Alexandria, VA (01/08/2013)—ASCD’s 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibit Show features new sessions on some of the most important topics in education. Built on the theme, “Learning: Our Story. Our Time. Our Future.,” the Annual Conference and Exhibit Show will be held March 16–18 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill., and will inform, engage, help, and challenge educators from across the globe to better support student success.

ASCD’s 2013 Annual Conference and Exhibit Show will feature more than 400 sessions on topics such as implementing Common Core State Standards, education technology to leadership. Sessions are developed so that educators can return to their schools and districts and quickly implement their learning. Below are session highlights from some of the crucial topics participants will explore at this year’s conference:

Common Core State Standards
Integrating the Common Core Standards into Your Local School Curriculum: Attend this session of noted education experts, including Heidi Hayes Jacobs, to hear how integrating the Common Core State Standards into a school can become an engaging opportunity for upgrading teaching and learning for 21st century learners and for collaborative inquiry for faculty.
Literacy and Mathematics Tools for Implementing the Common Core State Standards: Join ASCD staff member and former English teacher Sherida Britt to learn about mathematics and literacy tools that help teachers facilitate student learning through implementation of the Common Core State Standards. Preview a digital application that supports best instructional practices and innovative professional development around the standards.
Differentiation and the Common Core State Standards: How to Teach Up: Explore uses of differentiation with noted Professor of Education Carol Ann Tomlinson to address varied learner needs in working with the Common Core State Standards, including examples of differentiation used with the standards.

Education Technology
A Common-Sense Approach to Creating Social Media Guidelines: #Edchat cocreator and social media expert Steve Anderson will discuss how to craft social media guidelines that protect yet allow for flexibility.
Blended Learning Spaces: Teaching and Leading in a “Facebook Meets Face-to-Face” Environment: Tiffany Della Vedova, education blogger and educator at The Mandell School, and head of Grandview Prep School Jacqueline Westerfield have used multiple cloud-based technologies to merge social and educational spaces for both teachers and students. In this interactive session, the presenters will share the fears, obstacles, and opportunities in integrating new technologies while maintaining the integrity of learning spaces.
Not Whether But When: Moving Your School Toward Meaningful Technology Integration: Practitioners and Boston College doctoral students Peter Cohen, Anna Nolin, Gina Flanagan, and Henry Turner will discuss considerations for district planning, implementation as linked to instructional design, effective implementation, leadership, professional development, and communication through social networks to build community support and understanding.

Leadership
Building Science Teacher Leaders: Join Carla Shortino of DePaul University and Angela Dumas, Kathi Domio, and Lisa Wissert of Chicago Public Schools as they discuss their work together and how it led them to develop science teacher leaders. The team’s collaboration began with a university coach supporting science teachers and took off from there. Participants will consider ways that this specific journey has larger implications toward developing teacher leadership across a subset of schools.
Leading with Instruction in Mind: As accountability grows across the education landscape, leadership changes have become increasingly necessary. This session, with Memphis City Schools educator Myke Collins, will give insight to the importance and knowledge of instruction and leadership. The demand for a leader who knows instruction, curriculum, motivational tactics, and coaching has become paramount—as this is “Our Time.”
In the Balance: Enhancing Teacher Effectiveness, Leadership, and Evaluation: ASCD author and consultant Harvey Silver and his colleague Tom Dewing of Silver Strong & Associates will explore a well-balanced model for observing, evaluating, and enhancing teacher effectiveness. In light of teacher effectiveness legislation, school leaders must balance their school’s capacity for instructional leadership with their responsibility for evaluating educators.

The conference’s first general session will feature President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Freeman A. Hrabowski III, who will share his thoughts about educating students in the 21st century. The second general session will feature the celebrated poet, author, and educator Maya Angelou, who will share her unique story during this must-attend session.

Other notable speakers for the conference include Sandra Day O’Connor, founder of iCivics and former Supreme Court Justice; Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch, founder of Educational Achievement Services Inc.; and Tim Shriver, chairman and CEO of the Special Olympics.

We encourage attendees to round out their conference experiences with personal networking. Friday night, March 15, attendees should plan to attend the 2013 Welcome Reception in McCormick Place West from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. central time. On Saturday evening, March 16, the association will host its second annual ASCD Tweet Up, sponsored by Herff Jones Nystrom. Located at the Chicago 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. The official Twitter hashtag of ASCD’s 2013 Annual Conference is #ASCD13.

To preview the event lineup or to register, visit the Annual Conference and Exhibit Show 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 134 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.