Tuesday, June 9
Concurrent Sessions
If there’s more than one session you’re interested in per time slot (and there will be!), participate live in one and catch up on the others later. Your registration gives you access to recordings of all sessions for 30 days after the conference!
Registrant Access to Video Showcase
All TASA Virtual SummerCon registrants were sent an email from Vimeo (no-reply@vimeo.com) on Thursday, June 11, that said “Texas Assoc of School Admin shared a Showcase with you on Vimeo.” It included a link to the online showcase of session recordings as well as your personalized password (look for the red text). If you did not receive the email from Vimeo, please first check your spam/trash folders. If it is not there, please ask us to resend it.
10:15-11 am Central
Leveraging the Talents of Aspiring Teachers to Support All Students
Explore innovative ways to support and utilize teacher candidates to provide educational opportunities for PK-12 students during this time of COVID-19. Join Raise Your Hand Texas and Kathy Bieser (executive principal in San Antonio ISD) to discuss partnerships between teacher preparation and local schools, and explore ways to engage aspiring teachers in virtual mentorships/tutoring, small group facilitation, and support of the development of curriculum for the classroom and online learning.
Cody Huie
Vice President of Programs
Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation
Tim Miller
Superintendent in Residence
Raise Your Hand Texas Foundation
Kathy Bieser
Executive Principal
San Antonio ISD
Campus Utilization: Adapting Space to Meet Multiple Needs
Adapting your campus to “social distancing” while supporting instruction and meeting social / emotional needs will require a coordinated effort. How to utilize available space, indoors and out, is one of the many considerations. The session will explore methods to prioritize district and campus-level strategies related to use of physical space and viable options for implementation of those priorities using real-life scenarios.
Mike Vermeeren, AIA, ALEP
Director of Planning
Huckabee
LaShae Baskin, RID
Principal / Director of Austin
Huckabee
TASBO’s School Funding Update
TASBO representatives will discuss coming budget challenges for the 2020-2021 school year and beyond and consider district approaches to meeting those challenges. They will provide participants with the latest information on CARES Act funding as well coming state budget challenges and their potential impact on schools.
Tracy Ginsburg
Executive Director
TASBO
Amanda Brownson
Associate Executive Director
TASBO
Becky Bunte
Deputy Executive Director
TASBO
Stress, Coping, and Resiliency for Educators
Learn about the concepts of stress, coping, and resilience, as well as an evidence-based approach that has been shown to be effective at supporting educators to learn and apply specific practices that lead to improved well-being, resilience, and interactions with others, including students and colleagues.
John Norlin
Co-Founder
CharacterStrong
ARD Guidance and Special Education
This session will highlight resources and guidance that have been provided to LEAs relative to effective ARD processes for students with disabilities. Specific topics to be discussed will include potential additional LEA supports for 2020-21, compensatory services related to at home learning during COVID-19 school closures, emergency contingency planning, evaluation, and IEP development.
Justin Porter
State Director, Special Education
TEA
Kim Brannan
Director of Special Education Technical Assistance
TEA
Leading with Technology in the Time of Corona
Hear from several large and small districts on their preparedness before the pandemic shutdown, what they did to ramp up for remote working and learning during the shutdown, and how they see technology leading the way after the shutdown. Topics to be discussed include: security and infrastructure preparation; addressing at-home internet access; device distribution and collection practices; remote working and learning practices; and staff training.
Alice Owen
Executive Director
Texas K-12 CTO Council
Leslie Garakani
Chief Technology Officer
Midlothian ISD
Bryon Kolbeck
Chief Technology Officer
Lewisville ISD
Karen Fuller
Director of Network, Infrastructure and Communications
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Jennifer Miller
Director, Cybersecurity, Acquisitions, and Performance Excellence
Cypress-Fairbanks ISD
Will COVID-19 be the Impetus to Realize TASA’s ‘A New Vision’?
Has COVID-19 impacted the way we interpret “A New Vision for Public Education”? Expanding on recent research, David J. DeMarkis (Baylor University) joins forces with John Bullion (Region 12) and Christopher Bailey (Abilene ISD) to interview a panel about how they are re-envisioning K-12 education in wake of the COVID-19 crisis. The panel will feature superintendents and thought leaders from across the state. Participants will include Karen Rue and Eric Sheninger.
David J. DeMarkis
Independently Contracted Educational Consultant, Researcher, and Instructional Designer
Karen Rue
TASA Superintendent-in-Residence
Christopher Bailey
Principal
Abilene ISD
Eddie Coulson
Partner
N2 Learning
Eric Sheninger
Speaker & Author
John Bullion
Special Education Liaison
Region 12 ESC
Lane Ledbetter
Superintendent
Midlothian ISD
11:15 am – 12 pm Central
Return to School, Scenario Planning in an Unknown Zone
With so many unknowns ahead, planning different scenarios is required. Join a panel discussion on how location-based data analytics are supporting districts creating multiple “what if” scenarios, along with understanding student needs geographically. Additionally, we will cover ways in which districts are examining student performance analytics to close the digital divide, assess student readiness for next grade and / or college / career and can monitor the progress of students in a virtual, blended or traditional classroom environment.
Adam Cibulka
Senior Manager – 5Lab
Forecast5 Analytics
Abigail Tarango
Director of Special Projects and Strategic Initiatives
Ysleta ISD
CyLynn Braswell
Executive Director of College and Career Readiness & Innovation
Northwest ISD
Building Well: Practices to Optimize Learning Environments
Building Well is an engaging, informative presentation on how educational facilities can be optimized to promote health and wellness. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted deep evaluation of existing standards and creative solutions – in terms of both operations and technology – for the future. Led by a team of K-12 design and maintenance and operations experts, this session will provide innovative strategies for safer, healthier learning environments in preparation for returning to in-person learning this fall.
Mark Madorsky
President
LEAF Engineers
Richard Chi
Co-CEO
PBK
Jeff Johnson
Associate Principal / Senior Designer
PBK
Returning Students: Dealing with Emotional Realities
As a result of COVID-19, returning students and staff will come with more emotional issues. This session will look at some online strategies (kalidoscope video) and some in person strategies to help calm students, name their emotional issues (you cannot change/address what cannot be named), and integrate the current experience into a hopeful future.
Ruby K. Payne
CEO
aha! Process, Inc.
Engaging in a Crisis: Using Social Media and Apps to Foster Engagement
Attendees will explore social media tips, tactics, and apps that can help to build engagement virtually. During the pandemic, several lessons have emerged about how to engage students, staff, and families in new ways. Authentic relationships and collective engagement are critical in every school system and can be difficult to cultivate virtually, but there are strategic tools that can help.
Angela Brown
Executive Director, Communications & Community Engagement
Coppell ISD
Amanda Simpson
Director of Communications
Coppell ISD
Next for Education: Innovating to Adapt During COVID-19
The need to adapt continues. With many districts facing potential budget cuts and an ambiguous view into what the new school year could look like, let’s talk about what’s next. We’ll discuss tips to get ahead of the planning cycle and get the most from your resources including: ways to maximize savings across purchasing categories; tools to manage your purchasing processes; and options to distribute education and protective essential supplies.
Brett Tuson
Head of Education Sales
Amazon Business
Before We Rush Back to Normal
Participants will have an opportunity to reflect and collaborate around eight areas of leading schools through times of crisis. The reality, now more than ever before, is that school leaders have an obligation to create, innovate, and transform teaching and learning as they face the future. Participants will walk away with ideas and questions that should be used before they try to rush back to normal.
Eddie Coulson
Partner
N2 Learning
Roz Keck
Partner
N2 Learning
12:30-1:15 pm Central
Inquiry Based Learning in a Post-Covid Hybrid World
Learn from school leaders in Texas and Arizona how their inquiry-based learning approach eased the transition to distance learning during the pandemic shutdown. The panel will discuss how having a clear organizational framework guided teachers and students through uncharted territory. Attendees will understand techniques to implement prior to school start in the fall.
Taryn Kinney
Principal, Organizational Psychologist
DLR Group
Marilyn Denison
Teaching & Learning Designer
DLR Group
Dennis Runyan
Superintendent
Agua Fria Union School District
Chantel Kastrounis
Campus Principal
Richard J. Lee Elementary School, Coppell ISD
Designing and Leading for Equity and Excellence in the Aftermath of an Accountability Gap Year
Throughout the crisis, educators at every level have reacted with grit and resilience to meet students’ pressing needs. As we shift to a proactive mindset, let’s explore nimble, flexible approaches to leading equitable and excellent schools in 2020-21. The session will reframe our perspective on the crisis, allowing us to take lessons learned and apply them as we consider instructional planning and resource allocation for the next school year.
Terry Faucheux
Associate
Moak, Casey & Associates
Monica Zdrojewski
Associate
Moak, Casey & Associates
Alicia Thomas
Consultant
Moak, Casey & Associates
Let’s Win the Day!
The world, as we knew it, made a 90-degree turn in mid-March. Since then, each and every one of us has been impacted both personally and professionally. While the “rules” are still changing, it’s important to recognize how critical it is, as leaders, to prioritize both our physical and our emotional health. Todd Whitthorne will share timely and actionable strategies to not only manage, but actually flourish, during these times of challenge.
Todd Whitthorne
Chief Inspiration Officer
Naturally Slim
Thought Exchange: Leading Your Community and Building Trust
Research has shown that decisions made by broader, more inclusive and diverse groups have a higher likelihood of better organizational and community outcomes. But how can education leaders do this kind of work both efficiently and equitably, and at a time of uncertainty and isolation? In this session, participants will hear from leaders who have leveraged crowdsourcing to enable their entire community (not just the loudest voices) to take ownership of district culture and direction.
Laura Milne
Account Executive
Thoughtexchange
HR Challenges in Preparing for a New Normal
Join the director of Human Resources Services and a senior HR consultant as they discuss HR challenges arising from the pandemic and how districts can best prepare for the HR challenges associated with our new normal. Topics will include staffing, contracts, leaves, return-to-work planning, and more.
Amy Campbell
Director, HR Services
TASB
Karen Dooley
Senior HR Consultant
TASB
Flexibility in Planning to Open Schools for Fall 2020
So how can you prepare for school reopening in August when there is so much uncertainty? The Sunnyvale ISD Administrative Team will outline their plans for creating flexibility in design to deliver quality instruction to students while addressing student and employee health considerations. The presentation will feature how SISD formulated various teams to seek input from stakeholders. Items and issues for thought will also be shared.
Doug Williams
Superintendent
Sunnyvale ISD
Christi Morgan
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction
Sunnyvale ISD
Kyle Penn
Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations
Sunnyvale ISD