Presented on January 27, 2021

Panelists

Andrew Campanella, president of National School Choice Week since 2012.
Andrew Campanella is president of National School Choice Week, the world’s largest education-related public awareness effort. In 2020, more than 50,000 events and activities were held by schools, organizations, and individuals to celebrate opportunity in education. He is also the author of The School Choice Roadmap: 7 Steps to Finding the Right School for Your Child, which offers practical advice to parents in navigating their school options and choosing the best fit for their families.

Shawn Ehnes, Superintendent Julesburg School District.
As a former public school teacher, coach, principal and currently Superintendent of Schools in a Rural School District, Shawn Ehnes has expanded "choice" in a rural public school setting to ensure student's learning opportunities are not limited due to their isolated geographical location.

Keri Rodrigues, Co-founder, Founding President National Parents Union
Keri Rodrigues is Matthew, Miles and David’s mom and the Founding President of the National Parents Union. Called “arguably the most successful — parent organizer in education advocacy today,” her outstanding commitment to social, economic and educational equity for children and families spans decades.

Jemar Lee, Iowa Big HS Alumni
Jemar has a passion for transforming the education system to ensure all students experience an education that is built off of equity and assures that no matter what background, ethnicity, or social-economic status that one will succeed. By doing this, he serves as a fellow with Education Reimagined, a national non-profit based in Washington DC that is focused on transforming the K-12 education system in the United States and a Future of School ambassador.

Presented on January 14, 2021

“We've had to be epistemologists, we've been HVAC experts, we've been leaders in logistics. We've become everything under the sun.” – Dr. Jesus Jara

“What an incredible, powerful strategy, ‘visiting individual parents’ to identify impediments and to work to solve for those obstacles.” – Don Kennedy

“Not everyone is getting access to the same education.” – Dr. Jesus Jara

“In order to thrive, "learning pods need strong community partnerships.” – Don Kennedy 

“Right!!! This is an opportunity to "reset" our nation's education system for the future.” – Attendee

“Right on! Move to the way it should be! Student centered! Bold! Get rid of stuff that isn’t working! Thank you, Dan!”  – Attendee

“Seat time going away is great!” – Attendee

“Demonstrate mastery and move on! Move on when ready!” – Attendee

“Teachers as facilitators of knowledge.” – Dr. Jara

“These ideas are so good… Right now we need consistent rules for who are in classrooms and who should not be. Kids who test positive are being sent home—but not the siblings. Some classes continue in person when a kid tests positive and others close. Teachers are caught in the mess.” – Attendee 

“These concepts have served students well through full-time online schools for year—happy to hear these ideas will be piloted in our traditional systems.” – Attendee

“One of things the pandemic has unveiled is the inequities we have in internet access.  In a district with 90% of our families living in poverty, we have realized a large number of our families have access to the internet through one or two cellular devices within the household.  We recognize that providing hotspots to our families is only a temporary solution and that we will need a better solution to address the digital divide.  I'd love to hear more about if you're observing this same phenomenon and what you’re thinking about the role of education in this work.” – Attendee

Panelists

Dan Domenech, Executive Director
AASA: The School Superintendents Association.
Dan has been an AASA member since 1979, he serves as president from 1998 to 1999, and his most recent role since 2008 is Executive Director. He has more than 36 years of experience in public education, the majority of those years, 27 to be specific, as a school superintendent.

John Watson, Founder Evergreen Education Group.
John Watson is the founder of the Evergreen Education Group, which has studied K–12 online, blended, and hybrid learning for twenty years. Evergreen organizes the Digital Learning Collaborative, a membership group made up of schools, NGOs, state agencies, and providers, and the DLC's main event, the Digital Learning Annual Conference. John is responsible for conducting, writing, and presenting research as well as providing testimony on digital learning matters to state boards of education, legislatures, and charter school commissions. He has extensive knowledge and experience based on his two decades working in online learning and education technology. This background has afforded him a wide-reaching network across the spectrum of education professionals, policymakers, and subject matter experts as well as the ability to provide insightful, dimensional analysis and recommendations.

Dr. Jesus F. Jara, Superintendent
Clark County School District
Dr. Jesus F. Jara knows our kids only have one shot at school. That is what drives him to help make the Clark County School District (CCSD) the number one choice for students and their families. Dr. Jara has a unique perspective after moving to Miami from Venezuela and growing up as an English-Language Learner. Teachers invested in him as a child, and Dr. Jara has set a priority of ensuring equity and access for our historically underserved and under-resourced students.

Don Kennedy, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer 
Charleston County School District
As the Chief Financial And Administrative Officer, he enhances relationships between people and across organizational boundaries, arrived at through trust building, allowing for diverse perspectives, and creating environments that allow people to work more effectively together. Help people and organizations connect with core values in expressing care and compassion for themselves and others.

Amy Valentine,
Future of School 
Amy Valentine has been called a social rabble rouser, a turnaround strategist, and a fighter of the status quo in K-12 education. She has served as a teacher, school leader, and executive director. She is a staunch supporter of those who educate our youth, a believer in the promise of new technologies, and remains, above all, an irrepressible optimist on system-level change. She knows that access to the highest quality, personalized education delivered in ways most beneficial to kids can reshape our schools, our families, our communities, and our society.

Presented on December 8, 2020

Panelists

Dan Domenech, Executive Director
AASA: The School Superintendents Association.
Dan has been an AASA member since 1979, he serves as president from 1998 to 1999, and his most recent role since 2008 is Executive Director. He has more than 36 years of experience in public education, the majority of those years, 27 to be specific, as a school superintendent.

John Watson, Founder Evergreen Education Group.
John Watson is the founder of the Evergreen Education Group, which has studied K–12 online, blended, and hybrid learning for twenty years. Evergreen organizes the Digital Learning Collaborative, a membership group made up of schools, NGOs, state agencies, and providers, and the DLC's main event, the Digital Learning Annual Conference. John is responsible for conducting, writing, and presenting research as well as providing testimony on digital learning matters to state boards of education, legislatures, and charter school commissions. He has extensive knowledge and experience based on his two decades working in online learning and education technology. This background has afforded him a wide-reaching network across the spectrum of education professionals, policymakers, and subject matter experts as well as the ability to provide insightful, dimensional analysis and recommendations.

Dr. Paula Dillon, Assistant Superintendent
Barrington School District.
Paula Dillon, Ed. D. earned her doctorate in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning from Northeastern University. Her areas of expertise include curriculum development, student-centered pedagogy, assessment design, professional learning, and diverse learners’ strategies. Dr. Dillon currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Barrington Public Schools, Rhode Island,  a suburban, high-performing district. In that role, she supports the RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation) team, which acts as an inclusive cross-community stakeholder engine for innovation. Dr.Dillon is a champion of Deeper Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Experiential Learning grounded in the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. Dr. Dillon believes in the power of professional networks to create and scale change. As such, she serves on and contributes to numerous state and national committees. 

Dr. Darryl Adams, Award-Winning Superintendent, Speaker and
Innovator of "Leave No Child Offline".
Dr. Darryl Adams is an internationally known school superintendent, technology/servant leadership and evangelist that was recognized by President Obama as one of the Top 100 Innovative Superintendents in the Nation. He has been honored as one of the most influential voices in Education by Tech & Learning Magazine, the Center for Digital Education, iNACOL and The Journal. In 1998, Dr.

Presented on November 18, 2020

Where Students Lead Video Clip

Quotes:

“There is no syllabus for life.”

“Does school show your talent or what you’re really worth?”
–CAPS student thoughts on K-12 education 

“What is the recipe for success in education?”
–Mike Realon

"Creative, innovative programs have been happening in education for years. They go against the grain of the one-size, factory-model of teaching and learning. The pandemic is opening the eyes of people as to what is possible."
– Amy Valentine

Panelists

Dr. Shaun McAlmont, K12 Inc.
Currently serves as President of Career Learning Solutions at K12, Inc. (NYSE:LRN) and manages the company’s fast-growing career and workforce development programs.

Dr. Kim Nolan, Northeastern University NExT Network
Associate Teaching Professor in the Graduate Programs in Education including the Doctor of Education program. Her research interests include school climate, experiential learning, action research and student-centered schools. Dr. Nolan is a leader within Northeastern’s Network of Experiential Learning Educators (NExT) within the Graduate School of Education and throughout the university. She is the lead faculty for the Ed.D program in the Southeast Region.

Corey Mohn, Blue Valley Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) and the CAPS Network
Executive Director of Blue Valley CAPS, empowering high school students to fast-forward into their future through real-world business projects and the development of professional skills.  Prior to CAPS, Corey served as Director of Statewide Programs for the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship.

Mike Realon, Olympic High School
Mike has been at the Olympic High School for the last 17 years, a campus housing all 5 different NAF career academies and an innovative high school who is part of the Bill and Melinda Gates small schools movement. While gravitating towards the Gates Foundation’s core values that modern American high schools should strive to develop youth who can succeed in school, work and life, Olympic’s five career academies have ALL received the rare and lofty national ranking from the National Academy Foundation of being “Distinguished”, and Olympic is only the 3rd High School in America to ever achieve this truly rare feat in over 40 years. Of its 600 graduating seniors this year, over 500 of them will receive a nationally recognized certificate of being both “Career AND College Ready.”

Student Moderator

Jemar Lee,
Future of School Student Ambassador. Jemar has a passion for transforming the education system to ensure all students experience an education that is built off of equity and assures that no matter what background, ethnicity, or social-economic status that one will succeed. By doing this, he serves as a fellow with Education Reimagined, a national non-profit based in Washington DC that is focused on transforming the K-12 education system in the United States and a Future of School ambassador.

Presented on November 4, 2020

School turnaround is now about school transformation. All schools are being pushed to change, shift, and/or pivot in some way to reimagine teaching and learning.

Panelists agree that there is not a one-size-fits-all solution for the challenges they face, instead, it is a unique experience that will require innovative, creative approaches.

Adoption of new models will not happen overnight, instead, our country will see adoption over the next two years. Systems should be supporting students, not relying on the past to dictate the future.

Quotes:

"Love it! We need transformation. And we need the SYSTEM to inspire and support and assist transformation. True transformation."
–Dr. Chris Unger, Teaching Professor at Northeastern University Webinar panelist and Future of School Supporter

"Looking at the future, it is a chance for educators to be entrepreneurs. It is a chance for us to build, for controlled innovation, and for us to collaborate to serve as developers of the future. THIS is the time"
–Ray McNulty

MODERATOR

Mark Comanducci,
Leader, 305 Education

Panelists

Melanie Hicks,
MGT Consulting

Scott Sargrad,
Managing Director K-12 Ed Policy, American Center for Progress

Ray McNulty,
Successful Practices Network (SPN) and AASA

Stuart Udell,
CEO, Achieve3000

Presented on September 30, 2020

Audience questions and key remarks include:

• Is serving special education students still a challenge, and top priority, for school leaders as schools reopen?

• What are parents of special education students saying amidst these uncertain times?

• How can people get involved with AASA, the Superintendent’s Association, ChanceLight, and the work that Tillie Elvrum is learning to support parents?

• There is not blame to be placed; instead, we must come together to bridge a fragmented system that has existed one way for hundreds of years. Teachers desperately need it, families are demanding it, and our children deserve it.

• One major issue that district leaders are facing is budget cuts and limited resources.

• There are ways to prevent this situation from becoming a five-alarm fire.

• Online teaching and learning can provide a rigorous education experience, but first, we need to ensure that students have the tools they need to succeed.

Quotes:

"Online education is not new to America, instead, it is new to most Americans."
– Amy Valentine

"ChanceLight is working with 250 districts in 200 states across America to provide special education services that are direly needed. There is no common profile of school that we work with, instead, we find ways to deliver services to meet the unique needs of schools and their students."
– Mark Claypool

"Kids need tools and resources to tap into their potential."
– Tillie Elvrum

"Every child should have an Individualized Education Plan” to address their unique learning styles."
– Dan Domenech

"Some students will come out of this experience inspired because of their exposure to personalized learning and innovative practices."
– Tillie Elvrum

Panelists

Dan Domenech,
Leading AASA for many years, leading the way with 36+ years as an educator, administrator, speaker and leader

Mark Claypool,
A social worker turned visionary on a quest to deliver high quality supports and telehealth to special needs students across America

Tillie Elvrum,
Advocate for education reform, school choice, and parent empowerment for 20+ years. Strong supporter of online and blended learning.

Presented on August 20, 2020

Schools everywhere are facing critical issues and are seeking immediate solutions. In this webinar we explore the concept of resiliency, in concept and practical application, for schools preparing for the quickly approaching school year. Panelists include thought-leaders and administrators who are coming together to create a framework called the Resilient Schools Project.

Quotes:

"I am interested and excited in participating in the RSP because it offers the opportunity to network and learn from others who are committed to re-imagining schools in a way that ignites, engages, and empowers students to be advocates and activists in the world around them. Relationship and relevance have the potential to serve as cornerstones to that work, and that is what the RSP is offering for schools. If there was ever an opportunity to redefine and disrupt the system of education that has been struggling for so long, it is now."
– Paula Dillon

"We are very excited to be able to participate in the Resilient Schools Project. These are unprecedented times, and a facilitated, nationally networked community focusing on our common problems of practice can be tremendously beneficial to schools and school systems."
– Cindy Ambrose

Panelists

Cindy Ambrose,
Low Country Education Consortium
Cindy has experience as a teacher, assistant principal, and principal and has formerly served as a Chief Academic Officer, Assistant Superintendent, and Deputy Superintendent in large districts in Virginia and South Carolina. She is currently participating in the inaugural class in the Stanford EdLEADers Program at Stanford University. The program taught jointly by the Graduate Schools of Business and Education consists of study in the areas of leading for equity, organizational change, negotiations, and improving student learning. Cindy is currently facilitating the work of the Low Country Education Consortium (LCEC) as the member districts are collaborating to improve student outcomes in the region.

Antonio Boyd, Future of School
Antonio has worked in the nonprofit, education, healthcare and government sectors for 30 years, his work focuses on education, youth programming, experiential learning, experiential leadership, collaboration between, business, industry and schools and the future workforce. He serves on the South Carolina Advisory Committee at the US Global Leadership Coalition, the Crown Council at Carolina Crown, and is a Business Alley and former Chairman of the Board of Director at Together SC.

Paula Dillon, Barrington Public Schools,
Paula's areas of expertise include curriculum development, student-centered pedagogy, assessment design, professional learning, and diverse learners’ strategies. Paula currently serves as the Assistant Superintendent for Barrington Public Schools, Rhode Island, a suburban, high-performing district. In that role, she supports the RDI (Research, Development, and Innovation) team, which acts as an inclusive cross-community stakeholder engine for innovation. Paula is a champion of Deeper Learning, Project-Based Learning, and Experiential Learning grounded in the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

Amy Valentine, Future of School
Amy has been called a social rabble rouser, a turnaround strategist and a fighter of the status quo in K–12 education. She has served as a teacher, school leader and executive director. She’s also a proud parent and advocate for her son, who has dysgraphia, a learning disability that affects written expression. No stranger to obstacles, Amy has successfully navigated the currents of bureaucracy, apathy and ignorance that have stood in the way of students and educators for decades. She believes that in order to make the broadest impact, theories require thoughtful action and iteration.

John Watson, Evergreen Education Group
As founder of Evergreen Education Group, John is responsible for conducting, writing, and presenting research as well as providing testimony on digital learning matters to state boards of education, legislatures, and charter school commissions. He has extensive knowledge and experience based on his two decades working in online learning and education technology. This background has afforded him a wide-reaching network across the spectrum of education professionals, policymakers, and subject matter experts as well as the ability to provide insightful, dimensional analysis and recommendations.

Presented on August 13, 2020

This webinar elevates the voices and experiences of those who matter the most in schools—teachers and students. Each of the students on the panel selected online and blended programs and/or classes as part of their educational pathway. They share their experiences, highlight the benefits and advantages of digital education, and inspire hope into others who are moving into remote or hybrid-learning environments. These students serve as the experts that can help guide best practices and debunk fears as many schools shift from crisis schooling (this past spring) to effective remote instruction (this fall).

Question posed to all student panelists:

"How would you encourage teachers to maintain dialogue, engagement and interaction among their students in the online environment? What works well from your perspective?"

7 students, 7 different, equally interesting responses:

• Using breakout rooms in the online meeting platform to allow for peer-to-peer collaboration

• Asynchronous discussion posts centered around topics and themes

• A passion-driven teacher that brings content to life by being playful, fun and humorous

• New apps, tools and technologies to present information and connect kids

• Teachers having one-on-one discussions in an online forum, especially when they are organic

• Smaller, more focused discussion topics and chunking content

Student Panelist Quotes:

"The use of technology is already being accepted into the traditional classroom. Naturally, a classroom can then be digitized to aid the failing student, the rushed, the easily distracted, or in my case, the student left behind. If not for the ability to pursue high school that was made available to me, I would not have set my sights as high as they are."
-Eileen Gannon

"The development of technology defines our world. No matter what I study and work in the future, I have to be technologically proficient. Exposure to blended and online programs at this age has developed my fluency in technology and prepared me to live a successful life in a modern digital world. Blended and online courses are the future of education."
-Anna Maria Iaramboyykov

"Online and blended learning has a lot to offer, and the potential to make an incredible impact on our society. Education is the foundation of society. It is the means by which we better ourselves and our posterity. With online tools, education is becoming more effective and available to a wider audience."
-Zachary Lyman

MODERATOR

Satara Ehnes

Panelists

Jorgie Ingram
Warner, NH

Sahil Pontula
Apex, NC

Alaina Smith
Surprise, AZ

Eileen Gannon
Worland, WY

Anna Maria Iaramboykov
Bryn Mawr, PA

Presented on August 6, 2020

Panelists feel our schools, and educators, will be able to take positive advantage of these challenging times as an opportunity for us to use technology in new, exciting ways. All panelists focused on the importance of meeting students where they are in their learning pathway.

Quotes

"Where can't we go with technology in our K-12 schools? The sky is the limit!"
-Tracy Kelly

"We need to stay current with all of the ways we can use technology to reach students."
-Tracy Kelly

"My advice to teachers-- take a chance, try something new."
-Theresa Bruce

Panelists

Christine Austin is an assistant principal at Gwinnett Online Campus in Gwinnett County, Georgia, where she has been since its inception in 2011. She has been in education for 17 years, all of which have been with Gwinnett County PublicSchools (GCPS). Throughout her career, Christine has served in a variety of roles including classroom teacher, instructional coordinator, and assistant principal. She holds a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, two specialist degrees, and all coursework for her Doctor of Education degree. She is passionate about empowering students to exceed their potential and believes that innovation and grit are the keys to unlocking that potential.

Nicole Biscotti believes that everyone should have access to a quality education that connects them with their purpose. She seeks to bridge understanding, spark conversations, and inspire through her writing. Nicole is originally from New York City where she gained a love of culture and travel. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish from the University of Florida and a Master's Degree in Secondary Education from the University of Phoenix. She is currently a Spanish Teacher and World Languages Department Chair in a public high school. She is a certified Translator & Interpreter as well. She is writing a book with her 9 year old son about ADHD from the unique perspectives of a child and a mother who is also a teacher.

Theresa Bruce is a champion of student voice, educational equity and teacher wholeness. A native Baltimorean hailing from West Baltimore, she is a graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (2005) as well as the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (2009). After earning a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago (2011), she knew there would be no better place to advocate for youth than her hometown of Baltimore. Currently Theresa is a Social Studies teacher, passionate about student voice & student choice and the infusion of cultural relevance and advocacy into her lessons. She also is a leader in the use of instructional technology in her school community as a 2019 Future of School Grant recipient and 2020 Modern Classrooms Fellowship recipient.

Alejandro De La Peña Jr. is a SPED teacher and first generation college grad with a Bachelor's and Masters in Special Education. In his first district, he was recognized as a campus Teacher of the Year for gathering about $10K in donations in his first 4 years and invited to be an inspirational speaker. When he moved to his current district, he decided to turn it up. He created NspirED@thePark to spread inspiration through local stories and SEL@thePark Awards to appreciate the positive impact of community members. He is spearheading grant writing at his school and has obtained almost $40K in just two years. Above all, Alejandro strives to give his students the best opportunities to amaze even themselves and prove that disabilities do not define them instead disabilities create opportunities to defy them.

Tracy Kelly has ten years teaching Special Education in California. He has taught all grades K-12, as well as being a Lecturer, both Adjunct and Full Time, at University level. He taught those that were inspired to be General Education and Special Education Teachers. He has earned an BA in Economics, MA in Special Education, and his Ed.D. in candidacy status in Educational Leadership. Tracy has edited six books as he continues to write his dissertation on the shortcomings of Special Education.

Presented on July 17, 2020

Quotes

“We are redesigning education as we are flying” – Dr. Truesdale

“Many students are actually thriving in remote learning environment” – Dr. Truesdale

“There are so many good out of school time & community organizations that could be deployed and engaged as well!” – Dr. Lydia Young

“School is just one place where learning can occur. We need to tap into our museums, aquariums, historical centers, park districts, etc. and see what partnerships can formed with them and other nonprofits. Great opportunities here!” – Ted Dintersmith, participant

“New measures of success will mean working with student to show learning and mastery in ways that don’t typically show up on a transcript.” – Caroline Vander Ark

“We will not go back to normal. Normal never was. Our pre-corona existence was not normal other than we normalized greed, inequity, exhaustion, depletion, extraction, disconnection, confusion, rage, hoarding, hate and lack. We should not long to return, my friends. We are being given the opportunity to stitch a new garment. One that fits all of humanity and nature.” – Sonya Renee Taylor

Resources

Getting Smart’s Getting Through series:

ChanceLight Education

Caldwell Education Foundation Education Resources

Student Exemplar—Jemar Lee

We are building out a remote PBL series on Black American History.  If you’d like to learn more please reach out www.educurious.org

On Google—Rolling Study Halls

Crisis schooling vs. online education (article)

A great example of inspiring student ideas that are coming to the forefront in great virtual learning spaces (NO assessments, just skills development)

Great advice and tips for teachers and schools to consider (article)

Northeastern NExT Program

Getting Smart—The Power of Place

How to Reopen Schools: A 10-Point Plan Putting Equity at the Center

AASA Webinar Resource Hub

Panelists

Lilyn Hester 
Head of Southeast External Affairs & Government Relations
Google Inc.​
​
​Pat Triplett
Executive Director
Education Foundation Inc. of Caldwell County​
​
​Dr. Valerie Truesdale
Assistant Executive Director, AASA
The Superintendents Association​
​
​Caroline Vander Ark
President
Getting Smart​
​​
​Dr. Lydia Young
Northeastern University, NExT

Presented on June 19, 2020

Quote

"I want to do the best that I can for the kids who need it the most."

- Alejandro De La Pena

In the Media

How parents and teachers rated online learning published by District Administration

GUEST

David Geddes
Research Director
Geddes Analytics, LLC

Panelists

Theresa Bruce
teacher
KIPP School Baltimore

Alejandro De La Pena
teacher, advocate
Tehachapi High School

Tracy Kelly Scott
teacher, autism advocate
Tehachapi High School

Christine Austin
Principal, former teacher, parent
Gwinnett Online High School

Presented on June 5, 2020

Resource to share:

How Access to Technology Can Create Equity in Schools

Presenters

Kyair Butts
Baltimore Public Schools

Cara Candal
ExcelinEd 

Halli Faulkner
American Federation for Children 

Kathleen Wong
Seattle Public Schools

Presented on May 22, 2020

In this presentation a panel of five seasoned online teachers who have extensive experience teaching online and have been doing it well for YEARS provide an overview of specific ways in which they individualize instruction in the online setting.

Key take-aways:

• K–12 online education is not new to America; instead it is new to most Americans.

• There are thousands of teachers who have been delivering quality instruction online since the late 1990s.

• Online teachers go through rigorous training and professional development to hone their skills

• Recent “crisis schooling” is very different from “online education” which has been going on successfully for 20+ years.

Questions covered in the webinar:

• What does SPED/504 delivery look like in the online school setting?

• How does socialization work?

• How many students do online teachers have?

• What is the teacher-student relationship like in FT virtual schools?

• How can we move traditional thinkers to new, innovative ways of teaching?

• What does a typical day look like for an online teacher?

• How do you connect with your colleagues?

Quotes

“We are a big group of people struggling together.” – Kari Feldhaus

“Online education is great, but it is different from traditional schooling.” – Kari Feldhaus

One of her favorite parts of working for an online charter school is “allowing for the flexibility of learning.” – Crystal Chavez

“Something that makes me smile is student choice.” – Tamika Washington 

“I enjoy working at INSPIRE because I get to dedicate time to each individual student, something I rarely could do at my previous schools. I think education is headed in the direction of online learning, and I like being with the vanguard for this form of instruction.” – C. Cook Jones

Presenters

Kari Feldhaus
15+ years online Spanish teacher & department chair
Apex Learning Virtual School

Crystal Chavez
13+ years in education, seven years online; elementary school teacher, Consultant/trainer for school transformation
Compass Charter Schools

Michelle Jones
12+ years as online high school math teacher
Gwinnett Campus Online

C. Cook Jones 
11 years as an educator, six years online; Secondary school advisory teacher and a math interventionist 
INSPIRE, the Idaho Connections Academy

Tamika Washington
Secondary Educator, Online Teacher Trainer
K12 Inc.

Presented on May 8, 2020

Questions covered in the webinar:

• How do you provide services such as Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) online?

• How do you get disengaged or difficult to reach families to communicate?

• For full-time online schools, what does family engagement look like?

• Do you/can you share the training that you use via micro-courses?

• What are some best practices for integrating quality academic support, from your experiences, building online programs?

• How do you get more people involved in SDI in the remote learning setting?

• How do you get other parents to connect with each other to build a strong special education community?

• Can you speak to orientating families to this new learning environment? What processes or tools do you use?

• What are some of the benefits of tech-enabled learning for Special Education students?

• What are some of the qualities/characteristics of great online teachers? And how do they develop courses?

Quotes

“It has been incredibly exciting to serve kids in this new way”
– Grace Haynes, Special Education Coordinator, Archway Veritas, brick-and-mortar charter school (Grace quickly, efficiently moved from a traditional school setting to remote instruction using tech-enabled instructional and communication tools.)

“If I had never found out about Branson School Online, I probably would not be the same person that I am today. Online classes have changed my life for the better, and for all kids who are having trouble in school should consider taking online classes.”
– Jason Wheeler, Current college student, Pikes Peak Community College, Former high school graduate of Branson Online School, FoS Scholarship Winner, Autism Advocate

Presenters

Online School Leaders: 
Alison Gott – Assistant Director Student Services @ California Connections Academy Schools (Full-time online school) 

Gracie Haynes – Special Education Coordinator @ Archway Charter School in Phoenix, AZ  (Brick-and-mortar school that quickly shifted to remote instruction)

Stacy Altman – Director of Special Services @ K12 schools of Colorado (two blended and one online school) 

Jeff Renard – Executive Director @ Vermont Virtual Learning Cooperative (state-run online school in Vermont) 

Parent/Student Advocates: 
Jason & Cynthia Wheeler – FoS Student Scholar, Online Graduate, Autism Advocates from Colorado Springs, CO 

Scott Fowler – Federal Lobbyist, Educational Consultant, Dad of special needs child from Myrtle Beach, SC 

Teacher Experts
Nicole Biscotti – Educator, Mom of special needs student, ADHD advocate, Social media influencer from Phoenix, AZ

Tillie Elvrum – President, Cyberschool Coalition of Colorado, Advocate, Parent of Special Education Student 

Presented on April 24, 2020

FAQs from the webinar

Do you have any tips or suggestions for what else we can be doing to increase engagement among kids in the remote learning setting?

Any ideas on teacher assessment/appraisals during online learning? How should they be measured?

Can a student fail at this time? We are in the opposite boat, we are taking grades but weighting our quarter 3 and quarter 4 differently. But, we have unmotivated students, who have yet, to submit anything for 6 weeks.

How do you motivate yourself to do what you know is best for kids when your district is only asking teachers to push out content from an online learning platform?  Everything else we send has to be labeled optional and kids are not wanting to do the extra “optional” work from teachers (even though the “optional” work is the quality work they should be doing? 

When you have sent emails, called, zoomed with parents/students and they are still not doing any work or showing up... do you have any tips or suggestions for what else we can be doing to get them on and learning? 

Panelist Quotes

"Kids are hungry for relationships and connectivity. We can provide that in both synchronous and asynchronous platforms."
-panelist Kareem Farah

"Friday Focus: we focus on apologies, affirmations, acknowledgements, share moments from the school year and memories. I also take so many pis during the school year that I also choose 2-3 pics from the year and give a backstory or highlight that moment so it’s a cool throwback" – panelist Kyair Butts, Baltimore Public Schools Teacher, and Teacher of the Year

"Sarah’s points about routine are great. A recent study out of the UK included more that 91,000 participants. It showed daily routines contribute positively to both mental and physical wellness." –panelist Weston Kieschnick, author, speaker, educator    

"Crisistextline.org might be a resource worth exploring for students, families and educators. I have shared with my kids in case they need someone other than their teachers and/or family." –panelist Kyair Butts

Sharing more about community and private sector support in Seattle Public Schools through the Seattle Education Equity Fund by panelist Melissa Woodbridge, SPS teacher and FoS Teacher of the Week 

The Alliance for Education and Seattle Public Schools created the Education Equity Fund to ensure students can continue to learn during the COVID-19 crisis, especially students furthest from educational justice.

Seattle Public Schools is offering continuous learning to all students while our schools are closed. But many SPS students lack the resources and access to take advantage of this support. You can help students overcome technology barriers and allow all students the opportunity to continue learning from home during this global pandemic.

Panelists

Christine Austin
Christine Austin is an assistant principal at Gwinnett Online Campus in Gwinnett County, Georgia, where she has been since its inception in 2011. She has been in education for 17 years, all of which have been with Gwinnett County Public Schools (GCPS). Throughout her career, Christine has served in a variety of roles including classroom teacher, instructional coordinator, and assistant principal. She holds a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, two specialist degrees, and all coursework for her Doctor of Education degree. She is passionate about empowering students to exceed their potential and believes that innovation and grit are the keys to unlocking that potential. 

Kyair Butts
Kyair Butts is the current (2019-2020) Teacher of the Year for Baltimore City Public Schools. His passion for his students led him to embrace online learning quickly. He coaches debate and also works mentoring teachers across the district while facilitating professional development as an associate of GreatMinds/Wit and Wisdom. 

Tillie Elvrum
Tillie Elvrum has been an advocate for education reform and school choice for nearly 20 years, working extensively at the state and national level. She is passionate about online education and the proud parent of a cyberschool graduate. Tillie is the past president of the National Coalition of Cyberschool Families and the Colorado Coalition of Cyberschool Families. She currently advises the education community on parental choice and online education issues. She currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Kareem Farah
Kareem Farah taught high school math in Hawaii and Washington, DC, for six years. He earned his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis and later received a master’s degree in secondary education at Johns Hopkins University. Farah was awarded the 2018 DC Public Schools Award for Classroom Innovation. Instead of using a traditional lecture model, Farah taught mathematics through a blended model where students accessed content through his self-made videos. The cornerstone of his classroom was the ability for students to work through the content at their own pace and Farah’s ability to employ mastery-based grading to evaluate student learning. In an effort to scale his classroom model, Farah launched a nonprofit, The Modern Classrooms Project. As the executive director of The Modern Classrooms Project, Farah trains and supports teachers who seek to develop blended, self-paced, mastery-based classrooms of their own. 

Weston Kieschnick
Weston Kieschnick is an award-winning educator, best-selling author, and highly sought-after speaker. He is the author of the best-selling book, Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Innovation = Blended Learning that Works, co-author of The Learning Transformation: A Guide to Blended Learning for Administrators and the creator and host of Teaching Keating; one of the most downloaded edu-centric podcasts on Google Play, iTunes, and Stitcher. For the last 15 years Weston has worked in collaboration with innovative tech and publishing companies (Google, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Apple) to redefine teaching and learning in the digital age. As such, he’s advised educators from every state in the US and more than 30 countries around the world. Districts where Mr. Kieschnick has designed content, implemented initiatives, and trained educational leaders have been recognized by the Learning Counsel as being among the top ten in the nation for their work in blended learning. You can find Weston’s work published in EdWeek, EdTech Magazine, The Spark, and featured on the 10-Minute Teacher, Teaching Tales, Kids Deserve It, and LeadUp Teach.

Melissa Woodbridge
Melissa Woodbridge is a 5th grade teacher at Bailey Gatzert Elementary in Seattle, Washington. She attended the University of Washington to get her master's in teaching. She is passionate about racial equity work in elementary education.