Event Details
Surround yourself with 450+ principal colleagues, innovation, collaboration, and learning @ Institute 2019!
This three-day conference includes...
PLUS keynotes by Todd Nesloney, Dr. Clay Cook, and a brand new Friday program with 6 all-star school leaders!
Click here to view the full Institute schedule!
Principal Todd Nesloney (@techninjatodd) author of Kids Deserve It, will open our conference on Wednesday with "Building a Powerful School Culture." Todd is the Principal/Lead Learner at a PreK-5 school in TX. Todd has been recognized by the White House as a Connected Educator "Champion of Change", the National School Board Association as one of the "20 to Watch" in Education, and by the BAMMYs as the "National Elementary Principal of the Year" among many other accolades. Todd is extremely passionate about education and innovation. He took over a struggling campus, brought in a brand new staff, and used creative ideas to completely transform his school's culture. Todd also co-hosts two iTunes Top Rated podcast series called "Sparks in the Dark" with Travis Crowder and "Kids Deserve It" with Adam Welcome.
Dr. Clay Cook (@ClayCook_phd) will kick us off on Thursday morning with "Going Beyond Why Awareness of Trauma is Important by Focusing on What Schools Can Do to Address the Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Needs of All Students." Findings from the Adverse Childhood Experience Study (ACES) have created a tidal wave of interest and pressure on school leaders to increase educators’ awareness of how trauma impacts student social, emotional, and academic functioning in school. However, awareness of trauma alone is insufficient to enable educators to effectively meet the needs of students who experience significant adversity outside of school. This talk will discuss the why, what, and how of integrating trauma-informed practices so school leaders are able to incorporate a continuum of supports that remove social, emotional, and behavioral barriers to academic and life success. Dr. Clay Cook is the John and Nancy Peyton Faculty Fellow in Child and Adolescent Wellbeing at the University of Minnesota and Associate Professor in the School Psychology Program. He has extensive research and practical experiences involving the implementation of multi-tiered systems of support to promote children’s mental and behavioral health. He co-founded the School Mental Health Assessment, Research and Training (SMART) Center at the University of Washington and is a core faculty member who helps direct the Institute of Translational Research in Children’s Mental Health at the University of Minnesota. He has received over 8.5 million dollars in external grant funding from multiple agencies and foundations. In addition to his research, he consults with several school systems throughout the US to integrate a continuum of social, emotional, and behavioral supports to enhance student academic and life success.
And what better way to end the conference than the keynote to end all keynotes? Join us for this brand new collaborative, interactive, JOINT KEYNOTE featuring 6 incredible school principals from around the country: Jessica Cabeen, Jimmy Casas, Linda Cliatt-Wayman, Brad Gustafson, Salome Thomas-El, and Joe Sanfelippo!
Register by January 18, 2019 to save $50!
PLUS, don't miss our Pre-Conference Session add-ons - Sign up within registration!
This year, we are offering TWO pre-conference sessions from exceptional educational leaders in MN. Enhance your learning and add it to your Institute registration for just $20! Pre-Conference sessions will run 10-11:30am ahead of the conference kickoff (11:45am) on Wednesday, February 6th!
#1 - Hacking Early Learning: Working together to create the foundation for PreK-3rd grade learning by leading.
Wondering how to better align the learning in the early years with other grades? Wanting to make meaningful connections with families before they even enroll in your school? Ready to take the next steps to ensuring alignment of play is embedded in authentic learning experiences? Jessica Cabeen, 2017 MN NAESP National Distinguished Principal, will offer ideas and take aways school leaders can use tomorrow that will amplify the early learning experience and give leaders grounding steps to take their own knowledge of these critical years to the next level. Registrants will receive a copy of Hacking Early Learning at the session! 1 additional CEU will be granted.
Presented by 2018 National Distinguished Principal Curtis Slater and a team of principals, this pre-conference session will focus on useful tools for integrating social-emotional learning into literacy in your school! Schools are an excellent setting through which to promote mental health and well-being, and educators are well-positioned to provide related instruction and support in our schools. However, educators often report that they lack the knowledge, skills, and confidence to deliver social-emotional learning instruction and to support students who struggle with mental health challenges. At this pre-conference session, we are going to share strategies that are working around the state and work together to collaborate around how literacy can help support social-emotional learning for your students, staff, and families. Free books and resources will be provided by Scholastic, and 1 additional CEU will be granted to participants.
Find your next great read at the Book Fair!Join us for our first ever Book Fair at MESPA Institute on Wednesday and Thursday! Browse the latest and greatest in children's books, and do a little shopping for yourself by checking out their selection of books for school leaders!
Plan your learning at the Unconference!The Unconference is your chance to plan YOUR learning! In this organic, participant-driven process, we build our Unconference sessions AT the conference based on YOUR needs and YOUR ideas. Start planning today! Suggest ideas or even plan to lead a session by going to our brainstorming page here!
Get ready for goosebumps @ MESPA Speaks!
MESPA Speaks returns for its third year of inspiring and motivating stories. On Friday, Feb 8, you'll hear personal, heartfelt stories that will be sure to amaze you! Visit mespa.net/mespaspeaks to check out all of our previous performances.
Hotel informationThis conference is located at the DoubleTree in Bloomington, MN. A block of rooms has been reserved at the reduced rate of $142/night at the MESPA rate. Click here to reserve your room or call 952.835.7800. Book your room by January 18th to guarantee the MESPA rate!
For more information on this exciting conference, visit www.mespa.net/institute.
MESPA is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization
1970 Oakcrest Avenue, Suite 204Roseville, Minnesota, 55113952.297.8670
