| 2005 Summer Institute Program News: The Assemblies 
In addition to many other events, the 600-plus Partnership principals at the 2005 Summer Institute
will have the chance to attend seven stimulating Assemblies, ranging from working with teachers to understanding No Child Left Behind. The Assemblies will be held Wednesday, July 13, and repeated once.
Partnership principals eligible to attend the Summer Institute have received registration materials and are encouraged to complete those as soon as convenient. Information on general session speakers and the Institute site appear elsewhere on the Web site. “We have an exceptional collection of speakers for the Assemblies this year,” said Dr. James Garvin, senior consultant, The Principals’ Partnership. “Some of our speakers have appeared before and received outstanding evaluations; others are new. All, however, are highly sought national speakers, who will talk on subjects our principals have indicated are the most important to them.”
Assemblies include: “Breakthrough High Schools Meet No Child Left Behind Standards.”
This panel with three current high school principals—Charlesetta Deason, Michael E. DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Houston; Mike Kakuska, Roswell High School, New Mexico; and Mel Riddile, J.E.B. Stuart High School, Virginia—will discuss how “breakthrough” high schools meet the challenges of No Child Left Behind while supporting innovations that serve students. The principals are all from the National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Breakthrough High Schools project. Howard Johnston will moderate the panel. “Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform.”
These panelists, three of whom are featured prominently in Breaking Ranks II, will provide an overview of the recently released study, Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform, published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals. They will introduce this publication’s seven cornerstones and 31 recommendations and share successful practices, real-life examples of high schools at various stages of reform, step-by-step approaches to change, obstacles to avoid and resources from which to draw. Panelists include Pamela Fisher, Janice Ollarvia, Mary Stewart, Walter Thompson, and Tim Westerberg. It will be moderated by Rupert Asuncion. “How Brain Research Contributes to the Success of Learning Communities.”
Geoffrey and Renate Caine will describe some general principles emerging out of brain/mind research that explain how people learn and clarify the conditions that help them think and learn together. Geoffrey Caine is executive director, The Caine Learning Institute, and has consulted for more than 20 years. Renate is professor emeritus at California State University, San Bernardino and was an award-winning teacher from the kindergarten to university levels. “What Makes an Effective Leader?”
One of The Partnership’s most popular speakers, Dudley Flood, returns to identify certain traits that professionals desire to see in their leader. Participants will engage in an activity to help them to focus on their particular tendencies and to examine the relationship between these tendencies and effective leadership. Flood worked in the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction for 21 years and is a former teacher and principal.
“Classroom Discipline in the No Child Left Behind Era: Helping Your Staff Establish Respect and Responsibility in Their Classroom.”
Todd Johnson, who has advised educators on discipline issues for more than 20 years throughout the United States, Canada and Asia, will present a disciplinary plan that has realistic consequences for inappropriate behaviors, eliminates student put-downs, deals effectively with students who do not follow the designated rules, while maintaining the dignity of both the students and the staff.
“Confronting Mediocre Teaching.”
Alexander (Andy) Platt, a popular author and presenter and senior consultant for Research for Better Teaching, returns to discuss how school systems have to and can establish accountability structures within their supervision and evaluation processes while defining excellent instruction. He will discuss the institutional forces, beliefs and unpromising practices which if not confronted and changed, ensure in many cases that only the already able students will perform to high standards.
“Why We Choose to Stay: The Power of Principals.”
Salome Thomas-EL, an inner-city Philadelphia principal who earned national acclaim for coaching his middle school students to eight National Chess Championships, will ask principals why they remain as school leaders. “It is not for the accolades, the salary or for more legislation,” he believes. He’ll review the power of principals’ influence as leaders in our schools. He learned early in life growing up in a tough neighborhood that his teachers and principals cared. They motivated him to become an educator, and he is now using those gifts as a principal to reach out to children all over the country and to thank principals for understanding the power of giving. Past News Items:
Summer Institute Program News-3/05 Union Pacific Foundation Recieves Award- 2/05 Summer Institute News- 1/05 Senior Partner News- 9/04 Senior Partner Program Announced- 7/04 2004 Principals' Partnership Summer Institute!- 5/04
Principals' Partnership Lead Team Meets with Texas Education Leaders- 4/04 Union Pacific Recognized by Chicago Principals for Partnership- 3/04 Partnership Consultant Receives
Gruhn-Long-Melton Award- 2/04 Ursula Harrison Named Wyoming High School Principal of the Year- 11/03 2003 Summer Institute A "Home Run!" Summer Leadership Institute in Portland, Oregon July 14-17, 2003 Chicago Principals Focus on Instruction- 10/02 Summer Institute 2002- 7/02 Educational Leaders to Speak at First Summer Institute- 4/02 | 
