This schedule is subject to modifications and additions. All changes will be indicated by a new date in the "Modified" column.
| Day | Strand | Topic Area | Title & Description | Presenter(s) | Modified |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Professional Development | 07) A Very Private Struggle: What Happens for Teachers in Classrooms This workshop is for you if you find that after school you are drained and need to take a nap, or if you had a child in your class who left you exasperated and feeling like a failure. Through discussion, participants explore the emotional dynamics of classroom life as they impact teachers and interfere with the teaching/learning process. The facilitators want to learn about your struggles and successes, and share theirs with you. | Zuorick, Claudia; Berman, Samantha; Incognito, Jean: Soaring Heights Charter School | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Curriculum | 01) Connecting Reading, Writing and Test-Prep Instruction This session provides practical resources and strategies for effective literacy instruction in grades 3-12, addressing these questions: What are the key critical reading strategies, and how do we use them to comprehend? How can we connect reading, writing, and test-prep instruction to strengthen students' literacy skills? | Tantillo, Sarah, Sarah Tantillo, Ed.D., LLC | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Leadership | 10) Transforming Schools for Excellence: Eliminating Achievement Gaps and Improving Student Achievement Dr. Anderson, a highly successful superintendent, will share specific strategies that are used by high performing schools to eliminate achievement gaps and meet AYP. Learn strategies to inspire and motivate school stakeholders, resources to analyze data, and practical leadership strategies to improve achievement. The first 50 participants will receive a CD of resources discussed in the session. | Anderson, Dr. Tiffany, Chief Academic Officer and ASCD 2012 Young Educator Award Honoree (Kansas City, Missouri) | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Technology | 11) Engaging Education Through SmartBoard Notebook Software Make the most of your SmartBoard technology by learning to create lessons geared to your age groups using the same software program and technology tools. | Alfano, Laura & Campbell, Stephen, The Ethical Community Charter School | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Advocating for Charter Schools | Advocacy / Policy | 06) Advocacy: The Basics Grassroots advocacy is an approach to shaping advocacy from the bottom up -- from the people directly impacted. As school leaders, teachers or board of trustees, you play a critical role in supporting these efforts and encouraging your school’s families to become involved. | Wright, Janel (moderator), NJCSA; Panelists: Garcia, Wanda, LEAP Academy Charter School and NJCSA Board Member; Stanton, Matt, MBI Gluckshaw; Guvercin, Nihat, Bergen Arts and Science Charter School; O'Neill, Paul, Cohen, Schneider, & O’Neill, LLP | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Starting a Charter School; Operating a Charter School | Accountability | 08) Performance-based Management and Accountability The Office of Charter Schools is implementing a performance-based contract aligned with three accountability frameworks: organizational, fiscal and academic. This session presents an overview of the role, purpose and scope of the evaluative tool. | Ruck, Amy & Lee, Harry: NJ DOE Charter Schools Office | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement; Operating a Charter School | Accountability | 05) Beyond Test Scores: Comprehensive Self-Accountability A successful school has to be high quality in all dimensions, rather than just a few. School culture and academics, operational compliance, good governance, sound fiscal management, and productive parent relationships are crucial to an exceptional school. This session explains the importance of a comprehensive approach to self-accountability and performance management that extends beyond test scores. Included is a review of common problems, along with general advice on solutions. | Shahen, Jill, Elevate Charter Schools; Adams, Taishya, National Alliance for Public Charter Schools | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement; Operating a Charter School | Green Schools | 03) NJ Sustainable Schools Consortium The NJ Sustainable Schools Consortium (NJSSC) is a network of programs, research projects and leadership organizations promoting the greening of NJ Schools. Attendees will learn about the best sustainable technologies, green curriculum and sustainable best practices that schools can adopt to help them lower operational cost, create healthier environments and divert savings towards school improvement. | Henry, John, Educational Information and Resource Center (EIRC); James, Carol, EIRC; Jackson, Allison, Allison Jackson Associates | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Operating a Charter School | Governance | 02) 10 Targeted Things to Dramatically Improve the Governance of Your School Think your board is pretty good, but want to take it to the next level? New to governance and want to know how to build a great board? Looking for practical tips to up your governance game? This lively interactive session guides you through 10 aspects of governance for creating and sustaining an excellent board. | Cornell-Feist, Marci, The High Bar; Pressler, Rick, NJ Charter Schools Association | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Operating a Charter School | Business Practices | 04) Best Practices in Charter School Business Management for New Jersey Although charter school Business Administrators are required to follow many NJ rules and regulations, sometimes all this paperwork is not as helpful as it could be in reaching our goals. This workshop presents best practices in charter school business management from national and local perspectives. | Mone, Kathy, Elysian Charter School of Hoboken; Thakkar, Raj, Charter School Business Management; Truehart, Gerald, Paul Robeson Charter School for the Humanities | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Business Practices | 18) Deductible First Health Insurance: Reducing Premiums AND Enhancing Benefits for Your Staff Finally, a long-term solution to control the high cost of employee benefits and a strategy to enhance the benefits for our teachers. Deductible-First Health insurance (DFHI) linked with a Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA) addresses this need. This solution to the high cost of insurance is NOT magic...it's mathematics! | Mund, Mitchel, Fortitude Insurance Group | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Special Needs | 20) Outside Placements for Special Education Students This session discusses what to do when it is determined that the charter school cannot provide a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for a special education student. Covered are the legal and practical aspects of the situation, such as working with the district and the resources needed to help for the student. | Mone, Kathy, Elysian Charter School of Hoboken; Johnston, Esq., Tom, Porzio, Bromberg and Newman, PC | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Technology | 22) Mobile Learning 24/7: Taking Learning Beyond the Classroom This session focuses on how integrating mobile devices into the classroom gives the students more time on task and extends the school day while allowing 24/7 internet access. Sample projects from a variety of schools that have incorporated technology into the classroom are presented and discussed. | Veraja, Suzanne; Abreu, Jeremy: Verizon Wireless | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Advocating for Charter Schools | Advocacy / Policy | 17) Policy Roundtable I -- Education Reform in NJ What is next: Opportunity Scholarship Act (OSA), tenure reform or charter reform? What do these proposals mean and what are the chances them being enacted? | Siminski, Donna (moderator), NJCSA. Panelists TBA | 2012-02-10 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Arts | 21) ARTer Charters: Creating Arts Plans for Your School The NJ Arts Education Collective is partnering with the NJCSA to help build capacity in charter schools for implementing high quality and sustainable arts education programs that are aligned with New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards and provide students with meaningful and inspiring experiences in the arts. In this session, participants learn about the plethora of arts resources, grants and services available throughout the state; learn how to develop partnerships between regional/statewide arts, educational, and cultural institutions; and receive guidance to help plan and enhance arts education programs. | Simon, Jenifer, Arts Horizons; Middleman, Robin, NJ State Council on the Arts | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Legal | 13) Student Speech, Searches & Safety in a Digital Age This session provides relevant and timely legal analysis regarding: how to meet applicable state and federal laws regarding student speech and online communications; the ability of school administrators to conduct legally compliant searches related to on-campus and off-campus electronic communications; and how to implement legally compliant policies and procedures to prevent cyber bullying and to promote student safety in a digital age. Since the 2011 conference, the Third Circuit has ruled in pivotal off-campus speech matters (see Layshock and J.S.) and NJ courts have rendered recent decisions of which charter schools should be aware. NJ has also instituted an Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights that impacts personnel and boards and should be considered in relation to these issues. | McKenna, Esq., Kevin & Snyder, Nicole: Latsha, Davis & McKenna, P.C. | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Foodservice | 14) Breakfast After the Bell: How to Implement an Effective School Breakfast Program Despite strong evidence of the benefits of school breakfast, New Jersey ranks 46th in the nation for its participation in this federal child nutrition program. The problem is that most schools serve breakfast before children arrive at school. Some districts are adopting more innovative approaches that boost participation, student behavior and academic achievement. Learn more about this important issue and how you can ensure that your students start their school day with a healthy meal. | Parello, Nancy, Advocates for Children of New Jersey; Lomerson, Emily, School Nutrition Programs | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Leadership | 12) The School Leader’s Toolbox: School-tested Strategies for Growing Great Teaching Teams The School Leader’s Toolbox is a repository of successful strategies and practical resources that charter schools can draw on to create effective human capital policies, with the aim of creating sustained, scalable models for effective instruction. Participants of this session gain a high-level understanding of the site’s content and engage in an in-depth review of best practices specific to teacher recruitment, evaluation, and accountability to support effective teachers. | Brenan, Karen; Moon, Jen & Silverman, Sarah: The New Teacher Project | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Starting a Charter School | Facilities | 15) Tax Exempt Financing for New Jersey Charter Schools This session identifies the legal and economic procedures for financing the acquisition of existing facilities, the construction of new facilities, and the renovation of existing charter school facilities through tax exempt financing with, and without, the assistance of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Learn about the procedures and advantages of creating a non-profit "friends of" organization in any financing scenario, and the advantages of issuing federally legislated "Qualified School Construction Bonds" and "New Money Tax Credits" to reduce the cost of financing charter school facilities. | Ianoale, Ronald; Cavaliere, John; Sandbank, Leah - all: McManimon & Scotland, LLC; Wallick, Laura, NJ Economic Development Authority | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Data | 16) Using Data to Drive Math Instruction This session engages participants in a collaborative process to maximize instructional impact and enhance student learning through the lens of math. Participants learn specific strategies for immediate implementation that support computational and conceptual development. Discussions focus on a clearly articulated process for analyzing assessment data and the criteria for strong re-teach plans that are rooted in data take-aways. | Martin, Teimosa & Mims, Aleia, The Achievement Network | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Leadership | 28) Less Money, More Responsibility, Less Support: Special Needs of Charter School Leaders Charter School leaders and entrepreneurs face unique challenges creating and maintaining quality schools and environments for their students. This session highlights the major differences in the job description of charter school leaders vs. traditional public school leaders. Experienced leaders will share their insights and discuss four core content areas: Start-up logistics, Curriculum and Assessment, Governance and management, and Community Relations. | Katz, Melvin, Department of Education Leadership, Management and Policy, Seton Hall University | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Starting a Charter School; Operating a Charter School | Facilities | 29) It Takes a Village: Teacher’s Village in Newark NJ Teacher's Village, a place where educators can live, work and play, is revitalizing Newark, NJ, and offering a unique model for charter school development. The mixed-use, eight-building project capitalizes on the empty upper stories of downtown buildings and will be home to three charter schools, a daycare facility, healthcare clinic, retail and 220 apartments. Discover how this new live-work model is transforming a neighborhood, city and the charter school scene. | Meacock, Merilee; KSS Architects | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Advocating for Charter Schools | Advocacy / Policy | 27) Policy Roundtable II -- Charter Reform in NJ Why is it important to reform the charter school law now and what does that look like? | Siminski, Donna (moderator), NJCSA; Garcia, Wanda, LEAP Academy Charter School and NJCSA Board Member; Nugent, Kathleen, Democrats for Education Reform; Bradford, Derrell, Better Education for Kids; Jackson, Christy Davis, E3; Duffy, Janellen, Newark Charter School Fund | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Professional Development | 31) Exploring the Influence of Teacher Collaboration on Teacher Self-Efficacy Teachers who work in isolation may experience low self-efficacy. This presentation describes teacher perceptions about the impact of teacher collaboration on teacher self-efficacy. Implications for social change include fostering instructional collaboration that can result in increased teacher effectiveness and improved student academic achievement. | McGuire, Brian, Ph.D., chARTer TECH High School for the Performing Arts; Taylor, Jeffrey M., The Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter High School | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Afterschool | 30) Games, Games and More Games Through cooperative play and games, children gain confidence and a feeling of worth, learn about sharing, getting along with playmates, teamwork, trust, and group unity. Join this participatory workshop to learn a potpourri of ideas for incorporating games throughout the day. | Groomes, Dennis | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | NJSMART | 32) NJSMART Student-level Functionality What are the latest updates to NJSMART? This session reviews NJSMART functionality, discusses the calculations for student growth, and demonstrates how it can be used to quickly identify students who need extra attention. | Erlichson, Dr. Bari, NJ DOE Division of Data, Research, Evaluation and Reporting | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Global Initiatives | 19) Enriching Learning Experiences by Incorporating Global Perspectives "Jersey Roots, Global Reach" is Rutgers University's motto to bridge cultures and foster global citizenship. This session highlights how the Rutgers South Africa Initiative links New Jersey students with South African classroom learners, and features what two K-12 educators did upon returning to their New Jersey schools to integrate their school curriculum, bridge cultures and enhance learning opportunities. | Clark, Dr. Darren, Rutgers University; Trueger, Barbara, Springfield Public Schools; Baptiste, Dr. Steffany, Lawton C. Johnson Summit Middle School | 2012-03-13 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Curriculum | 26) Bringing Our Knowledge of the Reading of Informational Texts Into the Writing Workshop We explore the use of mentor texts with an eye toward using these mentor texts as tools to support student writing informational books in a Writer's Workshop. This session addresses Common Core Writing Standards for K-2 students. The following are explored: Question & Answer Books, Compare & Contrast Books, Time Order/Life Cycle Books, All About Books, Different Kinds of Books (Field Guide), How to Books | Weissman, Hindie, Hebrew Charter School Center; Drewitz, Naomi, Hatikvah International Academy Charter School | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Starting a Charter School; Operating a Charter School | Governance | 23) Developing a Charter School Policy and Procedure Manual and Keeping the Manuals Up-To-Date Board members and school leaders need to know the process and resources to be used in developing a Charter School Policy/Procedure Manual and how to keep the manuals up-to-date upon adoption. Attendees are provided sample policies and procedures to illustrate the difference between a policy and a procedure and the formats to be used for each. | Nicastro, Philip, Strauss Esmay Associates, LLP | 2012-02-06 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Legal | 09) The Charter School Legal Tool Kit: Mastering the Key Charter School Legal Issues Attendees from new and existing schools learn how to proactively implement best practices in legal risk management to advance the mission of the charter school. Topics covered include board governance, real estate transactions, resident school district disputes, special education, Local Public School Contracts Law, among other areas. The lessons learned from the battlefront show you how best to avoid and manage legal challenges. | Johnston, Esq., Tom, Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, PC | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Green Schools | 24) The Green School: Exploring the (Im)possibilities Whether it is green construction, energy efficiency, renewable energy, or more efficient operations, there is a balance that needs to be struck between what is financially and logistically possible for green schools and what is readily achievable. This session offers participants a chance to share their stories and to discuss what kinds of steps schools can easily take to be greener and where the gaps exist between aspirations and reality. | Timko, Keith & Keenan, Brian: Build with Purpose | 2012-02-03 |
| Monday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | STEM | 25) Supercharging STEM Education in the Real World STEM is undoubtedly a worthwhile effort, but STEM improvement is a subtle interplay of resources and cannot be driven by teachers alone. This program discusses STEMPHLA (STEM plus Philosophy, History, Language, and Art) and provides specific proven methods for increasing STEM education efficiencies using external resources. | Van Hemmen, Hendrik; Ladoulis, Charles: Navesink Maritime Heritage Association | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Curriculum | 40) Literacy that Works! Engaging Teaching Strategies for African American Boys in grades K-5 Research suggests that the achievement gap between African-American males and their suburban counterparts is increasing in the area of literacy. As educators are confronted with the lack of performance, lack of interest in the content material and the inability to grasp and maintain the attention of African-American males, strategies are needed to increase student achievement. This session identifies the factors that affect the learning of African-American males before they enter the classroom as well as providing educators with five core teaching strategies. | Silver, Ryan; Sommers, Shanel; Dabney, Remi: Marion P.Thomas Charter School | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Operating a Charter School | Professional Development | 41) Sharing Effective Practices from EPIC Award-winning Charter Schools New Leaders’ EPIC Knowledge System is an online professional development website featuring hundreds of videos, case studies, and artifacts from EPIC award-winning schools driving dramatic student achievement gains. In this highly interactive session, we’ll observe videos, discuss case studies, and share documents from EPIC award-winning schools. All session participants will be granted 30 day access to the EPIC Knowledge System and learn how EPIC resources can support professional development at their schools. | Jack, Allison & Negron, David, New Leaders | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement; Operating a Charter School | Special Needs | 43) Increasing Independence for Students with Autism using iPod and iPad Technology This presentation demonstrates iPod and iPad applications for communication augmentation, social skills applications, activity scheduling, video modeling, and self-regulation products that are available today for educators, speech and occupational therapists. While the presentation is focused on students with autism, many of the applications and techniques can be applied to other areas of special education. | Palmer, Randall, The Children's Institute | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Professional Development | 39) Engaging Everybody This workshop showcases several methods of our instruction for school leaders interested in having their teachers participate in our alternate route certification and master's degree programs. Simultaneously, we will be offering teacher instruction in techniques for "Engaging Everybody!" In this session, participants will learn about four techniques that will help engage students throughout lessons. Participants will receive direct instruction about these "Teach Like a Champion Techniques:" Wait Time, Everybody Writes, Call & Response and Cold Call. Videos of teachers using these techniques and real-time feedback help participants practice implementing these techniques into their own lessons. | Verrilli, James & Young, Julie: Relay Graduate School of Education | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Starting a Charter School | Compliance | 42) Approval: Now What? This session is directed to pre-operational and first-year schools and describes the timelines for compliance, fiscal, operational, and other areas of concern. | Kahil, Charles; Bielaus, Karina; Ambrosio, Kathy: NJ DOE Charter Schools Office | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Curriculum | 37) Partnering with Museums How can your school form partnerships with museums in New Jersey? How does 'museum learning' support rigorous high standards of learning in our children? What teaching resources are available from various museums? This session provides a close look at the methods used to engage both teachers and students in active, inquiry-based education. All learning centers on world-renowned collections of art, science and history. Attendees will learn all they need to know about field trips, online resources, distance learning, outreach services, and professional development. | Lind, Ted, Newark Museum | 2012-02-16 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Advocating for Charter Schools | Advocacy / Public Relations | 38) Media Training / Public Relations Charter schools are getting a great deal of media attention and face much controversy. This session provides you with the tools needed to improve your communications with the public in order to tell your school’s story. Learn how to take a proactive approach to communicating about your charter school. | Jaffe Communications | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | College Prep | 33) Putting the Pieces Together: Organizing an Effective and Results-Driven College Guidance Office How do you achieve college placement results with limited resources? Most college guidance counselors are doing the best they can, working harder when they wish to work smarter. This session discusses key Issues such as: What are some ways that we can facilitate exposure to college preparation opportunities for students? How can we engage parents in the college preparation process? How can we help families navigate the financial aid maze? What type of career guidance should we be providing to students? How do we infuse college-readiness standards into the curriculum? | Taylor, Ayanna, Access Educational Advisors, LLC; Rodriguez, Jenny, Washington Heights Expeditionary Learning School | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Operating a Charter School | Facilities | 35) Charter School Facilities: Myths and Realities for School Expansion and Growth Charter schools are best prepared for expansion when they understand the financial, environmental and physical requirements for space. This session looks at the myths and realities for school facility expansion with a focus on comparing and understanding new construction, modular construction, and rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of existing buildings. | Keenan, Brian, Build with Purpose; Karle, Ken, LAN Associates | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Increasing Student Achievement | Standards | 34) Make the Move to the Common Core State Standards Are your school's ELA and math standards aligned to the Common Core Standards in both content and rigor? How do you know if you must overhaul your current curriculum to prepare your students for the upcoming PARCC assessment? This session offers you teacher-tested, effective techniques to evaluate your curriculum and receive user-friendly curriculum alignment tools and templates. Get the resources you need to make the move to the Common Core now. | Millinger, Cynthia, Charter School Startup | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 1 10:00 - 11:30 am | Operating a Charter School | Leadership | 36) Finding Your Way: Navigating the Work of Charter School Leadership by Understanding Your Learning Self A central issue to the start-up and growth of a successful charter school is its leadership. Ironically, the leaders who were successful in envisioning the charter school are often not as successful when it comes to the day-to-day leadership of its operation. This session helps participants gain new and valuable insights into their leadership behaviors as well as strategies that will help them navigate the issues of organizational communication, program development and evaluation, team building, and problem-solving. | Johnston, Dr. Christine, Let Me Learn, Inc. | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | ELL | 50) Teaching English Learners: What Does the Research Say? How can charter school educators in New Jersey best meet the needs of English learners in their schools? Join us for an informative session that helps charter school educators better understand the characteristics of the English learner population, what the research says about instructional practices that are most effective with English learners, and how teachers can provide English learners with a variety of classroom supports to help them master the academic content and improve their English language proficiency. | Garcia, Peggie, National Charter School Resource Center | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Starting a Charter School; Operating a Charter School | Legal | 51) The "Friends-of" Entity Formation and Real Estate Acquisition This session delves in-depth into the formation, structure and purpose of the Friends-of entity and its responsibilities, including acquisition or leasing of real estate, government approvals for the real estate, financing and construction of the space, and the ongoing responsibilities of the entity. Additionally, we discuss the important relationship between the school and its Friends-of entity. | Mann, Josh, Budd Larner, PC; Richman, Hannah, Friends of EAM Academy Charter School, Inc. | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Leadership | 49) Shared Leadership by Design, Not ChanceBoth research and experience show that leadership practice must be collaborative, inclusive and mission-driven and value the voice of all members of the school community. This interactive workshop shows that what teachers talk about with their colleagues matters. Secondly, this workshop shows a learning community that puts student performance first must have the ability to lead themselves (self skills) while they understand and communicate with others (collaborative skills. The learning community must also agree upon goals (strategic skills), and work within a system (systemic skills). | Scannella, Dr. Anthony & McCarthy, Sharon: Foundation for Educational Administration | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Green Schools | 53) Building Workplace Readiness Partnerships to Fund Green Schools This session describes the role of partnership building to attract funding for workplace readiness themes implemented in green schools. Participants will be engaged in best practices, leadership strategies, and new online innovations that support key competencies needed for 21st-century careers. The panel members demonstrate opportunities through project-based learning, critical thinking and blended learning models. | Jackson, Allison, Allison Jackson Associates; Hammer, Emily, SSP Architectural Group; deSena, Fred, Innovations in Online Education; Gould, John, Drexel University; Denton, Dr. Ed, The Ingenuity Challenge; Samara, Patrice, Alphabet Kids, LLC; Colon, William and Torres, Carmen, Latino Institute of NJ; Boyer, Dr Terri and Garcia Rivera, Glenda, CERC at Rutgers; Gadsen, Karima, Campcaya | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement; Operating a Charter School | Technology | 52) State Reporting to Classroom Management: An All-In-One, Web-Based Solution for Charters Discover how to connect your entire educational community with attractive, user-friendly tools for everything from student management to lesson planning to state test analysis. | Howell, Jackie, OnCourse Systems for Education; Hagmueller, Carl & McKay, Marnie: Community Charter School of Paterson | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2: 30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement; Operating a Charter School | Quality Standards | 45) What do We Mean When We Talk About Quality? Making Sense of the “Q” Word Over the past year, the NJCSA has worked with school members, other CSOs, and the NJ Department of Education to develop charter school quality standards that capture the unique and important role that charters ought to play in public education. Learn about the results of this work and find out how these new standards can inform your efforts as you build your high quality school. | Pressler, Rick, NJ Charter Schools Association | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Advocating for Charter Schools | Advocacy / Policy | 48) National Trends in Charter Policy What does a great charter school law look like and where does NJ stand? What does NJ need to do to have a great charter school law and why is it important? | O'Neill, Paul, Cohen, Schneider & O’Neill, LLP; Grover, Lisa & Hanson, David: National Alliance for Public Charter Schools | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | College Prep | 44) Increasing College Readiness, Access and Success of Urban High School Students through One Charter’s Comprehensive Counseling Model For urban high school students to actually achieve academic, career, personal and social goals in college, they need to have continuous and systemic support. This session provides participants with the guidelines and strategies to show how high schools can develop comprehensive counseling program in their schools to improve their high school students’ college access, achievement and retention. | Yavuz, Olcay, Paterson Charter School for Science and Technology | 2012-02-06 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Facilities | 46) Charter School Financing 101 Securing an adequate facility is one of the most significant challenges facing charter schools, and financing is critical in overcoming this obstacle. Learn about different financing options and how to match them to your school’s needs. Find out what lenders look for and how to plan for a successful project. | Merriman, Molly, The Reinvestment Fund; Palazzolo, Joseph V., New Jersey Community Capital | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 2 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Professional Development | 47) The Responsive Classroom Approach: An Overview Responsive Classroom is an approach that creates safe, challenging and joyful classrooms. Participants get an overview of this approach and learn about the principles and practices through interactive strategies presented by Responsive Classroom certified consultants. They will see some specific examples of what Responsive Classroom implementation looks like in classrooms, and hear how a charter school uses this approach schoolwide. | Majewski, Lynn, Northeast Foundation for Children; Leff, Leslie, Wissahickon Charter School | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Special Needs | 61) Strategies / Information / Resources for Educating Students with Psychiatric Disorders Learn strategies and resources for educating children with psychiatric disorders. Presenters discuss symptoms of psychiatric disorders and instruct educators on how to help students who exhibit these symptoms. Find out about NAMI NJ programs, specifically Educating the Educators (professional development workshop for educators) and Every Mind Matters (student mental health program for students). | Baumann, Lorrie, NAMI NJ; Guidette, Mary Jean, Middlesex County Superintendent of Schools (retired) | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Data | 62) Beyond the Test: Measuring Student Achievement in the Nontraditional Classroom Schools are increasingly required to demonstrate measurable student achievement outcomes in order to comply with local, state and federal guidelines. In addition, foundations and grant makers look to quantitative data in their decision making. Schools that utilize project based or service learning approaches within classrooms find measuring achievement a challenge. This interactive session introduces innovative ways that teachers and school leaders can measure student achievement. | Stapleton Carroll, Julie; Nusom, Teah; & Stewart, Kristyn: Foundations, Inc. | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Professional Development | 64) Educational Technology Resources -- The Who, What, When, Where and Why The dozen NJ Educational Technology Training Centers (ETTCs) provide personalized professional development and forefront training to educators, schools, and districts across the state. A panel of directors from six of the twelve geographically dispersed centers will talk about their resources and training capabilities. Learn what they can do for you! | Youhari, Faisal, Southern Regional Institute & ETTC; Parra, Kim, Bergen ETTC; Goldberg, Susan, Mercer ETTC; Kidd, John, Salem ETTC; Weigelt, JoAnn, Camden County ETTC | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Afterschool, STEM | 60) Science, Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) in Informal Settings This hands-on, interactive workshop shows participants that bringing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) into an afterschool program doesn’t have to be scary. Small groups work together to determine possible solutions to a challenge and then, as a team, build their “best” solution. We will then test and discuss the designs. | MacEwan, Mike, NJ School-Age Care Coalition | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Professional Development | 63) Reaching Students to Enhance Independent Thought We 5th grade teachers were able to take a 33% passing rate in NJASK math (4th grade) to 70% passing. By reaching the individual learning styles of multiple students and by communicating our expectations, our students were able to attain such a high success rate. In this session, we discuss multiple ways to reach students on different levels. | Sanchez, Dereth & Wynn, Dawn: Village Charter School | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Legal | 57) Maintaining Compliance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act at Your Charter School This session provides legal guidance regarding compliance with the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act at schools, including: understanding how students qualify as "homeless" under the Act; complying with enrollment and comparable service obligations to students; analyzing recent class action cases and settlements and their impact on policy development at the SEA and LEA levels; highlighting the importance and responsibilities of the designated homeless student liaison; addressing attendance issues; and communicating the interplay of other state and federal laws applicable to the education of homeless students, including IDEA, Section 504 and Section 1983. | Snyder, Nicole, Latsha Davis & McKenna, P.C. | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Governance | 54) The Risks and Rules that Can Sink Charter Schools Before taking any major step, charter schools should know: What are the risks? What could get in the way of doing what we want to do? Are there ways around the roadblocks? What’s the most advantageous way to do it? Are there opportunities we can benefit from? Are there better rules we could push for? This session helps school leaders think through these considerations and take an informed, proactive approach to operations and growth. | O'Neill, Paul; Schneider, Cliff; Fernand, Jaime: Cohen, Schneider & O’Neill, LLP | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Starting a Charter School | Governance | 55) Policy 101 for Charter Schools This session, targeted to trustees and school leaders, describes the importance of an updated policy manual, what should be in the manual and why, how to organize their policy manual for quick and easy access, and the tools available to them to help keep their manual updated. | Schimenti, Louis, New Jersey School Boards Association | 2012-02-06 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement; Operating a Charter School | STEM | 56) School Gardens 101 Want to start a school garden? Discover the logistics of planning, building, and fundraising for one, how to incorporate the garden into the school curriculum and the surrounding community, and the different types of gardens that work for different schools. Leaders from charter schools who have implemented their own gardens will provide examples of the do’s and don’ts they have learned through their garden project. | Bolline, Lauren, Build with Purpose; Jolin Amy, City Green; McCarthy, Anne Marie, Hope Academy Charter School; Sta Iglesia, Ivy & Van Der Horn, Marie: Learning Community Charter School | 2012-03-13 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Increasing Student Achievement | Foreign Language Instruction | 58) Effective Foreign Language Instructional Model Communicative language instruction is the basis of this model. Participants explore ways of designing learning activities that increase students' ability to function in the target language in a meaningful and purposeful communication. | Lipton, Shlomit, Hebrew Charter School Center; Schwartz, Sara, Hatikvah International Academy Charter School | 2012-02-03 |
| Tuesday 3 3:00 - 4:30 pm | Operating a Charter School | Pre-K | 59) Pre-K Program in a Charter School This workshop focuses on the implementation of a high-quality preschool program within a charter school over a 2-year period: “The Planning Process” and “The Implementation Year.” Discussion topics include proposal and granting process, budget, facilities, staffing, curriculum, instruction, and assessment. | Montalbano, Dawn, Marion P. Thomas Charter School | 2012-03-13 |