Sponsored by Central Connecticut State University in proud partnership with the Connecticut Education Association

Tuesday, May 30, 2017 Central Connecticut State Univeristy

TEACHER LEADERS AS ENABLERS OF CREATIVITY, COLLABORATION AND INNOVATION IN THEIR CLASSROOMS AND BEYOND

First Annual Teacher Leader Fellowship Program Institute

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PROGRAM

8:00 - 8:30am ��������������Registration & Refreshments – Alumni Hall

8:30 - 8:55am ��������������Welcome & Opening Remarks

• Welcome & Charge – CCSU Dean, School of Education and Professional Studies, Michael P. Alfano

• Purpose of Institute and Preview of the Day – Dr. Betty J. Sternberg, Commissioner Emerita & Director, CCSU Teacher Leader Fellowship Program

• The Importance of Teacher Leaders, the State Perspective – Commissioner of Education Dianna R. Wentzell

• The Importance of Teacher Leaders – CEA Director of Policy, Research and Reform Donald E. Williams, Jr.

8:55 - 9:00am �������������� Introduction to Dr. Yong Zhao – Mary Merkle-Scotland, Teacher Leader Fellow, Madison

9:00 - 9:45am ��������������Dr. Yong Zhao, Supporting Teacher Leaders and Administrators in Emphasizing Creativity, Collaboration and Innovation in Classrooms and Schools

9:45 - 10:00am ������������Q & A – Dr. Yong Zhao

10:00 - 10:10am ����������Move to breakout rooms

10:15 - 11:15am ����������Breakout sessions (see page 2)

11:15 - 11:25am ����������Reconvene in Alumni Hall

11:30am - 12:30pm ����Dr. Tony Wagner, a presentation via Skype on Supporting Creativity, Collaboration and Innovation in Students and in Teachers with reaction by and conversation with Dr. Yong Zhao

12:30 – 12:45pm ���������Break

12:45 - 1:30pm ������������LUNCH – Presentation of Teacher Leader Fellows’ Certificates

1:30 - 1:40pm ��������������Move to breakout rooms

1:45 – 2:45pm ��������������Breakout sessions

2:45 – 2:55pm ��������������Reconvene in Alumni Hall

3:00 - 3:30pm ��������������What Bristol, Cromwell, East Lyme and Plainville teacher leaders and administrators have accomplished during the 2016 – 2017 school year as part of the CCSU Teacher Leader Fellowship Program. Moderator: Dr. Anthony Rigazio-Digilio, Professor, Educational Leadership, Policy & Instructional Technology

3:30 – 3:45pm ��������������Wrap-up/Next Steps – Dr. Betty J. Sternberg

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BREAKOUT SESSIONS

1. Teacher Leaders as Coaches and Mentors Mr� Hal Portner Experienced teachers and teacher leaders pass it forward. Come away from this interactive session with essential coaching and mentoring skills and behaviors. Learn how to lead a coaching conversation, individualize interactions and apply the “Coaching Cycle” with newbies and peers from a veteran teacher, administrator and author of Mentoring New Teachers and Leader of Leaders: The Handbook for Principals on the Cultivation, Support and Impact of Teacher-Leaders.

2. Duke TeachHouse: A Model for Early Career Teacher Leadership, Innovation, and Resiliency

Dr. Jan Riggsbee, Mr. Benton Wise and Ms. Ashley Pollard

Learn how Duke TeachHouse, a first-of-its-kind living and learning community for early career teachers, focuses on teacher leadership, innovation and health/well-being. Meet the Director and learn more about how this university/district partnership supports early career teacher leaders. Hear from two of those teacher leaders, both graduates of Duke’s teacher preparation program and recipients of innovation grants, discuss those grants, their ideas, process and how they are launching their innovation projects in their schools.

3. How a large district organized itself to support teacher leaders; how the high school principal enables its teacher leaders

Ms� Ebone Lockett, Ms� Alicisa Johnson

Learn how Charlotte-Mecklenburg public schools in North Carolina is supporting teacher leaders throughout this district of approximately 145,600 students and 8600 teachers. Hear from one of this district’s teacher leaders—a former teacher in Hartford and a CCSU Master’s in Educational Leadership graduate—the ways in which she has been supported. Hear from her Cato Middle College High School Principal—a veteran educator of 26 years—how she supports teacher leaders at the school. The session will engage participants interactively in conceptualizing innovative ways to encourage and promote teacher leadership and cultivate an inclusive leadership learning model that is safe for educators—especially in large districts —to engage in while adding to their effectiveness in the classroom.

4. Teacher Leadership and Authentic Voice: Leading from the Classroom

Ms� Cheri Burke, Ms� Stacy Begert, Ms� Michele Deeb

Learn from three educators in this small regional district of approximately 2600 students from the towns of Harwinton and Burlington, Connecticut how the district and schools have organized to provide teacher voice and shared decision

making to teachers. Hear from the district’s Director of Student Learning and two teacher leaders—a Teacher Leader Council co-chair high school teacher and a Teacher Leader Council member elementary school teacher—how CT Regional School District #10 implemented a Teacher Leadership Council (TLC) at both the district and school levels. Insights will be shared regarding teacher leadership as a vehicle for effective feedback and dialog between and among teachers, principals and central office administrators to build a coherent vision for effective teaching and learning practices.

5. Empowering Teacher Leadership by Design: Opening Up the Classroom Doors

Dr� Jeremy Visone and Ms� Melissa Corso

Teachers are not empowered in their work by accident. Many learning opportunities are lost in schools because of the structure and schedule of most schools, where teachers are not typically able to see and learn from each other’s work. Explore principles and strategies that underlie teacher empowerment, as well as a specific professional development design through which teachers can observe and learn from each other, with a former Newington elementary school principal and current CCSU Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and a second-grade teacher leader in his former school.

6. Is Teacher Leadership the Panacea for Teaching Quality?

Dr� Yan Liu

Hear cutting-edge research revealing that teachers’ roles in instructional management have a positive effect on teaching quality, while teachers’ involvement in hiring and student affairs negatively impacts teachers’ instructional efficacy in general. Explore this fascinating research with CCSU’s new Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership.

7. Using PLCs as a Vehicle to Cultivate and Support Teacher Leaders

Ms� Sue Renehan

Teacher leadership is an indispensable factor in ensuring that students receive a quality education and that teachers are instrumental in providing the leadership among their colleagues to ensure student learning and performance. Explore how this can be done using PLCs with CREC’s Education Specialist who supports educators in the areas of instruction, assessment, teacher evaluation, and teacher leadership.

8. Establishing a School Culture in Elementary Schools that Enables Teacher Leadership

Ms� Shandra Brown, Ms� Tina Mirto

This presentation focuses on how a veteran elementary school principal at a CREC magnet school has established a professional and collegial culture that supports her staff in

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being teacher leaders. Collaborating with the school’s “theme coach,” these educators work with teachers, students and local museums to implement project-based learning that encourages analytical thinking skills and a new way of teaching that imparts creative life skills.

9. Solving Problems Together: How to Begin a Collaborative Exploration of a Problem of Practice

Ms� Michele O’Neill

In this interactive, participant-driven session, teachers and administrators will work collaboratively to identify a district or school issue or problem of practice. Participants will then have the opportunity with the facilitation of a CEA Educational Issues Specialist to construct a framework for setting short-term and long-term goals, and identify potential roadblocks or resources they need to help achieve their collaborative goal.

10. Rethinking Time: Innovative Scheduling Solutions that Increase Time for Teacher Collaboration

Dr� Kate Field

“We don’t have time for this!” is a common refrain uttered by teachers and administrators in school districts across the country. Common Core, standardized test preparation, a complex educator evaluation process, and ever-changing professional development mandates consume so much time little remains for teachers to engage in meaningful collaboration focused on teaching and learning. This session, led by CEA’s Teacher Development Specialist, will offer practical strategies to help identify creative ways to rethink existing time without shortchanging instruction or infringing on teacher prep periods. When teachers and administrators work together to think differently about time, it creates a shared commitment to democratic decision-making, more innovative instruction, and improved student

11. Conversation with the 33 Teacher Leader Fellows (For Teacher Leader Fellows Only) Dr� Yong Zhao

Dr. Zhao will expand upon the points in his keynote address and conduct an interactive session with the Teacher Leader Fellows to explore further his ideas with them.

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BIOS

BREAKOUT SESSION 1 – MR. HAL PORTNERHal Portner is a former public school teacher and administrator and was a member of the Connecticut State Department

of Education where, among other responsibilities, he served as coordinator of the Connecticut Institute for Teaching and Learning and worked closely with school districts to develop and carry out professional development plans and programs. He also served as a master mentoring evaluator for the University

of Massachusetts and is the developer and facilitator of an online MEd course for Western New England University. Hal trains mentors and coaches nationally and serves as a peer reviewer of U.S. Department of Education Competitive Grant Applications. He is a member of the editorial board of an international peer-review education journal and the author of Mentoring New Teachers, 3rd edition, and co-author of Leader of Leaders: The Handbook for Principals on the Cultivation, Support, and Impact of Teacher-Leaders. Hal may be contacted at hportner@comcast.net.

BREAKOUT SESSION 2 – MR. BENTON WISE, MS. ASHLEY POLLARD AND DR. JAN RIGGSBEE Benton Wise hails from Marion, South Carolina. A Benjamin Newton Duke scholar, he received his Bachelor of Arts from

Duke University in 2013, majoring in public policy with a minor in education. He then decided to take his lessons from service learning and policy classrooms into a career for education. In 2014, Benton earned his Master of Arts in Teaching from Duke University with a concentration in teaching social studies. Upon graduation,

Benton moved back to his home state and taught in Lake City, South Carolina. After completing his first year of teaching, he was invited to join the inaugural cohort of Duke TeachHouse Fellows. Excited about moving back up to the triangle area, Benton took a position at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability as a world history teacher and is currently in his third year of teaching. He believes the teacher in the classroom makes a difference in students’ lives, from encouraging students to seize growth opportunities to challenging each individual to widen his/her perspective. As a teacher who looks to inform policy, Benton trusts that education can bridge more gaps and answer more adaptive challenges our society presents. You may contact Benton at Bentonwise521@gmail.com.

Ashley Pollard is a second-year, second-grade teacher at Pearsontown Magnet Elementary School in Durham, North Carolina. She is also a second-year residential fellow with Duke

TeachHouse. Ashley received her B.A. in public policy studies from Duke University in 2015, with a minor in education and a K-6 North Carolina Educator’s License. As an undergraduate, Ashley became interested in national education policy during a DukeEngage service project in Belize City, Belize. Since then, she has become engaged

in how quality educational systems can support the success and social development of marginalized populations. At Pearsontown, Ashley is a teacher leader for Durham Public Schools’ leadership network, a role that enables collaboration with her school’s administration and dissemination of innovative projects with Pearsontown’s staff. She anticipates her role as a teacher leader will serve her well in the upcoming school year as she launches a Duke TeachHouse innovation project at Pearsontown. You may contact Ashley at aamberp@gmail.com. Jan Riggsbee is an Associate Professor of the Practice in the Duke University Program in Education and serves as Director of Duke TeachHouse. As a senior member of the education faculty, she has held various leadership roles

during her 26 years at Duke, including two terms as director and chair of the Program in Education (2008-2015), director of Duke’s Elementary Teacher Preparation Program (1990-present), and co-developer/co-director of Teacher Learning and Collaboration (TLC), a system-wide teacher leadership initiative funded

by the Office of Duke’s President for mid-career teachers in the Durham Public Schools (2006-2012). Jan is a seasoned educator and has served in a variety of roles and settings in both public and private education, including work in teacher education/preparation, university administration, curriculum development, K-12 schools (teaching and administration), and educational consulting. Her research interests focus on teacher mentoring and professional development, school curricula and reform, school leadership, and community-based learning. She was named a Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellow in 2015-2016 and received the David E. Paletz Award for Innovations in Teaching in 2011 and 2012 and the Trinity College Distinguished Teaching Award/Robert B. Cox Award in 2006-2007.You may contact Jan at jrigg@duke.edu.

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SESSION 3 – MS. EBONÉ LOCKETT AND MS. ALICISA JOHNSONEboné M. Lockett M.S.Ed. received her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in English from

Fairfield University. Never imagining a career in education, she joined the Hartford Teaching Fellows pilot program in 2001 as a way to give back to her community. From that moment, her passion for teaching and leading was lit and has never dimmed. Subsequently, she earned a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership

from Central Connecticut State University. She has taught high school English for over 14 years originally in Hartford, Connecticut and for the past 10 years in Charlotte, North Carolina. A three-time-consecutive recipient of the Charlotte Hornets Teacher Innovation Grant, Charlotte Teacher’s Institute (CTI) fellow, and current CATO Middle College High School Teacher of the Year, Eboné applies her pedagogy and love for literacy and learning to lead in the classroom, at her school and in her community. She can be reached at ebone.lockett@cms.k12.nc.us.

Alicisa Johnson is in her third year as principal at Cato Middle College High School. She has been in education and with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District for 26 years serving in various positions. She has worked as a math teacher, assistant principal for instruction and principal. Alicisa served as the principal of Bradley Middle School for

a year and a half, and then moved to Harding University High School as principal for 8 years. Alicisa and a dedicated staff of teachers moved Harding from one of the lowest performing schools in the state of North Carolina to one of the top 18 high schools in the state after four years. Alicisa graduated from the University of South Carolin, Columbia with a B.S. in Mathematics. She earned a Masters in Educational Leadership from Winthrop University and has completed all doctoral coursework in curriculum & instruction from the University of South Carolina. In her spare time, Alicisa enjoys spending time with her family. She can be reached at alicisa.johnson@cms.k12.nc.us. SESSION 4 – MS. CHERI BURKE, MS. STACY BEGERT AND MS. MICHELE DEEBCheri Burke is currently the Director of Student Learning for Regional School District #10 serving Burlington and

Harwinton, Connecticut. Cheri has been in this role since December 2015; in that time she has made great strides to empower teachers and improve administrator and teacher collaboration and shared decision making for improved teaching and learning K-12. Her focus has been on teacher leadership, vertical curriculum alignment,

integration of technology and mastery-based learning. She has established a district level Teacher Leadership Council and

inspired building level councils as well. Cheri has developed a personalized PD plan for the district and innovative practices have been shared in this manner.

Prior to this central office role, Cheri was the principal of R.D. Seymour Elementary School in East Granby, Connecticut, serving grades three to five. Mrs. Burke has served in a variety of public school roles in both Connecticut and Massachusetts for more than 20 years. She has been a classroom teacher, literacy specialist at elementary and middle school levels, International Baccalaureate coordinator, and administrator. She holds a Bachelors’ degree from Wheelock College in Boston, Massachusetts, a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a Sixth-Year degree from Central Connecticut State University in Educational Leadership. Cheri plans to begin her Doctoral Studies at Central Connecticut State University this summer. Her research interests include teacher leadership, school culture and climate, and administrative leadership styles and approaches.

Cheri lives in East Granby, Connecticut, with her husband and four active children. She loves to read, go for long runs and watch her children play soccer, baseball and ice hockey. Contact Cheri at burkec@region10ct.org.

Stacy Begert is a biology teacher at Lewis Mills High School in Regional School District #10. She has taught at Lewis Mills in Burlington, Connecticut for the past 17 years. Stacy earned

her Bachelor of Science in biology from Fairfield University and her Masters in the art of teaching from Quinnipiac University. Currently, she is working on her 6th year administrative degree at Central Connecticut State University.

After attending the Teach to Lead Summit in February 2016, Stacy’s passion for teacher leadership took off! This past summer, she facilitated a professional development day for Region # 10 district administrators to help support and incorporate teacher leadership in all schools. Stacy also attended the Teacher Leadership Academy at UConn where her focus was on understanding the role of teacher leader, transformational change and PLC improvement. Stacy also presented on teacher leadership at the “Moving from Compliance to Coherence Conference” this past March and is currently a co-chair of the Teacher Leadership Council in her school district.

Stacy lives in Burlington, Connecticut, with her husband and children and enjoys being a busy mom. Her passion for educational leadership, teaching science with passion and helping other succeed is obvious to all that know her. Stacy can be reached at begerts@region10ct.org.

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Michele Deeb has been a resident of Burlington, Connecticut, since 1983. Her academic career in Region # 10 inspired her to pursue an undergraduate degree in Elementary Education at Central Connecticut State University. Upon graduation, Michele began teaching grade 6 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where she spent five, blissful

years. During her fifth year of teaching, Michele took a leave to have her first child. Her second born son followed quickly behind, and Michele found herself balancing the new and challenging job of being a full-time mom and finishing her Master’s degree in Educational Technology at Central Connecticut State University.

Soon after, in 2009, Michele was hired in Regional School District #10 as an elementary teacher. The past 7 years Michele has taught 4th grade at Lake Garda Elementary School. Among other special endeavors, Michele implemented a STEM Club for grades 3 and 4 students. Her passion for teaching and learning is apparent to all of her students, families and colleagues.

This year, Michele accepted a new position as the School-Wide Enrichment Teacher for grades K-4 within the region and is taking on the new challenge with grace and grit! She is creating many unique and enriching opportunities for the students of Region # 10 Schools. Michele is serving her second year on the District Teacher Leadership Council and is part of the teacher leadership movement in Region 10. She actively participates/chairs the following committees: Boys Scouts of America-Troop 23, STEM, Teacher Leadership Council (TLC), School-wide Enrichment Advisory Council (SEAC) and Report Card Committee. Michele resides in Burlington, Connecticut, with her husband and children. She has a deep love for Region # 10 and feels fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful community. Contact Michele at deebma@region10ct.org.

SESSION 5 - DR. JEREMY VISONE AND MS. MELISSA CORSOJeremy Visone is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, & Instructional Technology at Central Connecticut State University. Prior to his work

at CCSU, he was a teacher and building leader in the Newington Public Schools for 16 years. His leadership experience includes both the secondary and elementary levels and most recently (until 2016) he was the proud principal of Anna Reynolds Elementary School, named a National Blue Ribbon School by the United

States Department of Education in 2016. Jeremy’s research interests include structures for educator collaboration, school accountability, and problem-solving skill development for aspiring educational leaders. He can be reached at visone@ccsu.edu.

Melissa Corso has been an educator for the Newington Public Schools for the past 7 years, serving as a classroom teacher in grades 1 and 2. In this role she has hosted several peer observations, known as collegial visits, for her grade level and served on committees including the school-wide data team that is responsible for assessing

district/school data sets, writing school improvement goals, and identifying action steps. She has worked in various districts and for the Capital Region Education Council (CREC) throughout her career, specializing in Special Education. She has served as a cooperating teacher for student teachers and has additional training in the Teacher Education and Mentoring Program (TEAM), focused on promoting the success of young educators. In addition to her experience in the classroom, she received an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences (Speech and Language Pathology) from the University of Connecticut in 2002. In 2009, she received her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport. Her areas of interest are literacy instruction, bridging the gap for students with disabilities, and improving student outcomes in the classroom. It is her belief that through teacher leadership, focused collaboration, and the use of high-yield instructional strategies, student outcomes and teacher effectiveness will improve. Melissa may be contacted at mcorso@npsct.org.

SESSION 6 – DR. YAN LIUYan Liu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership, Policy, & Instructional Technology

at Central Connecticut State University. Her research interests center on practical K-12 educational leadership and its impact on teaching and learning through an international comparative lens. She has a particular interest in delving into the functional aspects of educational leadership as a shared asset by principals, teachers and the community; she also specializes in the

use of data in promoting school improvement. She utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods to investigate how the social context of school, implementation of educational policies and the expertise possessed by personnel within the school interact to influence educational leadership, and ultimately educational outcomes. Her most recent research examined the intersection of educational administrators and non-position holders (teachers) in fulfilling different school leadership responsibilities, and the impact of varied leadership patterns on teachers’ teaching capacity and student learning outcomes by using large-scale international secondary data sets. Her email is yanliu@ccsu.edu.

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SESSION 7 – MS. SUE RENEHANSue Renehan holds an undergraduate degree in economics from the College of the Holy Cross, a Master’s Degree in business administration from Bentley College, and a Sixth-Year Degree in Education from Southern Connecticut State

University. Following an early career in business management, Sue spent close to twenty years teaching mathematics in both urban and suburban districts. In her current position of Education Specialist for the Capital Region Education Council, she supports educators in the areas of math curriculum and instruction, assessment, instructional coaching, teacher evaluation,

and teacher leadership. Sue is passionately committed to building school and district capacity by developing teacher knowledge and skills through job-embedded professional learning. She is currently wrapping up a two-year research project with Learning Forward that explores how districts can quantify the impact of instructional coaching on teacher and student growth. You may contact her at srenehan@crec.org.

SESSION 8 – MS. TINA MIRTO AND MRS. SHANDRA BROWNTina Mirto has a Bachelor of Fine Art in graphic design from Paier College of Art, a graduate degree in art history from

Wesleyan University and a sixth year degree in education with a focus in multiple intelligences from St. Joseph University. She has worked as a graphic designer for several companies in Connecticut and as a museum docent, museum educator and director of education with several Connecticut museums such as The Mattatuck Museum, The Wadsworth Atheneum, The

Florence Griswold Museum and The New Britain Museum of American Art. She is currently a certified art teacher and the museum theme coach at Capitol Region Education Council’s Museum Academy. Tina works with teachers, students and local museums to implement museum studies practices such as visual thinking strategies, and the hands-on curriculum practice of project-based learning to develop and encourage critical and analytical thinking skills. The art of display and presentation is also a focus for Tina and her students as they work together to create and produce school-wide exhibitions. Tina may be reached at tmirto@crec.org

Shandra Brown received her undergraduate degree from Bethune-Cookman College, Florida in Early Childhood

Education and Elementary Special Education. She received her master’s degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in educational technology and holds a Master’s of Science in educational administration from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. Shandra’s educational experience spans over twenty years. Before

becoming a principal she taught special education, general education, and was a curriculum specialist and literacy coach.

Shandra is currently the principal at Museum Academy for Capitol Region Education Council where she is an integral part of the theme implementation as she participates, supports and completely embodies the museum ideology. With her strong vision for a new and creative future for her school, Shandra leads her staff toward a new way of teaching that imparts important and creative life skills on the students who are our future. Shandra may be reached at sbrown@crec.org. SESSION 9 – MS. MICHELE O’NEILLMichele O’Neill is the Connecticut Education Association’s Educational Issues Specialist and serves as state organizer

of the CEA Student Program, which has chapters on six university campuses, as well as members throughout Connecticut. She taught for almost twelve years in the Montville public schools before working for CEA, and in those twelve years, served as her local union’s vice president and president, and represented New London County on the

CEA Board of Directors. Michele earned two separate teaching certifications while completing a double major in English and history/social science at Eastern Connecticut State University, and received her master’s degree in curriculum and instruction at St. Joseph College in West Hartford. In her second year of teaching, she was one of only five teachers in New England to receive the New England League of Middle Schools’ Promising Practitioner Award. She has delivered trainings and presentations for numerous statewide, regional, and national organizations, most notably the Future Educators of America and the National Education Association. Michele may be reached at micheleo@cea.org.

SESSION 10 – DR. KATE FIELDKate Field was a history teacher for 18 years and a school administrator for three before taking a position at the

Connecticut Educational Association in 2015, where she specializes in professional learning, new teacher induction and support, and teacher evaluation. A 2007 finalist for Connecticut Teacher of the Year, she was also recognized as UConn’s 2015 Early College Experience Program (ECE) Educator. A two-time Fulbright Scholar, Kate has

visited schools around the world, including South Africa, Japan, China, Hungary, and Germany. She has presented for numerous national organizations, including: ASCD, Learning Forward, National Council for Social Studies, National Association of Biology Teachers, and the College Board. You may contact her at katef@CEA.org.

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SESSION 11 – DR. YONG ZHAO Dr. Yong Zhao serves as Foundations Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas and was previously the Presidential Chair and Director of the Institute for Global and Online

Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon; he is also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. Dr. Zhao is the author of over 100 articles and 20 books including his most recent, Counting What Counts: Reframing Education Outcomes as well as award winning World

Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students. Yong Zhao speaks around the world on educational issues, particularly on issues related to globalization and education, creativity, global competitiveness, educational reforms, and educational technology. Dr. Zhao is a recipient of the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association. He is an elected fellow of the International Academy for Education.

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Dr. Yong Zhao serves as Foundations Distinguished Professor at the University of Kansas and was previously the Presidential Chair and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education, University of Oregon; he is also a Professor in the Department of Educational Measurement, Policy, and Leadership. Dr. Zhao is the author of over 100 articles and 20 books including his most recent, Counting What Counts: Reframing Education Outcomes as well as award winning World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students. Yong Zhao speaks around the world on educational issues, particularly on issues related to globalization and education, creativity, global competitiveness, educational reforms, and educational technology. Dr. Zhao is a recipient of the Early Career Award from the American Educational Research Association. He is an elected fellow of the International Academy for Education.

Dr. Tony Wagner serves as an Expert in Residence at Harvard University’s new Innovation Lab and as a Senior Research Fellow at the Learning Policy Institute. Previously, Dr. Wagner was the first Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, and the founder and co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education for more than a decade. Dr. Wagner is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and author of numerous articles and six books. Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change The World and The Global Achievement Gap are international best sellers. Dr. Wagner’s latest book is Most Likely To Succeed: Preparing Our Kids for The Innovation Era, co-authored by Ted Dintersmith. Additionally he served as the Strategic Education Advisor for a major new education documentary, “Most Likely to Succeed,” which had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

KEYNOTERS