Conference Spurs Educators To “Think Outside the Bubble”

Educators were encouraged to “think outside the bubble” to improve student learning at the second annual Measured Progress Education Leadership Conference (ELC), held May 13 and 14, 2004, in Danvers, Massachusetts. 

The event focused on four crucial areas—organizational improvement, professional development/teacher effectiveness, formative assessment, and using data—all in the context of helping students to reach new achievement levels. Through a combination of keynote addresses, small-group sessions, and informal interaction, participants gained new insights into ways to address the challenges of today’s high-stakes environment. 

The 125 attendees, who represented school districts throughout New England, had the opportunity to listen to and interact with an impressive roster of experts, including: Kati Haycock of The Education Trust (see related article), Stephanie Hirsch of the National Staff Development Council, Sue Swaim of the National Middle School Association, Jack Grayson of the American Productivity & Quality Center, Kristin Arnold of Edvance, Courtney Glazer of the University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts, and Marilynn Kulieke of the National Study of School Evaluation. 

Grayson, a nationally recognized expert in quality improvement, talked about his organization’s current focus on the APQC Education Initiative. According to Grayson, insights gained from successful quality improvement initiatives in other sectors can be applied with equally solid results to education. At the core of his work is the concept that changed outcomes require changed processes. 

Haycock, a leading child advocate, discussed the realities and challenges of gaps in academic performance between different demographic groups. While many of the statistics she cited were cause for concern, Haycock documented numerous instances of schools and districts that have defied conventional expectations and demonstrated that low-income or minority status do not have to serve as obstacles to high achievement. 

Breakout sessions offered attendees the chance to explore in greater depth a variety of concepts related to improving student performance, including: effectively using data, the power of formative assessment, organizational improvement, and the development of standards-based units. These and other content areas reflect Measured Progress’s growing commitment to becoming directly involved with improving teaching and learning at the district level. 

In fact, Measured Progress conceived of the ELC as a way to serve and communicate with district-level educators. Because of the highly interactive nature of the conference, Measured Progress education professionals gleaned valuable information about the real-time needs of administrators and teachers and will use those insights to develop relevant and valuable professional development tools and services. 

Based on comments from attendees, the information flows both ways. “I was really impressed with the high quality level of every speaker involved in the conference,” said one participant. “Oftentimes at conferences, it is a ‘hit or miss’ thing. Everyone here was effective and well informed.” Another attendee characterized the ELC as “extremely well organized and rejuvenating—it was good to brainstorm among peers.” 

Indeed, the success of the first two years of the ELC is leading Measured Progress staff to explore the possibility of sponsoring similar events in other regions of the nation. “We have made a corporate commitment to extending the successful relationships we have developed with state clients to the district level,” said Measured Progress President Stuart Kahl. “The Education Leadership Conference is one of many vehicles we will be using to foster improved teaching and learning at the district level.”