Leader to Leader (L2L) News: June 2012

 ASCD Leader to Leader (L2L) News is a monthly e-mail newsletter for ASCD constituent group leaders that builds capacity to better serve members, provides opportunities to promote and advocate for ASCD’s Whole Child Initiative, and engages groups through sharing and learning about best practices. To submit a news item for the L2L newsletter, send an e-mail to constituentservices@ascd.org.

Your To-Do List: Action Items for ASCD Leaders

• Speak out on sequestration. An education crisis is looming with the potential to disrupt services to 7.5 million students and threaten 90,000 educator jobs. Read more and take action on ascd.org.
  
  
• Write for Educational Leadership.Would you like to publish a manuscript in Educational Leadership? ASCD is looking for high-quality, original submissions that shed light on our monthly themes. We will also consider nontheme-related articles for Special Topics. View the complete list of our upcoming 2012–13 themes and deadlines.

Leaders in Action: News from the ASCD Leader Community

26 Educators Announced As ASCD’s 2012 Class of Emerging Leaders

ASCD has selected 26 educators for its 2012 Emerging Leaders Class. The Emerging Leaders program recognizes and prepares young, promising educators to influence education programs, policy, and practice on both the local and national levels. To view the entire list of the 2012 emerging leaders, visit the Emerging Leaders Directory.

Congratulations and welcome to this year’s class!

@WorldofLanguage and @MentorTeachers Increase Twitter Following

After implementing a few minor changes to their Twitter accounts, Professional Interest Community facilitator Richard Lange and his colleagues Patrick Riley and Steve Kozma were able to increase their Twitter following on two Twitter accounts in just two weeks: a 35% increase for @MentorTeachers and a 600% increase for @WorldofLanguages. The changes they implemented to increase their following included writing a comprehensive user bio, tweeting at least once a day and re-tweeting at least once a day, and engaging in #Follow Friday. Congratulations to Richard, Patrick, and Steve!

2012 OYEA Winner Matt McClure Named To Tech & Learning Magazine’s Big 10

Each year, Tech & Learning Magazine’s editors, reporters, and advisors feature 10 individuals who, in the words of Editorial Director Kevin Hogan, they feel “are making, or have the potential to make, the greatest change in the world of [education technology].”

“One of the biggest changes in rural areas is directly correlated with the flattening of the world. Students and individuals in these areas [need] to have access to information and opportunities at the same rate as their urban peers and the ability and requisite skill sets to live anywhere,” said McClure. “Access to technology and a great education can be the great leveling point to ensure that all students, regardless of geography, have the skills, knowledge, and habits of mind to succeed in today’s global economy.”

Congratulations to Matt McClure, who is featured on page 45 of the June 2011 issue of Tech & Learning (the digital version is available online with sign-up for a free subscription).

Virginia ASCD Addresses Challenges with Strategic Training Opportunities

Many new initiatives are being implemented in Virginia and Virginia ASCD (VASCD) is working hard to provide support and training in the key areas, taking into account the new rigorous standards in mathematics, English, and science, as well as a new teacher and principal evaluation system being implemented throughout the state.

The Southwest Conference, to be held in Abingdon, Va., on September 20, themed “Moving Forward with Instructional Tools and Strategies that Work,” will feature Bruce Oliver and Christopher Gareis as presenters. The VASCD Annual Conference in Williamsburg, Va. Nov. 28–30 is themed “Taking on Challenges in Teaching, Learning, and Leading.” Conference presenters include Heidi Hayes-Jacobs; Seth Kahan, author of Getting Change Right: How Leaders Transform Organizations from the Inside Out; Anthony Muhammad, co-author of The Will to Lead, the Skill to Teach–Transforming Schools at Every Level; Diana Laufenberg; and Andy Hargreaves, co-author of Professional Capital. With these presenters and 45 concurrent sessions, VASCD hopes to give educators the key tools and knowledge to move forward in their schools. For more information, visit the VASCD website.

Congratulations!

• ASCD 2011 Emerging Leader Bryan O'Black was recently promoted to Director for Curriculum and Technology at Shaler Area School District. Brian was also just named Annual Conference Chair for the 2013 Pennsylvania ASCD Conference in November 2013.
   
• Marianne True, New Hampshire ASCD board member and past president, Plymouth State University (PSU) ASCD Student Chapter faculty advisor, and New Hampshire Journal of Education editor, has just been named Chair of the Elementary Education and Childhood Studies Department at PSU.
   
• After 11 years in the classroom, 2010 Emerging Leader Jason Flom will work for QED Foundation as the Director of Learning Platforms, managing their Neurodevelopmental Framework for Learning initiative. 

Other News

·         Diane Jackson completed her term as Oklahoma ASCD president on May 31, 2012. Pamela King is now Oklahoma ASCD president as of June 1, 2012.

ASCD Whole Child Virtual Conference Archives Available

ASCD conducted its second Whole Child Virtual Conference in May. This free conference showcases schools, authors, and research about implementing a whole child approach for a worldwide audience. View and share archived session recordings, presenter handouts, and related resources at www.ascd.org/wcvirtualconference.

A number of ASCD constituent group leaders shared their expertise and school examples:

·         ASCD Board of Directors member Pasi Sahlberg as part of a European panel on The Whole Child Around the World

·         Healthy School Communities mentor site Iroquois Ridge High School in Supporting the Whole Child: The Journey of the Parent Engagement Program

·         2011 Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award-winning Quest Early College High School with a student panel discussing the Whole Child Tenets

·         Healthy School Communities mentor site Batesville Community School Corporation in The ABCs of Educating the Whole Child

·         2012 Vision in Action: The ASCD Whole Child Award-winning Byrne Creek Secondary School shared The Byrne Creek Story

·         ASCD Assessment for Learning Professional Interest Community facilitator Mike Rulon in How to Make Classrooms Responsive to the Whole Child

·         2012 Outstanding Young Educator Matt McClure in One District’s Plan to Educate the Whole Child

·         ASCD Emerging Leader Jason Flom in More Brains, Less Brawn

·         2012 Outstanding Young Educator Liliana Aguas in Healthy School Farm and Garden: LeConte Elementary School

Something to Talk About

• What Would a School Designed By Your Brain Look Like? by Judy Willis
• Why Teachers and Administrators Should Team Up for Walkthroughs with Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey
• PBL & Common Core Tip: Instructional Time for Teaching Thinking Skills by Andrew Miller
• Most recent blog posts on ASCD EDge®
• Most-clicked stories from ASCD SmartBrief.

Association News

• The Essential Ed-Tech Guide to Flipping Any Classroom Now Available from ASCD and ISTE—ASCD and ISTE are pleased to announce the release of Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day. Authored by pioneering educators Jonathan Bergmann and Aaron Sams, and copublished by ASCD and ISTE, this practical guidebook introduces readers to the “how-to” and “why” behind the flipped-classroom approach. Read the full press release.
  
  
• ASCD’s Summer Showcase Institutes Focus on Improving High-Poverty Schools, Rigor, and Closing Achievement Gaps—ASCD has gathered a team of renowned education experts to lead intensive, four-day Summer Showcase Institutes this July in Baltimore, Md., and Denver, Colo. Read the full press release.
  
  
• ASCD Announces New PD Online® Courses Addressing Differentiated Instruction, Common Core State Standards, and More—ASCD announces the release of seven new PD Online® courses for educators focused on differentiated instruction, Common Core State Standards implementation, and teaching students in high-poverty communities. Read the full press release.
  
  
• ASCD’s Summer Reading List Provides Opportunities Galore for Teachers and Administrators—ASCD has compiled a summer reading list for administrators, teacher leaders, and classroom educators interested in low-cost, high-impact professional development. Read the full press release.
  
  
• ASCD Expands Support for Common Core State Standards Implementation with New Professional Development Resources and Events—ASCD has expanded support for Common Core State Standards implementation with a new two-day institute series and a PD In Focus® channel dedicated exclusively to the topic. Read the full press release.