Educators Return to Atlanta for Southern Regional Forum 2010

Mar. 2010

Southern News

With sunshine and balmy breezes belying the area’s recent snowfalls, more than 400 educators from across the Southern Region convened at the Renaissance Concourse Hotel in Atlanta Feb. 18–19 to explore ways to make a difference in the future of students and the nation.

Day One, 40 participants answered a 9 a.m. call to attend an interactive professional development session designed for educators who administer the SAT®. The three-hour session, led by representatives from the College Board and Educational Testing Service, highlighted what’s new in 2010 and provided discussion on various initiatives currently in development.

At the CollegeKeys Compact™ Innovation Awards luncheon, Gaston Caperton welcomed a filled-to-capacity room of attendees before presenting the 2010 winners. Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Learning Outcomes Initiative won the award in the Getting Through category. “We began looking at what students needed to know upon graduation, and reformed the curriculum to include 10 learning outcomes,” said Sean Madison, director of learning outcomes assessment at MDC, when accepting the award. The 10 learning outcomes, which can be found at www.mdc.edu, are designed to prepare MDC graduates for success and lifelong learning.

Jefferson County (Ky.) Public Schools (JCPS) took the honor in the Getting In category with their “Close the Deal” Table Talks. “We used the speed-dating model to get students in front of admission counselors, financial advisers, recent graduates and anyone qualified to find solutions for students who have the ability, but not the means, to go to college,” said Dana Shumate, program director at JCPS.

Orange County (Fla.) Public Schools (OCPS) won in the Getting Ready category with their Destination College: It’s Elementary! program, which places an intense focus on achievement to prepare every elementary-level student for rigorous courses in middle and high school in order to achieve college and work readiness. “Our goal is to change the myth of the ‘non-college-going student,’” said Dianne Lovett, senior director of advanced studies at OCPS.

Following a full day that included a briefing from Government Relations, a meeting of the Academic Assembly and a college fair, the educators networked at a reception where the award-winning Woodward Academy Jazz Band provided a lush, musical backdrop.

Day Two’s Inspiration breakfast brought Forum keynote speaker Deborah Jewell-Sherman, senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and former superintendent of Richmond (Va.) Public Schools, before an audience of her regional peers. As she recalled how her district rose to become one of the highest performing in Virginia, she noted with emotion, “I never dreamed the work I was doing would be talked about around the country.”