Member Meetings>Spring 2010 Member Meeting
Spring Meeting
Engaging the Disengaged and Non-Traditional Learner:
Alternative Pathways to School Success
REGISTER NOW!
Please review the Collaborative's travel and registration policy before registering
MEETING TOPIC:
Our Spring Meeting will be focused on "Engaging the Disengaged and Non-Traditional Learner: Alternative Pathways to Success." For this meeting we will be examining alternatives to traditional offerings in order to engage students who, although still enrolled in school, have disconnected from much of what their schools and/or classes are offering. These students may be disruptive or simply passively disinterested, but they are at high risk of dropping out. Many disruptive students end up in "Alternative Schools" that too often are no more successful in engaging them in learning than the settings they left.
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Ted Price, Assistant Professor in the Department of Educational Leadership Studies at West Virginia University, will be our keynote speaker. Dr. Price has been in the field of education for over forty years, during which time he has authored more than twenty articles, been asked to keynote several conferences, and conducted numerous workshops/seminars throughout the United States in regards to: school leadership, working with at-risk youth, and school reform in education. Dr. Price served in many educational leadership positions including as the Superintendent of Schools in Virginia. Most recently, he held the position of Assistant Superintendent of Education for the Orange County (California) Department of Education, where he was responsible for programs and services for alternative education students: at-risk, delinquent, incarcerated, dropouts, special education, and home-schooled youth and adults. Currently, Dr. Price serves as a consultant to the U.S. Department of Justice and to school districts and county educational agencies across the country. He is also an Advisory Board member to the National Delinquency Task Force for Adjudicated Youth and is a Past-President of the International Correctional Education Association.
For this meeting we are seeking out alternative schools, school and community-based programs, as well as instructional designs that have proven to motivate and engage disinterested students so that they successfully complete school. As always we will be looking at how these programs use inclusive practices to address the needs of students with disabilities. The call for presentations will be going out to Member Districts earlier than usual and we are asking members to contact us directly about successful programs and models that are working and about which other Members should be interested. To download a copy of the submission form please click here and submit to Ron Felton, Associate Director, at rfelton@edc.org.
The formal portion of our meeting will open at 1:30pm on Thursday, April 22nd and will conclude on Saturday morning, the 24th. Optional pre-meeting sessions are being planned for Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning. More detailed information will be available soon.
| Wednesday, April 21, 2010 | |
|---|---|
| 1:30 - 4:30 p.m. | Consultancy Session with Jefferson County Public Schools (optional) |
| Thursday, April 22, 2010 | |
|---|---|
| 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. | "Size-alike" Meetings (optional) |
| 10:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. | Collaborative Partner Focus Groups (optional) |
| 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | Welcome and Keynote Speaker |
| 3:45 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. | Q&A with Keynote Speakers |
| 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Reception - Kentucky Derby Museum |
| Friday, April 23, 2010 | |
|---|---|
| 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Sponsor Expo |
| 7:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. | Continental Breakfast |
| 9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions |
| 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. | Concurrent Sessions |
| 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. | Lunch |
| 1:15 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions |
| 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. | Concurrent Sessions |
| 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Cocktail Hour |
| Saturday, April 24, 2010 | |
|---|---|
| 8:00 a.m. - 9:00 a.m. | Continental Breakfast |
| 9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | General Session |
| 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Wrap-up and Adjournment |
REGISTRATION AND TRAVEL INFORMATION:
Participants must register by April 9, 2010. Upon completion of your registration, you will receive a confirmation email.
How to book your flight: Please review the Collaborative's travel and registration policy before proceeding.Contact Stewart International Travel at 1-800-738-1575 by April 9, 2010 and ask for Pilar to book your flights and arrange for your ticket. For fast and efficient service when calling, please state that you are calling for the Urban Collaborative meeting and have the preferred dates and times of travel ready. Please be sure to take into consideration the pre and post meeting sessions when booking your flight.
HOTEL INFORMATION:
The meeting will be held at the Louisville Marriott Downtown. The room rate per night for a single or double room is $142 (plus 15% taxes). Please be sure to book your hotel room early. We cannot guarantee the hotel's discounted room rate or availability after March 29, 2010.
Louisville Marriott Downtown
280 West Jefferson, Louisville, KY 40202
Phone: 1-502-627-5045
Fax: 1-502-627-5044
To make your reservation via the web: ( You will need a credit card to guarantee your reservation.)
- Go to: The Marriott Louisville Downtown website
- On the right side, under availability, please notice and make sure that group code: "useusea" is entered
- Please be sure to take into consideration the pre and post meeting sessions when booking your room
To make your reservation via telephone: ( You will need a credit card to guarantee your reservation.)
- Call toll free 1-502-627-5045.
- Be sure to mention the “Special Education Collaborative Meeting” room block to receive the reduced room rate of $142 per night.
- Please have dates for your check-in and check-out ready
- Please be sure to take into consideration the pre and post meeting sessions when booking your room
MEMBER REGISTRATION AND TRAVEL POLICY:
Q: How many registrations are included with membership?
A: ALL member districts will receive one free registration to the meeting. Any subsequent registrations will be charged $150 if attendees register before April 9, 2010. After that date, there will be a charge of $250 per registration. Registration fees cover participant materials, breaks, opening reception and Friday luncheon.
Q: What does the Collaborative pay for?
A: As you know, one of the benefits of membership in the Collaborative is paid airfare to our semi-annual meetings. The number of airline tickets paif for by the Collaborative is dependent upon your school district's membership status:
- Small urban school districts with an enrollment of less than 15,000 students = one participant's paid airfare
- Medium urban school districts with an enrollment between 15,000 and 50,000 students = two participants' paid airfare
- Large urban school districts with an enrollment of more then 50,000 students = three participants' paid airfare
Q: Can I chose the flight I want?
A: As you undoubtedly have heard, increased fuel prices have increased fares and most airlines have cut back on the number of flights they intend to operate. With fewer flights, there are fewer of the least expensive seats. Please help the Collaborative stay within budget by making your reservations early. They Collaborative and our designated travel agency will try their best to accomodate your travel preferences. We will seek out the most reasonable airfare at the time of booking, but please be aware this may require you to take a connecting flight. There may be occasions where a specific airline that offers better fares and/or travel times is not available through our designated travel agency. If you are aware of this and wish to book through that airline, contact our office for assistance. Before booking your ticket, please make sure you are committed to attending the meeting. Unused tickets result in lost money for the Collaborative and risk our ability to continue offering airfare as a unique benefit. Cancelled airfares are good for one year and, if possible, should be used for travel to the next meeting. Please note that airfare is not transferable to another person.
Q: Can I send additional representatives from my district?
A: Yes. Member districts are welcome to register extra participants to attend Collaborative meetings. If registration is completed before April 9, 2010, the standard registration fee for each extra participant is $150. After that date, there will be a charge of $250 per registration. Please make checks/PO's payable to Education Development Center, Inc., and send to Sheri Brick, Education Development Center, Inc., 55 Chapel Street, Newton, MA 02458.
Q: What if I live locally and do not need to fly to the meeting?
A: For members that do not require airline travel, the district can substitute their airline cost benefit for extra participant registration fees. As with airline tickets, the number of registratio fees paid for by the Collaborative depends on your membership status:
- Small urban school districts: instead of paying the airfare for one participant, the Collaborative will waive the registration fee for one extra participant for a total of two registrations at no cost.
- Medium urban school districts: instead of paying the airfare for two participants, the Collaborative will waive the registration fee for two extra participants for a total of three registrations at no cost.
- Large urban school districts: instead of paying the airfare for three participants, the Collaborative will waive the registration fee for three extra participants for a total of four registrations at no cost.
Q: What if I need to make changes or cancel?
A: Please email Sheri Brick at sbrick@edc.org by April 12, 2010 if you need to cancel. In terms of airfare, once a ticket has been issued, the ticket holder is responsible for all costs associated with any changes. Change fees may include $150 airline fee, a $40 service fee and the difference in airfare. Again, to avoid these extra fees, and to help the Collaborative, please be sure that you are able to attend the meeting before booking your ticket.
Extra participant registration fees are non-refundable, unless cancellations are made by April 9, 2010. Extra participants who do not cancel before April 29th will still be responsible for their registration fee.
