Mini Tracks
NSBA's mini-tracks supplement our standard programming and focus on critical trends in education. Benefit from the advice of education experts and engage in frank discussions with your peers.
Health and Wellness
Building Community Connections: School-Hospital Partnerships to Address Wellness and Childhood Obesity
School district partnerships with local hospitals are an important but underutilized strategy to improve the health of students, particularly when addressing the childhood obesity epidemic. This session presents the lessons learned from a project conducted jointly between NSBA and the American Hospital Association (AHA) that examined three effective school-hospital partnerships across the country, and offers recommendations on how to develop sound, collaborative health partnerships in your district, including guiding principles and action steps.
Talking Back to Big Tobacco: Youth Advocating for Policy Change
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. At this session you will meet young people who have taken a stand against youth-targeted tobacco industry tactics. The session will provide background on the youth tobacco problem, latest tobacco industry strategies, and how school districts can work with youth to promote a healthy, tobacco-free environment.
Making Schools "Health-Promoting": Culture Change and the Link to Learning
79% of children age 7-12 have a diet that needs improvement. District leaders whose schools have been nationally recognized by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation will discuss how they have made their schools "health-promoting." The session will highlight steps to improve access to healthier foods, increase opportunities for physical activity, and establish staff wellness programs.
Effective Asthma Management Is Possible in Schools: Lessons to Improve Attendance
The state of Kentucky has expanded its asthma outreach in school districts and is supported by a variety of stakeholders who recognize the need for students with asthma to be healthy, in school, and ready to learn every day. In this session, presenters will showcase strategies to successfully document the number of students with asthma and how to provide evidence-based support and information to the entire school community, including students, teachers, administrators, and families.
Advancing Student Achievement and Health through Parent Collaboration: Action for Healthy Kids
Healthy students are better equipped to achieve academic success, and the federal wellness policy mandate reinforces the critical role schools play in shaping students' lifelong health habits. In this session, a board member and child health advocate, themselves parents, will share insights on engaging parents in advancing student health to improve achievement. This peer-to-peer learning experience will provide you with strategies for building and sustaining strong relationships with parents based upon mutual respect and trust.
It's a Balancing Act: Nutrition and the Budget
School districts across the country continue to produce balanced, nutritious meals while food and labor costs skyrocket. Review how the rising cost crisis is affecting school nutrition programs across the country and summarize the progress being made by school nutrition professionals at the local, state, and national level. Explore collaboration between school nutrition professionals and school board members to develop useful strategies to promote healthy school environments while balancing the budget.
Student Achievement: Effects of Nutrition and Wellness on Classroom Performance
Research from many sources and real-world examples illustrate how even the smallest changes in nutrition and wellness activities will impact student achievement today and tomorrow. A registered dietitian and others will discuss trends, best practices, and case studies. As a board member, you will take home ideas and action plans for your district. Presented by: Sodexo School Services
School Foundations
Growing Your Foundation to Meet the Needs of Your School
The Salem-Keizer Education Foundation serves the largest and most poverty-stricken school district in Oregon. Foundation board members chose to grow the organization and, with the hiring of its first staff person in 23 years and a multi-layered approach to development, grew the $50,000 annual budget to $350,000 in three years. Learn how this foundation hit the million dollar investment mark with events, membership programs, grants, and fee for service academic programming.
25 Years of Successes — Lessons from the Field
This workshop will focus on the lessons learned over 25 years and what it takes to make an education foundation enduring and successful. New trends will be highlighted in resource development and community outreach based on the current work of California's 600 local education foundations. The need for successful collaboration with a variety of educational partners will also be featured. Concrete examples and guidelines for establishing effective partnerships in your community will be included.
Creating a Successful Education Foundation
If your school district is considering an education foundation, this workshop will provide information to assist you in moving forward. Topics to be addressed include: Frequently Asked Questions about Education Foundations; Steps to Follow in Creating a Foundation; Selecting Steering Committee/Board Members; a Suggested Timeline; and Purpose and Responsibilities of Key Committees, such as Programs and Allocations, Administration, Development, and Community Relations.
Seven Benchmarks of Highly Performing K-12 Foundations
Examine some of the most successful characteristics of K-12 foundations in the U.S. today. These seven benchmarks originate from the comments and responses foundation leaders gave on the national survey of K-12 foundations conducted by the NSFA in February 2008. Learn which activities foundation personnel and school administrators believe are key to their fundraising and organizational success.
21st Century Learning
Introduction to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Framework: Preparing Students for the 21st Century
In today's global economy, graduating with 21st century skills is invaluable for every student. This panel will include an introduction to the Partnership's Framework for 21st Century Learning, an update on the Partnership's popular online tool "Route 21," and the State Leadership Initiative, as well as an overview of the Partnership's new 21st century skills content maps which illustrate how 21st century skills link to core subjects. You will also learn about an important new report focused on the links between 21st century skills and economic competitiveness, and new federal policies that P21 is recommending for the next presidential administration. Presented by: Ken Kay, Partnership for 21st Century Skills; and Paige Kuni, Intel Corporation
21st Century Skills and Global Awareness
Students in the United States need to be prepared for the global economy but when information is doubling every 24 months and soon will be doubling every 72 hours, getting them ready can be a daunting task. This session will address several important questions: Should schools and districts be doing global benchmarking? What are the best ways to approach fluency in world languages? What are the aspects of global competitiveness that go beyond language fluency? What are states and districts doing today, and what resources are available to you? The session will answer these questions and provide concrete steps that your district should take to advance the global competency of your students. Presented by: Ken Kay, Partnership for 21st Century Skills; and Paige Kuni, Intel Corporation
Leading District Success Stories: What Do 21st Century Skills Look Like in Practice?
How do districts utilize partnerships and advisory groups to advance 21st century skills? What role do school boards and educators play in 21st century skill initiatives? What innovative structures or positions have been created to promote 21st century skills? What are the strategies that have been most helpful in implementing these initiatives? This session will answer these questions and more. You'll learn the best practices of some of the country's leading school districts and how they are providing students with the foundation they need to succeed in an increasingly interconnected society and workplace. Presented by: Ken Kay, Partnership for 21 Century Skills; Mary Kamerzell, Superintendent, Catalina Foothills School District (Tucson, AZ); and Debra Howe, Superintendent, Rochester School Corporation (Rochester, IN)
Science, Math, Technology (SMT) - Oh My! What School Boards Should Know about SMarT Programs
Take a look at an exciting tool developed by NSBA and the American Association for the Advancement of Science designed to help board members focus closely on science, mathematics, and technology education. This valuable resource covers everything from the use of standards to public engagement using the model of NSBA's the Key Work of School Boards. If you are looking for help in making the case to allocate resources to these subject areas, or are overwhelmed by the thought of it all — this session is for you. You'll leave with a better understanding of your role as a leader and find out that it isn't rocket science!
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