Dr. Belinda Reyes is the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction in the School District of Osceola County. An educator for over 27 years, Dr. Reyes was recognized as a Turnaround Leader and Mentor after serving in various roles at high-needs schools and narrowing the achievement gap among Black students and closing the achievement gap among Hispanic students and their peers.
Dr. Reyes published her research on dual language education in the Florida Sunshine State TESOL Journal and the peer-reviewed University of Central Florida Journal of English Learner Education.
Dr. Reyes firmly believes we can contribute to our democracy on a larger scale by leading the charge in educating a responsible and well-prepared citizenry. As a professional educational leader who has presented at state, national, and international conferences, Dr. Reyes engages stakeholders in implementing systems, which support enriching instruction for all students while super-accelerating vulnerable populations to create equitable opportunities for all.
KEYNOTE 1
Singapore Premier
Turnaround Leadership For Instructional Transformation
BY Prof. Belinda Reyes
Synopsis
Participants will engage with strategies for rapid yet sustainable improvement. grounded on the four domains of successful school turnaround: Turnaround leadership, talent development, instructional transformation, and culture shift.
This engaging keynote will provide relatable examples of the shared roles of stakeholders in school improvement efforts (The Center on School Turnaround, 2017). Practical approaches to the systems method will be explored through experiences and evidenced by data documenting the success of implementing the Continuous Improvement Model. In a relatable, interactive manner, the presentation will provide research and resources as the audience is engaged in share outs and reflections.
Leveraging Parent Empowerment As The Most Powerful Partnership For Student Success
BY Prof. Belinda Reyes
Synopsis
Hattie (2009) identified active parent partnerships will add two or three extra years to the education of a child as this has a .51 effect size, well above the .40 hinge-point where results reflect notable differences. The importance of school-parent partnership in a child’s education is often sought yet misunderstood. During this keynote, the group will explore subtle but notable differences between parent involvement, parent engagement, and parent empowerment. Weaved through storytelling and replicable examples, the group will journey through the successful implementation of the Dual Capacity-Building Framework for Family-School Partnerships (Mapp and Bergman, 2021).
The journey of progression from parent involvement (critical information shared by the school) to parent engagement (opportunities for parents to learn more about the curriculum and participate in activities) and ultimately parent empowerment (recognizing parent challenges and providing training and opportunities for parents to provide input and share in decision-making impacting their students) will be explored.
Told in a relatable, interactive manner, the presentation will provide research and resources as the audience is engaged in share outs and reflections. The keynote will conclude with a call to action for participants to carry on their own parent empowerment journey.
Key Messages:
‣ Parents as equal partners
‣ Evolution of parent involvement, engagement, and empowerment
‣ Culture
‣ Impact/Outcomes
Description:
Participants will receive a district framework for principal coaching and evaluation through the implementation of Principal Professional Learning Teams (PPLTs) and the Problem of Practice Protocol. Effectiveness will be shared through qualitative and quantitative data. Participants will engage in their district-specific planning process with the use of implementation tools following case studies and problem of practice emersion.
Session Summary:
Research, best practices, and research-based principal coaching tools will be provided through engaging structures. Participants will simulate Professional Learning Teams (PPLTs) as they engage in a Problem of Practice. An implementation guide will be provided to lead participants as they work together to plan a framework of principal coaching and exchange ideas for monitoring student and teacher progress based on the continuous analysis of multiple data sources and school visits. The collaborative learning will progress through five modules throughout the day:
Module 1: Overview of PPLT framework, as well as qualitative and quantitative data showing effectiveness in mainstream schools as well as Dual Language schools.
Module 2: Participant will be provided a PPLT guide to begin planning next steps in coordinating successful PPLT experiences for principals in their school districts as a conduit for side-by-side principal coaching.
Module 3: Participants will utilize multiple data sources, including student proficiency, as the ultimate outcome of principal coaching.
Module 4: Participants will engage in a Problem of Practice Protocol with relevant topics in their districts to obtain feedback and practice implementation within a PPLT.
Module 5: PPLT framework presentations and collaborative feedback.
Leadership: A Leader’s Guide to Curriculum and Instruction
BY Prof. Belinda Reyes
Synopsis
Description:
Participants will interact with recent research and engage in discussions, writing, and presentations which will deepen their knowledge and instructional leadership skills to improve student achievement. Case studies and simulations will guide participants in selecting protocols to manage and leverage systems and processes to achieve desired access and opportunity for all learners.
Session Summary:
Participants will engage in collaborative structures to interact with recent research. A participant guide will be provided to enhance the experience and capture learning the participants can bring to their work sites as they engage in continuous analysis of multiple data sources. The collaborative learning will progress through five modules throughout the day culminating with a Problem of Practice exercise to differentiate the implementation specifically tailored to the school or district conditions of the participants:
Module 1: Participants will take a deep dive in John Hattie’s research on Visible Learning to identify behaviors which lead the greatest effect on student achievement.
Module 2: Participants will review demographic variables and context of students learning a second language (emergent bilinguals) and participate in a role play activity for application in their instructional context.
Module 3: Participants will explore the potential of contributions from home as it relates to student academic achievement. Participants will be organized as Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) to begin planning next steps in providing parent empowerment experiences.
Module 4: Participants will utilize various research-based readings to define the role of curriculum and instruction, as well as models for curriculum systems development and the most impactful school leader practices.
Module 5: Participants will engage in a Problem of Practice Protocol with relevant curriculum and instruction topics in their districts to obtain feedback and practice implementation within a PLT.
Key Messages:
‣ Instructional Leadership
‣ Professional learning aligned to curricula and supported by adult learning theory.
‣ Cognitive science to improve teacher effectiveness.
‣ Instruction and fidelity of research and evidenced-based curricula.
‣ Authentic feedback for instructional effectiveness and student achievement
‣ Impact/Outcomes
