Action Labs, Groups Sessions to Suit Your Learning Style

Do you like to learn in a large formal setting listening to knowledgeable speakers? Or do you prefer to be part of a small group participating in hands-on activities?

Workshop 2006 will offer options to meet your style. This year, both Group Sessions and Action Labs will be one and a half hours in length and will take place concurrently. You will have a wide range of choices during every time block, Wednesday through Friday.

Action lab attendance will be limited to 24 to 48 participants to allow for a highly interactive learning experience. Admission will be by ticket only, on a first-come, first-admitted basis. Ticket distribution and seating will begin 20 minutes prior to the start of each session. Board members earn .5 Board Member Academy credits for each action lab attended.

Action lab topics will include: policy writing; improving interpersonal communication; understanding the role of the board president; building a better board member; building successful bond and budget referenda; leadership; the superintendent search process; finance and budgeting; professional development and retention; grassroots organizing; effective lobbying strategies; grant writing; ethics; and analyzing salary guides.

On Friday: The action lab line-up will include four of our most popular sessions from previous years.

Group sessions will take place in a lecture hall setting. Using a variety of media, speakers will devote two-thirds of the session to their presentations, with the remainder set aside for your questions. Board members earn .5 Board Member Academy credits for each group session attended.

This year’s group session topics include: marketing your school district; online resources for administrators; data-driven decision making; sharing superintendents and business administrators; high school reform; educational technology; NJQSAC; regionalization; improving math and science education; negotiating the superintendent’s contract; special education/inclusion; wireless networks; and school safety.

On Friday: Robert Goodman, New Jersey’s 2005-06 Teacher of the Year, will present a Group Session on improving math and science achievement.

Check out the complete line-up in your Preview Guide or go to the “Educational Sessions” section of NJSBA's Workshop 2006 Web page.