Sapphire Room
Presenters: Jason Mancini, Director of Public Policy at The Center for Charter Schools | Dan Quisenberry, President at Michigan Association of Public School Academies
Intended Audience: Administration | Board | Management

Public policy continues to evolve and shape the educational landscape. Policy experts will lead a discussion on where we are now, including the latest on the School Aid Budget. They will also look ahead to the November elections and discuss how the legislative landscape could change, and what that could mean for education policy in Michigan.

Garnet Room
Presenter: Valerie Ward, School Performance Manager at The Center for Charter Schools
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher

Gaps in learning? Learning loss? These phrases merely scratch the surface of what educators face on a daily basis. Now, more than ever, it seems there is a need to grow students at a rapid rate. But, how can we make this happen without a superhero cape? The answer is differentiation! In this session, participants will walk away with a variety of ready-to-use strategies to differentiate instruction to meet the readiness needs of all learners.

Presentation
Handout

Pearl Room
Presenter: Dr. Brandi Ansley, Associate Professor of Special Education at Central Michigan University
Intended Audience: Administration | Board | Management

All levels and roles of education professionals (EP), from staff to leadership, may participate in this session. The main purpose is to identify ways EPs can realistically manage stress, function at optimal capacity, and support others. The interactive session includes individual and group activities to empower EPs, rather than add to their lengthy agendas.

Presentation
Handout

Sapphire Room
Presenter: Brandon P. Fleming, 2022 Conference Keynote Speaker and Author of MISEDUCATED: A Memoir
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher

Brandon P. Fleming delves into the nuances of equity and experiential learning in this session. He demonstrates and examines equitable teaching practices while equipping teachers with practical tools centered around student engagement, culturally competent teaching, and social-emotional learning.

Garnet Room
Presenter: Dr. Meghan Block, Associate Professor at Central Michigan University
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher
Grade Focus: K-8

Writing instruction can and should serve as an authentic way to support multiple aspects of children’s literacy development. In this session, participants will learn research-supported methods to incorporate grammar, phonics, and vocabulary instruction into their writing mini-lessons.

Presentation

Pearl Room
Presenters: Valerie Ward, School Performance Manager at The Center for Charter Schools | Steve Aho, Principal at Copper Island Academy
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher

Do you feel like you and your students could use a little more joy during the day? Do you wish you could find the time for the fun stuff and still be productive? Well, you can! Learn from a school principal about how his school has accomplished this by following Finland’s model for teaching and learning. Participants will learn about beliefs, routines, structures, and strategies that will deepen relationships and support high expectations for teaching and learning.

Presentation

Emerald Room
Presenter: Megan Nyland, Middle School Math Teacher at Summit Academy North Middle School and 2022 Michigan Charter School Teacher of the Year Finalist
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher

Students crave structure; creating a solid math routine for all students will help them to grow and reach their full potential! In this session, you will explore three components to a middle school math routine that can be easily adapted to all grade levels.

Presentation

Amethyst Room
Presenter: Dr. Hosep Torossian, Principal at A.G.B.U Alex and Marie Manoogian School
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher

Dr. Torossian will walk you through his school’s experiences in implementing a vibrant STEM program. He will present the rationale and the vision driving this initiative and will discuss the various programs introduced over the past decade. The importance and the unanticipated benefits of these initiatives will be discussed, followed up by a summary of future programs.

Coral Room
Host: Carletta Counts, Administrator at West Village Academy
Intended Audience: Administration | Board | Management

Carletta Counts, West Village Academy’s administrator, will host a panel of stakeholders from the school and share how they strategically equipped leaders in their school to close an achievement gap; despite barriers.

Presentation

Sapphire Room
Presenter: Dr. Chanel F. DeGuzman, Owner/Chief Engagement Officer at Global Engagement Consultants
Intended Audience: Administration | Management | Teacher

This session will focus on the five components of Social Emotional Learning and its power for participants to build better relationships, interpersonal skills, and enhance their well-being. Participants will learn to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, and cope with life challenges in both in-school and out-of-school environments.

Garnet Room
Presenter: Dr. Chad H. Waldron, Director at The Literacy Center – Central Michigan University
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher
Grade Focus: K-8

Every year, in every classroom, there are children who need literacy support and interventions. In this session, research-guided literacy interventions for elementary to middle school settings will be examined. Michigan’s Literacy Essentials for K-8 will be linked to examine quality literacy instruction and assessment can be leveraged for successful interventions.

Presentation and Resources

Pearl Room
Presenters: Escuela Avancemos! Academy Staff – Dr. Steven Ovares, Stephanie Yassine, and Lyndsey McClintic
Intended Audience: Administration | Management

This session will provide a comprehensive framework for integrating a data-driven culture across all stakeholders. Participants will leave with proven structures, examples, and artifacts to support the implementation of a data-driven action plan that focuses on data analysis, trend prioritization, garnering feedback, and data monitoring for continuous improvement.

Presentation
Handout

Emerald Room
Presenter: Vanessa Gulley, Director of Operations/Founder at Provision Education Support Solutions
Intended Audience: Administration | Board | Management

A rudder steers a ship, enabling forward movement. To the opposite effect, an anchor stops you making progress impossible. So, it is with board members – each person potentially adding to the board’s work of propelling towards its mission but also risking being the dead weight that gets the team stuck. We will explore the five core areas that promote progress in governance.

Presentation
Handout

Amethyst Room
Presenters: Dr. Shelly Wilfong, Assistant Superintendent at Wawasee Community School Corporation | Dr. Ryan Donlan, Professor at Indiana State University
Intended Audience: Administration | Management

This session introduces Mattering and how it strikes at the heart of what teachers need from other adults in schools. It bears a strong relationship with collective teacher efficacy, organizational health, and other key indicators of school success. The eight key elements of Mattering will be shared, and you will be encouraged to leverage the energy of adults in schools through a focus on Mattering to get the best outcomes for students and school performance.

Presentation

Coral Room
Presenters: Sherry Betcher, Assessment Manager at The Center for Charter Schools | Carletta Counts, Administrator at West Village Academy
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher | Management

We all strive for the same thing: accurate MAP Growth data that we can use to help students. Learn how a CMU partner school creates an exceptional assessment environment where students are empowered to give “purposeful effort.” The presenters will share strategies to ensure all staff members work as a connected team before, during and after the assessment administration. Important changes to the administration requirements and legislative updates will be announced.

Presentation
MCRR Assessment Guide
Assessment Best Practices

General Session Ballroom

Join us for presentations from this year’s award finalists. Cast your vote for your favorite presentation and come back for the closing session to see which school will win the 2022 Innovation and Vision Award.

Sapphire Room
Presenter: Dr. Chanel F. DeGuzman, Owner/Chief Engagement Officer at Global Engagement Consultants
Intended Audience: Administration | Management | Teacher

Through a self-examination of participants’ own biases, including their beliefs, values, attitudes, and perceptions; we explore how their biases have workplace and real-world implications. This will be an interactive session that will deepen awareness and acceptance of one’s own bias, develop strategies to address, interrupt and combat biases, and co-create accountability plans. The session will be a non-threatening, non-judgmental, and safe space.

Garnet Room
Presenter: Kathy Barker, Special Education Consultant at The Center For Charter Schools at CMU
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher

Are the special education practices you use in your school setting your students up for success, or are they focusing on meeting the legal/regulatory compliance requirements? In this interactive session, learn what the top 10 elements of your system are that will increase student achievement, teacher retention, and compliance.

Presentation
Handout

Pearl Room
Presenter: Lisa Bergman, Executive Director at Renaissance Public School Academy
Intended Audience: Administration | Management

As school leaders, we often ignore our well-being and connections to others in our efforts to keep everyone else satisfied. Through roundtable discussions, we will reignite what brings us joy and gives us purpose in service to our school communities. Take this opportunity to remember your “why” and build connections with other leaders. You owe it to yourself and your school.

Emerald Room
Presenter: Adam Holcomb, President at MAST Financial Group
Intended Audience: Administration | Board | Management

This session will provide a general overview of what board members should know and understand about school finance, including the funding model, budget development process, cash flow monitoring, monthly reports they should be receiving, short and long‐term debt, and what they should look for as they provide oversight to ensure resources are spent wisely.

Amethyst Room
Presenter: Lissa Brunan, Owner at Engaging TECHniques
Intended Audience: Administration | Teacher

Is Gmail overload stressing you out? Tired of searching frantically for a file needed for a meeting? Sticky notes taking over your desk with endless to-do lists? It’s time to create a better digital system. By harnessing the collaborative power of Google Tools and integrating organizational game-changers like Tasks & Keep into Gmail and Calendar, you can increase your efficiency while reducing stress and anxiety.

Presentation
Handout

Coral Room
Presenter: Joe Marr, Director of Research & Data Analytics at The Center for Charter Schools
Intended Audience: Administration | Management | Teacher

The pandemic has had a significant impact on student performance. The Center for Charter School’s research, evaluation and data team has been analyzing the data, comparing the results to national trends, and identifying specific areas of optimism and concern. This session explores the trends in both math and reading from CMU’s portfolio of schools.