Measured Progress’s Third Annual Education Leadership Conference, “Build Critical Bridges: Improve Student Learning,” was designed to offer attendees an opportunity to learn about and discuss leading-edge approaches to evaluating student learning and using the results to improve instruction and student achievement. This year’s sold-out event attracted more than 200 education leaders from across the United States. Approximately 60 percent of attendees had more than twenty years of experience in education.
Of attendees who completed conference evaluations, more than 69 percent indicated that the sessions presented over the course of the two-day event were of good or excellent quality. “Powerful and relevant information provided,” one attendee commented.
“Your offerings were extensive and of top quality. Each session engaged participants in meaningful topics,” said another.
Keynote addresses by Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, president of Curriculum Designers, Inc.; Dr. Theodore Hershberg, professor of public policy and history and director of the Center for Greater Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania; and Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews were highly rated, with 83 percent, 97 percent, and 68 percent of respondents, respectively, agreeing or strongly agreeing that the addresses were relevant and effective. Attendees commented on the caliber of these “national presenters,” saying that the “speakers were excellent” and that the keynote addresses were “thought provoking and challenging to all educators.”
In addition to the three keynote addresses, the conference offered four rounds of concurrent sessions, many of them presented by Measured Progress staff. The sessions covered such topics as “Exploring the Standards-Based Environment,” “Assessment of and Assessment for Learning,” and “Effective Teacher-Created Assessments.” Attendee comments indicated that these sessions were “interactive,” “on target,” and “dealt with topics that reflect the issues and problems districts face.”
Importantly, attendees appreciated the opportunity the conference provided to interact and exchange ideas and perspectives with colleagues and presenters, with many citing “the opportunity to spend time with a team from my district” and “conversations with peers” as being particularly worthwhile. Attendees also pointed to materials distributed at the conference—especially for sessions they were unable to attend—as being valuable: “great resources!”
