Dr. Russell Quaglia: Understanding the Dynamics of Student Voice and Aspirations
with Dr. Lisa Lande 
Target Audience: Educators, Educational Leaders and Partners
Date: February 4, 2019
Hours: 8:30 registration 9:00-3:30 light breakfast and lunch included along with book, Quaglia & Corso: Student Voice: The Instrument of Change
This engaging, hands-on, action-oriented session will be led by two of the leading Student Voice experts in the country.
The Aspirations Framework and the Student Voice Model brings coherence to the sometimes disparate efforts of schools to create a healthy teaching and learning environment. Whether we are ready for it or not, students have something to teach us. Educators must stop being fearful of what they don’t know and be willing to listen to, learn from, and lead with our students.
In this full-day session, data will be shared that has been collected by the Quaglia Institute from tens of thousands of students and the implications that data has regarding the role of educators and policy makers, how schools are organized, and how we assess the teaching and learning environment.The fundamental belief that drives this work is that we can and must learn from students if we are to ensure all students are reaching their fullest academic, personal and social potential.
Look for more information about a tandem spring series with Vermont’s Up for Learning team to continue learning and partnering with youth!
About our presenters:
Facilitated by Helen Beattie and Harry Frank
Target Audience: Middle and High School Educators, Educational Leaders, Students for March dates
Dates: February 5, 2019-Educators
March 19, 2019 High School focus – Educator/Student Teams -or-
March 21, 2019 Middle School focus – Educator/Student Teams
Hours: 8:30 registration 9 -3:30 pm (breakfast and lunch included) *March dates end at 2:30 pm
* You will be asked for your choice of MS or HS when you complete the registration form at the bottom of the page. If you are part of a team, please list “Adult #2” in the comment box, “Other things we should know”. Student names are not required at the time of registration.
Your Choice of:
Quaglia & Up for Learning series: $ 650 includes Feb 4 with Russ Quaglia (3 days total: 2/4, 2/5 & either 3/19 HS or 3/21 MS)
UP for Learning Series only:
$ 400 Feb 5 & either March 19 HS or 21 MS per adult participant (2 days) -or-
$ 900/Team of 2 adults/2 students) for Up for Learning Series: Feb 5 and either March 19 HS or 21 MS -students only attend March date -2 days total per adult/1 day for student
NOTE: for Educators who are part of a team registration and want to also go to Quaglia, please register ALSO HERE.
*This series can be linked to Russ Quaglia and Lisa Lande’s session the day before and is a natural progression for teams wanting to continue with opportunities for student/adult partnership – including a session with students. Presenter joint planning will support a seamless transition between sessions.
If you are registering for the Russ Quaglia day only – Go HERE TO REGISTER QUAGLIA
February 5, 2019
Introduction & Overview of Structures and Practices for Implementation
We will explore why it is particularly important at this time in Vermont’s history to build school cultures where we “listen to, learn from and lead with” our students in order to fulfill the promise of personalization and proficiency-based learning. In this highly interactive workshop, participants will learn protocols for amplifying youth voice and youth-adult partnership in learning and decision making, and clarifying the roles and responsibilities of students and teachers in personalizing learning.
March 19, 2019 High school -or- March 21, 2019
Middle School Working Together in High School and Middle School *includes student participants
These workshops will model the process of elevating youth voice and building youth-adult partnership in our schools.
Using developmentally appropriate tools, we will facilitate protocols that promote dialogue and build a shared vision, assess progress, set goals and identify next steps. Participants will engage in activities from UP for Learning initiatives along with strategies from similar initiatives across the country and around the globe.
Teams will end each session understanding the roles and responsibilities of young people and their adult partners in learning and school change.
Note: Participants are encouraged to attend in youth-adult teams. We suggest that teams be made up of youth who represent the diversity of your school community.
“Of course, educators bring a wealth of professional expertise to school redesign efforts: a systems level perspective, a wide array of skills accrued over time and responsiveness to change over time. Less understood is the fact that young people hold a perspective of the learning experience adults cannot fully fathom. They are highly invested in shaping the world that will hold their life story and they possess a deep desire to make a difference now. Young people have the wisdom, creativity, and proven capacity to partner in school remodeling efforts, ensuring its integrity.
For youth, working closely with adults toward shared goals seeds the skills and confidence for lifelong learning and civic engagement. For adults, working closely with youth creates the opportunity to learn from the insights and unique perspectives of youth, often renewing their professional sense of purpose and shifting teaching toward more student-centered practices.”
Beattie, Helen., Rich, Martha. (2018). Youth-Adult Partnership: The Keystone to Transformation
UP for Learning has worked with 60 Vermont high schools and 41 Vermont middle schools over the past 12 years.
About the Facilitators: Helen Beattie is the founder and Executive Director of UP for Learning (Unleashing the Power of Partnership for Learning). Her seemingly eclectic professional and academic life course has woven itself into the creation of UP for Learning. It reflects a life-long passion for elevating the voices of those who feel disempowered and voiceless, either in the health or education realms.
Harry Frank joined the staff at UP for Learning in July. It’s really a homecoming for him as he worked with UP in its early years, and will again focus on Youth and Adults Transforming Schools Together (YATST). He brings extensive experience to his new role, having served as Chairperson of the UP Board of Directors.
Facilitated by: Emily Rinkema and Stan Williams
Date: April 2 & 3, 2019
*includes 2-day institute, meals and the book: The Standards-based Classroom.
Target Audience: Grades 5-12 Classroom Teachers, Special Educators, Administrators, Instructional Coaches, and other Educational Leaders
All schools in Vermont are currently grappling with what it means to be proficiency-based. One of the great things about our state’s approach to this progression is the autonomy our schools have to define learning in the context of their communities while staying true to the central tenets of Standards-Based Learning (SBL). Whether just beginning the transition, or a few years in, schools and teachers are quickly realizing that SBL is much more than how we grade, report about, and graduate our students. While these elements are essential, the true power of SBL comes in transforming what learning looks like in our classrooms and schools.
A transformation in learning requires more than understanding and intent; it also requires practical systems, structures, and strategies that support both teachers and students. In this two-day institute participants will explore the practices related to curriculum, instruction, and assessment that are essential to make learning the goal for every student in a standards-based classroom, and they will leave with systems, structures, and strategies to adapt and implement within their unique school and classroom settings.
Each day will consist of a balance of multiple structures:
- Full Group Time: This will be used in order to establish common knowledge, build group understanding, and reflect on learning in order to plan next steps.
- Breakout Time: This will be used throughout each day in order to let people have choice based on interest, readiness, and goals.
- Team Time: If you came with a team from your school, you will have the option to work collaboratively towards your goals.
Participants will set goals early in the institute that will guide their learning and doing throughout the two days. While all will get an overview of the four components of a standards-based system (Articulate Desired Results, Develop Targeted Assessments, Design Effective Instruction, and Monitor & Communicate Learning), each will have the opportunity to explore one or more areas in depth and with facilitation. Options for exploration will include KUDs, Learning Targets, Learning Scales, Collaboration with Special Educators, Summative Assessments, Formative Assessments and Practice, Direct Instruction, Differentiated Instruction, Grading and Reporting, and Communication with Families and Community.
About our Presenters:
Emily Rinkema is a Proficiency-Based Learning Coordinator in the Champlain Valley School District in Vermont, spending half of her time supporting standards-based instruction and learning at the high school, and half supporting the middle schools……..
Stan Williams has taught and worked in the Champlain Valley School District for over twenty years. Currently, he is a Proficiency-Based Learning Coordinator for the district and spends his time supporting standards-based learning and instruction at the high school and the four district middle schools….