NASHVILE, Tennessee — More than 5,000 teachers, principals and other K-12 educators from across the nation will gather to focus on boosting the quality of education in America’s schools at the 25th Annual High Schools That Work Staff Development Conference, July 20-23 at the Gaylord Opryland Convention Center. Held by the nonprofit Southern Regional Education Board (SREB), the event features more than 600 workshops on improving the middle grades schools, high schools and technology centers.
SREB Senior Vice President Gene Bottoms, the director and founder of SREB’s nationally acclaimed High Schools That Work (HSTW) school improvement program, will open the conference with the keynote address, "What Happens When Schools Provide the Right Opportunities: Stories of Success," which challenges educators to lead all students to success.
"This remarkable conference draws educators who care about improving their schools and who are looking for strategies to help them reach students in new ways," Bottoms said. "Today’s schools need to prepare virtually every student to graduate and pursue some type of education after high school. While test scores are important, success only comes when students are engaged, challenged and see direct connections between what they learn and their future."
HSTW is a comprehensive school improvement design that has grown rapidly by asserting that students can master rigorous academic and career/technical studies if school leaders and teachers create a school environment that motivates all students to succeed.
More than 1,200 high schools in 30 states and the District of Columbia now participate in HSTW. SREB also provides the highly regarded Making Middle Grades Work and Technology Centers That Work school improvement programs that provide professional development, materials and assistance to additional schools across the country.
To cover the conference, or for more information about the programs or participants at the conference from your state, contact SREB Communications.
To follow the conference highlights live, visit @educationalan or #hstw11 on twitter, or on Facebook under "Improving Education in the South."
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees. For more information, visit www.sreb.org.
