Welcome to the Session Proposal System for the 2017 National Charter Schools Conference

Welcome to the Session Proposal System for the 2017 National Charter Schools Conference.

Do you have a new or innovative teaching technique that others will find helpful in their classroom? Are you a human resources manager that has great tips for recruiting and retaining high quality teachers? Have you developed a fool-proof method that helps you manage your relationship with your board of directors? Do you want to share steps you are taking to implement the new ESSA guidelines at your school?

If so, we want you to share your knowledge and experience as a presenter at the 2017 National Charter Schools Conference!We’re seeking thoughtful and engaging proposals for sessions on the topics most critical for charter school professionals at our National Charter Schools Conference, June 11-14, 2017 in Washington, D.C. We are need session proposals that:

Ø Have clear learning outcomes;

Ø Present advanced level content (most attendees are veterans);

Ø Engage the expertise in the audience; and

Ø Address a significant topic.

Most sessions are only 60 minutes, so we suggest that you narrow the focus of your session to be able to cover it in some depth. 2 hour sessions or workshops are available for longer presentations. It is ideal when presenters can share tools attendees can use in their jobs.

Before you submit your proposed session, we encourage you tovisit our website and download our session development toolkit and our session proposal template.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss session ideas, .

Submission Guidelines

Please consider the following session guidelines when shaping your proposal. These criteria will influence the selection of sessions to be presented.

Overall, our attendees want:

· Sessions with a greater depth of content

· Best practices and tools they can use right away and share with colleagues

· Sessions designed to engage and educate

· Differentiated content for veterans

· Sessions showcasing innovations

· Plenty of time for Q&A – at least 15 minutes of Q&A and audience engagement

Attendees do not want:

· Sales pitches or promotion of products or services

· Sessions with basic content, unless they are specifically designed for beginner-level attendees

· Sessions that don’t include practitioners as presenters

· Presentations that do not match the session description

· Sessions without engagement

· Sessions that are unorganized and presenters who are underprepared

· To be lectured. Instead, they want to be engaged and trained.

NOTE: 2017 attendees will be asked in the session evaluation if a sales pitch was directly made or implied. If over 25% of respondents indicate a sales pitch was made in a particular session, the presenters will not be permitted to present at future conferences. If less than 30% of attendees submit session evaluations presenters will be less likely to present in the future.

Submission Deadlines
Call for Session Proposals opens / October 20, 2016
All proposals due by / November 7, 2016
Notification of session status / February 9, 2017
Notification of session schedule / April 3, 2017
Deadline for presenter conference registration / April 19, 2017

Session Overview and Information

Strand:

Select one: Governance, Instruction, Leadership, Operations, Policy

Governance: Sessions in the Governance strand focus on overseeing a charter school, whether as a board member, authorizer, or in another capacity. These roles come with their own set of responsibilities and challenges. Learn about board operations and training, strategic planning, judging school quality, charter renewals and other topics. Example sessions that were highly rated at the 2016 conference:

· Connecting the Dots: Board Roles, Responsibilities, and Relationships

· Strengthening Your Board: CEO/School Leader Partnership

· Beyond the Bake Sale: How to Build an Integrated Fundraising Strategy

· Diverse Voices From the Field: Building an Inclusive Culture

Instruction: The Instruction strand presents advanced content in classroom management, curriculum, education strategies, teacher training and other classroom-specific topics. Teachers, curriculum specialists, special education teachers and school leaders are all welcome.Example sessions:

· Moving Away From Sage on the Stage Teaching: Targeted Group Structures

· Exploiting a Backdoor to the Brain: How to Hack the Affective Learning Domain for Easy Reading and Writing Skill Access

· Revision Strategies to Improve Student Writing and Increase Engagement

· Mindfulness: The Power of Pausing

Leadership: The Leadership strand addresses the many challenges facing those who run today’s charter schools and trains those looking to run tomorrow’s. Topics include replication, succession planning, school culture, team building, hiring and working with staff, dealing with parents and more. Example sessions:

· Charter Schools: Breaking Ranks and Beating the Odds

· Hacking Culture and the Brain to Close the Income-Achievement Gap

· Emotional Intelligence: From Theory to Practice for School Leaders

· iMARKET: Marketing Your School to Increase Enrollment

Operations: From facilities to fiscal sustainability, communications and PR to professional development, the Operations strand provides back-office employees and those who support schools in other ways with the necessary tools to ensure long-term organizational health. Example sessions:

· Is Your School Safe? Analyzing and Mitigating School Threats

· Improve Your Hiring Acumen with Behavioral Interviewing

· School Daze: Navigating the Facilities Financing Maze

· Building Student Recruitment from the Inside Out

Policy: The political landscape impacts charter schools immensely, and those who align with the Policy strand are the ones who want to be kept abreast of the latest developments in district, state, and federal legislation and activism. Conversations focus on the big-picture vision for the future of the movement, advocacy, and overcoming policy-induced obstacles. Example sessions:

· Know the Rules to Win the Campaign

· Charter Restarts: Stakeholders Speak

· Addressing Child Trauma: Unlock the Door to Academic Success

· State Policy Trends for Charter Schools

Content Level:

Based on participant experience or knowledge:

Beginner: Very basic content for attendees who are new to the topic or have less than three years with relatable content.

Intermediate: More in-depth content that goes beyond basics intended for attendees with at least 4 years of experience on the topic or relatable content.

Advanced: In-depth analysis and discussion intended for attendees with 10 or more years of experience on the topic or relatable content.

Session Format:

What is your main intended delivery style for your content? (Select One)

Breakout Sessions (60 minutes)

Panel Discussions: (2 to 3 speakers) A diverse and focused discussion around a particular topic followed by audience Q&A.

Debates:(2-3 Speakers)A constructive moderated discussion between two leaders of opposing viewpoints, followed by audience Q&A.

Interview: (2 Speakers) A one-on-one interview with a significant leader.

Core Conversations(1-2 Speakers)A speaker led informal and open conversation with attendees around a particular topic.

Lecture: (1 or 2 Speakers) This is a traditional lecture format followed by audience Q&A.

Alternative Formats (varies)

Hacks & Tips: (1 speaker • 15 minutes) A short presentation structured in a rapid-fire format to share tips and unique approaches.

Speed Dating: (5-15 speakers• 60 minutes) 5-15 experts on a specific topic will be stationed around a room, and attendees will rotate around the room to hear from as many as 4 of the experts through 7 minute presentations and Q&A to gain perspectives or new skill sets.

Meet Up: (1-2 Speakers • 60 min focus on networking)A topic-focused networking event that encourage communities at NCSC17 to connect with others who share similar passions or interests during the event.

Intensives (120 minutes)

Workshops: (1-3 Speakers)An in-depth, instructional program with hands-on learning and specific takeaways.

Problem Solving: (1-3 Speakers)An interactive exercise designed to address a prevalent challenge where speakers facilitate a number of small group discussions to identify possible solutions.

Exhibit Hall Content (Varies)

Charter Talk: (1 Speaker • under 18 minutes MUST submit video pitch to be considered) A compelling presentation with a story arc to share a big idea, a tech demo, delve into an issue, or share a small idea with an impact.

Show & Tell: (1-2 Speakers • 30 min) A unique opportunity for organizations to showcase their products and services to the forward thinking community at NCSC17.

Playground Hands On: (1-2 Speakers • 30 min) A casual hands-on experience showcasing a particular idea.

Specific Session Information

Preferred Length:

60 minutes

2 hours (intensive)

Title: Make it interesting, marketable, and accurate. Some of our best sessions include a question as the title (10 word limit).

[text box]

Description: Make sure it’s aligned to your content, focuses on learning outcomes, and provides information that would help a participant decide if they want to attend your session (75 word limit).

[text box]

What interactive and adult learning elements would you include in your session?

Room Set-Up:

Tables for Participants (for activities or writing)

No Tables for Participants (chairs only – best for active sessions)

No Preference

Other (please describe):

AV Set-Up:

Need projector and screen

Don’t need AV

Other (please describe):

Why is this topic/content important to teachers or school leaders? Select all that apply:

This content will help my audience do their regular jobs better.

This represents an important emerging issue in education.

This information is relevant to an audience bigger than just teachers and school leaders.

This topic will be important to teachers in a more general sense, not necessarily applicable to their regular jobs.

Other (please describe):

Why is the National Charter Schools Conference (NCSC) the right place to present your content? Select all that apply.

It’s relevant to charter school teachers and leaders.

It’s relevant to the Charter Schools movement.

It needs to be presented on a national stage.

I want to be a presenter at the NCSC.

I’m local to Washington D.C. and want to highlight local success.

Other (please describe):

Target Audience (select up to 3):

· Advocates

· Authorizers

· Back Office Staff

· Board Members

· Communications/Marketing

· Curriculum Specialists

· Facilities Managers

· Finance/Development

· IT/Data

· Legal

· New Schools

· Parents

· Policymakers

· School Administrators

· School Leaders

· Teacher Leaders

· Teachers

Practical Application: After attending your session, what actions will the learners realistically be able to take upon returning to her/his job?

Video Pitch (optional but is required for Charter Talk sessions)

A video of you presenting a conference or a video of you pitching your session idea to us to give us a better sense of you and your content (optional)

Please post your video to YouTube, Vimeo or another sharing site and share the link.

Engagement: I have participated in a National Charter School Conference presenter

Yes

Objectives: What is the purpose of this session? (25 word limit)

Tools/Resources: Attendees will be provided tools/resources they can use in their work as part of the session?

Yes

Resources and Experience

Resources – Upload

Our participants love handouts and take-home materials. You can upload up to three resources, materials, or documents that help support your proposal. This could include your resume/CV, handouts, materials, background information, or ways to continue learning after your session ends that you would share with participants.

Upload 1:

Upload 2:

Upload 3:

Have you presented this content at another conference? (Select one)

I have presented this content at a conference

Please provide conference name, location, and year:

I have not presented this content before to an audience, but have trained other in my organization or at my school.

This would be my first time presenting this content, but I’m eager to do a good job.

Other (please describe): [text box]

Have you or your co-presenters ever presented at a previous National Charter Schools Conference? (select one)

Yes

Do you have 8+ years’ experience in your field?

Yes

Does this session present an innovative practice?

Yes

If yes, what is innovative that is part of the presentation?

Would the lead presenter be willing to participate as an expert, as part of our new “Office Hours with Experts”?

If you choose to participate, you would offer 6 back-to-back 10-minute one-on-one meetings with interested attendees.

· Yes

· No

· Not Sure

Please list 3 specific areas to represent your expertise:

Be as creative and specific as you like. These are areas in which you have at least 8 years of experience. Please do not exceed 200 characters for each area of expertise.

Presenter Contact Info (complete all info for each presenter)

Honorific (Mr., Ms., Mrs., Dr.):

First name:

Last name:

Title:

Organization:

Street/Mailing Address:

City:

State:

Zip code:

Mobile Phone (xxx-xxx-xxxx):

Office Phone (xxx-xxx-xxxx):

Email:

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Thank You

We will notify you on the status of your proposal by February 9, 2017. If your proposal is accepted, you will have to accept the presentation terms and conditions by February 16, 2017 and register for the conference by April 19, 2017.

If you have any questions, please contact us at: .

We look forward to reading your proposal!