NAESP Convention in Houston, TX MISSION Possible: Enrich Your World and Beyond April 8-11, 2010
Join over 5,000 of your colleagues at the National Association of Elementary School Principals' 89th annual convention & exposition—the largest professional development experience created
exclusively for elementary and middle level educators. Each spring,
principals from all around the world gather at an exciting destination
to hear from impressive speakers, enjoy important learning
opportunities, and see the latest resources.
Travel Arrangements: MESPA Convention Travel and Hotel Package For a number of years, MSP Travel has worked with MESPA to set up a NAESP Convention travel and hotel arrangements package. This
package allows MESPA to reserve rooms at the convention
headquarters hotel and seek lower airfares, providing you with a
superior group rate and travel service. Please take advantage of these travel arrangements!
What is the MESPA Travel Package? A limited number of seats are available at the package
price. Reservations are confirmed on the date your deposit is received
by the MSP Travel Group. Remember to register and pay NAESP separately for the convention itself!
Package cost:
$ 1325 single occupancy (one principal) $ 900 double occupancy, per principal $ 660 spouse or traveling companion
The package includes: -- Round trip airfare (Thurs., April 8, depart Mpls/St. Paul 9:52 a.m., arrive Houston 12:48 p.m.; Sun., April 11, depart Houston 7 p.m., arrive Mpls/St. Paul 10:01 p.m.) -- Three nights with other MESPA principals in the convention
headquarters hotel (Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel) -- Round trip ground transportation between the airport and hotel, including tip. -- NAESP Zone 7 Breakfast Travelers are responsible for their own baggage fees and Sky Cap tips. For complete details, scroll to the Travel Package PDF below.
NAESP Convention Travel Reservation: For details of the MESPA NAESP Travel Package -- with complete instructions and timelines for
placing your reservation, scroll to the NAESP Travel Package PDF below. A
limited number of seats are available at
the package price, so make your reservations today!
The reservation due date is January 8, 2010! Please have your completed
reservation form (scroll to the document below) and deposit of $250 delivered to MSP Travel by January 8, 2010; full payment is due by January 22, 2010. Also, remember to register for the convention itself through NAESP; link above.
Questions about your reservation, or would like information on alternative hotels
or flights? Contact Stephanie Larson at MSP Travel: 800.686.9903; steph@msptravelgroup.com
For registration materials and updated information on speakers, workshops, and more, visit NAESP's Web site (click above).
Zone 7 Breakfast, April 10, 7 a.m., in the George R. Brown Convention Center. (Room number to be determined.) -- included with the MESPA Travel Package!
Plan to join your Zone 7 colleagues for an annual breakfast. Who is in Zone 7? Alaska, Colorado, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming
Come find out what is happening in Zone 7, network with your colleagues, and meet new friends.
If
you make your own travel arrangements and would like to attend the breakfast, please contact Judy Bolduc (jbolduc@mespa.net; 651-999-7310) in the MESPA office -- to pay and make your reservation. The breakfast cost is $20.
If you are traveling with the MESPA Travel Package, your Zone 7
Breakfast tickets are automatically purchased for you as part of the package.
Earn CEUs! The Minnesota Elementary School Principals'
Association coordinates continuing education units (CEUs) for MESPA
members who attend the convention. They will be mailed to you from
MESPA after the convention.
MESPA_2010_NAESP_Travel_Package.pdf Flyer with complete details of the 2010 MESPA NAESP Convention Travel Package costs, and the reservation/payment process. MESPA_2010_NAESP_Travel_Reservation.pdf Travel package reservation form for traveling to and from the 2010 NAESP convention in Houston. Transformational_Principals_2010_.pdf Background information on the eight Transformational Leaders (including MESPA member Andrew J. Collins) who will present a panel dialogue at the 2010 NAESP Convention. Transformational_Leadership_Overview_.pdf Description of the Transformational Leadership Program, how prinicpals were selected, and what they will discuss and demonstrate at tne NAESP convention.
To download a travel
reservation form -- with complete instructions and timelines for
placing your reservation, scroll to the MESPA NAESP 2010 Travel Reservation PDF document below. A limited number of seats are available at
the package price, so make your reservations today!
For a flyer describing the reservation process -- with all travel package details, scroll to the MESPA 2010 NAESP Travel Package PDF document.
Christopher Gardner an acclaimed motivational speaker and author of the
bestseller autobiography and later popular Hollywood movie, The Pursuit of Happynesswill share his amazing life story and inspire principals to overcome obstacles and reach new levels of success. Marlee Matlin, an award-winning screen actress and advocate for the
hearing-impaired will speak on Saturday, April 10. Marlee is a national
celebrity spokesperson for The American Red Cross, she serves on the
boards of a number of charitable organizations, and is passionate about
children. Marlee Matlin received worldwide critical acclaim for her
motion picture debut in Paramount Pictures' Children of a Lesser God.
Greg Mortenson, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller. Three Cups of Tea
will share his inspiring story about his nonprofit Central Asia
Institute, Pennies For Peace which provides educational opportunities
to more than 25,000 children in the remote regions of Pakistan and
Afghanistan
Transformational Leadership Across America: Andrew Collins
While the term ‘turnaround principal’ is new, educational leaders have been successful in transforming the culture and learning communities in schools for decades. Multiple sources of data and indicators, such as formative, summative and local assessments, climate surveys, behavior and attendance data, community engagement activities, etc., define the success of a school. Transformational leaders do make a difference and NAESP is showcasing a group of these principals at the 2010 NAESP Annual Convention in Houston, TX.
Scholarships were awarded to eight transformational leaders from across the nation to share their knowledge and expertise. These outstanding principals have used their knowledge, expertise, and training to make change in schools and to sustain that transformation to better serve all of their students and communities. They work in schools that range from rural to urban locations with diverse populations and unique challenges. For background information on all eight leaders, scroll to the Transformational Principals PDF below.
One principal was selected from Minnesota: Andrew J. Collins, principal at Dayton’s Bluff Achievement Plus Elementary School in St. Paul. Collins has been at Dayton’s Bluff for five years with a population of 400 preK-6 students. The school has over 50 percent mobility each school year and over 90 percent economically disadvantaged families. Dayton’s Bluff melds five domains to generate a cohesive, collaborative, creative and ultimately highly constructive school. The five domains are academic coherence, focus on students, analysis and use of student data, partnerships, and targeted professional development.
The eight transformational leaders will take part in a panel discussion: a dialogue regarding the best
practices that they have incorporated into their schools with ongoing cycles of
continuous improvement, sharing the specific strategies that were
unique to their schools to persistently reach towards their organization’s
ideal vision. The panel will be followed by concurrent break-out sessions to
analyze in-depth approaches embracing their professional learning communities,
the steps they have taken to improve student performance, and how they
confronted situations to determine what procedures and processes needed to be
institutionalized for improvement.
Panel Discussion, Saturday, April 10, 3-4:30
p.m.
Concurrent Sessions, Sunday, April 11, 8-9:30
a.m. Middle Grades Luncheon Transformational Leadership Presentation, Sunday, April 11, 12-1:30 p.m.
MESPA photos from past conventions
Scroll down to view slide shows from past conventions: 2009 in New Orleans, 2008 in Nashville, and 2007 in Seattle.
Mission: The Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association is dedicated to promoting and improving education for children and youth, strengthening the role as educational leader for elementary and middle level principals, and collaborating with partners in education to assist in achieving these goals.
Leading schools toward excellence through the MESPA vision to be the premiere resource for preparing today's principals for tomorrow and a strong leading voice for public education.
Minnesota Elementary School Principals' Association
