Alexandria, VA (11/27/12)—Today ASCD announced the pre-conference session lineup for the 2013 ASCD Annual Conference and Exhibit Show, being held at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill. The three-, two-, and one-day Pre-Conference Institutes will be held March 13–15 and offer intensive learning experiences on curriculum, instruction, assessment, and more.

Powered by world-renowned experts and authors, the 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibit Show Pre-Conference Institutes offer a deep dive on topics of interest to educators now. These institutes offer participants an immersive learning experience with sessions on Common Core State Standards implementation, the Understanding by Design® framework, classroom instruction that works, English language learner instruction, and more. Among the institute instructors are ASCD authors Robyn Jackson, Robert Marzano, Jay McTighe, Harvey Silver, Carol Ann Tomlinson, Grant Wiggins and Allison Zmuda. ASCD’s Pre-Conference Institutes are purchased separately from the Annual Conference experience, and early bird rates are available through January 16.

ASCD is also excited to offer local school site visits as part of the Pre-Conference Institutes. The school visits will be conducted in groups of 20 participants or fewer, and a member of the Illinois ASCD chapter familiar with the school will facilitate each site visit. Visits will include a building and facilities tour; observation of classes; and meetings with staff, administration, and students (when possible). A one-hour debrief session will follow. The fee for the visit includes transportation to the site, continental breakfast, lunch, late afternoon snack, and a contribution toward a token of appreciation for the school.

The following schools are hosting site visits:
• Concordia Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC)–River Forest, Ill.: a religious laboratory school that regards the growth and development of children—spiritually, socially, emotionally, intellectually, and physically—as an essential part of the Christian learning environment. The ECEC focuses on the process of learning with a variety of hands-on, challenging play activities that promote children’s emerging decision-making capabilities.
• William F. Gurrie Middle School–LaGrange, Ill.: a middle school that serves 7th and 8th grade students. In addition to basic academic offerings, students at Gurrie are offered a foreign language program where students choose either Spanish or French. An exploratory program includes offerings in art, life skills, applied technology, and music.
• Niles North High School–Skokie, Ill.: a public secondary school that the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts named the best in the nation for district arts programming. Niles North is also home to several special education programs, including the Anchor, Bridges, and Student Assistance in Learning (SAIL) program. The Niles North STEM program has enabled students to excel academically and has received multiple awards and recognition in academics, applied science, and research competitions. The STEM labs rival many labs found at the world’s top colleges and universities.
• LaSalle Language Academy–Chicago, Ill.: a K–8 Chicago Public Magnet School with a concentration on world languages and cultures. Students are offered a choice of four world languages: Chinese, French, Italian, and Spanish. Children study the same language from kindergarten through 8th grade. Education in the world language is as much a part of each child’s day as social studies, mathematics, science, language arts, and specialty subjects.
• The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts)–Chicago, Ill.: a college-preparatory, pre-professional arts training program with the following disciplines: dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts. ChiArts is a Renaissance 2010 Contract School and Chicago’s first public arts high school for students in grades 9–12.
• Highland Park School District–Highland Park, Ill.: a visit to this site enables participants to visit three schools and observe the continuum of language immersion from preK to 8th grade. In North Shore School District 112, 16 percent of students have an Individualized Education Program and 18 percent are English language learners (ELLs). Of particular note are the district’s exciting preK and dual language immersion programs. PreK students are housed in a separate building and in the dual language immersion program children have an opportunity to learn and are instructed in both Spanish and English from preK to 8th grade.

In addition to these inspiring institutes, ASCD’s 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibit Show, which runs March 16–18, will feature more than 400 sessions on topics ranging from teacher effectiveness, to leadership strategies, to implementing the Common Core State Standards. Also, a variety of sessions will focus on effectively integrating the latest technology into instruction. All sessions are developed so that educators can return to their schools and districts and quickly implement their learning.

Headlining the conference’s first general session is Freeman A. Hrabowski III, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. During his session, Hrabowski—who was named by Time magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World”—will offer his unique perspective on educating students in the 21st Century and share with participants strategies and best practices that superintendents, principals, and teachers can use to ensure the success of all students.

The second general session will feature celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, actress, filmmaker, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou. During this must-attend presentation, Angelou will offer a firsthand account of her unique personal journey. Other notable speakers for the conference include Sandra Day O’Connor, former Supreme Court Justice and founder of iCivics; Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, founder of Educational Achievement Services Inc.; and Tim Shriver, chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics. For a full list of speaker highlights, visit the program section of the Annual Conference website.
The 2013 Annual Conference also offers attendees many opportunities to build their personal networks.

On the evening of Friday, March 15, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. central time, attendees can catch up with friends old and new at the Annual Conference and Exhibit Show’s Welcome Reception in McCormick Place West. On Saturday evening, March 16, the association will host its second annual ASCD Tweet Up, sponsored by Herff Jones Nystrom. Located at the Chicago blues staple Buddy Guy’s Legends from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m. central time, this event brings together educators both new to and experienced with social media for professional development in a fun and engaging environment. The official Twitter hashtag of ASCD’s 2013 Annual Conference is #ASCD13.

All attendees who register for Annual Conference at the nonmember rate will receive a free ASCD Basic membership. This membership allows you to extend your learning after the conference is over. An ASCD Basic membership includes subscriptions to Educational Leadership magazine and Education Update newsletter, member discounts, and members-only access to ASCD online resources. Conference attendees also have access to our free Virtual Conference resource, where live-stream and archived sessions will be available for up to six months with conference registration.

GlobalScholar is the lead sponsor for the 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibit Show. Additional sponsors for the conference include Brinkman-Forlini-Williams LLC, The College Board, Corwin, Discover, Eye On Education, ERB, Great American Opportunities and SmartBrief.

For more information on ASCD’s 68th Annual Conference and Exhibit Show or to register, visit the conference website. To learn more about ASCD and the benefits associated with becoming an ASCD member, visit www.ascd.org.

Contact Information
Katie Test, communications specialist, 1-703-575-5608 or by e-mail.
Stephen Wakefield, communications director, 1-703-575-5764 or by e-mail.

ASCD is the global leader in developing and delivering innovative programs, products, and services that empower educators to support the success of each learner. Comprising 140,000 members—superintendents, principals, teachers, professors, and advocates from more than 143 countries—the ASCD community also includes 56 affiliate organizations. The nonprofit’s diverse, nonpartisan membership is its greatest strength, projecting a powerful, unified voice to decision makers around the world. To learn more about how ASCD supports educators as they learn, teach, and lead, visit www.ascd.org.