AEC: Seven strands tie together related presentations
Summer planning booklet and Engage CSBA will help you plan your AEC experience
Published: August 1, 2013
The summer planning booklet for CSBA’s Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in San Diego next December is now in the mail, making this a good time to preview the seven strands of related presentations. Equipped with the booklet, you can begin to plan your AEC experience around the seven strands that tie together related presentations—and if you’re so inclined, you can use Engage CSBA to search for sessions, build a personalized conference schedule, connect with other attendees, visit “virtual” exhibitor trade booths, schedule meetings with exhibitors, and participate in discussions from your smart phone, tablet or laptop. Just log onto aec2013.engage.csba.org for details.
This year’s strands are:
Common Core: School boards across the state will be giving considerable attention during 2013 and beyond to implementing the Common Core State Standards. AEC will feature presentations that demonstrate district excellence and board leadership in Common Core preparation and adoption. Among the topics you’ll hear about are new tests, professional development, curriculum frameworks, accountability, and how to communicate about the new standards and assessments with parents and the community.
Community Partnerships, Engagement and Advocacy: Board members have a responsibility to educate, engage and partner with community members, parents, local government officials and the media in ways that enhance the image of public schools. This year’s conference workshops in this strand will address advocacy, public relations, partnerships, parent engagement, media training and other strategies for bringing attention to public education’s successes.
The Digital Age: Advances in digital technology and communications have created a vast array of issues and opportunities in public education. School leaders need to know how to incorporate 21st century learning environments, including online and distance learning, and how to contend with inequities in access and resource allocation, create policies for social media use in the classroom and in the board room, and use technology for internal communications.
Funding, Finance and Facilities: Conference workshops will cover a range of issues including the state’s new Local Control Funding Formula for schools; accountability; unification; bond, parcel and sales tax initiatives; health care and labor negotiations; avoiding state takeover; facilities financing.
Leadership Through Governance: This strand aims to equip board members with tools and strategies to become effective “agents of change.” Learn more about setting board goals and priorities to promote student achievement, strategic planning and collaboration, characteristics of high-functioning boards, board-superintendent relations, the Brown Act, board ethics and more.
School Safety: Creating a safe and supportive school environment means paying attention to prevention strategies, comprehensive safety plans, programs that build positive school climate, and a host of other factors you’ll learn about in this strand. Each presentation highlights the board’s role in creating safe school environments, which includes setting direction, establishing effective structures and policies, accountability, and community leadership and advocacy.
Student Achievement: Maximizing student achievement is central to the work boards do, so the workshops in this strand encompass a wide range of topics. You’ll hear about model programs that are closing achievement gaps, programs that address the mental, nutritional and physical health, arts and music programs, reform movements, the board’s policy role in curriculum decisions, special education, professional learning communities and dropout prevention, among other topics.