Keynote Speakers
2012 Session Tracks
2012 Session Sneak Preview

The deadline to submit your proposal to speak at the 15th Annual Michigan Charter School Conference has now closed. MAPSA and our committee are now in the process of reviewing proposals for this year's event. Email conference@charterschools.org with questions about the 15th Annual Michigan Charter School Conference.

Now Announcing the 2012 Keynote Speakers!

Monday, November 5, 2012
Dr. Adolph Brown

Most can talk it.  Some actually walk it.  Then, there are the few who do both...Master teacher and enthusiastic communicator, Adolph Brown aka "The World's Greatest Edu-tainer" is recognized as one of America's leading authorities on Educational Excellence and Leadership Development and a highly sought after International speaker. Thanks to his hard work, his faith and attitude, and a caring village like you, Adolph has overcome an upbringing of extreme poverty and violence, welfare, fatherlessness, and a single-mother led household to be with you today. His ultimate life desire is to empower individuals, families, and youth to take charge of their lives and create a brighter future for themselves, their community, and their country. Adolph chips away at misconceptions and missteps regarding relationships and communications daily. As a prolific speaker, trainer, & author, Adolph has the amazing ability to combine solid content with a humorous and dynamic presentation.

With multiple degrees from the College of William and Mary in psychology and anthropology, master's degree graduate study in classroom management & differentiated learning, and doctoral degree work in education/community/clinical psychology with an emphasis in group dynamics, Adolph discovered his passion for people development whilst working as a diversity and communication consultant. An often quoted resource, he is the author of three books.

Although his workshops and presentations have had an impact on the lives of more than 1 million people in the Corporate, Government, Faith, Educational and Public Sectors, and he has been the recipient of over 300 awards and honors, Adolph still considers his greatest accomplishment to be the happily married husband to Marla and doting father of seven mischievously wonderful children. 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Erin Gruwell

Erin Gruwell has earned an award-winning reputation for her steadfast commitment to the future of education. Her impact as a change agent runs deep. So deep, in fact, that her story attracted Hollywood’s attention. In January 2007, Paramount Pictures released Freedom Writers, starring two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as Gruwell. The film is based on The Freedom Writers Diary, The New York Times bestseller that chronicled Gruwell’s extraordinary journey with 150 high school students who had been written off by the education system.

By fostering an educational philosophy that valued and promoted diversity, she transformed her students’ lives. She encouraged them to re-think rigid beliefs about themselves and others, reconsider daily decisions, and ultimately re-chart their futures. With Gruwell’s support, they chose to forego teenage pregnancy, drugs, and violence to become aspiring college students, published writers, and citizens for change. They dubbed themselves the ―Freedom Writers‖ –in homage to civil rights activists The Freedom Riders—and published a book.

Inspired by Anne Frank, Gruwell and her students captured their collective journey in The Freedom Writers Diary. Through poignant student entries and Gruwell’s narrative text, the book records their ―eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding.‖ In early 2007, Teach with Your Heart, Gruwell’s powerful memoir and call to arms was published.

While Gruwell has been credited with giving her students a ―second chance‖, it was perhaps she who changed the most during her tenure at Wilson High School. She decided to channel her classroom experiences toward a broader cause, and today her impact as a teacher extends well beyond Room 203. She founded the Freedom Writers Foundation where she currently teaches teachers around the country how to implement her innovative lesson plans into their own classrooms. Recently, Gruwell’s teaching methods from her time in Room 203 have been published in the Freedom Writers Diary Teacher’s Guide. Proceeds from the sale of all books directly fund the Freedom Writers Foundation.

Gruwell and her students have appeared on numerous television shows, including Oprah, Prime Time Live with Connie Chung, The View, and Good Morning America, to name a few. Their story has earned them dozens of awards, including the Spirit of Anne Frank Award.

Gruwell is a graduate of the University of California Irvine, where she received the Lauds and Laurels Distinguished Alumni Award. She earned her Master’s Degree and teaching credentials from California State University Long Beach, where she was honored as Distinguished Alumna by the School of Education. 

2012 Session Tracks
The 15th Annual Michigan Charter School Conference will feature sessions in each of the following tracks:

General Education
Elementary
Middle School
High School
Special Education
Leadership
New School Development

Effective and Intentional Small Group Work

Speaker: Wendy Miller, Reading Specialist, Grand Valley State University Charter School Office
We live in an educational society where “things” make us better. New programs and initiatives are introduced and teachers shake their heads knowing that it is another blip on the radar of education. We need to change the way we instruct students. We need to be meeting the literacy needs of all students and the only way to accomplish this is through guided small group instruction. Jill and Wendy believe that to institute any kind of change you must start at the classroom level. Educators need to be given specific reading strategies in order to successfully reach each child. They have created an interactive workshop where teachers are introduced to guided reading, given the opportunity to see it in action and then allowed to take the information and apply it to their teaching. This last step is a crucial one in looking at instructional changes. Too often, teachers are told to do something with no background knowledge or processing time. Wendy and Jill have looked to create an atmosphere that fosters and supports teachers in order to produce effective literacy educators.

Understanding and Connecting with Your African American Students

Speaker: Rhonda Todd, Davis Ellis Academy
Rhonda Todd will provide tools, examples and testimonials in this session to help the non-African American teacher understand and connect with their urban African American student. She will encourage non-African American educators to have high expectations and standards no matter their student’s race or their background by allowing them to think freely, ask questions, and feel confident to connect with all their students.

The Arts Advantage: Utilizing Creative Routines and Cooperative Learning Structures for Engaging 100% of your Students

Speaker: Carolyn Gilmore, West Michigan Academy of Arts

Using Thinking Routines, Cooperative Learning Structures and a willingness to try new things, you can have your students engaged, working together and “wow”ing you with results in any subject area. The arts can be a jumping off point for a lesson, the heart of the lesson or the process in which you get to the heart of the lesson.

Common Core State Standards: Bridging the Gap

Speaker: Danna Ferris, Kent Intermediate School District
Join Danna Ferris and focus on preparing students for the Common Core Standards and the SMARTER Balanced Assessment by using a curriculum-crafting, web-based tool. Preparing students using common core standards and the Curriculum Crafter Tool will ensure that they will gain the knowledge and skills to prepare them for success in post secondary education as well as the global world.

Mentoring Students for Success in Online Courses

Speaker: Karen Owen, Michigan Virtual School
Preparation for students to successfully complete online courses begins long before students log onto their classes. Karen Owen will help you focus on the steps and strategies proven to help students prepare to succeed in online courses. She will provide a student readiness rubric and ample opportunity to share ideas and insights. The structure and timeframes of Michigan Virtual School courses will be demonstrated. Please join us for a lively discussion of ways to assist mentors and other school staff in understanding mentoring students to succeed.

Recruiting is Not Dead!
Speaker: Kathleen Fox, MAPSA
Are you attracting the best candidates to your schools? Where is the best talent and how does one attract them to work on your team? Join MAPSA Director of Human Resources, Kathleen Fox for a session where she will offer you recruiting and vetting tools to match jobs and candidates with greater accuracy and target higher quality candidates. You will learn to:

• Build more powerful recruiting and job presentation scripts that create greater interest
• Get a wider range of results
• Increase the number of candidate referrals
• Learn how to measure and track what works for your school
• Bolster your overall confidence, clarity and credibility
• Distinguish yourself by building a stronger brand identity

Differentiated Parent Support: Engaging Parents in Unique Ways to Increase Their Involvement in School

Speaker: Fran Hjalmarson, author of Differentiated Parenting Support
Involved, supportive parents enhance student success. Yet involving all parents can often be extremely challenging. How does your staff define and prioritize parent involvement? How does one connect with that hard-to-reach parent? How can the school remove barriers to increasing parent involvement so that a culture of universal achievement can be positively supported? Schools practice differentiated instruction for students. In a similar manner, learn to support all parents and students through the development of “Differentiated Parent Support”. Innovative and creative approaches to enhance parent programs will be presented to help increase parent participation and effectiveness. Hear about comprehensive community outreach activities being used in No Excuses University schools across the country.

Creating A Unified School Culture with Clarity and Focus

Speaker: Fran Hjalmarson, the author of Differentiated Parenting Support
Learn how to create a school culture that supports academic success and ensures equitable experiences for ALL students. Participants will learn how to construct a common language that permeates the classroom, playground, and home. School rules, discipline, rewards and classroom management are linked together to enhance clarity and build a single and focused school culture. Ideas and strategies will be shared that can be implemented immediately to support a Culture of Universal Achievement.

Raising Student Achievement through the Use of Graphic Organizers
Speaker: Deborah Kahn, Crescent Academy
By the use of graphic organizers, students can master studies more effectively. Join Deborah Kahn to learn how graphic organizers give students the opportunity to visualize key points of study in a variety of subject matter. Participants will be able to analyze the research on how the use of graphic organizers raises student achievement.

Teacher Evaluations

Speaker: Trent Mosley
Join school leader, Trent Moseley for an informative session on Teacher Evaluations. Learn how to focus classroom walkthrough. Gain an understanding on how the framework promotes student and teacher growth. Learn how to give timely specific feedback and systematically gather artifacts that demonstrate growth or proficiency levels in the five teaching domains of Charlotte Danielson.

Crisis Management 101: Preparing Yourself for Negative Publicity
Speaker: Buddy Moorehouse, MAPSA
Unfortunately, you never know when a crisis situation will land your school in the newspapers or on TV for all the wrong reasons. But if you know how to react, you'll be able to minimize the PR damage – and maybe even turn negative publicity into positive publicity. In this session, MAPSA VP of Communications Buddy Moorehouse will use real-life examples to show how some of Michigan's charter schools were able to manage the PR nightmare that came with crisis situations. Think of this session as an insurance policy against bad publicity. Be prepared!

MAPSA General Membership Session
Speaker: Dan Quisenberry, MAPSA President & MAPSA Team
The charter school landscape in Michigan is changing by the day, it seems, and MAPSA is there to help you make sense of it all. In this popular session, MAPSA President Dan Quisenberry and other team members will provide legislative updates, let you know what's on the horizon in Lansing, and offer valuable information about all the services that MAPSA has to offer its members.

"I Saw You in the Paper!" – How to Get Great Media Coverage for Your School
Speaker: Buddy Moorehouse, MAPSA
There's no better way to market your school than by getting great free publicity – in the newspaper, on TV, on the radio and in online publications. It's not hard to get this publicity if you know which media people to contact, how to contact them, and how to pitch a story. We'll show you how. Our media relation’s experts will give you valuable information on how to get great publicity – including tips on using social media to spread the good word about your school.

Integrated Teaching and Learning in the 21st Century: The Teacher is the Qualitative Factor

Speaker: Peter Middleton, Black River Public School
A survey of the fundamentals of whole-brain teaching and learning, creative teaching and learning, and the significance of qualitative outcomes in educational practice will be presented. Designed to assist teachers and administrators, the content of the presented material demonstrates data driven methodology to strengthen critical and creative thinking, understand brain functions relative to learning, expand teacher self-actualization, and enhance student academic achievement.

The Best Things in a Teacher’s Life Are Free (Free and Inexpensive Center Ideas)

Speaker: Susan Lattea and Victoria Silva, New Bedford Academy
Elementary school teachers, Susan Lattea and Victoria Silva will educate attendees on the centers used in their own Kindergarten and 1st/2nd grade classrooms. Learn how to set up twelve math and reading centers at the beginning of the year. View their center signs and how they do center rotations. Gain ideas on hands-on activities that can be used for each center, includeing free center ideas that they have created, ones made from the dollar store and ones that they have found for free on other teachers’ blogs.

Michigan CSI Program Overview

Speaker: Cathy McCann, Michigan Department of Attorney General- Michigan Cyber Safety Initiative
Join Cathy McCann for a look at K-8 student assemblies that teaching responsible online behavior (avoiding predators, digital footprints, sexting, cyberbullying) as well as community seminars for adults. She will offer free programming for your school, provide program content and show you how to register your school for a program.

Successful Classroom Management in an Urban Setting

Speaker: Chris Matheson, International Academy of Flint
Once students arrive at school, the single most important variable to their success is the relationship they have with their teacher(s) and the other adults in the building. Curriculum is important; technology plays a role; but the relationship between teacher and student is the key to academic success. Put simply, I believe ALL students need to believe their teachers care about them in order to put forth their best effort and to engage with the lesson(s) at hand. One of the best ways to demonstrate we care about students is to treat them with respect at ALL times—especially when we are working to manage our classrooms and especially when dealing with our most challenging students.

Participants in this session will leave with several tangible keys to successfully managing their classrooms. We will introduce best practices to implement prior to class, during class, and after class. In addition, we will stress the incredible importance of recognizing that we must always “redirect with respect.”

Guided Reading
Speaker: Wendy Miller, Grand Valley State University Charter School Office
We live in an educational society where “things” make us better. New programs and initiatives are introduced and teachers shake their heads knowing that it is another blip on the radar of education. We need to change the way we instruct students. We need to be meeting the literacy needs of all students and the only way to accomplish this is through guided small group instruction. Jill and Wendy believe that to institute any kind of change you must start at the classroom level. Educators need to be given specific reading strategies in order to successfully reach each child.

Building Student Engagement in the Gamified Classroom

Speaker: Mike Irwin, Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies
Classroom gamification and the use of game-based methods can transform a student’s classroom experience, opening a new window for students to own and take accountability for their education.

The Right Way to Write

Speaker: Mary Bigler
“Not Another writing assignment!” You’re heard your students say that for the last time. Join Dr. Mary Bigler, and international literacy consultant, author and professor in the Department of Teacher Education at Eastern Michigan University, as she demonstrates how to engage elementary students in meaningful and exciting writing experiences. Many examples of student’s narrative and expository writing will be shown. You will learn how to differentiate writing in this practical and informational session.

Reading is FUNdamental

Speaker: Mary Bigler
From joke books to classics, your kids can be taught to love every book in sight. Join Dr. Mary Bigler as she shares the fun of reading aloud to elementary students by introducing them to the wonderful world of books. She will present effective strategies by using joke books, poetry, picture books, nonfiction, and novelty books.