The Altru Institute’s Invest in Schools Summit August 3 – 4 will gather those deeply engaged in bringing our schools back from the pandemic and committed to rebuilding K12 better for American education for generations to come.
$122 billion in committed capital is the single largest investment in US history in K-12 education. School districts across America are now faced with getting schools back, functioning, and situated so they never need to close again. It is a daunting challenge.
The Summit will help schools meet this challenge by providing insight into various programs while exploring new advances, technologies, and best practices. The format is designed to foster collaborative relationships and help people connect.
A silver lining in the COVID crisis may be the opportunity to rethink how we approach education in the United States. Never has the sharing of information and ideas toward collaboration been more critical.
Curriculum
The conference will offer sessions of best practices to enable schools to build back better and will be focused on federal funding and three core components:
- Safe Schools
- Healthy Schools
- Accelerated Learning
We will look at what was learned from testing mitigation strategies and will focus on the advances and innovations that came from the experience. Our goal is to make sure it doesn’t recur by applying this knowledge to be ready when the next pandemic hits.
Federal Funding
Our goal is to provide an understanding of how the $122 billion will be distributed, utilized, and measured. We will analyze programs and functions and show how schools can best access and utilize the funds: 1. Legislation provides an understanding of the purpose of ARP ESSER and a description of the five approved areas of expenditure and their specific applications: I. Professional Development, II. Public Health, III. Technology, IV. Infrastructure and V. Socio-economic. 2. Accessing Funds looks at how schools can efficiently access these funds and put them to best use.
Safe Schools
The mission is to put systems in place to ensure schools never close again due to a pandemic. Inevitably, there will be another pandemic. It is just a matter of when. This session will address what needs to happen to prevent a future pandemic from shutting down schools and communities by focusing on two core themes: 1. Testing: How to implement COVID testing to ensure the safety of teachers, staff, and students. 2. Air Quality. Proper ventilation can thwart the spread of airborne pathogens (including influenza) and create a healthy physical environment for students, teachers, and staff. This session will be webcast. Register.
Healthy Schools
For children to learn to their full potential, they must be physically safe and emotionally healthy. The pandemic and closing of schools exposed the critical role of schools in children’s physical and emotional health. The impact was particularly hard on families with limited economic means that bore the brunt of the damage. Schools now face significant health challenges as kids return to the classroom. This discussion will be on the broader role of schools in the overall healthcare system, including Health and Resilience, and the role of nutrition and opportunities for avoiding diabetes and obesity. Mental Health. How psychological and emotional resources for children, such as mentoring, can play a key role in keeping kids emotionally healthy. This session will be webcast. Register.
Accelerated Learning.
Falling behind in school takes a terrible toll on kids and their development. Finding new ways to help kids learn and catch up is critical. Mentoring, dyslexia, and individualized learning strategies offer hope. This session will explore how technologies can accelerate learning and the role that computer-assisted learning, AI, software, and tutoring can play to advance learning. Learning protocols and new ways to accelerate learning will be the focus to help create a level playing field and overcome the “digital divide” by ensuring that every student is connected with equal access to educational opportunities. This session will be webcast. Register.
Venue. The District Wharf overlooking the Potomac River is just minutes from Washington provides an ideal environment for thoughtful discussion and relationship building.
Partnering. A core objective is to foster relationships and formation of special interest groups that will connect peers in similar situations and with similar challenges to share ideas on an ongoing basis.
Hybrid Conference. Virtual and in-person. In person attendance is limited. The August 4th sessions will be webcast. Please contact us as soon as possible if interested in attending. Register for our mailing list to receive updates.
Sponsors
