The Wyoming Department of Education has a new director.  His name is Richard Crandall and he is a former Arizona senator who says that leading the WDE is his “dream job.”  Rich has met with Dr. Bohling and the two have forged a plan to move forward together, making both the WDE and AdvancED Wyoming stronger.  Richard Crandall is eager to meet with you and provide a few remarks at the AdvancED Wyoming School Improvement Conference.  Director Crandall has a vision to take Wyoming schools into the future, and he wants to share his views.

AdvancED Wyoming is pleased to have Rich with us at the conference.  Be certain to give him a big Wyoming Welcome! 

School systems in the southwest corner of the state (Uinta #1, Uinta #4, Uinta #6, Lincoln #1, Lincoln #2, Sublette #1, Sublette #9, Sweetwater #1, and Sweetwater #2) should make attending this year’s Fall School Improvement Conference a priority.  These school systems will be hosting their own External Reviews next year. Information that is essential for you to prepare for and host your reviews next fall will be disseminated at the conference.  Don’t miss out!

We also are soliciting volunteers from the southwestern corner of the state to serve on this fall’s External Review Teams.  Doing so will assist greatly in better understanding the entire AdvancED Accreditation Process and preparing for a review.  Contact Brad Jacobson if you are interested in serving on an External Review Team.  It is some of the very best professional development you will ever receive!  

Time to register for the AdvancED Wyoming Fall School Improvement Conference!  We are meeting September 23-24, 2013 in Cheyenne at the beautiful Little America Hotel and Resort. 

Monday morning’s keynote presentation is from Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs, President of Curriculum Designers, Inc.  GEAR UP Wyoming is sponsoring Dr. Jacobs’ presentation and is providing all attendees with Dr. Jacobs’ latest book from ASCD entitled Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World.  Stop by GEAR UP Wyoming’s Information Table and give them a thanks for all they do for Wyoming students and educators. In addition to Dr. Jacobs remarks Monday morning, we have nearly a hundred unique break-out sessions, including special sessions for the Common Core, STEM, Instructional Technology, AdvancED updates and protocol sessions—a must for this year’s and next year’s reviewed school systems and schools, a variety of WDE sessions to keep everyone up-to-date on rules, regulations and all things “WDE,” plus three additional plenary sessions.

Monday afternoon we hear from Dr. James Stone whose presentation is “Teaching Academics Through CTE: An Authentic Way to Learn.” Tuesday morning features Dr. Hans Meeder and his “Connecting Pathways, CTE, and STEM to the Common Core State Standards.” These keynotes are very relevant to the work we do with students every day. Finally, Tuesday mid-day offers insight along with time for “Q & A” from the Professional Judgment Panel with Results on Statewide Accountability.  Panelists include:  Mike Flicek, Paige Fenton-Hughes, Julie Magee and Deb Lindsey.  This information is very important for Wyoming educators to understand the direction Wyoming is taking with the new accountability requirements.

We are once again looking forward to a very successful School Improvement Conference that meets a variety of needs. The conference is jammed packed with expertise and information!  The AdvancED Wyoming School Improvement Conference is once again the “one-stop shop” for all things education in the state!  Mark those calendars! See you in Cheyenne!

AdvancED Wyoming has forged several meaningful partnerships over the years that have resulted in higher quality professional development via the School Improvement Conferences.  We would like to highlight these partners so that they get the credit that they deserve in contributing to quality education in Wyoming.

GEAR UP Wyoming contributes in many ways to the School Improvement Conferences.  They frequently sponsor keynote speakers, purchase the most recent educational books for conference participants and sponsor the Quantum Learning workshops that are conducted simultaneously with the conference.   GEAR UP Wyoming not only helps educators, but also has an exciting student program.  To learn more about GEAR UP Wyoming, check out their website.  

TIE (Technology and Innovation in Education) is another partnership that has been very beneficial to AdvancED Wyoming.  TIE provides experts in the fields of Common Core State Standards and integrating Web 2.0 tools into the classroom.  These experts present a myriad of outstanding break-out sessions that are some of the most highly rated sessions. TIE comes to us from Rapid City, South Dakota. Visit their website to learn more about them and the services they offer.

Last but certainly not least, the Wyoming Department of Education has returned to the AdvancED Wyoming School Improvement Conference.  Look for their sessions for the latest WDE news. 

Have you heard the latest in brain-based instructional methods?  Well, the AdvancED Wyoming Fall SIC has it for you!  For the price of the conference, you can attend Quantum Learning Level 1.  You will be able to attend all of the conference plenary sessions, take advantage of the Exhibitors’ Fair and partake in lunches and snacks as well as learn the most cutting edge techniques in getting students engaged in their learning! The additional Quantum Learning Levels (2-5) will be offered at subsequent AdvancED Wyoming School Improvement Conferences.  If you want to learn more about Quantum Learning and the power it has to transform your classroom, visit the QL website.

To participate in this exciting opportunity, visit our conference website, and select the Quantum Learning Workshop registration type.  It will change the way you teach!