Conference Overview
Leading Innovation through Teacher Effectiveness
The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) held its 10th National TAP Conference: Leading Innovation through Teacher Effectiveness in Washington, D.C., on March 19-21, 2010. The event took place at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.
Hands-On TAP-in-Action Sessions
Marking a decade of progress, the TAP Conference welcomed 1,000 practitioners, policymakers and members of districts, states, organizations, foundations and businesses involved with TAP implementation across the country.Attendees enjoyed a range of opportunities to gain a deeper understanding of TAP's elements of success, and network with other TAP participants. Key session topics included recruiting and hiring the most effective instructional leaders; increasing the quality of collaborative professional development; the inner-workings of the TAP Instructional Rubric; teacher and principal accountability and compensation based on "value added"; and sustaining TAP over time.
National Education Reform Panels
In addition to the practitioner-focused break-out sessions, trainings and hands-on workshops, the TAP Conference hosted national plenary panels tying TAP's proven reforms to critical issues facing America's K-12 system today. Highlighted topics were innovative policies and effective implementation strategies to improve teacher and principal effectiveness in our schools, increasing the role of competition in awarding federal education funds through reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA); and creating meaningful teacher professional development and classroom evaluation systems.TAP participants heard from some of the nation's most prominent experts in education reform, including Lowell Milken, NIET chairman and TAP's visionary founder; Roberto J. Rodríguez, special assistant to President Barack Obama for Education on the White House Domestic Policy Council; James H. Shelton III, assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement at the U.S. Department of Education; Jeb Bush, former governor of Florida and founder, chairman of the board and president of the Foundation for Excellence in Education; Paul Pastorek, Louisiana superintendent of education; Alice Seagren, Minnesota commissioner of education; Jim Rex, South Carolina superintendent of education; James P. McIntyre Jr., Knox County Schools, Tennessee, superintendent; Jerel Booker, associate commissioner of Educator and Student Policy Initiatives at the Texas Education Agency; and Rhonda Johnson, president of the Columbus Education Association in Ohio.
Additional education leaders featured at the conference were Judy Wurtzel, deputy assistant secretary of the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development at the U.S. Department of Education; Brad Jupp, senior program advisor at the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Education; William L. Sanders, senior manager of Value-Added Assessment and Research at SAS Institute Inc.; Andrew J. Rotherham, co-founder and partner of Bellwether Education; Thomas Toch, executive director of the Association of Independent Schools of Greater Washington); and Craig Jerald, president of Break the Curve Consulting.
Due to TAP's alignment with goals outlined in the federal Teacher Incentive Fund, as well as Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation, select sessions offered guidance to states and districts seeking to incorporate TAP into their applications.
TAP News, Awards, Photos and Video
While TAP participants were well-prepared for most of the TAP Conference activities, there were some pleasant surprises. Following what has become a TAP Conference tradition, NIET surprised an exceptional TAP school with the prestigious TAP Founder's Award, which comes with a $50,000 prize. The 2010 Award was presented to Audelia Creek Elementary School in the Richardson Independent School District, Texas.Also a Conference highlight was the surprise presentation of TAP Recognition Awards.
The TAP Award of Distinction was presented to the Algiers Charter Schools Association in New Orleans, Louisiana.
TAP School of Promise Award recipients were North DeSoto Middle School in Stonewall, Louisiana (DeSoto Parish Public School System); Imani Education Circle Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (School District of Philadelphia); and Julian C. Gallardo Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas (Southside Independent School District).
Recipients of the TAP Ambassador Awards were Cherokee Park Elementary School in Shreveport, Louisiana (Caddo Public School District); Holston Middle School in Knoxville, Tennessee (Knox County Schools); West Hartsville Elementary School in Hartsville, South Carolina (Darlington County School District); and Wilburn Elementary School in Raleigh, North Carolina (Wake County Public School System).
This website provides a permanent gateway to activities and news from the National TAP Conference. We hope that you will take the opportunity to relive the exciting moments by viewing our photo slideshow series and video excerpts as well as learning more about the TAP Awardees.
Looking Ahead
Preparations are already underway for the 2011 National TAP Conference, which will take place March 11-13, 2011, in Los Angeles, California. Subscribe here for updates.
Looking forward to seeing you in Los Angeles next year where we will maximize our efforts to ensure
Nancy Rials, Former Principal, Forest Hill Elementary School, Forest Hill, Louisiana
"With TAP, my teachers are not only working harder, but are also working smarter. TAP has enabled Forest Hill Elementary to make great strides in improving student achievement. We have cultivated an environment that establishes high expectations and celebrates their attainment. This gives us a strong sense of community that continually makes us want to raise the bar!"