The AZ Rural Leader Official Publication of the Arizona Rural Schools Association SOG OG in this issue... SUMMER 2021 Page 1 • From the Executive Director Page 3 • What Matters? by Sean Rickert, Superintendent Pima USD, ARSA Executive Board Page 7 • Apache County Superintendent by Joy Whiting, Superintendent Apache County School Page 10 • Summer Conference Keynote Speakers Page 11 • ARSA Executive Board Members Page 15 • ARSA Special Guest Page 16 • 2021 ARSA Teacher of the Year Nominees Page 20 • 2021 ARSA Conference Breakout Sessions Page 20 • 2021 ARSA Page25 • No Going Back From Hybrid and Remote Learning by Benjamin Herold Page 31 • 2021 ARSA Hall of Fame Inductee Page 33 • 2021 ARSA Conference Schedule Be safe out there, and, as always, please call me if I can help you with anything. Wes Brownfield “Stronger Together!” Message from the Executive Director I hope you managed to take some time for yourselves this summer; heaven knows you deserved it. As I reflect on what I’ve witnessed over the last months, I’m left almost speechless. I’ve seen a deadly pandemic, raging forest fires, and flooding on an unimaginable scale. And all this with some of the ugliest political discord imaginable, as a backdrop. This certainly reinforces the notion that any lack of clear, informed political leadership will create the perfect opportunity for misinformation and ideology. As educators, we all live and work with uncertainty, but what you are experiencing now goes beyond the situational uncertainties with which we all contend. We are all accustomed now to legislative driven educational policy. I hope to see you all at the ARSA Conference, September 16 – 18, at Little America in Flagstaff. The conference offers everyone the opportunity to re-connect with colleagues and our Friends, Our Sponsors, who offer the goods, services, and sometimes just expert advice to help everyone in the coming school year.
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What Matters? By Sean Rickert, Superintendent Pima USD, ARSA Executive Board Educational leaders serve at the behest of countless agendas. The last year has only added to the fray and made it harder to keep your eye focused on the vision of the best way to guide your district, school or department towards successfully implementing its vision. Sometimes it is helpful to consider some empirical evidence showing what really matters. Most of the factors that guide decision making are subjective, and that isn’t always a bad thing. It can be refreshing to step back and look at things through a fresh set of lenses based on objective criteria. For the base three years I have served as an appointee of the Arizona State Board of Education on the Accountability Technical Advisory Committee managed by the Arizona Department of Education. My interest in accountability goes back to a discovery made a decade ago when reviewing the locations of “A” rated schools in Arizona. While almost half of the state’s schools are in the rural counties, fewer than a tenth of the “A” high schools were in those communities. It appeared there was some bias in the way we measure schools. I began to wade through the morass of noise about what makes a good school. If we don’t know which factors we should try to influence, how can we move forward? Luckily, we have a voluminous data set of factors generally associated with school quality ripe for utilization in comparing performance on independent variables to see how performance on x affects y. I am not referring to the A-F accountability Teacher Experience (A) Average Years of Teacher Experiene Percentage of Teachers In First 3 Years Student Spending (B) Per Pupil Instruction Spending Student Support Spending Instruction Support Spending Total Operational Spending system. Almost everything counted in a school’s letter grade goes back to student performance on the state’s standardized test. To say that schools are doing well because they do well on a test seems … circular. I wanted to figure out what factors are correlated with success. The Arizona Auditor General provides an annual report on each school district in the state based on 137 characteristics of public schools.1 These reports are useful for helping communities and boards understand the how their district is performing relative to other districts. The data is also reported as a spreadsheet, which means it can be used to develop a picture of the education system as a whole. With 137 characteristics for each of the 212 school districts in hand it becomes possible to start looking for what really matters. The first question is what an indicator of quality performance? As I mentioned, there is a high level of agreement that student achievement measured by standardized test scores is a robust indicator of school quality. If it isn’t, we should seriously reconsider our accountability system. There are a number of districts who do not have test score data on the Auditor General’s report due to small n-size and technical issues. Since performance on the math and English language arts test are our dependent variables, those small districts were removed. This leaves us with 185 districts. Next, it seemed that 137 characteristics was too much to wrestle with, so seventeen key factors in five categories were identified. Operational Spending (C) Per Pupil Administration Spending Plant Operations Food Service Transportation 1No such report is generated for the states 700 plus public charter schools. Page 3 Teacher Spending/ Class Size (D) Average Teacher Salary Amount from Prop 301 Students Per Teacher Student Population Characteristics (E) Special Education Population English Learner Population Poverty Rate Free/Reduced Price Price Meal Eligibility (continued on page 5) “Stronger Together!”
REACH NEW HEIGHTS Join Grand Canyon University’s Participants in Learning, Leading and Serving (PLLS) alliance to receive exclusive educational benefits. PLLS Members Receive: • 10% tuition scholarships for faculty and staff ¹ • 5% tuition scholarships for spouses of faculty and staff ² • 5% tuition scholarships for parents of students ³ We’re Enrolling! | Visit gcu.edu/ARSA to begin! Partner with our K12 Educational Development Department We collaborate with colleges and departments across the university to provide affordable or even free services that can help your school reach its full potential. View the full menu of services at gcu.edu/K12Services 1 MOU 3059 — Valid for applicants who are faculty, staff or governing board members of a PLLS member district in Arizona or Texas and submit a complete application. 2 MOU 3061 — Valid for applicants who are spouses of staff members of a PLLS member district within the state of Arizona and submit a complete application. 3 MOU 6011 — Valid for applicants who are employed as classified staff or paraprofessionals at a PLLS member district or school in Arizona or Texas and submit a complete application. Grand Canyon University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Please note, not all GCU programs are available in all states and in all learning modalities. Program availability is contingent on student enrollment. Important policy information is available in the University Policy Handbook at https://www.gcu.edu/academics/ academic-policies.php. The information printed in this material is accurate as of AUGUST 2021. For the most up-to-date information about admission requirements, tuition, scholarships and more, visit gcu.edu. ©2021 Grand Canyon University 21SEA0079 “Stronger Together!” Page 4
(continued from page 3 - What Matters?) Years ago, as I was wading through the morass, I asked a friend at the capitol why there was no recognition or incentive for high operational efficiency among school districts. It seems, I was told, that there is no evidence to suggest that greater operational efficiency correlated with quality of education. As part of this brief analysis I applied the same methodology to understanding the value of operational efficiency. So, we have eighteen characteristics and 185 districts. Then there is the always present question of how rural is different. To observe this, I used the ‘rural’ and ‘town’ designations within the database. This removed 63 ‘urban’ districts from the analysis. Using this statistically significant sample, I set out to try to answer the question, “What really matters?” when it comes to school quality. A brief note on the methodology used. If this stuff bores you, skip to the next paragraph. For each characteristic a rank value was generated. A Pearson correlational coefficient, Pearson’s r, was used to determine the extent to which the rank on the independent variable correlated with the dependent variable -- rank on test score outcomes. A Pearson correlational coefficient generates an outcome between -1 and 1 where 0 is no correlation. The significance of a correlation is completely relative. In the social sciences where relationships between factors are confounded by multitudinous exogenous variables a Pearson’s r of greater than .2 is considered (continued on page 15) Page 5 “Stronger Together!” Health Care Educators for Strong, comprehensive health care that fits your school's budget What if you could offer... The richest benefit plans for Arizona schools. A one-stop shop for all your employee health care needs, including: – Medical/prescription. – Wellness Program. – Dental. – Vision. . – SkinIO™ – Life. – EAP. – COBRA. Innovative member programs, including: – Teladoc® . The strongest national provider network available in Arizona, which may include access to the Banner|Aetna network. This program provides efficient and effective patient care at a more affordable cost. Together, we’re transforming health care in Arizona! ...with ASBAIT, you can! At ASBAIT, we're helping Arizona educators and their families to live healthier lives. Need more information? Contact: FLAGSTAFF Sean Shepard Meritain Health® Regional Vice President, Sales PHOENIX Sean.shepard@meritain.com 1.303.681.1799 TUCSON ASBAIT Trustees ASBAIT Schools www.meritain.com | © 2021–2022 Meritain Health, Inc. Visit asbait.org | @asbaithealth | asbait – Hinge Health.
Ensure Continuous Learning for All Students Accurate assessment to show what students have learned Digital books and articles to support engaging practice Clear Insights to show the path forward for every learner For additional information, just click on any of the Renaissance product logos below. Learn how we can help your students continue achieving reading growth this year. Mike Kuenzel | District Account Executive Schedule a time here. (866) 558-8455 mike.kuenzel@renaissance.com ©Copyright 2021 Renaissance Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. (800) 338-4204 www.renaissance.com Keri Nettles, EdD | Account Executive Schedule a time here. (816) 674-0102 keri.nettles@renaissance.com 432549.0221 “Stronger Together!” Page 6
Apache County Has a New Superintendent By Joy Whiting, Superintendent Apache County School Joy Whiting is the newly elected Apache County School Superintendent. Joy is a 5th generation Arizonian, born and raised in northeast Arizona. Joy also comes from a multigenerational teaching background. Her grandmother and mother were teachers and both sisters were teachers and now are administrators. high, high school and college, and loved teaching every level. Just prior to being elected as Apache County’s newest School Superintendent, she enjoyed teaching high school mathematics using cutting edge technology in the classroom. Joy’s mantra reads: “Every Child has amazing potential. Technology in the classroom is critical to train our students for today’s jobs.” Joy played high school volleyball and basketball, winning All-State Awards, while graduating in the top 10% of her class. After high school, Joy received both academic and athletic scholarships and played college basketball. After a church service mission to Boston, Massachusetts, Joy married Michael Whiting. They have been married for 26 years and counting. Joy earned her Associates of Science from Cochise College, her Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education - Mathematics and her Masters in Curriculum & Instruction from Arizona State University. Joy was a classroom teacher for 25 years before being elected as the Apache County School Superintendent. Joy has taught preschool, junior Page 7 Since being elected, Joy has moved into the technology space in efforts to close the digital divide for those she serves in rural Arizona. The Apache County Business Consortium is an IT educational service agency under the Apache County School Superintendent’s Office. The Consortium serves many of the schools in Apache County with IT needs and discounted Educational Rate Internet Services, better known as E-Rate. With the onset of the pandemic, the need for high speed internet to students’ homes has been a major point of interest. This need has not escaped the attention of Joy Whiting, as she has been the creator of the (continued on page 8) “Stronger Together!”
(continued from page 7 - Joy Whiting, Apache County School Superintenent) Apache County Broadband Project, which would bring the necessary funding for infrastructure on major projects to provide fiber to the homes of Apache County students and their families. The main focus of her Administration for this first term is increasing the access of students to the internet. Apache County is extremely rural, and nowhere is that more evident than on the Navajo Nation. Apache County has the largest geographical area of the Navajo Nation within its boundaries. The students living on the Navajo Nation have been at an extreme disadvantage during this pandemic with very little or no connectivity at home in order to adequately participate in distance learning. The Apache County Consortium uses miles of fiber from the northernmost part of the County at Red Mesa School District in the Red Valley/Cove area running south near Ganado through the Sanders School District then towards McNary. The Consortium has just been awarded more E-Rate dollars in order to finish a fiber project to the very small and rural Alpine Elementary School District and Alpine Library. With a very special thank you to Milan Eaton, our state E-Rate Director, this fiber project will hopefully be completed by next year. With this much fiber to the schools, Joy is hoping to work with great carriers, to leverage more money in order to complete middle and final mile infrastructure projects to bring “Stronger Together!” Page 8 fiber to the homes. This is an expensive and complicated process, but with help of our local school districts, state and federal officials, and the personnel from the coal fired plants of SRP and TEP, she hopes to reach the goal of completing this Apache County Broadband Project. The attention Apache County needs to obtain this has come from our state broadband leaders like Jeff Sabotka, which has been crucial to the implementation of the project. The Apache County Business Consortium, which currently operates under the school superintendent’s office, is undergoing a new phase as well, as it transitions to a non-profit status to better serve the Apache County schools. Joy says she sends another big thank you to Tim Carter, Yavapai County School Superintendent, and the example he has set in serving Yavapai County’s needs, as he has been the leader in creating this type of IT non-profit consortium. With the help of Milan Eaton and Peter Lin (from Pinal County) moving the Apache County IT consortium to this model has been doable. Technology is second nature to students, and teachers need to have access to use technology in the classroom. Infrastructure to make sure schools have high speed internet in order to implement technology in their teaching strategies is not easy, but important. The low density of homes in Apache County makes the cost of laying fiber even more expensive, and attracting carriers willing to take on these projects is another big hurdle. One way to help offset issues of cost is to create a nonprofit IT school group, in
order to partner with businesses who want to service school districts like SRP and TEP. With so many new projects to tackle, and the amount of new information to learn, Joy thanks her fellow County School Superintendents across the state. Everyone has been so helpful. Tim Carter from Yavapai County, Jill Broussard from Pinal County, Steve Watson from Maricopa County, Donna McGaughey from Graham County, and Jalyn Gerlich from Navajo County have all taken time to meet with Joy personally. On behalf of everyone at Apache County School Superintendent’s Office, Joy would also like Superintendent Offices as many calls have gone out to Marc Kuffner and Jill Winn at the Maricopa Office, Nola Knight at the Graham County Office, Marvy McNeese at the Yavapai Office and many others. Those staff members have always taken the calls and treated Apache County with respect. This has not gone unnoticed and it is appreciated. Also, for all his tireless work for Apache County and the County School Superintendents, thank you to Barry Aarons. And a last thank you to Wes Brownfield and all the rural school superintendents for running the schools and serving the students in Apache County, and across the state. to thank those who work with the County School Page 9 “Stronger Together!”
Summer Conference Keynote Speakers Brian Mueller Brian E. Mueller is the president and CEO of Grand Canyon Education. Brian has been the president of Grand Canyon University since July 1, 2008. Prior to Grand Canyon University, President Mueller was the president and director of the parent company of The University of Phoenix: Apollo Education Group. Mueller also held executive positions with the University of Phoenix Online including CEO, chief operating officer, and senior vice president. During his leadership tenure, enrollment at the University of Phoenix grew from 3,500 to 340,000 students. Mueller graduated from Concordia University with a bachelor’s degree in secondary education and a master’s degree in education. Dr. Lee Jenkins Lee Jenkins is an author, speaker and recognized authority on improving educational outcomes. He believes that implementing a growth mindset and celebrating progress are the keys to helping students learn more and retain their enthusiasm for school. Dr. Jenkins is the developer of the LtoJ curve concept. Before founding LtoJ Consulting Services in 2003, he worked as a teacher, principal, a school superintendent, and as a university professor. Lee has spent 50 years in education. Lee has authored five books, including How to Create a Perfect School, Optimize Your School, Permission to Forget, From Systems Thinking to Systemic Action, and Improving Student Learning. Lee holds a bachelor’s degree from Point Loma Nazarene University, a master’s degree in education from San Jose State University, and a Ph.D. from the Claremont Graduate University. Tom Zoellner Tom Zoellner is the author of The National Road: Dispatches from a Changing America. He’s a former reporter for the The Arizona Republic, a graduate of Canyon del Oro High School in Tucson, a visiting fellow in geography at the University of Arizona, and a descendant of a territorial-era cotton farmer who moved to Phoenix in 1905. Tom is now working on Rim to River: A Journey to the Heart of Arizona from University of Arizona Press. Arizona. This book explores the politics and culture of “Stronger Together!” Page 10
Your ARSA Executive Board Past-President John Warren Topock Elementary School District President Kristen Turner Paloma Elementary School District President Elect Melissa Sadorf Stanfield Elementary School District Secretary Jaime Festa-Daigle Lake Havasu USD Treasurer Kevin Imes STEDY County Superintendent Representative Jacqui Clay Coshise County School Superintendent Higher Education Representative Patty Horn Northern Arizona University Business Partner Representative Ex-Officio Mike Chouteau 1GPA Regional Representatives NE - Robbie Koerperich Holbrook Unified School District NW - Jaime Festa-Daigle Lake Havasu Unified School District SE - Sean Rickert Advocacy Representative Pima Unified School District Central - Stephanie Miller Congress Elementary School District SW - Kevin Imes STEDY Executive Director Wes Brownfield ARSA ““STRONGER TOGETHER!”STRONGER TOGETHER! Water, Fire & Vandalism Restoration 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE Mold, Asbestos & Lead Abatement Complete Content Processing & 20,000 ft Storage Facility Licensed In-House Construction Restoration-Remodeling Division ROC #250660 B-1, ROC #153321 B-2, ROC #097838 B Your Restoration is Our Reputation 480.833.4538 www.eastvalleydisaster.com Contract #17-15P-02 Contract #ADEQ18-186321 Page 11 “Stronger Together!”
(continued from page 5 - What Matters?) meaningful. A value of .921 like was observed when comparing math scores and ELA scores basically indicates you’re looking at two measures of the same thing. Secondly, an r-squared analysis was conducted to see how much of the variation in test score rank was attributable to the characteristic being considered. For statistical purposes very small r-squared values can have value. The importance of a factor is made evident by the relative measure of its coefficient of correlation, r2. Math tests and ELA tests were considered separately because for some factors there are significant differences in how they are affected by the factor. The same analysis was done for the whole state population and the rural population. The summation is attached as an appendix and the individual tables are available upon request. Based on the results of the two layered analysis we can compare the efficacy of the eighteen factors. The Pearson’s r analysis shows us the extent to which schools performing well on our independent variable were similarly successful on their test performance. Values range from -.563, a strong correlation to -0.015 a weak correlation. Keep in mind it is the difference between the value and zero that indicates the strength of the correlation (i.e. an (r= -.500) correlation is stronger than an (r=.100)). Similarly, the outcomes of the r-squared analysis indicate how much of the variance in student proficiency can be explained by variations in the specific factor. The purpose behind the utilization of the r-squared is to show how much of the variation in the dependent variable (percent of students testing proficient district rank) can be explained by the variation in the independent variable. The values ranged from .000 to .317. Clearly some factors don’t matter much at all. The percentage of students eligible for special education services has no effect on the district’s “Stronger Together!” Page 12 performance on the state test. This may seem counterintuitive, but consider that all schools have special education programs mandated by federal law and effectively monitored by outside auditors. It makes sense that there is no meaningful correlation. On the other end of the spectrum Free and Reduced-price Meal Program eligibility has the highest correlation with test scores. The Pearson correlation shows a negative relationship. As the level of eligibility increases, test scores decrease. The r-squared value shows us that almost a third of the variation in test score rank can be explained by the variation in the FRL eligibility rank. This is also the point where rural schools are most different from the whole district population. The r-squared values for our This rural population are almost half what the whole population demonstrated. would imply that if the same analysis were performed for just the metropolitan school districts we would find that even more of their variance is attributable to FRL eligibility. So, we’ve confirmed what I’ve suspected for years. Very little matters more than the socioeconomic background of a district, but within the rural context you don’t have the homogeneity of backgrounds you have within the metropolitan areas. The varied nature of rural districts means you don’t have the extreme highs and lows. When all you look at is the test score to identify school quality this means rural districts will fall in the B, C, and D range with fewer A’s and F’s. This might seem disheartening to some since it can be taken to mean that all the efforts to make schools great again are overshadowed by the fatalistic reality that zip code really does matter. Two points of light to help us see past this dismal reality. First, there is the eighteenth factor of ‘Operational Efficiency’. Contrary to the supposition of the policy analyst, it does matter. It also matters the same for the rural district as the broad (continued on page 16)
(continued from page 15 - What Matters?) population. The positive correlation at .45 (Pearson-r) for math scores and .41 for ELA scores is as strong a relationship as we find. Likewise Operational Efficiency explains 20% of the variance in test scores based on the r-squared analysis (.20 for math, .17 for ELA). This is exceeded only by the FRL eligibility and census poverty as a determinant of test score performance. I would suggest the reason is that schools where people are focused on putting everything they can into the classroom are the schools where students also give a little more. Second, we know that an “A” school is a school operating under a certain set of circumstances not likely to be found in a rural community. This means that when you find a rural school operating at the high “B” level, things are going well. And what are the things that are going well? They are the kinds of things that leaders can affect. Operational efficiency is a measure of how much emphasis is placed on using the resources provided to the school district to meet the needs of the students. How much of each dollar are we getting in the classroom? This is the product of the difficult decisions leaders make each day. Should the state accountability system recognize the correlation between high operational efficiency and higher levels of student achievement? That is a meaningful question we should look for opportunities to discuss. If you are interested in discussing this and dozens of other issues related to rural education, I would encourage you to attend the National Forum to Advance Rural Education, November 11-12, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Melissa Sadorf and I will be presenting this analysis and Mr. Milan Eaton and I will be presenting on The Final Mile Project. If you attend one national conference this year, I would strongly recommend that you find the time to make it to Indianapolis in November. The Tosca Law Firm, PLC (928) 274-9696 www.toscalaw.com Serving Rural School Districts for Over Ten Years | Arizona School Risk Retention Trust Panel Counsel Call to schedule a consultation to determine how the Firm may best serve the legal needs of your school district. Page 13 “Stronger Together!”
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ARSA Special Guest Kathy Hoffman Superintendent Kathy Hoffman has spent her entire career working in public education, first as a pre-school teacher and then as a speech therapist in Arizona’s public schools. She began her career in the Vail School District in Southern Arizona before joining the Peoria Unified School District. In November 2018, she was elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction and assumed office in January 2019. As State Superintendent, she oversees all of Arizona’s public schools and manages a department of approximately 600 education professionals that work across the state. 2020 State Teacher of the year Vanessa Arredondo I believe that every child can reach their full potential when we provide them with the necessary resources and support system. I believe that building strong relationships with all stakeholders is essential in providing a quality education for students and empowering student growth. As an educator, I believe that it is my duty to use my voice to advocate for my students. Page 15 “Stronger Together!”
ARSA Teacher of the Year NominEES Tracy Banker-Murtadza I believe that every child can learn. I believe that every child has the right to opportunities that expand and promote their education. I believe strongly that a teacher is a child’s second teacher and parents and teachers need to be on the same page for the education and well-being of their child. Communication and collaboration are the keys to always giving positive messages about the children to the parents, to the staff in a school setting, to the community, but the most important message is to the child. My goal with all students in my classroom is to promote a love of learning, develop critical thinking skills, and practice patience and perseverance. My goals with all students in my school are to provide a safe learning environment, promote trust, respect, fairness, and self-esteem. A child is like a seed. We, as teachers, are the gardeners. Marisol Calderon-Santacoloma Education is a celebration of all the gifts we as individuals bring forth to share. My educational philosophy actively engages connection, transparency, and servitude, all grounded in improving the lives of lifelong learners. By putting our students first, I am able to provide meaningful lessons that are carefully designed to meet each student’s individual needs. Innovative instructional and leadership practices help me empower others to reach their goals in ways that are holistic and fun. By building strong and positive relationships with members of the entire learning community, I strive for equity and understanding. My core values help propel my passion for the vast world of education and ground me in always doing what is best for our learners. Mark Dittmar Successful teachers do whatever it takes to get students interested and even excited about their subjects. They wear many hats and differentiate instruction. They leave students feeling encouraged, appreciated, and that they are proud of them for putting their best foot forward regardless of their finished product. Laura Figueroa Every student deserves to experience a teacher that believes in them. A successful teacher leads by gracious example, encourages, and loves. All students are worthy of such teachers. Someone that can show them acceptance and compassion. The purpose of our classrooms are to bring out the confidence and endless potential in every student. With these values my philosophy in teaching is to be the change you want to see. Gemma Gomez I know that I cannot solve the education gap overnight and definitely can not fix decades-old rural education issues with just one phone call. But I believe as a teacher I can do something. I can help my students reach their full potential and try to make a difference in a child’s life. I believe that education is the most valuable possession a child can have. It is something that no one can take away from them and will help them become successful in life. “Stronger Together!” Page 16
Kaitlin McGill Success to me is providing my students with experiential and hands on education. There is extreme value in building relationships with my students and the community. Incorporating the local community into my classroom provides memorable experiences for all. Amanda Mowrey My work on developing their ability to investigate and research all questions so they can become self-sufficient and successful lifelong learners. I encourage them to question, create, and build relations so they can achieve their goals. I invite students to be responsible for their own learning by asking them what they want to learn, including them in their evaluation, helping raise awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, and asking for their input on how to better my teaching so we can grow together. Christina Musselman As a teacher, I know that students come with different learning styles and their own unique qualities that make them who they are. It is our job as teachers to accommodate our students and their needs and meet them where they are in order to help them develop their knowledge and skills to be well rounded learners and thinkers. I believe that there is power in being able to watch students grow and change into their own independent thinkers. Cherri Redd We are all learners and teachers. To the student this means that education must have value. When students are allowed to freely express their opinions, they will also become more confident and open to their own learning. The instructor must allow the learner to voice opinions and thoughts. Everyone has something we can learn from them; we are all learners and teachers. Lora Tapia I believe that teachers teach young human beings not curriculum. Every child is different therefore teachers cannot focus in on the curriculum until they get to know the child. Ty White I believe that every student deserves equitable opportunities to learn. I believe that every student needs to develop scientific literacy, just as we expect their literacy to develop in every other subject. I believe that I can be part of the solution in equalizing access to opportunities for students of different backgrounds. Page 17 “Stronger Together!”
K-12 DINING COMMONS K-12 FOOD COURTS INTERIOR GRAPHICS AND SIGNAGE AmTab partners with school districts throughout the country to create modern, popular, and fun K-12 Dining Commons and K-12 Food Courts. A huge part of our brand is that all of our products are made in the USA. Combining our innovative and dynamic furniture solutions along with our wall décor and interior signage, on average, schools see an increase in participation by 15% - 25% in their nutrition services programs. “STRONGER TOGETHER!” LEADING INNOVATORS OF THE DINING COMMONS Our modernization projects with school districts help increase school revenues by getting more students eating breakfast and lunch, creating more efficient serving lines, reducing waiting times and reducing costs long term. Students love their new dining experience! All of our furniture and interior signage can be customized with logo branding, colors, shapes, sizes, and so forth. We look forward to partnering together! MSWBT12 ACB6 MFBSP245 MGST3652-42 MSWT1212 Various Color Options Deluxe Stool MRZT60 600 Eagle Drive • Bensenville, IL 60106 • (Office) 630 301-7600 • 800 878-2257 • www.amtab.com “Stronger Together!” Page 18
K-12 DINING COMMONS K-12 FOOD COURTS INTERIOR GRAPHICS AND SIGNAGE “STRONGER TOGETHER!” 600 Eagle Drive • Bensenville, IL 60106 • (Office) 630 301-7600 • 800 878-2257 • www.amtab.com Page 19 “Stronger Together!”
ARSA CONFERENCE BREAKOUT SESSIONS Session One 9:30-10:30 AM Ballroom B “Bringing Teacher Preparation to Your District” Marcy Wood, University of Arizona The “pathways to Teaching” program seeks to address the teacher shortage in rural Arizona by working with districts to recruit prospective teachers from within the school district community, thereby allowing students to remain in their districts and serve their communities. Ballroom C “Solutions to Address Learning Loss” Brad Mitchell, Generation Schools This session will provide a pathway to considering individual and collaborative options for addressing the most pressing needs in your district in the coming year. Participants will be guided by a template that analyzes possibilities and engage in shared discussion with GSN experts and similar districts. Aspen Room “Getting the Most From Construction Dollars” Gerald Green, VANIR Construction Management This session will provide districts guidance on the use of a construction management company to maximize their construction funding as well as ensuring well-coordinated and effective construction management through needs assessments, planning, and forecasting. Agassiz Room “The Answer is Your People” Dr. Susan Hammack, Hammack ED Consulting Best practices for teacher, principal, and superintendent improvement, will focus on: Teacher’s instruction and classroom management, Principal’s instructional leadership and staff evaluation, and for the superintendent: a framework (PELP) for professional development models. Ponderosa Room “Building Learner Advocacy” Joe Howard, Prescott USD, Superintendent Looking for ways to build, or rebuild, ownership and independence in your students? We will deepen your understanding of learner agency and how all students can gain ownership for their learning, set and accomplish goals, and monitor their own learning process. Spruce Room “Connecting the Dots in Arizona” Jacqui Clay, Cochise County ESA This session will provide innovative practices that can have an impact on communications and relationships between schools, families, community leaders, and our business partners. Session Two 11:00-12:00 AM Ballroom C “Instructional Mentoring: A New Practice” Kathleen Paulson and Christi Olsen, Lake Havasu USD The practice of intentional instructional mentoring by highly trained, non-evaluative mentors supports new educators on their journey to becoming curious, persistent, and reflective practitioners. mentoring program. In this session you will learn about building a comprehensive induction and Aspen Room “Viable Restorative Practice” Richard Long, Education Life Skills There has been a call to action for educators to revamp, revise, or totally redo their discipline practices and procedures. This session will help educational leaders more fully understand “Restorative Practices” in education. Agassiz Room “Best Practices for STEM Education” Cori Araza, Grand Canyon University When science, technology engineering, and math (STEM) learning includes integrative approaches to instruction, student engagement flourishes. In this session we will discuss inquiry and collaboration through the lens of engineering design and project-based learning, and how leaders can encourage successful STEM instruction. Ponderosa Room “Practical Tools for Leaders” Dr. Howard Carlson, NAU Rural Resource Center The NAURRC website provides short, timely videos, resource information, and contacts for expert support related to all the various topics, both new and veteran administrators face every day. We welcome you to see what the site has to offer, which topics will be added soon, and discus what you would like to see added to the NAURRC website, Spruce Room “The Final Mile Project” Sean Rickert, Arizona Rural Schools Association The Final Mile Project is designed to promote “Last Mile” connection for rural Arizona Students from the high-quality Broadband most have to their schools to their homes. For far too many rural students, internet availability is either nonexistent, very poor quality, of prohibitively expensive. This project offers a proven, cost-effective concept for providing dependable, high quality internet service to all rural students. Session Three 2:30-3:30 P.M. Ballroom C “Engaging Students in Their Own Continuous Improvement” Lee Jenkins, L to J Consulting How to Make Growth Mindset Visible, Audible and Thrilling. A step-by-step presentation of the LtoJ process that replaces harmful data with data for joy. Examples are PK to grade 12. Come with cell phone camera to take pictures you can share with colleagues. “Stronger Together!” Page 20
Aspen Room “How to Make Your School Look Good” Cullen and Pastor, Arizona School Councilor’s Association Join us for This conversation with four experts to demonstrate how school counselors and administrators can effectively collaborate to increase attendance, enhance test scores and graduation rates while decreasing discipline and behavior problems. Good councilors make you look good. Agassiz Room “Lightening the Lift For Teachers Through Blended Learning” Nikki DeJulia Help your teachers create more effectiveness with their instructional time. This session will give you one superintendent’s perspective on how blended learning helped her become a more effective leader while reducing her stress. Topics will be the structure and methods used to foster high student growth, data driven instruction, and differentiation. Ponderosa Room ”Developing Relational Classroom Leadership” Chris Layton, Capturing Kids’ Hearts When school culture is built on a connection to students, a culture of relational classroom leadership emerges. These relationships tend to the social-emotional needs of students and their educators, which transform campuses, districts, and entire communities. Kids want to be in classrooms where they feel connected and valued. This session provides leaders the understand needed to create these relationships. Spruce Room “Connecting Rural Arizona Students to Highly Qualified Teachers” Glen Lineberry, Arizona Student Opportunity Collaborative AzSOC provides instruction and curriculum to rural Arizona Students by connecting them to highly qualified teachers already serving in rural schools. After a brief presentation of the program, AzSOC leaders will lead an exploration of how best AzSOC can expand its service to rural Arizona’s students, teachers, and schools. Session Four 3:45-5:00 P.M. Aspen Room “Superintendents Round Table” Sean Rickert and Melissa Sadorf, ARSA, Pima USD, Stanfield ESD Join Melissa and Sean as they facilitate discussions on current topics and challenges facing rural leaders and provide policy and legislative updates. They will be joined by Rebecca Bebee, ASA, and Chris Kotterman, ASBA This session will focus on debriefing the last 18 months and discussing the future. Spruce Room “Doctoral Research Presentations” Laura Corr, Arizona State University: Engaging Parents of High School Students in Special Has a Positive Impact on Their Academic Success Victoria Theissen-Homer, Arizona State University: Understanding the Teacher Chasm in the Grand Canyon State Denise Schares, University of Northern Iowa: How Effective Job Embedded Educational Leadership Development Can Support Positive Outcomes for Rural Schools “Setting the Standard in Arizona for Quality & Service” www.canyonstatebus.com PHONE: 602-230-1515 TOLL FREE: 877-230-1515 Page 21 “Stronger Together!”
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No Going Back From Remote and Hybrid Learning, Districts Say By Benjamin Herold January 7, 2021 Many teachers hate it. Millions of parents find it exhausting. A growing body of evidence suggests it has contributed to students falling significantly behind. Regardless, livestreamed remote instruction is set to remain a significant part of K-12 education, long after the coronavirus pandemic is finally under control. “There’s no going back now,” said Pedro Martinez, superintendent of the 49,000-student public school system in San Antonio, Texas, where voters recently approved a $90 million bond to pay for new technology–including cameras and microphones that will be used to broadcast teachers working from their classrooms into the homes of thousands of students learning remotely across the city. That’s just one of the models for live (“synchronous”) instruction-by-videoconference that has taken hold in the nation’s schools. Since March, districts have distributed tens of millions of digital devices while making massive investments in at-home connectivity, creating almost overnight the infrastructure necessary to support widespread experimentation. As a result, teachers and students in many communities now spend hours each day interacting via Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams. In Guilford County, N.C., local education leaders took just six weeks to stand up two new full-time virtual academies, which at one point this fall served nearly 10 percent of the district’s 73,000 students. In Dougherty County, Ga., a company that bills itself as the “Peloton of Education” provides the short-staffed local school district with certified teachers who livestream their lessons onto students’ laptops from hundreds of miles away. “We really like the Superintendent Kenneth Dyer. Page 25 flexibility,” said For America’s schools, COVID-19 isn’t just a public health crisis. It’s also a budget crisis and a mental health crisis, an academic crisis and a racialjustice crisis. No one yet knows the full severity and duration of the resulting challenges. But a dozen experts consulted by Education Week– district leaders and pediatricians, economists and parents, ed-tech entrepreneurs and policy researchers–see a confluence of forces that will likely fuel continued demand for remote teaching. For starters, clinical COVID-19 vaccine trials are just now beginning for younger children, meaning there’s little reason to believe that most of America’s 51 million public school students will be vaccinated by the start of the 2021-22 school year. The nation’s stagnant economy has also drained state coffers, leading many experts to predict that the nation’s school districts will continue to slash personnel. Even before the pandemic, many schools were facing a severe shortage of highly qualified teachers, especially in rural areas. And perhaps the biggest wildcard is a surge in interest in remote schooling from a small but significant subset of families. Tired of the constant microaggressions and racial discrimination that sapped their children’s spirit in traditional school, some parents of color report feeling empowered by remote learning, which has given them new visibility into classroom instruction, curricular materials, and how the adults in public schools are behaving. “They’re not likely to give that up,” said Annette Anderson, an assistant education professor at Johns Hopkins University, where she also serves as the deputy director of the Center for Safe & Healthy Schools. Add it all up, and it’s easy to see why players in the nation’s multi-billion dollar ed-tech industry sense opportunity. (continued on page 27) “Stronger Together!”
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(continued from page 25 - No Going Back from Hybrid and Remote Learning, Districts Say) Back in 1997, for example, Michael Chasen helped create the popular learning-management system Blackboard. Fifteen years later, a private equity group bought his company for $1.7 billion. Now, Chasen is back in the game, launching last summer a new company that aims to make Zoom more suitable for education, by adding functions such as assignments, interactive quizzes, and an attention-tracking feature that allows teachers to monitor what students are viewing on their screens. ClassEDU has already raised $16 million in venture capital. Remote instruction has “passed the acceptance barrier,” said Chasen, who described the past eight months as hands-on training in online education for millions of students and teachers. For some observers, though, that’s cause for concern. The push to make permanent a temporary “solution” intended as an emergency stopgap fits a long tradition of schools throwing good money after bad when it comes to ed tech, said researcher Audrey Watters, author of the forthcoming book Teaching Machines. “I don’t think making Zoom more quiz-friendly is particularly interesting,” Watters said. “I wish we would just make a commitment to fund schools and prioritize the safety of students and teachers.” And for Jenny Radesky, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Michigan who studies the ways mobile technology affects child development, the sooner most children can step outside the current “flattened, two-dimensional, technology-mediated” version of school, the better. “We’ve all been through this traumatic experience together,” Radesky said. “Kids are going to have to heal. The way that happens is through positive relationships.” Following are inside looks at how three school districts are seeking to pursue remote and hybrid instruction next school year and beyond. Before shutting its physical doors last March to Page 27 help slow the spread of COVID-19, the San Antonio Independent School District offered “pretty close to zero” live remote instruction, according to Superintendent Pedro Martinez. Over the ensuing months, however, the district purchased 30,000 Chromebooks, distributed thousands of mobile hotspots, adopted a new learning management system, and worked with city and state officials to help build fiber-optic networks in neighborhoods around the city. And after the district lost touch with one-fourth of its elementary students last spring, when most of the city’s elementary schools could offer only an hour or so per day of live instruction, officials decided to change their approach. During the first half of this school year, almost all of San Antonio ISD’s 3,200 teachers provided live “hybrid” instruction from their schools. About 30 percent of their students were physically present in the classroom, while the remaining 70 percent followed along remotely from home. Still, there were problems. For teachers, trying to keep in-person students engaged while also remaining visible on-camera for remote students proved particularly challenging. “Our best teachers are very energetic,” Martinez said. “They asked for additional equipment, so they can move around.” That’s why the district decided at the last minute to include in its $90 million bond proposal money for 1,600 camera-and-microphone rigs from a company called Swivl. The gear automatically follows teachers as they circulate in their classrooms, with the aim of creating a more dynamic livestreaming experience for remote students. “I want that flexibility, as long as we can show children are said still the learning,” Pedro Martinez, superintendent, San Antonio Public Schools. Martinez purchase is a long-term investment that can help his district maintain hybrid instruction, even after coronavirus-related restrictions eventually end. (continued on page 28) “Stronger Together!”
(continued from page 27 - No Going Back from Hybrid and Remote Learning, Districts Say) “Like Peloton,” Baranwal said, referencing the fitness-equipment juggernaut whose exercise instructors livestream workout classes via the tablets mounted on riders’ stationary cycles. So far, Elevate K-12’s footprint is relatively small, with about 700 live classes delivered to roughly 200 schools per day. Baranwal said that figure is up 93 percent from last school year. A little over half the company’s current clients are fully remote, while the rest are mostly hybrid. Among Elevate Teresa Vazquez, a teacher in Fort Wayne, Ind., remotely teaches a Spanish 1 class to students at Monroe High School in Albany, Ga., Courtesy of Elevate K-12 “I think the right mix is the reverse of what we have now,” the superintendent said. “My ideal is when we can have 70 percent of students inperson and 30 percent remote.” San Antonio isn’t alone. Ten percent of district leaders surveyed by the RAND Corporation last fall said they had adopted or were considering a similar hybrid instructional model. Another 19 percent said they were at least considering offering ongoing remote instruction, perhaps to specific subsets of students or to keep all children learning during weather emergencies. To make that vision more feasible, some education leaders are already pushing for state-level policy changes. Since the coronavirus hit, for example, the Texas Education Agency has allowed schools to include remote instruction when calculating student attendance. Martinez is advocating that state officials make that change permanent. “I want that flexibility,” he said, “as long as we can show children are still learning.” Ed-tech entrepreneur Shaily Baranwal believes the nation is weary of remote learning because it too often amounts to little more than kids watching online videos. To rectify that, Elevate K-12 offers districts certified teachers who live all over the country, but run synchronous classes that can be livestreamed anywhere. “Stronger Together!” Page 28 K-12’s power users is the 14,000-student Dougherty County, Ga., public schools, which serves the small city of Albany and its poor, mostly rural surroundings. The district first contracted with Elevate K-12 during the 2017-18 school year, using live certified teachers instead of paraprofessionals or software programs to provide remedial math and reading help to small groups of struggling students. Superintendent Kenneth Dyer was so happy with the results he turned to Elevate K-12 to help solve an even bigger problem. His district employs about 1,000 teachers across 21 schools. But it often started the school year with as many as 50 vacancies. “If everyone could have an effective teacher physically in the classroom at all times, we would certainly prefer that. But that’s not possible in every school system in the country,” Kenneth Dyer, Superintendent, Dougherty County, Ga., Public Schools. In a country that is short an estimated 100,000 teachers or more, that’s a common problem, said Emma García, an economist with the Economic Policy Institute. And while clear data on COVID19-related teacher retirements, resignations, and layoffs remain difficult to come by, cratering state budgets offer plenty of reason to believe that shortage is about to get worse. “We know from plenty of previous recessions that after a crisis, there’s a cut in the number education jobs,” García said.
Dyer cautioned against hiring third-party instructors as a cost-saving measure. His district now pays Elevate K-12 for 15 remote teachers, most of whom are live-streamed onto largescreen televisions in physical classrooms that students attend in person. The district saves some money, because it doesn’t have to provide benefits to the teachers. But there are also added costs, Dyer said, such as paying paraprofessionals to help with classroom management when a physical teacher isn’t present. That fits with advice from García and other experts, who stressed that no matter what schooling looks like in 2021 and beyond, the combination of learning loss and trauma that children and families have experienced will require more educators, not less. The real value of live remote instruction, according to Dyer, is flexibility. If there’s an Advanced Placement course that 10 students at one high school and 10 students at a separate high school hope to take, Dougherty County can now contract with Elevate K-12 for a single remote teacher who can be livestreamed into both schools simultaneously. There are also options to hire Elevate K-12 teachers to provide synchronous instruction for just three or four days a week, or just a few periods a day. Some may worry about converting teaching into “gig work,” with educators going from being professional unionized employees to becoming independent contractors along the lines of Uber drivers. (Baranwal responded by saying that Elevate K-12 teachers, 83 percent of whom are women, “want the flexibility to work at the hours that work best for them.”) And an even more fundamental concern is that even the best live remote instruction is a poor substitute for face-to-face teaching. On that, the Dougherty County superintendent agreed—to a point. “If everyone could have an effective teacher physically in the classroom at all times, we would certainly prefer that,” Dyer said. “But that’s not possible in every school system in the country.” Officials in the 73,000-student Guilford County, Page 29 N.C., school system learned something surprising from their COVID-driven foray into remote learning. “It offers parents a unique opportunity to be much more deeply involved in their children’s education,” Superintendent Sharon Contreras said. “They actually get to observe instruction regularly. That hasn’t happened before.” Prior to last school year, online offerings in Guilford County consisted mostly of asynchronous supplemental and credit-recovery courses for high school students. The district was still recovering from an ill-fated experiment with 1-to1 computing several years earlier, and schools still had to contend with a significant digital divide in the surrounding community. As a result, teachers’ live instruction availability was limited to an hour or so per day in the weeks immediately after the coronavirus hit. Many parents weren’t happy. So this summer, the district decided to triple the amount of live remote instruction schools offered. “Expectations changed dramatically,” said Chief Academic Officer Whitney Oakley. She and Contreras wanted to avoid hybrid instruction as much as possible, believing it’s not realistic to ask teachers to teach in two fundamentally different ways at the same time. They also wanted to provide certainty to parents who knew last summer they wouldn’t send their children back to physical school at all during the 2020-21 school year. And the biggest challenge they faced was funding: There wasn’t enough money to allow teachers to be all-remote or allin person and to allow for appropriate social distancing inside classrooms. “Parent choice is going to drive much of this conversation. Districts would be wise to think about how they’re building out these new options,” Annette Anderson, Education Professor, Johns Hopkins University. Anderson advised. “Districts would be wise to think about how they’re building out these new options.” (continued on page 30) “Stronger Together!”
“To Assist, Train and Educate” Need a Hand? Finance, Purchasing, GFA Mohave Cooperative Contract 17M-PGPC-1215 Orders@pgpc.org 480.699.4458 www.pgpc.org (continued from page 29 - No Going Back from Hybrid and Remote Learning, Districts Say) The district decided to create two of its own fulltime virtual schools: The Guilford eLearning Virtual Academy, serving grades K-5, and Guilford eLearning University Prep, for grades 6-8. By mid-Fall, more than 7,000 students were enrolled in the two fully remote schools, which offered several hours of live remote instruction each day, as well as alternative scheduling options (such as evening hours) for families who needed flexibility. Such new models of schooling have been a godsend for many parents, especially those raising Black children, said Johns Hopkins education professor Annette Anderson. The opportunity to virtually invite educators into their homes, observe how the adults in school interact with students, and protect the emotional well-being of their children has totally shifted many parents’ relationships with public schools, she said. According to the recent RAND Corp. survey, that process has already begun. Across the country, roughly 2 in 10 district leaders have adopted or are considering their own virtual schools for the long haul. In Guilford County, “Stronger Together!” for example, Superintendent Page 30 Contreras is already planning for how to make the district’s new virtual academies permanent, as well as possibly continuing the remote instruction that is now happening from traditional schools. There are funding and equity challenges to consider: If students move out of their home schools and into the new remote schools, for example, funding and staff will follow, a shift that some principals and parents will surely resist. As COVID-19 recedes, as is hoped, there will also likely be a closer look at exactly how remote learning has been for the nation’s students, especially those who are most vulnerable. But Contreras said she hears the voices of parents who believe their children are thriving under the new model. She also believes there are real opportunities to better serve thousands of students who currently slip through the cracks of physical schools, often because they are homeless or raising children of their own. “We intend to ensure that pre-K through grade 12, we continue to have some remote options for students in the future,” she said. ▫
2021 ARSA Hall of Fame Inductee Jacquline D. Price Jacque Price has lived in Arizona since 1973. She received a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education from Arizona State University, a Master of Arts in educational administration from Northern Arizona University, and completed her superintendent certification requirements at the University of Phoenix. Jacque began her education career at a private school in Phoenix, Arizona as a Kindergarten teacher and assistant director. In 1984 she moved to Prescott, Arizona with her husband and two children. She taught first grade and band at Mayer Elementary School for two years. She began teaching first grade for the Prescott Unified School District in 1986 at Taylor Hicks Elementary School. In subsequent years, she taught many former students in sixth and eighth grades at both Granite Mountain Middle School and Prescott Mile High Middle School, mainly teaching social studies and math. In 2005, she began her administrative career at Chinle Junior High School as principal and then professional development coordinator. She was principal at Camp Verde Elementary School before moving to Ehrenberg, Arizona to become the superintendent at Quartzsite Elementary School District in 2007. Jacque was unanimously appointed as the La Paz County Superintendent of Schools by the Board of Supervisors on October 22, 2014. She was elected to the position in 2016 and retired at the end of her term on December 31, 2020. In 2021, the Arizona Rural Schools Association inducted Jacque into the ARSA Hall of Fame. Page 31 “Stronger Together!”
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ARSA Summer CONFERENCE SCHEDULE Thursday, September 16, 2021 8:00-9:15 9:30 Golf Tournament Registration, Breakfast Breakfast Sponsor: Skyline Builders Corporate Sponsors: EMC2, Veregy (formerly Midstate Energy and UES) Golf Tournament at Flagstaff Ranch Drink Sponsor: Waltz Construction Prize Sponsor: GCON Lunch Sponsor: GH2 2:30-4:00 5:00-7:00 Exhibitor Setup and Conference Registration Sponsors: AACSS, AzTEA Reception with Our Exhibitors, Happy Mariachi Trio Sponsors: Veregy (formerly Midstate Energy and UES), 1GPA, School Webmasters, CWDL, The Professional Group, Sports Surfaces, DVUSD Print Services, The Society for Science, Benson Systems Friday, September 17, 2021 7:30-8:00 8:00-9:00 Continental Breakfast with Our Exhibitors, Conference Registration Sponsors: Pueblo Mechanical, Waltz Construction, MUSCO, Renaissance Learning, Dobridge, FCI, Imagine Learning, The Trust First General Session: Kristin Turner Presiding Sponsors: DVUSD Print Services, The Professional Group, Veregy (formerly Midstate Energy and UES), Benson Systems, Society for Science Introduction of County Teachers of the Year: Vanessa Arredondo Morning Keynote: President Brian Mueller, Grand Canyon University 9:00-9:30 9:30-10:30 10:30-11:00 Time with Our Exhibitors Breakout Sessions (See Breakout Schedule on pages 20-21) Time with Our Exhibitors 11:00-12:00 Breakout Sessions (See Breakout Schedule on pages 20-21) 12:00-1:30 Luncheon Buffet with Our Keynote Speaker: Kristin Turner Presiding Sponsors: 1GPA, School Webmasters, WRECORP, Benson Systems, CWDL, Sports Surfaces, DVUSD Print Services, The Professional Group ASU Champions of Innovation Award: Presented by Jaime Festa and Mary O’Malley Sponsor: ASUPD Luncheon Keynote: Lee Jenkins, “If you behave, after lunch I’ll let you have another quiz.” Introduced by Wes Brownfield 1:30-2:30 2:30-3:30 3:45-5:00 5:30-6:00 6:00-9:00 Dessert with Our Exhibitors and Door Prizes Sponsors: The Professional Group, DVUSD Print Services, 1GPA, School Webmasters Breakout Sessions Break and Final Session (See Breakout Schedule on pages 20-21) Social Sponsors: Dave Bang and Associates, Renaissance Learning, Imagine Learning, The Trust Awards Banquet: Kristin Turner Presiding, Opening Remarks: Kathy Hoffman, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sponsors: NAU, ASUPD, U of A, GCU Order of The Magnolia: Milan Eason Elise Toles Women in Rural Leadership Award: Presented by Jennifer Johnson Sponsors: Grand Canyon University Rosy Rubio Scholarship Award: Introduction and Presentation by John Warren Sponsor: 1GPA Hall of Fame Induction: Sean Rickert Sponsors: NAU, ASUPD, U of A, GCU Evening Keynote: Tom Zoellner Grand Canyon University ARSA Teacher of the Year Finalists: Introduced by John Warren Sponsor: Grand Canyon University Address by 2020 ARSA Teacher of the Year: Vanessa Arredondo Norther Arizona University Teacher of the Year Award: Presented by Vanessa Arredondo Sponsor: Northern Arizona University 9:00-11:00 Dance featuring The Honey Badgers Band Sponsors: Vergy (formerly Midstate Energy and UES), The Society for Science Saturday, September 18, 2021 8:30-10:00 10:00 Breakfast with ARSA General Membership Meeting Sponsors: Vergy (formerly Midstate Energy and UES), The Society for Science Conference Adjournment Page 33 “Stronger Together!”
Arizona Rural Schools Association 2041 W. Orange Drive Phoenix, AZ 85105 PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PHOENIX,AZ PERMIT NO.750 “STRONGER TOGETHER!” Upcoming Events: ♦ ♦ ♦ ARSA Annual Conference September 16-18, Little America, Flagstaff ASBA Law Conference September 8-10, Cambelback Inn ASA Principals’ Law Conference September 16, Desert Willow “Stronger Together!”
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