AASA Hosts Social & Emotional Learning (Virtual) Summit
July 20, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
James Minichello
703-774-6953 (cell)
jminichello@aasa.org
Linda Darling-Hammond to Serve as Opening Keynote Speaker
Alexandria, Va. – July 20, 2021 – School district teams from across the country will take a deep dive into issues of vision, implementation, planning and progress monitoring at a two-day (virtual) social and emotional learning summit, July 20-21, hosted by AASA, The School Superintendents Association.
Linda Darling-Hammond, the Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education Emeritus at the Stanford Graduate School of Education, will serve as opening keynote speaker at the meeting aimed at helping school districts activate their unique district visions for SEL by developing or refining implementation plans for the 2021-22 school year.
“Social-emotional learning is a critical part of student growth and development,” said Daniel A. Domenech, executive director, AASA. “All learners need a sense of efficacy, acceptance and belonging to a learning community that cares about them—and their development as students and as human beings. We are grateful for the support given to us by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Lightspeed and Right At School for allowing us to bolster this work.”
“The pandemic and the economic downturn that followed has affected every student,” said Sheldon Berman, lead superintendent, AASA SEL Cohort. “This summit will provide a venue for superintendents, assistant superintendents, other administrators and district SEL team members to have the critical conversations about social and emotional learning, equity and social justice to see how we are positioning our schools so that we’re benefitting all children. As we move into a post-pandemic world, all children need to feel they’re a part of our education communities.”
The summit will include plenary sessions with opportunities for all participants to hear from experts in the field and from superintendents who have been leading the work, as well as sessions from district team members to learn from each other as communities of practice.
“We have allocated time within the summit agenda for each district’s SEL or administrative team to discuss and refine its plan for the year,” said Mort Sherman, associate executive director, AASA, Leadership Network. “In these ever-changing times, district leadership teams must be flexible and responsive to shifting needs, priorities and resources.”
In addition to Darling-Hammond and Berman, other speakers (in order of appearance) will include:
• Dimitry Anselme, executive program director, professional learning and educator support, Facing History & Ourselves
• Peter Brunn, vice president, organizational learning, Center for the Collaborative Classroom
• Larry Dieringer, executive director, Engaging Schools
• Lora Hodges, executive director, Center for Responsive Schools
• Jorge Aguilar, superintendent, Sacramento City Unified School District
• Eric Gordon, chief executive officer, Cleveland Metropolitan School District
• Rose Prejean-Harris, SEL director, Atlanta Public Schools
• Melissa Schlinger, vice president of practice and programs, Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
• Clark McKown, founder and president, xSEL Labs
• Leila Richey Nuland, managing director for K-12 research, Hanover Research
• Dave Paunesku, co-founder and executive director, Project for Education Research that Scales (PERTS)
• Diana Lay, account director, Panorama Education
• Dawn Bridges, AASA SEL Cohort program lead
For more information or to find out how to participate in the AASA SEL Cohort, visit the AASA website or contact Sherman at msherman@aasa.org, or Debbie Magee, program director, at dmagee@aasa.org.
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About AASA
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.
