NMSA Conference Blog

NMSA2011 - Taking the Lead

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 16:36:00 GMT

Conference planning for NMSA2011 is well under way. Be sure to add it to your calendar now and plan to attend. Here are some featured topics we have confirmed for this year.

Best Practices – presented by Kristen Wilcox, Author of the new book Best Practices from High Performing Middle Schools.
Classroom Management – presented by Charles Beaman, a 30 year veteran of the classroom.
Common Core State Standards – presented by Terry Holliday, Commissioner of Education for the state of Kentucky and the first to adopt common core state standards.
Cyberbullying – presented by Bill Bond, NASSP Specialist for School Safety.
Equity – presented by Stephanie Wood-Garnett, Associate Director, Center for Educational Leadership at University of Washington.
Dropout Prevention – presented by Robert Balfanz, research scientist at the Center for Social Organization of Schools at Johns Hopkins University and associate director of the Talent Development Middle and High School Project.
Literacy – presented by Jeff Wilhelm, author of Going with the Flow: How to Engage Boys (and Girls) in Their Literacy Learning.
Poverty – presented by Ruby Payne, author of Under-Resourced Learners: 8 Strategies to Boost Student Achievement.
Response to Intervention (RTI) – presented by John McCook, author of Leading and Managing RTI: Five Steps for Building and Maintaining the Framework.
Technology – presented by Mike Muir, author of Technology to Improve Learning: Strategies for Middle Level Leaders.
Urban Issues – presented by LaMarr Darnell Shields, president and co-founder of the Urban Leadership Institute.

I’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available. If you would like to present on a topic relevant to middle level education, you can apply to present a session at http://www.nmsa.orghttp://www.amle.org/annual/cfp.

21st Century Classroom in Baltimore

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:23:00 GMT

NMSA's 21st Century Classroom will again be a conference feature at the annual conference in Baltimore. Smolen, Emr and Ilkovitch, a Baltimore architect firm has agreed to provide the design work for the Classroom this year and they are currently working to get a general contractor on board.

You will see more updates on the Classroom both here on the blog and also on the conference website as things move along.

Great Keynoters, Continued

Mon, 19 Apr 2010 15:34:00 GMT

The Saturday Closing General Session will feature Bill and Cal Ripken together, right here on our stage. The Ripken brothers will be speaking about their relationship with their parents and the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation that the family started in memory of their dad. They will also talk about the work of the foundation and their focus on underserved communities and schools. An added highlight of their keynote will be the awarding of the first annual "Teammate of the Year" Award, which is a collaborative project of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation and National Middle School Association. This award honors an outstanding student whose school is utilizing the "Healthy Choices, Healthy Children" program- a curriculum developed by the Ripken Foundation, with NMSA serving in an advisory capacity.