TeachBoost recently had the pleasure of attending the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP) conference in Nashville. What a great four days!
We met principals from all over the country, and signed up 100+ school leaders for theInstructional Leadership Challenge. About two hundred attendees joined us at our reception, co-hosted by ThinkCERCA. Far more stopped by our booth to chat, telling us hilarious stories about their students and discussing best practices in teacher evaluation management and professional growth while learning how TeachBoost supports their work.
For me, this conference was my first experience at a big education conference as a corporate partner rather than an attendee. Fortunately, because we at TeachBoost are always trying to learn more about teacher evaluation, professional development, and the educators we support, I was still able to attend several sessions and enjoy the amazing PD offered.
Standouts included Milton Chen’s session, in which he discussed his and Edutopia’s work to promote 21st-century education and skills. I loved his book Education Nation, so it was fun to hear him expand upon some of its arguments. I was moved by the dedication and success of the United for Children team after attending their session on “Breaking the Cycle of Poverty Through Education and Collective Impact.” Learner-Centered Initiative’s Joanne Picone-Zocchia’s deep-dive into teacher evaluation was insightful, and the discussion it provoked among attendees helped shine a light on the mindset of school leaders.
Like all education conferences, the best learning happens informally, when like-minded educators gather and discuss their craft. We learned the most from off-the-cuff conversations with administrators. Amazing work is going on in schools nationwide, and we love meeting educators and innovators in person, shaking their hand, and hearing their stories.
