June 16, 2008 – A delegation of Virgin Islands educators will participate from June 22-26, in the 2008 Model School Conference being held in Orlando, Florida. The V.I. Education Department has organized approximately 300 education officials, administrators, teachers, parents, legislators, members of the Board of Education and community partners to attend the national conference.
"The Model Schools Conference is a unique gathering of the nation's most outstanding educational innovators, who have made their life's work a mission to transform education throughout the country. Virgin Islands administrators and teachers will be afforded the unique opportunity to meet, collaborate and network with educators from across the nation who have turned around schools and improved student achievement," said Education Commissioner La Verne Terry. "Our group will also have an opportunity to hear, first hand, the success stories and the challenges faced directly from those involved in instituting school reform."
The conference will feature nationally renowned education reformers such as Dr. Willard R. Daggett, Ed.D., president of the International Center for Leadership in Education. Dr. Paul Nussbaum, clinical neuropsychologist and adjunct associate professor from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Medicine, will also speak as well as many other noted scholars and innovators.
Attendees will hear from experts on a range of topics including: strategies to create a culture of change to drive school improvement, best practices for struggling learners and best resources for instructional improvement. Also, a number of national model schools will make presentations on many subjects such as: rigorous and relevant instruction, building relationships, curriculum alignment, student engagement, and academic success for ESL students and students with disabilities.
"This is a monumental initiative for the department, and we are very excited about the opportunity to take a team from every school in the territory to the conference. The knowledge and training that will be gained from this experience surpasses anything achieved at this time and can be immediately injected into out public school system toward creating the positive change that we all hope for and expect by the community," said Commissioner Terry.
