The National Institute for Excellence in Teaching (NIET) will hold its 10th National TAP Conference: Leading Innovation through Teacher Effectiveness in Washington, D.C., on March 19-21, 2010. The event will take place at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill.
The event's room block at the Hyatt Regency Washington on Capitol Hill is now full. For recommended alternative hotels, please contact NIET staff at (310) 570-4860.
Marking a decade of progress, the TAP Conference will join 1,000 practitioners, policymakers and members of districts, states, organizations, foundations and businesses involved with TAP implementation across the country. Lowell Milken, NIET chairman and TAP's visionary founder, will deliver a special welcome presentation on Friday evening, March 19.
Conference activities will provide an outstanding opportunity for attendees to gain a deeper understanding of TAP's elements of success, as well as network and exchange ideas with other TAP participants. Teachers and principals from existing TAP schools will learn how to take their practice to the next level. Key session topics include 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 the long haul.
In addition to the practitioner-focused break-out sessions, trainings and hands-on workshops, the TAP Conference will host national plenary panels tying TAP's proven reforms to critical issues facing America's K-12 system today. Topics will include 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. 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, some sessions will offer guidance to states and districts seeking to incorporate TAP into their applications.
This TAP Conference Web site will provide a gateway to the activities, speakers, agenda and other event logistics. Please check back often for updates and news before, during and after the conference. You can also follow Conference news on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/tapsystem. Members of the media can RSVP to Jana Rausch at media@tapsystem.org and view the TAP Conference press release here.
Looking forward to seeing you in D.C. where we will maximize our efforts to ensure
TAP Conference At-A-Glance:
Note: The $300 registration fee covers only a portion of expenses, which will include meals from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch. (This excludes Saturday dinner.)
Robyn Fender, Master Teacher, Lytle High School, Lytle, Texas
“I love the TAP rubric’s transparency of the evaluation. Nothing is secret. It’s all out there. And the teachers are trained and taught what quality teaching looks like.”
