Fall Forum 2010, Demanding Education That Matters: Youth Leadership Strand

Register for Fall Forum: http://www.regonline.com/fall_forum_2010 

Advisory Capacity: Examining the Advisory Group System
This session will provide an in-depth study of the Advisory or “Counseling Group” systems within Essential Schools. Students and staff from Steller Secondary School who have had experience with the system will facilitate a group discussion about problem-solving and Advisory group benefits. Participants in the interest group will gain knowledge of the meaning of “Advisory Group,” along with techniques for the success of any similar group within their own schools.
Steller Secondary School | Anna Miller, Kaylin Saur | Interest Group
Friday, Nov. 12, 8:00-9:45am

Student Voice Heard 'Round the World: Sharing Student Government Experiences via Webcast from around the Country
The BenNBen Show LIVE!, a monthly student-run webcast, will share experiences of the student-led government program at Yarmouth High School. By connecting virtually with CES schools across the nation, BenNBen will create a discussion around the goals of student-oriented leadership and how to implement or improve the program at your school. Participants will walk out of this session with a concrete set of goals to take back and revamp or start-up their programs. Check out our site: www.tinyurl.com/bennben.
Yarmouth High School | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 10:15am-12:00pm

The Senior Instructional Leadership Corps: A Pathway for Future Teachers
This workshop presents a highly successful student mentoring program in which high school seniors are trained to work closely with teachers in classrooms across the curriculum. The SILC program emphasizes development of leadership skills and an awareness of effective teaching practices. The workshop facilitates reflection and appreciation of the efficacy of using seniors as vital instructional leaders in a classroom setting. The ultimate goal is to help participants implement a SILC program in their schools.
New Trier High School | Janice Dreis, Larry Rehage | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 10:15am-12:00pm

Whose School is It Anyway?: Empowering Students through Non-Formal Learning
Milken Community High School implements a week of non-formal trips and courses that cultivate students’ love of learning through experiential learning models. This session addresses the key role students played in developing these non-formal learning experiences and how, by empowering students by including them in the creation of their own learning experiences, they brought out their passions, increased their efforts, and ultimately experienced the value of learning on a much higher level.
Milken Community High School | Yechiel Hoffman, Pavel Lieb, Jacob Fishman | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 1:30pm-3:15pm

Ownership in a Small High School
This workshop will illustrate how the Scarsdale Alternative School creates ownership of its rules through the participation of all students and staff in school governance. The facilitators and workshop participants will role play the structures that support self-governance at our school: agenda committee, community meeting, and fairness committee. Together we will model how these structures encourage the consideration of multiple perspectives and how the process builds ownership of the rules. We will allow time for participants to consider how their school could employ similar structures to engage in a more democratic approach to school governance.
Scarsdale Alternative School | Jennifer Maxwell, James Williams | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 1:30pm-3:15pm

Whose School Is It Anyway? Student Leaders at ARISE High School Tell It Like It Is
At ARISE High School, students are a part of all of the big decisions in the school. Students on the hiring committee interview potential teachers and even recommend whether current teachers should be asked to return, students run the school Community Meeting where problems as well as appreciations are shared, and student leaders even plan and run a week-long orientation for the whole school at the beginning of the year. ARISE also has a school-wide leadership team made up of teachers, administrators, parents, and students that makes important decisions about the school in areas that include budget and staffing. At ARISE, adults take students' opinions into consideration and strive to constantly include the students' points of view. In this session, ARISE student leaders will share their experiences and advice for building meaningful student leadership.
ARISE High School | Lorena Borrayo, Anthony Dominguez, Laura Flaxman, Romeo Garcia, Thalia Jauregui, Yessenia Saucedo | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 1:30pm-3:15pm

What Can our Students Tell Us about Education That Matters? Student-Led Classroom Observations for Culturally Relevant Teaching
Built on the Best Practices Club model and supported by SF-CESS, John O’Connell High School has developed its “What Works Club” in which trained students observe teachers teaching and offer positive feedback related to what seems to work for the school’s diverse, urban student body. This workshop will tell the story of how this club came to be and what it takes to get students and teachers talking about what works and what matters.
John O'Connell High School | Gary Cruz | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 1:30pm-3:15pm

Whose Side Are You On? Teaching Controversial Issues in the Social Studies Classroom
Our students are the problem-solvers of the future. Educators need to gain confidence in using contemporary social issues as a means to develop problem solving, empathy, and critical thinking skills in our students--exposure to complex social issues helps them practice finding solutions to the problems they will face in their lives and communities. In this workshop, participants will discuss the challenges, benefits, and methods of teaching about controversial issues.
Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School | Freja Joslin, Matthew King | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 3:45pm-5:30pm

Linked Learning: Pathways to College and Career
What would happen if school districts and the schools they serve shared the goal of having all students graduate high school prepared for college and career? Take a look inside schools and districts that are achieving that goal through California’s Linked Learning Initiative. Learn how the four components of Linked Learning can transform your small school or small learning community into an inclusive environment that offers engaging and equitable learning opportunities for all students.
Los Angeles Small Schools Center | Jeanne Fauci, Talma Shultz | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 3:45pm-5:30pm

Choosing To Participate: Linking the Past to Moral Choices Today
Choosing to Participate focuses on the civic choices people make about themselves and others in their communities, the nation, and the world. Many CES schools use Facing History and Ourselves to help students be well informed in ways that shape their civic attitudes, beliefs, and ethical awareness as informed by their understanding of history. In this workshop, participants will be exposed to concrete Facing History teaching strategies, receive resources, and learn about structures of successful CES schools that help students to understand that choices are important and shape us as responsible global citizens.
Facing History and Ourselves | Jeremy Nesoff | Workshop
Friday, Nov. 12, 3:45pm-5:30pm

Democracy as a Way of Learning: Facilitating Student Choice and Voice
If we think of democratic practice “as a way of learning as well as a way of governing,” everything in school has the potential for modeling and teaching public skills and civic habits. Join us for an interactive exploration of First Amendment rights and responsibilities and the power of choice and voice when students and adults co-create community and co-construct learning.
QED Foundation | Elizabeth Cardine, Lucas Braley | Workshop
Saturday, Nov. 13, 8:00-9:45am

"That's So Gay": How Do We Create a Respectful Community?
Our mission is to create safe communities that embrace differences and practice inclusion and where the expectation is that students look out for one another. We’ll showcase programs developed at the Lehman Alternative Community School and elementary schools in Ithaca that address both prevention and intervention around issues of bullying, relational aggression, harassment, and bias. A key component is student involvement. The session will continue with participants sharing successes and challenges as they develop programs in their schools.
Lehman Alternative Community School | Celia Clement | Interest Group
Saturday, Nov. 13, 8:00-9:45am

Digging Deep: Students Use Shakespeare as a Vehicle for Performance Based Learning and Community Outreach
Can students run their own company? Teachers, let go of the reins and challenge your students to do the work as you coach them through an exciting, relevant project-based learning adventure. Students, find out how to take charge of your own learning and be part of something inspiring while giving back to your community. We use Shakespeare as our vehicle for this work, however the overall model is applicable to any subject. 
Newberg High School | Drea Ferguson | Workshop
Saturday, Nov. 13, 8:00-9:45am

Service-Learning, Youth Empowerment and Sustainable Community Development
Our School at Blair Grocery is an independent community school for at-risk students aged 13-19 in New Orleans Lower 9th Ward that is creating a resource-rich safe space for youth empowerment and sustainable community development. Learn how we are successfully transforming the relationship between school and community. Participants will explore successful strategies for empowering youth through service-learning to engage in reflective practice with others that actualizes meaningful, effective, and replicable local solutions to global challenges. Develop the strategies, tools, and agency to engage your students in learning experiences that provide the opportunity for them to "be the change they want to see in the world."
CES-NOLA / Our School at Blair Grocery | Kyle Meador, Nat Turner | Workshop
Saturday, Nov. 13, 10:15am-12:00pm

From Bystanders to Peacemakers: Empowering Youth to Reduce Bullying and Improve School Climate
Electronic aggression, bullying, and violence adversely affect students’ perceived sense of safety and undermine their school performance. Recent research compiled by the American Educational Research Association and Centers for Disease Control shows strong evidence that school climate is a key factor in reducing risky behavior and increasing academic achievement, attendance, and graduation rates. Learn how to enhance school climate and foster safer, higher-achieving schools by equipping and empowering diverse student leaders with non-violent communication skills to prevent and stop bullying, harassment, and cyber-bullying.
Community Matters | Workshop
Saturday, Nov. 13, 10:15am-12:00pm

Register for Fall Forum: http://www.regonline.com/fall_forum_2010