TASB News
For Immediate Release: September 17, 2009
Contacts: Paul Whitton, Jr., TASA, 800.725.8272, Barbara Williams, TASB, 800.580.8272
Additional information posted at tasa.tasb.org .
School Leaders Convene in Houston
(Houston) – More than 6,500 public school trustees, superintendents, and other education leaders will gather October 2–4 at the TASA/TASB Convention in the George R. Brown Convention Center. The joint gathering in Houston for the Texas Association of School Administrators (TASA) and Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) will focus on extensive training opportunities; distinguished speakers; and the latest information on public education issues, trends, and innovative programs. The annual convention is the largest training event of its kind for Texas public school trustees and chief administrators.
New this year in the exhibit hall will be the Digital Learning Pavilion, an interactive look at a 21st century classroom. Attendees will explore a fascinating digital environment that demonstrates ways to maximize a student’s potential of learning anytime and anywhere. In addition, the exhibit hall will include more than 400 vendors sharing products and services to aid school districts.
Friday’s first general session will feature Alan November, an international leader in education technology. In his session, “Digital Learning Farm,” he will push the boundaries of how to improve teaching and learning. His areas of expertise include planning across curriculum, staff development, new school design, community building, and leadership development.
On Saturday, keynote Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa will share his story of arriving in this country as an illegal migrant farm worker with less than $5 in his pocket. He now is an assistant professor of neurosurgery and oncology and director of the Brain Tumor Surgery Program at Johns Hopkins Bayview. He will stress that such a journey is open to others, with hard work, determination, and the influence of mentors.
Debbie Allen, internationally recognized director, choreographer, and author, will be the keynote speaker at Sunday’s third general session. She will share her fulfillment of a lifelong dream by opening her own dance academy, where she offers a comprehensive curriculum for more than 200 boys and girls ages 4–18 in 12 performing arts disciplines. Allen is one of the most respected and versatile talents in the entertainment industry today.
Distinguished lectures will begin Friday with Marc Prensky, who will discuss ways to engage and connect students with learning. CEO of Games2train, Prensky is the leading expert on how today’s students learn. He will stress that students, whom he refers to as “digital natives,” are in need of engaging approaches, more understanding of what motivates them, and 21st century skills.
Two national leaders will be the focus of Saturday’s first distinguished lecture. Mike Resnick and Bruce Hunter will speak on federal education issues facing the United States under a new administration. Resnick, with the National School Boards Association, and Hunter, with the American Association of School Administrators, both are associate executive directors with their respective organizations.
Closing out the distinguished lectures late Saturday will be Robert Scott, commissioner of education, who will share a progress report on the public school system. As head of the Texas Education Agency, Scott oversees the state’s 1,200 school districts and charter schools. A veteran education policy expert, he is responsible for the daily operations of the agency and the implementation and execution of key statewide initiatives.
Other convention highlights will include announcement of the Outstanding School Board at Friday’s first general session and Superintendent of the Year at the second general session on Saturday.