UPDATES

2009 SUMMER CONFERENCE – CALL FOR PROPOSALS
An excellent conference requires some great “best practice” presentations. SREB is looking forward to an excellent Summer Conference this year in Atlanta. Many promising sessions are scheduled and, with your help, they hope to have many more scheduled soon. Nearly 250 presentation proposals have been submitted. You have important stories to tell, and we want Oklahoma represented for its best practices.

The deadline for submitting a proposal to present at the 2009 Summer Conference is April 17, 2009. Proposals can be submitted online at http://www.sreb.org, by fax at (404) 872-1477 or mailed to SREB, 592 Tenth St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30318-5776.

REMINDER: FOLLOW UP SURVEY OF 2008 GRADUATES
It is critical that you provide graduates encouragement to complete the online survey. Remember to provide them with their Assessment ID number and their school's HSTW Site Code so the school will receive the results that SREB can also use in their research. The survey will be available for graduates to complete until May 29. Administration materials can be found at:
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/Assessment/assessindex.asp#Follow-up

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

TRANSITION INSTITUTE – CATCH-UP FOR HIGH SCHOOL SUCCESS
The HSTW Summer Staff Development Conference will offer a pre-conference designed for school teams seeking to help more students be successful at critical transition points. This will offer rising or entering freshmen a chance to quickly “catch-up” and be successful in high school and seniors a last chance to enter college or the world of work more fully prepared.

All institute strands will begin at 9:00 a.m. Monday, July 6 and end at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 8 to permit participants to attend the Opening General Session at 3:00 p.m.


RESOURCES

STIMULUS FUNDS
How will your school spend the Stimulus Funds? Secretary Duncan said, “This is really a chance to avert an educational catastrophe and to save a generation of kids.” The amounts available to Oklahoma school sites can be viewed at:
http://www.leadered.com/stimulusFunding.html
http://www.ed.gov/about/contacts/state/ok.html

It is important to develop a plan that can be strategic in how to invest stimulus funds in programs and goals that will produce sustainable results after the funding ends. Use this opportunity to build sustained programs, such as:
• Long-term distributive leadership teams with appropriate training/development to sustain school improvement efforts (Target SREB Leadership Module Training:
http://www.sreb.org/main/Leadership/Modules/login.asp

• Strategic planning for long-term success through the analysis of effective and efficient use of resources (Effective leadership teams in place to drive and make school improvement decisions such as implementing the HSTW Framework/Model:
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/pubindex.asp

• Using data to make decisions (Compiling and sharing available data such as EOI, ACT, HSTW, attendance, discipline, tardies, etc.:
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/TechAssist/TAindex.asp)

• District-wide professional development for general education, career-technical, and special education teachers (Decision on PD based on data, has an on-going focus that includes follow-up and cascading of information/knowledge:
http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/publications/profdev/00V02_ProfDevGuide.pdf and http://www.sreb.org/programs/hstw/professionalDev/profdevindex.asp

LEADERS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN ACHIEVING GOALS
The Competent Leaders Make the Difference in Achieving School and Student Goals newsletter contains nine stories of school, district and teacher leaders in who are leading changes in school and classroom practices to improve student achievement and engagement in learning. To access this newsletter, click on this link:
http://www.sreb.org/publications/2008/newsletters/08SummerConferenceNewsletter.asp.

Share this newsletter with school staff and ask them to consider the following points for your school:
• Are there any ideas in the newsletter that you would like to see us try in this school?
• Did you discover something another school is doing about which you would like to learn more and about which you would be willing to contact that school and share the information with others?
• Are there exemplary or outstanding leadership we would like to share at the 2009 HSTW Summer Staff Development Conference?