Small Learning Community National Conference 2008
Small Learning Community National Conference
This national conference is NOT affiliated with the USDOE/OESE SLC Program or with the technical assistance provided through its contract with the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory's Recreating Secondary Schools Program. All activities will be underwritten by registration fees and contributions by other participating organizations and businesses.
Small Learning Community National Conference Sponsors
Capture Educational Consulting
The goal of Capture Educational Consulting Services (C.E.C.S.) is to assist schools in implementing small learning community and Career Academy programs by providing collaborative support through staff, training, consultation, coaching, mentoring, and problem solving. As an experienced change leader, this support in non-prescriptive and respects the individual challenges each school/district faces when attempting to reform current practice.
Mike Neubig
599 Bay Drive
Westerville, Ohio 43082
(740) 803.2178
neubigm@hotmail.com
SLC National Conference Partners
The Career Academy Support Network (CASN), begun in 1998, is a center based at the University of California, Berkeley. Housed in the Graduate School of Education, the center focuses on high school reform, and in particular supports the growth and improvement of Small Learning Communities (SLCs) and Career Academies (CAs), which many high schools are using to prepare students for college and careers. CASN has been funded by several foundations, including the Stuart Foundation, the Walter S. Johnson Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Wallace Readers Digest Fund.
Most of CASN’s guides and reports are distributed free, largely through this website (go to the Resources section). In addition, this website offers a National Directory of Academies, organized by state and searchable by career field; a downloadable Forms Bank (Resources section); an online inquiry service (ask_casn@berkeley.edu); and links to the websites of other organizations with an interest in SLCs /CAs.
Charles Dayton, Patricia Clark, Susan Tidyman
Graduate School of Education
University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-1670
(510) 643-5748
charlesdayton@earthlink.net
patricia510@gmail.com
tidyman@pipeline.com
National Academy Foundation (NAF)
The National Academy Foundation (NAF) was created as a partnership between business leaders and educators to address the need to prepare students for professional careers. NAF serves over 50,000 students in 500 Academies in 41 states and the District of Columbia in urban schools through small learning communities. The National Academy Foundation operates four Academies: the Academy of Finance, the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism, the Academy of Information Technology, and the Academy of Engineering. Employees of more than 2,500 corporations are involved with local Academies, securing internships, volunteering in classrooms, acting as mentors, and serving on local Advisory Boards. The NAF curriculum contains essential content based on industry and educational expertise. NAF’s record of success with 90% graduation rates and more than 80% of these graduates going on to college, has garnered the support of corporations and public policy makers, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Christel Kaufman, Western Regional Director
39 Broadway, Suite 1640
New York, NY 10006
(206) 935-0478
christel@naf.org
National Career Academy Coalition (NCAC)
The National Career Academy Coalition began in 1996 when a small group from around the country came together to form a grassroots coalition to support each other in their career academy work. Today, NCAC's mission is to create and support a national network of existing and emerging career academies. With a board comprised of educators, businesspersons, and organizations representing career academies, NCAC serves as an umbrella and organizing group providing a major national conference every November, training on the National Standards of Practice (NSOP) for career academies, a review process for academies, and national networking. NCAC is there to help educators and businesspersons answer: How do we start career academies? How do we guarantee that our academies are of high quality to benefit our students? How do we help students move to college and careers in areas that support local economic and workforce development? NCAC is a membership organization.
Susan Katzman
NCAC Board President
% PHMC
260 South Broad Street, 18th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
(314) 725-8041
susan314@charter.net
Small Schools Workshop
Founded in Chicago in 1991, the Small Schools Workshop has become the premier resource for small schools creation, design, and restructuring. The Workshop provides schools and school districts with an experienced team of school design coaches and teacher professional development experts who can guide the school transformation process from beginning to end.
The Small Schools Workshop has developed its process from a strong research base. Unlike many other organizations in the field, the Workshop won’t provide a prescriptive, prepackaged program. Rather, we start from the unique conditions within and around each school and school district. It’s a process that engages the entire school community, including all stakeholders in the process of shaping and feeling a sense of ownership over the small learning communities they have created.
Susan Klonsky
Small Schools Workshop
Center for Innovative Schools
1608 North Milwaukee Avenue, Ste. 912
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 384-1030
sklons@comcast.net
National Educator Program
The National Educator Program (NEP) is the high school redesign and small learning community support division of Performance Learning Systems. For the last decade, the NEP has facilitated school improvement through leadership, professional development, and research. We address the needs of entire districts and individual educators through leadership training, focusing on raising student achievement, and conducting professional development workshops throughout the United States, as well as sponsoring national and regional conferences on timely topics.
Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES)
The mission of the Bay Area Coalition for Equitable Schools (BayCES) is to dramatically improve educational experiences, outcomes, and life options for students and families who have been historically underserved by their schools and districts. We do this by teaching, coaching, and supporting school, district, and community leaders to create and sustain systems of equitable and high-performing small schools through:
- School-site coaching of principals and teachers
- Professional development focused on educational equity
- Small school design and district redesign
- Technical assistance to new small schools
- Networking services
- Community partnerships
LaShawn Route Chatmon, Executive Director
1720 Broadway, Fourth Fl.
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 208-0160
lashawn@bayces.org