Please join Diane Sweeney, author of Student-Centered Coaching: A Guide for K-8 Coaches and Principals (Corwin Press, 2010) and Learning Along the Way (Stenhouse, 2003) for two days of coaching sessions and school visits that will increase the outcomes of coaching and professional development in your own district. This K-12 institute is specifically well-suited for; coaches who would like to work more strategically to impact student learning, principals who would like to support coaching in their schools, and district leaders interested in developing and implementing a coaching model.

Participants will be provided with the opportunity to explore, discuss, and plan in the following areas:

• Theories and practices behind a coaching model that focuses on making a measurable impact on student learning
• School visits in Denver-area schools to observe student-centered coaching in action
• Specific methods and tools for one-on-one coaching, observations in classrooms by teams of teachers, small group collaboration, and data teams
• Methods for cultivating the school climate to encourage teacher collaboration and reflection
• Strategies for district leaders and principals to design, implement, and measure the impact of a coaching model

	Denver, CO
	8:30 - 4:00 on Thursday. May 19, 2011 and 8:30-3:00 on Friday. May 20, 2011
	$450 per person

REGISTRATION FOR THIS CONFERENCE WILL OPEN ON SEPTEMBER 1, 2010. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO DISCUSS OPTIONS FOR EARLY REGISTRATION OR HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT US AT INFO@SPARKINNOVATE.COM.

Due to the content of this seminar, we recommend that principals and coaches attend as a team. District level leaders are also encouraged to attend with school teams. Teams from a given district will be limited to 10 participants.

Participants will participate in school visits, will receive handouts, a catered lunch, coaching tools, and a coaching DVD. . Participants are responsible for any additional expenses such as lodging, transportation, and other meals.

Diane Sweeney is a nationally known author and advocate for designing coaching around goals for the student learners in our classrooms. She holds a longstanding interest in how adult learning translates to learning in the classroom. A national consultant since 1999, Diane's work focuses on the methods, practices, and structures for building rigorous learning communities in schools. She currently serves as Lead Consultant for Spark Innovation, an organization that provides consulting support to school districts across the U.S. In the past, Diane has been a classroom teacher, a literacy coach, a trainer for literacy coaches, and an instructor at the university level. Diane has a Bachelor's degree from the University of Denver and a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Susan Levy is an experienced classroom teacher both in the United States and internationally. Beginning in 2002, Susan coached teachers to implement a new district wide literacy curriculum in the Denver Public Schools. Most recently, she is consulting with school districts across the country in effective school-based coaching. Susan has a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education from Emory University and a Master's of Curriculum Development from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

“Diane has taken a commitment to instructional leadership and turned it into practical models and applications. She has a thorough grounding in the research, which she combines with extensive personal experience and a brass-tacks orientation toward helping teachers and administrators improve. Diane’s approach to leadership development is intellectually rigorous but also down to earth. You will gain from Diane both a deeper understanding and real tools for leadership and facilitation. She’s a delight to work with—a good listener, thoughtful, responsive, and reliable.”

Rob Stein- Principal, Manual High School (Denver, Colorado)

"The presenters were fabulous! Thank you for giving us key things to think about, then time to work together to sort through them and plan for our future."

Kathy Horvath- Assistant Superintendent, Northbrook 28 (Northbrook, IL)

"Superb! This institute provided a flexible framework on structure for the role of a literacy coach. I have many ideas to reflect on and I plan to implement many changes in the fall."

Literacy Coach (Chicago, IL)

"This was an example of the highest quality staff development. Having the time to process, the text, and the experience to ground it, and Diane's exemplary facilitation style forced my thinking to go much deeper."

Instructional Coach (Chicago, IL)

"I loved the basic, practical information that was shared about how coaching looks and can be structured. I also really appreciated the time to talk with people from my district to process how we can make this happen."

Sarah Mallik- Reading Specialist (Naperville, IL)