More than 550 educators, including superintendents, school board members, community members, higher education representatives, curriculum directors, district-level content specialists, principals, and teachers gathered in Little Rock, Ark., to collaborate and learn from one another. Attendees heard and delved into national and state policy perspectives of the Common Core State Standards, instructional and assessment implications, and ways to build community support for the implementation of the standards. Governor Mike Beebe and Arkansas State Commissioner of Education Tom Kimbrell each addressed the summit in the afternoon, expressing their strong support for the Common Core States Standards and for teachers. The summit was hosted by the Arkansas Department of Education, in partnership with ASCD, Arkansas ASCD, and the Common Core State Standards Guiding Coalition.

Stephen Barkley will address how focusing on student learning rather than teaching opens the doors for coaching, facilitating, collaborating, and differentiated instruction.

Instructional leaders will gain insight into:

• Structures needed for learning cultures centered on student behaviors
• Sustaining learning systems that support coaching
• Teacher practices that generate change in students
• Principal’s role in supporting a learning system using backwards planning to increase student achievement

Diane Sweeney will address how focusing coaching on specific goals for student learning can make a positive impact on student achievement and build capacity in districts and schools.

Instructional leaders will gain insight into:

• Specific coaching goals focusing on student learning
• Critical role of the principal in supporting a student-centered coaching model
• Coaching model designed to increase student learning
• Implementation of student-centered coaching cycles
• Measurement of student-centered coaching cycles impact

The Arkansas Department of Education, in partnership with Arkansas ASCD and the Common Core State Standards Guiding Coalition, hosted a statewide event designed to involve community shareholders in discussion around the Common Core State Standards. This event utilized technology at regional sites throughout Arkansas as shareholders pledged to support the implementation of the Common Core State Standards by asking questions, being heard, learning more, doing more, getting involved, and advocating for the whole child.

Intended Audience: High School Principals, Superintendents, Central Office Coordinators, Instructional Facilitators

ADE and SREB will provide information about the application process for LDC and MDC professional development and technical assistance.

Instructional leaders will gain insight into:

• LDC and MDC for Grades 9-10
• Application process
• Roll-out plan for 2013-2014

In this session, the author of Student-Centered Coaching (Corwin Press, 2010) will provide a framework for coaching teachers that is driven by the belief that if we design coaching around our goals for students, and then work together to reach those goals, coaching becomes more respectful and results-based.

Having spent time over the past year with coaches and specialists from across the state of Arkansas, Sweeney will lead a session that revisits the core practices for student-centered coaching, while also providing an extension for those who are implementing the model. The Common Core State Standards will be featured as an essential tool to drive coaching conversations, and participants will learn more about student-centered learning labs.

The session will highlight videos of coaching conversations, scenarios to help coaches trouble-shoot challenges they are facing, and newmaterials from Sweeney’s soon-to-be published book, Student-Centered Coaching at the Secondary Level (Corwin Press).