Educators from across the state will gather this week to discuss effective ways to improve academic success among historically marginalized student subgroups.
Closing the achievement gap in public schools is the topic of this year’s Summer Leadership Institute hosted by the College of Education at the University of Central Arkansas.The event takes place at 8:30 a.m., June 10 at the Brewer-Hegeman Center on the UCA campus.
The annual Leadership Institute provides high quality speakers and professional development experiences to enhance the leadership capacity of Arkansas schools.
“The Leadership Institute is noted for bringing high quality nationally renowned researchers, educational leaders, and policy-makers to Arkansas,” said Dr. Diana Pounder, UCA College of Education Dean. “Its intent is to provide professional development for Arkansas educators on research-based leadership and school improvement practices to enhance schooling in Arkansas.”
Dr. Joe Murphy, an internationally recognized leader and prolific author in the field of school improvement, will be the keynote speaker. He will discuss strategies on how to close the achievement gap among student subgroups in k-12 schools. Dr. Murphy has devoted his career to studying leadership and school improvement. He is the Frank W. Mayborn Chair of Education and Associate Dean at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University.
Five Arkansas public schools will be recognized by the Office of Education Policy (OEP) at the University of Arkansas- Fayetteville during the event. The schools represented are among those Arkansas schools that have shown extraordinary academic growth. Dr. Gary Ritter, Director of the OEP Office, his UA-Fayetteville colleagues, and educators from these outstanding schools will present information on the academic success of these schools and what they have done to achieve that success. The schools’ accomplishments are a part of the Office of Education Policy’s “Spotlight on Success” report. Also, session presenters will present findings from the Successful Schools Project and discuss ways to close the student achievement gap in the state.
A third session in the Leadership Institute will be conducted by Dr. Kathy O’Neill from the Southern Regional Education Board. She will present SREB’s 13 critical dimensions of successful school leadership and discuss how these leadership dimensions can shape school improvement and student learning.
“Closing the achievement gap among student subgroups may be the biggest need and greatest challenge for k-12 schools today. Historically marginalized populations, such as low socio-economic status students, students of color, and special needs students, deserve the best educational services we can provide,” said Pounder. “Schools cannot be successful today by ‘teaching to the middle’. To achieve effective learning among all student populations, we need to understand and develop strategies and learning environments that engage and promote learning for all children.”
