What Works in Public Education

Edutopia Webinar Series: Exclusive Members-Only Benefit

As an Edutopia member, you will receive invitations to our webinars prior to each event. If you are not yet a member, please join today to attend our next webinar and to receive all our benefits, including the award-winning Edutopia magazine.

Upcoming Webinars

*   December 10, 2009, at 4 p.m. PDT/6 p.m. CDT/7 p.m. EDT:

Creating a Strong School Culture: Inspiration from Houston's Successful YES Prep Schools

Host: Grace Rubenstein, senior producer, Edutopia

Presenters: Chris Barbic, founder of the YES Prep Public Schools, Mark DiBella, school director at YES Prep North Central, and Mayra Valle, a senior at YES Prep North Central

Target audience: Ideal for teachers and administrators interested in strengthening the culture at their schools

Anyone who has worked in public education knows that school culture can make or break the experience. Great teachers, programs, and practices succeed best only with a culture that supports them. In Houston's YES Prep Public Schools, educators put culture front and center, and it's a major force behind their success. Teachers support each other and constantly seek to help their colleagues improve. They build relationships with students to help them thrive even under the schools' rigorous demands.

The end result: happy teachers, and hundreds of low-income students becoming the first in their families to attend college. There's no magic involved -- just good ideas, dedicated people, and deft execution. In this session, YES Prep leaders explain what they do, how they do it, and how you can put some of these ideas in action at your school, too.

Previously Presented Webinars

October 29, 2009: "Greening Your School: How One Educator Can Make a Difference"

Host: Amy Borovoy, coordinating producer, Edutopia

Presenters: Tim Grant, coeditor of Green Teacher magazine, and Tom Koulentes, assistant principal at Highland Park High School, in Highland Park, Illinois, and cosponsor of the school's Green School Initiative

When the big challenge of protecting the environment feels overwhelming, we can often do best by looking at the impact we can have in our own backyards -- or, in this case, schoolyards. Educators and students working together can make some real eco-achievements, empowering students and deepening some academic lessons along the way. In this session, Tim Grant and Tom Koulentes highlight some of the best ideas, examples, and strategies they've found. Learn more at the webinar's resource page.

August 27, 2009: "The Fundamentals of Funding: How to Identify, Write, and Submit Grants for School and Program Initiatives"

Host: Grace Rubenstein, senior producer, Edutopia

Presenter: Kathleen Petersen, director of Title I programming for Utah's Washington County School District and former principal of the district's Santa Clara Elementary School, in Santa Clara, Utah

To expand on our coverage of the federal stimulus package for education, we drew on the grant-writing experience of school administrator Kathleen Petersen, also a member of The George Lucas Educational Foundation's National Advisory Council. She demystified the process of researching, designing, writing, and implementing grants. Learn more at the webinar's resource page.


June 4, 2009: "Engaging the Digital Generation: Insights from Kids, Teachers, and Parents"

Host: Amy Erin Borovoy, coordinating producer, Edutopia video

Presenters: Teacher Vicki Davis, who also blogs at the Cool Cat Teacher Blog, and researcher Nichole Pinkard

Today's students use digital media in ways hardly that were imaginable just a few years ago, revolutionizing how kids create, collaborate, and teach one another. Join us for a stimulating discussion with innovative educators, parents, and students from the Digital Generation Project as they share practical tools and strategies for engaging the digital learner. Learn more at the webinar's resource page.


    April 9, 2009: "How the Brain Learns Best: Strategies to Make Learning Stick"

    Host: Grace Rubenstein, senior producer, Edutopia

    Presenter: Judy Willis, middle school teacher and neurologist and authority on learning-centered brain research and classroom strategies derived from this research

    Neuroscience is a complex field that educators don't often turn to for inspiration, but knowing a few basic concepts can help you plan teaching strategies that will prompt your students to be more receptive to learning. Find out how introducing a few simple techniques to your craft -- and increasing some of those you may already employ -- can encourage productive learning and actually change brain chemistry, increasing children's ability to learn (and retain) new skills and information. Read more at the discussion page for the webinar.


February 12, 2009: "A New Day for Learning: How to Cultivate Full-Time Learners"

Host: Milton Chen, executive director, The George Lucas Educational Foundation

Presenters: Hillary Salmons, executive director, Providence After School Alliance (PASA), and Karen Dvornich, continuing education coordinator, NatureMapping

Discussion and exploration of A New Day for Learning, which showcases model programs that engage students in the array of learning opportunities inside, and outside of, the classroom. You'll walk away from the webinar with lesson plans, best practices, and tips you can implement in your school, your school district, or your community. Read more at the discussion page for the webinar.


November 6, 2008: "Small World: How to Bring Your Students into the Global Classroom"

Host: Grace Rubenstein, senior producer, Edutopia

Presenter: Blogger and author Will Richardson, a member of Edutopia's National Advisory Council

Unlike books, radio, and other media, the Internet is a two-way communication tool. Online, everyday people are able to shape and contribute to the collective experience -- it empowers you and your students to become information producers, rather than mere consumers. We know that the Web is changing politics, business, and the media, but what does that mean for teachers and schools? That's what we'll be talking about during the webinar.


The complete recordings of webinars are available only to Edutopia members shortly after the date of presentation. If you are a member and have not received it, email membership@edutopia.org. If you are not yet a member, please join today. When you become a member, you will receive a link to a recording of this webinar.

About Edutopia Webinars

Edutopia presents six webinars hosted exclusively for our members each year. These interactive events, designed to connect our valued members with leaders in the movement for educational reform, will allow our community to directly ask questions and learn from each other and from experts in the field. Our webinars typically last one hour and include an interactive feature in which you can submit questions online during the event; you may also be asked to participate in polls.

JOIN THE GROUP: YES Prep: Teachers
YES Prep: Teachers by Betty Ray
2 comment(s) | Most Recent by Yolanda Johnson on Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 17:59
YES Prep: Teachers by Michael Rebne
1 comment(s) | Most Recent by Katie Norwood on Wednesday, November 18, 2009 - 16:42
YES Prep: Teachers by Erin Palkot
22 comment(s) | Most Recent by Craig Brandenburg on Monday, November 16, 2009 - 12:49

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