May 31: Last day to save $75 on registration for 2012 Annual Conference in Boston More Info June 30: Board of Trustees nomination deadline More Info July 22-25: 2012 Summer Conference in Denver More Info

NSDC's 41^st Annual Conference Keynote Speakers

	TONY WAGNER The Global Achievement Gap With more than 35 years of experience in education as a teacher, principal, university professor, and author, Tony Wagner is one of the leading voices in school improvement. Wagner serves as the co-director of the Change Leadership Group at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and is also on the faculty of the Executive Leadership Program for Educators, a joint initiative between Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, Business School, and Kennedy School of Government. Wagner was co-founder and executive director of Educators for Social Responsibility, and has also been a senior advisor to the Gates Foundation. A widely-published author, Wagner’s latest book is The Global Achievement Gap: Why Even Our Best Schools Don’t Teach the New Survival Skills Our Students Need – And What We Can Do About It.
	MICHAEL FULLAN Six Secrets of Change One of the world’s foremost advocates of educational change, Michael Fullan is professor emeritus at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. He has developed school improvement partnerships through training, consulting, and evaluation of change projects around the world, and has worked extensively with Microsoft’s Partners in Learning initiative. Fullan also runs Leadership4Change, an organization devoted to developing leadership capacity in education; supporting effective change in schools, districts, and states; promoting deep learning; and closing the student achievement gap. Fullan’s books have won numerous awards, including NSDC's Book of the Year. He has been awarded an honorary doctorate in eduation from the University of Edinburgh.
	FREDERICK BROWN, moderator THE PRINCIPAL STORY: Capturing One of America's Toughest Jobs on Film In September 2009, PBS premiered THE PRINCIPAL STORY, a documentary about the challenges faced by two Illinois principals trying to turn around their low-performing schools. Funded by the Wallace Foundation, THE PRINCIPAL STORY follows Tresa Dunbar and Kerry Purcell on a year-long journey to raise student achievement amidst often overwhelming circumstances. In this panel discussion, Dunbar and Purcell join filmmakers Tod Lending and David Mrazek to discuss their triumphs, disappointments, and the experience of allowing cameras to capture the joys and frustrations of school leadership. Moderated by Fred Brown, this discussion offers insights into not only the making of this important film, but into the perseverance and commitment of two principals devoted to ensuring every student under their watch is given the opportunity to succeed.
	GEOFFREY CANADA Improving the Lives of Children: One Child at a Time Recognized by the New York Times as “one of the most ambitious social experiments of our time,” Geoffrey Canada’s pioneering work helping children and families in Harlem earned him national recognition as a passionate advocate for education reform. Canada’s Harlem Children’s Zone provides social, educational, and medical services to children in Central Harlem from birth through college, and has become a national model for inner-city community advocacy. Named one of America’s Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report, Canada has been featured on “60 Minutes,” “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Today,” “Nightline,” and countless publications. Whatever It Takes: Geoffrey Canada’s Quest to Change Harlem and America, by author Paul Tough, was published in 2008.
	THOMAS GUSKEY New Views on Professional Development Thomas Guskey is a professor of educational psychology in the College of Education of the University of Kentucky. The author of 15 books and a two-time winner of NSDC’s Book of the Year Award, Guskey previously served as director of research and development for Chicago Public Schools, and was the first director of Center for the Improvement of Teaching and Learning. Guskey served on the Policy Research Team of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, as well as on the task force that developed NSDC’s Standards for Staff Development. He has been named a Fellow in the American Educational Research Association.

NSDC's 41^st Annual Conference Distinguished Lectures

	MICHAEL KNAPP Growing and Supporting Instructional Leadership in Schools Michael Knapp is a professor of educational leadership and policy studies and director of the Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy in the College of Education at the University of Washington. His teaching and research focus on educational leadership and policy making, school and school system reform, professional learning, methods of inquiry, and policy analysis. The author of eight books, Knapp’s most recent work explores “learning-focused leadership” in schools, districts, and state systems of education.
	SUSAN EVERSON Assessing the Value of Professional Development Systems A faculty member in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at Saint Louis University, Susan Everson teaches courses in educational change, evaluation, and research. In addition, she is the principal investigator for a multiyear grant to evaluate the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s statewide professional development system. A national consultant who also served as senior director of the Mid-continent Regional Educational Laboratory, Everson has co-edited two books on school reform and has published articles on educational improvement.
	KAREN SEASHORE LOUIS The Principal As An Instructional Leader: What We Know and What We Need to Do Karen Seashore Louis is a professor in the Department of Educational Policy and Administration at the University of Minnesota’s College of Education and Human Development. Louis’ research is focused on organizational theory, schools as workplaces, leadership with a focus on school improvement, and school reform. She has published 13 books, including 2008’s Strong Cultures: A Principal’s Guide to Change, and is a recipient of NSDC’s Contribution to Staff Development Award.
	LINDA DARLING-HAMMOND NSDC's National Study on the State of Professional Learning: Phase 2 Linda Darling-Hammond is the Charles E. Ducommun professor of education at Stanford University. One of the most influential people affecting educational policy over the past decade, Darling-Hammond is the author of more than 300 publications, and is past executive director of the National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future. Her 1996 report, “What Matters Most: Teaching for America’s Future,” led to sweeping policy changes affecting teaching and teacher education. Darling-Hammond’s Teaching as the Learning Profession: A Handbook of Policy and Practice, co-edited with Gary Sykes, won NSDC’s Outstanding Book Award for 2000.
	JOSEPH MURPHY Assessing School Leadership for Student Achievement Joseph Murphy is associate dean and professor of education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education. The author or co-author of 15 books, Murphy’s work focuses on school improvement with special emphasis on leadership and policy. He was the founding chair of the Interstate School Leaders Licensure Consortium, and is past vice president of the American Educational Research Association. His most recent book is Turning Around Failing Schools: Leadership Lessons from the Organizational Sciences.
	CHARLES MASON Lessons Learned from a 30 Year Journey Charles Mason, president of the organization, retired as superintendent of Mountain Brook Schools in Birmingham, Alabama in 2008. During his tenure, Mountain Brook Schools received the U.S. Department of Education National Award for Model Professional Development, and was the first recipient of the Alabama Quality Award for the educational sector. Mason was named Alabama Superintendent of the Year in 2004, and is a founding executive committee member of the Alabama Best Practices Center. He joined the Board of Trustees in 2004.