Emerging from the Clouds — 2010 Southwest Regional Forum

Mar. 2010

Southwestern News

If the nation’s mood could be represented by weather, it would likely be the overcast skies that greeted attendees in early February at the Southwestern Regional Forum in Austin. While the rain and cold perfectly encapsulated the theme of this year’s regional assembly meetings — “The New Normal: Learning to Live in Uncertain Times” — they couldn’t dampen the optimism of Southwestern educators looking for a way forward.

The forum got off to a stirring start Wednesday with remarks by Keynote Speaker Deborah Jewell-Sherman, senior lecturer on education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and former superintendent of Richmond (Va.) Public Schools. In a direct and powerful presentation, she addressed the challenges of the achievement gap and the idea that “demography defines destiny” for many students. The sessions that preceded and followed her speech reflected its most pertinent points: that everyone has a role in expanding educational opportunity and achievement, and that the stakes have never been higher to achieve these goals.

In addition to sessions addressing college readiness and admission, the value of writing, and the work of high school counselors and AP® Coordinators, a presentation on the College Board’s College Readiness Pathway introduced attendees to the low-stakes eighth-grade assessment, ReadiStep™. Thursday’s sessions continued to run the gamut of the student experience, with discussions of middle school preparation for college, SpringBoard® curricula, and the use of AP for college outreach, recruitment and admission.

The annual meetings of the Academic Assembly, College Scholarship Service Assembly and the Guidance and Admission Assembly attempted to confront the uncertainty and fundamental changes facing every level of American education. While concrete answers to these challenges were elusive, members were emboldened by the continuing work of districts and institutions to find new ways to foster access and achievement in a more difficult environment.

Further encouragement came from the Southwestern Region Awards Luncheon, where several educators were recognized for their unique contributions in education. The Martha H. Salmon Leadership Award was presented to Leo W. Munson, associate provost for academic support at Texas Christian University; the Excellence in Service Award was accepted by Denise DeMartino, a chemistry teacher at Westlake High School in Austin; and AP Awards went to Sara M. Bonser of Williams High School, Tom Halbert of Cypress Creek High School, Glenda Holifield of Jonesboro High School and Sarah Chu-Chao Tsai of Bellaire High School and University of St. Thomas. In a panel discussion that followed the awards, students provided an inside-out perspective on the advantages and opportunities of the AP Program.

Thursday afternoon and Friday morning sessions tackled a variety of topics, including best practices for college planning events, how to implement team teaching strategies and higher education access for undocumented students. Attendees at “The China Bridge Delegation” session were treated to not only a photo slideshow and entertaining stories from veterans of the trip, but also a lively discussion about cultural differences and the increasing importance of the Chinese language in U.S. schools. In one of the last sessions of the forum, a panel of education leaders and college students from challenging backgrounds came together to talk about the people and programs that made a difference in their academic pursuits. Each panelist shared their individual stories of struggle and expressed gratitude for the family member, friend or educator that kept them on the right path.

At the brunch business meeting that closed the forum in Austin, the College Board’s chief operating officer, Herb Elish, presented the inaugural CollegeKeys Compact™ Innovation Awards. The subsequent roundtable discussion about the winning ideas and practices was an inspiration and the perfect antidote to the clouds of uncertainty that kicked off this forum. As if on cue, the sun finally peeked out that afternoon.