspensions and for teachers or counselors who feel like they have tried every strategy in the book to help certain students succeed. (School teams of two or more are encouraged, but not required, to attend this professional development at CSD). Together, participants will learn practical, user-friendly strategies which equip educators with 10 practices to support change in student behavior; promote student accountability and responsibility; help plan for their success and remain accountable; and help educators proactively support students with social or emotional difficulties.

Presenter Drew Schwartz holds a B.A. from Emory University and an M.A. from the Interdisciplinary Center in Israel in government and conflict resolution. He currently works as a consultant for K-12 schools, helping educators develop proactive, practical tools which set the tone for their students’ social and academic success.

This workshop is Friday, February 22, 2013. Cost & registration information can be found online. For additional information regarding the content of this event contact: Drew Schwartz at dschwartz@csd.org.

Pathways to Prosperity Network

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21st century, Department of Elementary & Secondary Education, Harvard School of Education, Jobs for the Future, Pathways to Prosperity Network, Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education

[FEBRUARY 7 UPDATE: Due to inclement weather in the northeast preventing travel, this event has been canceled]

Cooperating School Districts will host Dr. Bob Schwartz of the Harvard Graduate School of Education as he discusses Missouri’s participation in the national Pathways to Prosperity Network on February 8 from 8:30 to 10:30 am. The Pathways to Prosperity Network is a joint initiative of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Jobs for the Future, a Boston-based workforce development intermediary. Also on hand next Friday will be Ursula Renold, a visiting fellow from Switzerland who served as the Director of the Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education. She will introduce participants to the Swiss model for career education.

Superintendents or their representatives
are encouraged to attend, as are Deans from the Schools of Education from metropolitan area
community colleges, colleges and universities.

The Network was created to help states build a system of career pathways that enable all young people to successfully transition from high school through a post-secondary credential of high skills and family-supporting careers.

Each participating state will build career pathways aligned with high-growth sectors of the regional economy that combine rigorous academics with powerful technical education. Initial industry areas of focus for Missouri include those with high workforce demand in St. Louis and statewide. They include healthcare, biotech/plant science/agriculture and finance/information technology.

The Pathways to Prosperity framework includes the following elements:

• Employers committed to providing learning opportunities at the workplace and supporting the transition of young people into the labor market.
• Career pathways with clear structures, timelines, costs, and requirements linking and integrating high school and community college curriculum and aligning both with labor market needs.
• An early and sustained career information and advising system strong enough to enable students and families to make informed choices about educational career paths.
• Local or regional intermediary organizations to provide the infrastructure and support for the development of such pathways.

In Missouri, the Pathways work is being led by Department of Elementary & Secondary Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro and Sharon Hoge Helwig, Assistant Commissioner of College and Career Readiness. The Steering Committee is co-chaired by Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of the St. Louis Public Schools, and June Fowler, Vice President of Corporate and Public Communication for BJC HealthCare. The Riven Company is serving as project manager. Cooperating School Districts of Greater St. Louis is serving as the regional intermediary and fiscal agent. RSVPs for this event should go to CSD.

More information about the Network and a link to Pathways to Prosperity:  Meeting the Challenge of Preparing Young Americans for the 21^st Century, the report that led to the formation of the Network, can be found here: http://www.jff.org/projects/current/education/pathways-prosperity-network/1438.

CSD Hosts an Educational Assessment Software Demonstration

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Cooperating School Districts, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, DESE, Foliotek, assessment system, evaluation

[RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 12, 2013]

Foliotek, Inc., based in Columbia, Missouri, will be presenting their educational assessment software at Cooperating School Districts on February 21 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. as a solution for the new Educator Evaluations being implemented by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Foliotek’s assessment system is designed to streamline the evaluation process for administrators and educators.  They have been working with DESE since the fall of 2011 to develop a system that will collect the necessary data in an easy to use way. The presentation will focus on how teachers will enter evidence and the completion of evaluations by administrators. Anyone interested in attending this free seminar should RSVP with Debbie Finocchiaro.