8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Registration & Breakfast

9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

Summit Welcome & Introductory Remarks

9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Session I:

The State of Latino Education

An educated society is critical for a strong democracy. For the tenth consecutive year, the NALEO Educational Fund brings education researchers and leading policymakers together in the nation’s capital to address the state of Latino education. Although federal policy has attempted to eliminate the opportunity and achievement gaps for students from all backgrounds, research indicates that the educational outcomes for Latino students continues to lag behind those of most major ethnic and racial groups. This session will provide an overview on the most current achievement rates among Latino students and engage policymakers in a discussion on how best to develop and champion effective education policies at the state and local level.

Session Chair: Hon. Justin Rodriguez, Texas State Representative; Board Member, NALEO and NALEO Educational Fund

• Dr. Jorge Chapa, Professor, Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
PRESENTATION

• Mr. Steven Colón, Vice President, Access to Opportunities, College Board
PRESENTATION

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Session II:

Updates on Federal Teacher Quality Initiatives

The U.S. Department of Education supports a wide range of federal programs intended to improve the quality of education that students receive in American public schools. One particular stream of funding intended to support student academic achievement has revolved around the need to attract potential new teachers into high-need subjects as well as high-need public schools. For those teachers who are already in the classroom, other federal programs have been designed to improve teacher training, retention, and teacher compensation. This session will provide policymakers with an update on the various initiatives that the U.S. Department of Education has developed and implemented in the last several years to improve the number of highly qualified teachers across the nation.

• Mr. Joel Packer, Principal, The Raben Group
PRESENTATION

• Mr. James Liou, Teaching Ambassador Fellow, U.S. Department of Education
PRESENTATION

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

Introductory Remarks: Hon. Justin Rodriguez, Texas State Representative; Board Member, NALEO and NALEO Educational Fund

• Ms. Lily Eskelsen García, President, National Education Association
PRESENTATION

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Session III:

Teacher Recruitment and Preparation: Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners

Latino children under 18 years of age are the second-largest group of students in the nation and are the largest segment of the English Language Learner (ELL) student population. With an increase of the ELL population, policymakers and administrators must understand the implications for how best to address the shortage of qualified teachers who are ready and able to teach a student body that requires attention to their language development in addition to content and subject mastery of new college and career readiness standards. Currently, teacher preparation programs are working to recruit a more diverse group of teacher candidates while enhancing their depth of knowledge and range of pedagogical skills that they will need in order to teach ELLs. It is necessary for teachers to receive the appropriate training in their teacher preparation programs to meet their students’ language and learning needs. This session will present an opportunity for policymakers to discuss the role that institutions of higher education play in restructuring teacher preparation programs to support the success of English Language Learner students across the nation.

• Dr. Libia Gil, Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, U.S. Department of Education
PRESENTATION

• Ms. Kate Walsh, President, National Council on Teacher Quality
PRESENTATION

• Dr. Sharon Robinson, President & CEO, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education
PRESENTATION

2:30 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Break

Session IV:

Professional Development: Models that Support Teachers to Improve Student Learning

As states begin to implement new college and career readiness standards and new forms of assessments that are significantly tied to teacher evaluations, it is imperative for school districts around the country to adapt and introduce new models of professional development for educators. Research has shown that ongoing, dedicated time for collaboration and coaching is the most effective way to help teachers improve their craft and bolster student achievement. To make this shift a success, policymakers will play a critical leadership role in supporting innovative approaches to new systems that support continuous teacher learning. This session will provide policymakers with a foundation on professional standards of practice in the areas of curriculum, teaching, assessment, and student supports in order to enhance educator capacity.

• Dr. Stephanie Hirsh, Executive Director, Learning Forward

• Dr. Barnett Berry, CEO & Partner, Center for Teaching Quality
PRESENTATION

6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Opening Reception

Opening Reception Patron
National Education Association

Opening Reception Friend
American Federation of Teachers

8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Registration & Breakfast

9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.

Session V:

Leveling the Playing Field: Allocating Resources in Support of Success for All Students

Today, a student’s ability to learn and academically succeed must be conceived through a lens that focuses on innovative teaching and learning practices, and also incorporates all of the out-of-school factors that affect a student’s ability to excel in school. Policymakers, administrators, and teachers have an opportunity to evaluate and redefine the process used by their state and local districts to allocate federal, state, and local funds, and also to allocate people, time and space as well. For students to display their best academic efforts, policymakers, administrators, and teachers must also address the environmental, emotional, and health factors that affect families and students. In this session, experts will discuss the different policies and models that can be developed to establish positive learning conditions for students and to foster a positive work climate for teachers by allocating high quality resources in more equitable ways.

Chair: Hon. Alex Padilla, California State Senator; NALEO President

• Hon. Daniel J. Cardinali, President, Communities in Schools; Commissioner, White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics
PRESENTATION

10:00 AM – 12:00 p.m.

Session VI:

A Federal Vision of Accountability and Teacher Evaluation

In recent years, the field of K-12 education has seen the merging of two major policy developments. The first has been the evolution of college and career readiness standards. The second has been the need to focus on teacher quality reforms. To help drive these federal initiatives forward, the U.S. Department of Education also introduced various initiatives that proposed to hold states and local school districts accountable for the performance of all students. Two recent initiatives that the federal government has implemented has been the Race to the Top Program and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Program. States that opted to participate in one or both of these federal initiatives agreed to develop and implement new teacher evaluation systems to help identify effective teachers as well as to identify those teachers who would benefit from additional support to improve their instructional practices. This session will examine recent developments in two federal education policy initiatives that have intended to strengthen accountability measures for state and local school districts for the systems that are in place in order to promote effective teacher development and student academic growth.

Chair: Hon. Alex Padilla, California State Senator; NALEO President

• Mr. Scott Sargrad, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Strategic Initiatives, U.S. Department of Education
PRESENTATION

• Ms. Elizabeth Morrison, Assistant Director of Education, Workforce and Income Securities Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office
PRESENTATION

• Ms. Catherine Brown, Vice President, Education Policy, Center for American Progress
PRESENTATION

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

Introductory Remarks: Mr. Arturo Vargas, Executive Director, NALEO Educational Fund

• Ms. Cecilia Muñoz, Director, White House Domestic Policy Council

12:15 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Session VII:

States’ Teacher Evaluation Frameworks

Accountability systems are a major lever utilized by states to communicate the common statewide objectives for public education and to establish benchmarks for districts and schools to work toward. Unique to each state’s process, departments of education have attempted to gain consensus on the professional teaching and leadership standards that will be measured to evaluate individual strengths, areas for improvement, and additional professional development teachers will be provided within a college and career ready environment. This session will provide policymakers with an opportunity to examine a select number of teacher evaluation systems from different states and discuss the success, challenges, and next steps that policymakers can take to implement effective systems in their local states and communities.

• Mr. Michael Toth, Chief Executive Officer, Learning Sciences Marzano Center
PRESENTATION

• Dr. Segun Eubanks, Director of Teacher Quality, National Education Association
PRESENTATION

• Hon. Kathy Christie, Vice President, Knowledge/Information Management & Dissemination, Education Commission of the States
PRESENTATION

2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Session VIII:

Local Implementation and Professional System Capacity

Across the board, schools have begun to encounter a more diverse student body that is composed of low-income students, minority students, students who have learning disabilities, and a growing English Language Learner student population. At the same time, in a significant number of these communities students have also experienced a revolving door of administrators who serve short tenures in their school district and teachers who are often under-supported and are not ensured a meaningful evaluation that help guides them to reflect on their individual professional learning and development. Among the existing school-related factors that contribute to a successful student learning environment, effective leaders are second only to effective educators. This session will highlight robust evaluation systems that consist of multiple, valid, and reliable measures that guide administrators’ and teachers’ individual leadership, assist in determining teachers’ areas of competence, and assist to set clear benchmarks for school wide improvement.

• Dr. Joe Bishop, Executive Director, Opportunity Action;National Coordinator, Coalition for Teaching Quality
PRESENTATION

• Dr. Daniel A. Domenech, Executive Director, American Association of School Administrators

• Dr. Margarita Calderón, Professor Emerita, John Hopkins University
PRESENTATION

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
The St. Regis Washington, D.C.

Celebracion de Excelencia: Program & Reception

Examples of Excelencia is the only national initiative to identify and promote programs and departments at the forefront of advancing educational achievement for Latino students in higher education. Through a comprehensive year-long process, promising practices at the associate, baccalaureate, and graduate levels in institutions of higher education and community-based organizations are recognized at the annual Celebración de Excelencia held in Washington, D.C. and cataloged in the Growing What Works Database.

Additional Resources:
US Department of Education – Office of the Secretary
Future Ready Pledge
NCTQ Standards for Teacher Prep 2014
White House Fact Sheet