Benefit from Mini-Tracks

Fresh fields of interest get dedicated time and attention.

NSBA's mini-tracks are meant to supplement our standard programming and enhance your 2008 Annual Conference experience. These sessions focus on highly specialized areas and offer ideas and strategies you can take home and put into play in your school district. Get the knowledge you need to raise student achievement!

21st Century Skills

Overview: Introduction to the P21 Framework, Preparing Students for the 21st Century
Mastery of 21st Century skills is a key requirement for all students regardless of their post high school graduation plans-and these skills will have an enormous impact on a student's prospects in today's global economy. Learn how national education and business leaders are working with state leaders through the Partnership for 21st Century Skills to advance 21st century teaching and learning outcomes, and how local school districts successfully implemented the Partnership's Framework for 21st Century Learning, Route 21 (an online resource for school districts), and statewide initiatives to give their students the skills they need in an increasingly interdependent and competitive global marketplace.

Presented by: John Box, Chairman, Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and JA Worldwide; Ken Kay, Partnership for 21st Century Skills; Melissa Bartlett, Center for 21st Century Skills, North Carolina; Bob Hale, Madison (CT) Board of Education

21st Century Skills and Global Awareness
A 2006 study of Fortune 500 companies revealed that knowledge of foreign languages, cultures and global markets will become increasingly important for future graduates entering the U.S. workforce. Yet when 69 percent of 18 to 24-year olds are unable to locate Great Britain on a map and only one in three secondary school students study a foreign language, we know that much more work is needed to better align educational outcomes with the workforce needs of the 21st century global economy. This session will focus on how to use the 21st Century Skills framework to increase global awareness.

Presented by: Karen Cator; Gary Nell, Apple; Kate Berseth, EF; Paul Sandrock, Wisconsin Dept of Education; Vivien Stewart, Asia Society

Out of the Box: Creativity and Innovation in the 21st Century Classroom
Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as the skills that separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the 21st century, and those who are not. This session will focus on how creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration are essential components to the 21st century curriculum to prepare students for their future success in today's workforce and society.

Presented by: Hanne Odegaard, Lego; Karen Cator, Apple; Chris Fadel, Cisco Systems, Inc.; Steve Stone, Davis Publications

21st Century Skills: The Importance of Professional Development
The U.S. K-12 education system is largely based on an outdated model, which still prepares students for one or two jobs, while today's young people will hold an average of 10.2 jobs-just between ages 18 and 38. This session will focus on how important it is to prepare teachers with the skills needed to teach 21st century curriculum. Presenters will share insights on how to embed 21st century themes into professional development and into core curriculum.

Presented by: Ken Kay, Partnership for 21st Century Skills; Barbara Stein, National Education Association; Pam Birtolo, Florida Virtual High School; Melissa Bartlet, Center for 21st Century Skills, North Carolina

Assessing 21st Century Skills
Most K-12 assessments only measure a student's ability to master core subject matter content when today's workforce demands employees with the 21st century skills necessary to compete in today's innovative, knowledge-based global economy. Educators need new assessment models that measure students' mastery of 21st century skills; diagnose where students require intervention; measure the educational system's effectiveness in teaching 21st century skills; and permit students to demonstrate their proficiency in 21st century skills to institutions of higher learning and prospective employers.

Presented by: Ken Kay, Partnership for 21st Century Skills; Stuart Kahl, Measured Progress; Margaret Honey, Wireless Generation; Melissa Bartlett, Center for 21st Century Skills, North Carolina

See Technology Sessions for details on 21st Century Leadership Summit.

Health and Wellness

Engaging Students in Promoting Health: A Creative Opportunity for Schools to Support Student Achievement and Positive Youth Development
Involving students in policy change is an important strategy for increasing young people's connections to school and community and inspiring healthy behaviors, critical thinking, and political awareness. This session, featuring the Seminole County (FL) Tobacco Prevention program and participating students, will describe an after-school project in which students developed an "anti-tobacco commercial."

Presented by: Karen Lewis, Project Associate, NSBA; Jenice Jackson, Tobacco Prevention Specialist, Seminole County Department of Health

From Vision to Impact: School Health Systems Approach Works for Achieving Academic Success
Schools have a critical role in preparing youth for life-long success, which includes helping them to be healthy for a lifetime. School districts have shown that having health promotion priorities and using a systems approach to address them yield academic benefits. They recognize that healthy students learn better. Attendees will learn about the Coordinated School Health Program model and how an urban district with its community partners has made research-based, visionary ideas become promising practice.

Presenters: Brenda Z. Greene, Director, School Health Programs, NSBA; Deb Watson, Vice President, Winter Park Health Foundation, Chair, School Health Advisory Council, Orange County Public Schools; Joie Cadle, Board Member, Orange County Public Schools

Take Action to Keep Your Students with Asthma in School and Ready to Learn
Over 15 million school days each year are missed by students with asthma. Their absences can be significantly reduced and their active participation in school increased when school leaders work together to improve asthma management practices.

Presenters: Kelly Beckwith, Project Specialist, American Association of School Administrators; Brenda Z. Greene, Director, School Health Programs, NSBA

Reducing Educational Disparities: How Addressing Health in a Systemic Way Can Contribute to Reducing the Achievement Gap
Leading educational organizations have identified health strategies that schools can implement, along with providing a challenging core instruction taught by experienced teachers, to increase school success for the most vulnerable of students: providing psychologically and physically safe schools; learning personal and social skills; facilitating collaboration among parents, families, and school staff; and assuring physical, mental, and emotional health needs are met.

Presented by: Diane Allensworth, Associate Director for Education Partnerships, CDC; and Brenda Z. Greene, Director, School Health Programs, NSBA

Healthy Students Learn Better: Implementing Wellness Policies to Optimize Learning
In this session, experienced board members will share key insights on implementing wellness policies to optimize learning. This peer-to-peer learning experience will provide participants with strategies for collaborating with parents and families, and practical solutions to financial and social challenges.

Presented by: Nora Howley, Interim Executive Director, Action for Healthy Kids