XQ Institute is thrilled to be part of the 2018 iNACOL Symposium: Driving the Transformation of Learning, one of the country’s largest and most innovative education conferences. We’re looking forward to learning from and connecting with the field’s leaders, researchers, teachers, and advocates; sharing what we’ve learned about effective, equity-focused school reform; and catching up with friends old and new.
Check out the full conference agenda for sessions covering topics that can help you on your journey to rethinking education. We hope you’ll also join us for the sessions featuring XQ schools, our team, and our partners – including the ones below.
Let’s come together at Monday’s Keynote for a conversation on The Evolution of Equity in Rethinking High School featuring XQ’s CEO Russlynn Ali and representatives from the four XQ Super Schools described below.
Washington Leadership Academy
1. At Washington Leadership Academy in Washington, D.C., all students take computer science and get hands-on experience with emerging technology, including virtual and augmented reality. Computer science teacher Jordan Budisantoso will share how the school is changing the life trajectories of girls and students of color.
XQ Super School Washington Leadership Academy from XQ America on Vimeo.
Crosstown High
2. Crosstown High is located in a ground-breaking “vertical village” that houses dozens of businesses, residences, and organizations in a renovated Sears warehouse in Memphis. But its super cool location is just the starting point. Learn what “Diverse by Design” means in practice from principal Chandra Sledge Mathias.
XQ Super School Crosstown High from XQ America on Vimeo.
Brooklyn LAB Middle School
3. Those familiar with the pioneering Brooklyn LAB Middle School will be happy to hear that their new high school is now open! Come and hear from Eric Tucker, who is really starting to see the “all kids college ready” dream he and co-founder Erin Mote drew on a napkin come to life for the scholars at Brooklyn LAB High School.
XQ Super School Brooklyn Lab from XQ America on Vimeo.
Union-Endicott School District
4. Superintendent Sue McLeod from Union-Endicott School District will share how Tiger Ventures is a high school and incubator space in one – and what this means for a town like Endicott that believes rethinking high school can be the spark for community revitalization.
XQ Super School Tiger Ventures from XQ America on Vimeo.
Innovation Corner: Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School
Learn about XQ Super School Brooklyn Laboratory Charter High School in the Schools Showcase session. Located in the heart of the downtown Brooklyn Tech Triangle in New York City, Brooklyn Lab has a mission to prepare students with the academic foundation, digital literacy, and leadership skills to succeed in college and careers as they grow as ethical leaders.
Brooklyn Lab is focused particularly on serving complex learners with diverse learning needs, who may not have found success in other learning environments. To help meet the growing needs of students and staff, in-house learning management and student information system, called Cortex, was created by the school’s nonprofit partner, InnovateEDU. Four years later, Cortex has developed into a platform that is used by over 25,000 students nationally.
- Time and location: 9:30 to 10 a.m. Monday in the Innovation Corner
Design the Next Super School
Learn how to create your own Super School! This session will feature school leaders from two XQ Super Schools. Michael Posthumus, from Grand Rapids Public Museum School; Ginger Spickler, director of strategic partnerships and projects at Crosstown High in Memphis; and Chandra Sledge Mathias, Crosstown principal, will describe the process of planning, designing, and implementing a model to rethink high school. Come ready to roll up your sleeves and dive into a set of free school design materials.
- Time and location: 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday in Room 201A.
Starting an Innovative School: Navigating from Vision to Execution
XQ Super School leaders Chris Terrill, executive director of Crosstown High; Sunny Dawn Summers, school leader of New Harmony High in New Orleans; and Scott Bess, head of school at Purdue Polytechnic in Indianapolis will lead an interactive discussion on best practices, challenges, and lessons learned from building innovative schools. They’ll share how they coalesced their students, teachers, partners, and communities to cultivate innovative ways of teaching and learning.
- Time and location: 11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Monday in Room 101B
Scaling Competency-Based Education: Equity-Focused Strategies for Policy and Practice
This expert panel focuses on opportunities for equity-focused competency-based education. Panelists will look specifically at promising school models, learning processes, student supports, teacher preparation, policy, and technology developments, including the impact of machine learning and blockchain. Panelists will be XQ’s Michelle Cahill, Tom Vander Ark of Getting Smart; David Ruff of Great School Partnerships; and Shatoya Ward of Purdue Polytechnic High. Moderator will be Mary Ryerse.
- Time and location: 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. Monday in Room 209B
We Are the Evidence: Young People on Education Transformation
Tuesday’s lunch keynote will be a student panel facilitated by Jemar Lee, a recent graduate of XQ Super School Iowa BIG, the founder of EdRevision, and a fellow with Education Reimagined. Panelists will share their honest, unfiltered, and first-hand experiences of how transforming education has transformed their lives – shaping who they are, the contributions they are making to their communities and where they see their future leading.
- Time and location: 12:15 to 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Karl Dean Ballroom, Level 4
The Sweet Spot of Scaffolding
Two teachers from XQ Super School Washington Leadership Academy in Washington, D.C., will lead an afternoon session in which they’ll share, discuss, and analyze their experiences on effective scaffolding with students. Sarah Hartzell, English language arts teacher, and Steve Cottington, computer science teacher, will explore how teachers can use scaffolding on longer, interdisciplinary projects, and how to create scaffolds for students to self-select and use on class projects.
- Time and location: Tuesday from 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. in Room 208B
Transforming Your School with Project-Based Learning
Alex Campbell, a teacher at Elizabethton City Schools in Elizabethton, Tenn., and co-founder of the Bartleby program, winner of the XQ Super School Student Voice Award, will discuss how to create a curriculum based on what students do instead of what students memorize, how to create projects that reinforce the focus on interdisciplinary learning and socioemotional intelligence, and how to teach skills that will help students adapt to complex projects seamlessly.
- Time and location: 2:15 to 3:15 p.m. Tuesday in Room 205B
The Five Pillars of Learner-Centered Education
Conte__t: Which is more important — s, n, or x? Explore how to fill in the blank with the help of Iowa BIG high school learners
Olivia Christensen, Jemar Lee, Jack Anderson, and Megan Matson will lead an interactive, collaborative session exploring the five pillars of learner-centered education, and how teachers can better design classroom space.
- Time and location: 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday in Room 104D
How to Communicate Education Transformation
Be an Agent of Narrative Change: A Toolbox for Creating Compelling Communications for Education Transformation
Want to learn about how to communicate education transformation in your school district? Sign up for this pre-conference workshop. The session features our own Director of Storytelling and Engagement, Carri Schneider and members from iNACOL’s incredible Communications Team. This session requires advance registration and will take place from 8-11 a.m. in Room 205C on Sunday.
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