Summit 2015 is almost here! The NewSchools Summit team is working around the clock to ensure a great experience for you. In anticipation of your visit, we’ve compiled some practical advice for making your way through the day.
REGISTRATION
You’ll need your name tag to get into sessions and social events. Come get yours at the registration area (2nd floor at the top of the escalator) during these times:
May 4: 7:00 pm -10:00 pm
May 5: 6:00 am -10:00 pm
May 6: 5:45 am – 5:30 pm
SUMMIT AGENDA
The Summit agenda is available to the public on the Summit Website. Visit this site to check out the detailed agenda and find out about logistics.
TWEET #NSVFSUMMIT
Follow NewSchools on Twitter @nsvf and use the hashtag #nsvfsummit. Stay up-to-date by following us on Facebook. And check out our blog, where we will be live-blogging on Summit day.
SUMMIT PRE-READ
We have loaded some Summit-related blog posts on the NewSchools website to give you a taste of what’s to come. Here are links to a few:
Summit Presenter Q&A With Tom Chi, Google X Co-Founder
Summit Presenter Q&A with Jaime Casap, Chief Education Evangelist at Google
Summit Presenter Q&A with Michael Petrilli, Fordham Institute
Summit Presenter Q&A with Kriste Dragon, CEO of Citizens of the World Charter Schools
OPENING RECEPTION (5/5/2015)
Marriott lobby
8:00-10:00PM
SUMMIT DAY (5/6/2015)
8:00-9:10AM Opening Plenary: Brene Brown
9:20-10:20AM Hours of Power
10:20-11:30AM Breakout Sessions
12:10-1:10PM Lunchtime Plenary: A Student’s Perspective with Stacey Childress
1:50-3:00PM Breakout Sessions
3:00-4:00PM Hours of Power
4:10-5:30PM Closing Plenary
5:30-7:00PM Closing Reception
Some sessions have limited space—please plan accordingly.
Morning Yoga: For a centering start to your Summit experience, we invite you to join us for a complimentary yoga class at 6am Wednesday morning in Bayside I. All levels are welcome and some mats will be provided.
3rd Annual Summit 5K: The 3rd Annual Summit 5K will leave from the hotel lobby at 6am sharp! This informal, non-competitive event is open to runners of all abilities.
We have designed two hour-long blocks on Wednesday for networking and interactive sessions: 9:20-10:20AM and 3:00-4:00pm. Check the agenda for all the awesome activities that will be happening during those times.
Here are a few that we recommend:
What Works? Designing Effective Research to Drive Innovation
Understanding the practices that lead to better outcomes is critical to the success of innovative schools. This discussion will explore current knowledge on the effectiveness of various efforts and illustrate how to design research that determines “what works” in ways that are clear and actionable for teachers and school leaders.
Expanding our Definition of Student Success
Bold charter school entrepreneurs have proven it’s possible to help all students score well on state tests and college entrance exams. But there’s a growing recognition that this is insufficient for long term student success. Many innovators are beginning to define student success more broadly to include character, social-emotional learning, habits of success and other attributes. What is the current state of the art among school teams and experts? How are these attributes being implemented and measured?
Propelling Student Achievement through Competency Based Progression
Many innovative schools incorporate competency based progression, in which learning goals are clearly defined and students navigate toward those goals and receive credit as soon as they demonstrate mastery. This session will explore implementation challenges and how changes in policy and practice can support competency based progression at scale.
Check out all the breakout sessions on the Summit website.
WHAT TO WEAR, WHAT TO WEAR…
It can be confusing to know what to wear here in the land of casual. Summit attendees cover the range of fashion from Silicon Valley casual to East Coast business attire. Business casual is a safe bet.
SPECIAL THANKS
We are grateful to the sponsors who are making Summit 2015 possible:
Target, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Startup:Education, The Walton Family Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, AT&T, Doris and Donald Fisher Fund, ETS, Pearson, The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, The Pyramid Peak Foundation, Parthenon-EY, USA Funds and OtterBox.