Conference Focus: Worldwide Competition
Global Ranking Concerns Educators
by Yuridia Peña
This year’s Celebration of Teaching and Learning hosted by Thirteen/- WLIW21 drew thousands of participants – mostly educators – to the two-day professional development conference. CSA has been a major sponsor since its inception six years ago.
“I find the trade show very interesting (because) I’m constantly involved in buying cutting–edge equipment for my
schools,” said Assistant Principal Michael Weinstein, Assistant Principal of the Leon M. Goldstein High School for the Sciences, Brooklyn.
Hot button issues like the Common Core State Standards, the nation’s global ranking of student performance, teacher tenure, preparation and effectiveness, Principal accountability measures and the shortfalls of the No Child Left Behind law were stressed throughout the conference.
Dozens of guest speakers led workshops, plenary sessions, lectures, presentations and panels. Well-known education consultants/ authors Charlotte Danielson and Michael Fullan conducted lectures in crowded rooms with dozens of participants sitting on the floor and standing. Ms. Danielson is the author of Talk About Teaching: Leading Professional Conversations. A former teacher and administrator, she specializes in teacher quality, curriculum planning and student performance.
Mr. Fullan’s talk on Moral Purpose Realized had conference participants squeezing in to a full room. Mr. Fullan addressed the poor implementation of education reform in America, and how much better some foreign students perform compared to their American counterparts. According to Mr. Fullan, the United States’ focus on accountability is the wrong path to take. International test results show that Shanghai, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Finland and Canada stand out as the strongest overall performers, Mr. Fullan said, and these nations are not focusing on accountability. (US students are average in reading and science and fall below average in math.)
“Leading with accountability doesn’t motivate people,” he said. The right drivers are a focus on instruction, mobilizing school leaders and transparency.
“I loved Michael Fullan; he was a phenomenal speaker; he was warm, practical and knowledgeable about schools,” said Crystal Bonds, Assistant Principal at Brooklyn Technical High School.
The Executive Leadership Institute, CSA’s educational branch, offered three single topic workshops: Moving Your Instructional Agenda Using Effective Communication; Addressing the Needs of English Language Learners; and Moving Forward With the Common Core State Standards.
Other notable speakers at the conference were education historian and NYU professor Diane Ravitch; Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, NJ; Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of “The Dr. Oz Show”; Brian Williams, Anchor of NBC Nightly News; and Leymah Gbowee, Executive Director, Women Peace and Security Network Africa (Ghana).
