Join in Our Featured Presentations

Urban Viewpoint Session

NASSP in Cooperation with The College Board
Urban High School Reform: The Final Frontier
Anthony Amato
Former Superintendent
New Orleans Public Schools
New Orleans, LA

Saturday, March 18
7:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.

Although several comprehensive approaches to high school reform are being implemented with varying success in urban schools across the country, no one program has all the protocols for success in all schools. In 2003, a radically different approach was created from several reform methods to form the New Orleans High School Reform Program. This presentation will discuss the strategic plan that evolved from this new program, the transformation of 25 high schools into smaller learning communities, the creation of the Signature High Schools as examples of stand-alone small high schools, and the significant improvement in student achievement. This process can be used in any school or district-wide reform effort; the final product will be as unique as the school or district served.

Middle Level General Assembly

NASSP in Cooperation with Lifetouch National School Studios
Equity of Opportunity for All Children
Jason Kamras
2005 National Teacher of the Year
Washington, DC

Saturday, March 18
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The 2005 National Teacher of the Year, Jason Kamras, is committed to ensuring that all U.S. students, regardless of their background, receive an excellent education that provides them with unlimited opportunity to pursue their dreams. To that end, he has served since 1996 as a mathematics teacher at John Philip Sousa Middle School a Washington, DC, public school. Sousa is located in an area of Washington, DC, where fewer economic and educational resources exist than other neighborhoods. Kamras has made a dramatic impact on his students’ academic achievement and personal growth by emphasizing high expectations, a nurturing environment, and a focus that continually takes them beyond their immediate world. He believes eliminating inequity in the resources available to schools, which limits access to a quality education, will ensure true opportunity for all children.

J. Lloyd Trump Lecture

Leading Schools by the Spirit: A Radical Way to Leave No Child Behind
Michael E. Dantley
Interim Associate Dean School of Education and Allied Professions, and Associate Professor Department of Educational Leadership
Miami University
Oxford, OH

Saturday, March 18
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Focusing on his research on the intersection of educational leadership, spirituality, and social justice, Dantley will speak about how the spiritual (not the institutionalized religious) dimension of leaders’ lives can help them reconstruct schools to become effective and successful education sites for all students. He’ll address how leaders who engage critical self reflection, who create new visions for schools, and who implement those transformative visions of schools can turn unproductive schools into places where students achieve academically and become engaged citizens.

Annual Women in Leadership Forum

NASSP in Cooperation with MetLife Resources
Rekindling the Principal Spark
Connie Merritt
Award-winning Author and Coach, Laguna Beach, CA

Saturday, March 18
3:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
(Ticket Required)

Dealing with the daily issues of students, teachers, parents, the press, community members, and business leaders can wear you down. If burnout is creeping in and you feel the need to live more simply, this program will provide you the secrets to rekindle your spark and bring balance to your life. You’ll learn how to identify and reduce your stress and multitask. Plus, you’ll be privy to a three-minute first aid stress session, four methods to reverse the damage of prolonged worry, and five ways to really say “no.” Spend time with this self-professed “recovering superwoman,” and watch your spark jump back to life. (All Convention registrants are welcome to sign-up to attend this session).