NCSA Today Magazine, Fall 2011 by NCSA

NCSA TODAY

Administrators’ Days 2011

A PUBLICATION OF THE NEBRASKA COUNCIL OF SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS

Learning! Leading! Networking! Nebraska Council of School Administrators

Fall 2011

www.NCSA.org

C 45 F J B 4 A B 27 F H B 6 D 6 H A 4 D 28 A E G 65 J 7 F GB C C 4 J 9 D F 2 H B D H 48 A C D G J 30 A C G J 9 B C F 4 J H B D 31 F J H A B H G 50 A C D G 1 32 A D F G 4 C 51 F J 2 A BG H 33 F J B 4 2 H E 5 C D 34 A D G 43 F D B C K J H 5 C F 3 J C B J 44 A H G E D 6 B H 5 A 3 H D F G 4 D B C K A C G 6 37 F J C A B J 4 1 G E F B 3 8 B H A 3 H D 47 F D 2 K A G 3 9 C G E 3 J C J 48 A E B 33 F D B H K H D 49 F D A C K G 34 A J C G E J C B J 50 F H E B 35 F D B H K A H G D 6 A C K A G 3 J G E 21 F C ® Score 5 SAMPLE B J RESULTS ACT F 7 H F 3 D 2 B K A 2 H G E 26 FROM SCHOOLS C Increase USING 38 A J 3 G E F 2 D School B K H 39 F (pre verses post D C K 24 A J G E C B 40 JBTP ACT Course) J H E 25 F D B J K A H G D 6 A C K 2 J H 1 G E D F 1 C Aurora 2.7 B J HS H G 27 F C D 2 B J K A 1 H F G E B C 28 A J H 3 Central Catholic HS 2.38 G E D F 2 1 A B 2 K H G 29 F C D 4 J K 3 A 1 F G 2 2.32 E B C Holdrege HS 30 J H 5 E D F 4 1 A B 2 D K H G C D K 5 16 A J C Madison HS F G 2 J E C J B 6 A BG H 17 F H D B (Large Hispanic 2.0 2 D K H A 18 A J G 27 F J E 5 F GB C 1Enrollment/ELL) 9 H F 1 H D 28 D K 6 A 1Mead 0 C G HS 1.74 2 J C J E 17 F J B H H D D K 8 H G A G 1 Lake HS D Silver 2 C G J C F G 9 C F B 1 J B H F 22 A G 20 A D 8 A BG H 23 F C 21 J 9 F B 24 D H 3 D D 10 A C T 25 J S C J J 1 F GB C B E 1 H 26 D T H A B 2 A H G 1 C D G 27 J 5 F A G 1 3 B C F 1 J H in the “Currently 21 of1624 schools 1 JohnF Baylor D A B H G 14 C D 2 A 1988 Stanford, 7 F areBusing J ESU J#1 service1area J H the 3 F GB C D 8 H A 1 D H G C D 4 A G 9 John Baylor Test Prep instruction. C F 1 J F 5 F GB C B 0 A B H 2 D 8 A Throughout ESU #1, our 6 A 21 J 9 F GB C 7 H school D high principals and 10 A T 4C D G C S J 1 F 1 B counselors have TE B H J D H 2 A guidance 1 G A G C 13 F noticed a significant jump in J 1

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FEATURES

2 Administrators’ Days 2011 BY ELISABETH REINKORDT

4 Nebraska Superintendents Fall 2011 BY DR. JAMES OSSIAN

NCSA EXECUTIVE BOARD 2011-2012 Chair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jack Moles Vice Chair . . . . . . . .Randy Schleuter Past Chair . . . . . . . . Sarah Williams

BY ELISABETH REINKORDT

NASA Representatives President . . . . . . . . . . .Greg Barnes President-elect . . . . . . .Tim DeWaard Past President . . . . . . . . .Jack Moles

NASES Distinguished Special Education Administrator of the Year

NASBO Representatives President . . . . . . . . . . .Dave Kaslon President-elect . . . . . . . .Jill Pauley Past President . . . . . Robin Hoffman

NASES Outstanding New Special Education Supervisor of the Year

NAESP Representatives President . . . . . . . . . . .David Kraus President-elect . . . . . .Ann Jablonski Past President . . . . . .Midge Mougey

Professional Development Within Your Building BY JAMES WIDDIFIELD

10 A Case for Preventative Law

Applying the Principles of RTI in Special Education BY STUART CLARK

NCSA Report – Modern Communication BY DR. MIKE DULANEY and DR. DAN ERNST

Telling a New Story BY DAVID WARLICK

NASES Representatives President . . . . . . . . . . .Stuart Clark President-elect . . . . . . .Jane Moody Past President . . . . . .Peggy Romshek NSASSP Representatives President . . . . . .Mitch Bartholomew President-elect . . . . . . Chris Stogdill Past President . . . . .Randy Schleuter NARSA Representative President . . . . . . . .Robert Bussmann NCSA STAFF Dr. Michael S. Dulaney Executive Director/Lobbyist

NCSA/ESU Partnership Launches Successful Administrator Technology Bootcamps!

Dr. Dan E. Ernst Associate Executive Director/Lobbyist Kelly Coash-Johnson Training and Development Director

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Amy Poggenklass Finance and Membership Coordinator Angie Carman Executive Administrative Assistant

NCSA Mission The mission of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators (NCSA) is to be an effective leader for quality education and to enhance the professionalism of its members. NCSA Today is a benefit of membership in the Nebraska Council of School Administrators, 455 South 11th Street, Suite A, Lincoln, NE 68508. Telephone 402.476.8055 or 800.793.6272. Fax 402.476.7740. Annual membership dues are $325 (active members), $100 (associate members), or $30 (student members). NCSA Today is published quarterly. Send address changes to NCSA, Membership, 455 South 11th Street, Suite A, Lincoln, NE 68508. Copyright ©2011 by NCSA. All rights reserved.

Carol Young Administrative Assistant Elisabeth Reinkordt Staff Correspondent The opinions expressed in NCSA Today or by its authors do not necessarily reflect the positions of the Nebraska Council of School Administrators. FALL 2011

NCSA TODAY

STATE CONF ERENCE

Administrators’ Days 2011 BY ELISABETH REINKORDT, Staff Correspondent

hen the calendar reaches August, the new school year is just around the corner. And for Nebraska’s school administrators, there is no better way to recharge and get inspired than the annual NCSA Administrators’ Days conference in Kearney! As the conference kicked off on Wednesday with a keynote from Commissioner Roger Breed, a theme of pathways to student success emerged. Nancy Fuller, Auburn’s Director of Curriculum & Instruction, said that “Dr. Breed really laid out where we’re going in a concise way. It’s indicative of the challenges to come for metro and rural schools.” Don Fritz, an educational consultant, was struck by the fact that in small schools, “money is not the issue. They will run out of kids before they run out of money,” he said, adding that this only heightens the inequality of opportunity for students. “I’m glad NCSA is making an attempt to remind us 2

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what our purpose is,” he said. Thursday’s program featured two keynote speakers. Jon Gordon, a native of Long Island, NY, and the author of The Energy Bus, spoke to the audience about a leader’s role in “getting the team on the bus.” As a leader, he said, it is crucial to “work to overcome adversity and achieve success through a shared focus, vision, and purpose.” In a speech peppered with analogies related to the “ride of his life,” he encouraged administrators to come up with a vision for their school that is “simple, clear, bold, and compelling.” Too often, he said, our school mission statements are so long that our staff can’t remember them! “If you had to narrow your vision for the year down to one word,” he challenged the administrators in the room, “what would it be?” The day’s second keynote speaker was Fred Schafer, whose background in school nutrition led him to a career in speaking to audiences about taking care of themselves and “striking back at mediocrity.” He encouraged administrators to make a bold declaration statement, asking them “What would you attempt if you had no chance of failing?” Instead of focusing on flaws and weaknesses, (continued on page 3)

STATE CONF ERENCE he said, it was important to focus on your cause. “What do you want to want to leave as your legacy?” he asked, reminding administrators that their most important role is as “influencers of thought.” Challenging the audience to make a commitment to improve by ten percent every year, he said that “improvement comes from having a better product or service, and then having universal buy-in,” to get it done. This year marked the first year that the conference was able to utilize the new Younes Conference Center, and the response from attendees was overwhelmingly positive. Greg Barnes, Superintendent of the Seward Public Schools, said he was pleased with the meeting spaces, and how much more room was available for sessions and the time in between them. He also enjoyed the first keynote of the day, noting that he’ll take the message of maintaining a positive attitude with him into the school year. “You can’t let one or two people bring it all down.” In addition to keynotes and lunch, conference attendees had a wealth of sessions to attend, from presentations by field experts to roundtable discussions on specific topics. Dan Ingwersen, who is both the Principal and Guidance Counselor at Ceresco Elementary in the Raymond-Central Public Schools, said he really enjoyed the keynotes, but he especially enjoyed the roundtable discussion with other elementary principals. “It’s great to see that we have similar questions, and I can learn from other districts about the new tests, or how we’re implementing the Response to Intervention (RtI) process,” he said. “We’re new to MAP,” he added, “and it helps to learn from other schools,” on how to train teachers on utilizing the data in the program. Mike Wortman, Principal of Lincoln High School, was happy with how the conference keeps him up to date on issues facing schools all across the state. There were several awards presented by NCSA members to their peers, including Distinguished Service awards. The 2010 winner Bill Kenagy presented the 2011 award to Dr. Kent Mann of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Mann, who has served as a principal at all three levDr. Kent Mann els in addition to being a superintendent, co-founded a network for new principals in 1996. After 36 years as a member of NCSA, Dr. Mann was very moved, and said he was shocked to receive the award. “Thank you for this very distinguished honor,” he said. “Here in Nebraska, we’re ahead of the curve,” in terms of membership in a state organization of

school administrators, he added, saying that there is “an obligation to get involved.” Also receiving a distinguished service award was Dr. Bob Uhing, who has been the Director of ESU 1 since 1996. Uhing’s leadership in the Northeast Nebraska Network Consortium and AdvancedEd were touted among his great accomplishments. Uhing is an adjunct professor at Wayne State. Another award presented on Thursday was the 2011-2012 Superintend- Dr. Bob Uhing ent of the Year, and this honor was bestowed upon a very surprised Bill Mowinkel, Superintendent of Grand Island Northwest. “There is not a better job in the world,” he said. Overcome with emotion, he told the audience, “I have a passion for this.” When asked to reflect on his career, Mowinkel referenced Schafer’s keynote, emphasizing that “my legacy is those that I got into the profession.” He was very humbled to receive the honor, he said, noting that “there are so many great superintendents in the state, and it’s not about me, it’s all about the people who have gotten me to where I am.” Incoming NCSA Executive Board Chair Jack Moles, Superintendent of Johnson County Central, was excited to see so many administrators at the conference. “I’m looking forward to this year as chair,” he said. “I really like the mentoring program that Dan Ernst [of NCSA] has developed,” he added, hop(continued on page 6) FALL 2011

NCSA TODAY

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Nebraska Superintendents Fall 2011 BY DR. JAMES E. OSSIAN, Wayne State College

Ossian

ach fall I engage in a bit of nostalgic reflection about my career in education. Augmented by selective memory, most of those recollections are pleasant. When it wasn’t fun, it was at least interesting. This fall marks the beginning of my 52nd year as a professional educator. In my early years as a school administrator, superintendents did not have iPads. Instead, we had yellow legal pads and a handy supply of #2 lead pencils. Differentiated instruction meant that math teachers taught math and English teachers taught English. Curriculum was determined by textbooks, and the quality of assessments depended upon the answers in the appendix of the teacher’s copy. Staff development was heavily dependent upon the number of veteran teachers and their willingness to nurture their rookie colleagues. Of course, there were no mandated programs for special-needs children, and there was no formal collective bargaining. After enduring such reminiscences, some of my graduate students will pose the question, “Was education better back then?” I would like to answer “Yes,” but there is scant data to support that assertion. Faculty members in the school of education and counseling at Wayne State College, and no doubt in other higher education institutions, are wrestling with a host of related questions. No matter how good the current or previous teacher preparation programs, they are constantly reviewing and renewing course offerings to ensure that, to the extent possible, our graduates are ready for the reality of the modern classroom. Are they literate in technology and the language of standards and assessments? Are four years and 120 credit hours enough to prepare a novice educator? One positive trend from this intensified accountability environment is the increased dialogue between higher-education and school-based professional educators. We are moving beyond the “blame-game” and designing collaborative endeavors to develop teachers who will be successful in the new age. All involved parties are keenly aware that the high-stakes transition from student to professional cannot be left to chance. Is P-12 education today better than “back then?” Absolutely! The New Year At the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, there

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will be 41 school districts that have a new executive leader, one less than last fall. The number of school districts has shrunk from 251 to 249 because of Rising City merging with Shelby and the unification agreement between Dodge and Howells. In all, there will 238 individuals in the superintendent role for the 249 districts. Twelve head executives will be serving in the role of twodistrict superintendents and the Dodge-Howells agreement will still involve two executives. The slight decrease in turnover for the new year had little impact on the 33year average, which remains at 41.2 per year. Similarly, the 16.3 percent turnover rate for this fall is only a bit less than the 16.6 percent figure from a year ago. Both numbers are considerably less than the 18.9 percent figure from three years ago in the fall of 2008, which was the highest observed in the past 33 years. The adjusted median tenure-in-position figure increased from 3.24 years to 3.37 years, and the average tenure-in-position decreased from 5.60 years to 5.24 years. According to a 2007 study of the school superintendency conducted by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA), average tenure for the nation’s top school executives was 5.5 years and median tenure was approximately six years. Of the 41 individuals who left a Nebraska superintendency last year, 28 retired, eight moved to another instate superintendent position, two accepted administrative jobs out of state, two dropped dual district responsibilities, and one was deceased. Twentythree of the superintendents in year one are assuming the top executive post for the first time, and 112 of 249 (45%) superintendent positions will involve three years or less tenure in the same district, including the 20112012 school year. The Veterans For the past 33 years the number of Nebraska superintendents with 20 or more year’s tenure in the same school district has averaged 15.3, with the high-water mark being 28 in the fall of 1991. Last year there were nine, and there are only five to begin the 2011-2012 school year. It would appear that the era of the longserving school executive is all but over. This veteran crew includes: Randall Anderson, 33 (continued on page 5)

TRENDS IN EDUCATIO N years at Crofton; Norm Yoder, 27 years at Henderson; Dallas Watkins, 22 years at Dundy County; and Fred Boelter, Creighton and Tom Sandberg, Axtell, both with 21 years. Those who have been on the job between 15 and 19 years in the same district are: John Cerny, Bancroft-Rosalie (19); Keith Lutz, Millard (17); Kevin Johnson, Yutan, Jack Moles, Johnson CO Central, and Dan Novak, Elmwood-Murdock (16); and John Mackiel, Omaha and Steve Sexton, Fremont (15). The numbers for other superintendents with double-digit tenure are two with 14 years, four with 13 years, three with 12 years, 12 with 11 years, and six with 10 years. The Super Supes For a third year, I am presenting a list of the state’s most experienced superintendents and service-unit directors. It includes 14 individuals who are still active and who have accumulated a total of 25 years or more of executive service. Again, I could use some help in maintaining this list. Please inform me if you know of any individuals who are approaching the 25-year mark in total tenure as a school superintendent and/or service-unit director. Tom McMahon: Waterloo, Hayes Center, Howells, and Clarkston, 39 years; Randall Anderson: Crofton, 33 years; Wayne Bell: Grant, Gothenburg, and ESU 10, 33 years; Fred Boelter: Chambers and Creighton, 33 years; Norm Yoder: Iowa Private School and Heartland, 33 years; Mike Cunning: Sutherland and Hershey, 31 years; Larry Harnisch: Pawnee City, Wood River, and Sterling, 30 years; Roger Lenhard: Stuart, St. Edward, and Keya Paha, 30 years; Dale Rawson: Benkelman, Kansas Schools, and Mead, 30 years; Steve Sexton: Chadron and Fremont, 29 years; Dwaine Uttecht, Elgin and Ravenna, 29 years; Ted Hillman: Wynot, Pleasanton, Osmond, South Dakota School, and Lynch, 28 years; Alan Schnei-

der, Benedict, ESU 15, and ESU 5, 28 years; Gil Kettelhut, Valley and ESU 3, 25 years. Kudos to this crew of warriors and here is hoping that they will continue to contribute their expertise for many more years to come. Service Unit Directors An accounting of the state’s educational service unit directors has been conspicuously absent from this annual article. No longer. This able group of school leaders has provided an invaluable service to Nebraska’s P-12 school districts for many years. The list includes 15 distinguished educational professionals whose major responsibility is leading the operations of their respective organizations. ESUs 18 and 19, Lincoln and Omaha respectively, function as a part of their districts’ central office administration. Steve Joel, superintendent in Lincoln, and John Mackiel, superintendent in Omaha, are the nominal ESU directors, although the job responsibilities are often shared with other district administrators. Al Schneider is the dean of this group of administrators having logged 25 years, nine at ESU 15 in Trenton and 16 at ESU 5 in Beatrice. Other ESU directors and their years at the helm include: Wayne Bell, ESU 10 at Kearney (18); Gil Kettelhut, ESU 3 in suburban Omaha and Norm Ronell, ESU 7 at Columbus (15); Randy Peck, ESU 8 at Neligh and Jon Fisher, ESU 4 at Auburn (13); Marge Beatty, the only female in the group, ESU 16 at Ogallala (11); Bob Uhing, ESU 1 at Wakefield (9); Dennis Radford, ESU 17 at Ainsworth (8); Dan Shoemake, ESU 6 at Milford (6); Jeff West, ESU 13 at Scottsbluff and Paul Calvert, ESU 15 at Trenton (3); Dave Ludwig, ESU 2 at Fremont (2); and newcomers Kraig Lofquist, ESU 9 at Hastings and Paul Tedesco, ESU 11 at Holdrege (1). (continued on page 6)

Nebraska Public School Districts Superintendent Data, Fall 1979, 1995, 2011 Item School Districts Number of Superintendents Median Tenure in Position Average Tenure in Position Supt. with 1-Year Tenure Percent Turnover Supt. with 20+ Years Tenure Women Superintendents

1979 317 317 3.97 6.16 56 17.7 10 2

1995 288 283 3.96 6.88 51 17.7 22 5

2011 249 238 3.37 5.24 41 16.3 5 28

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TRENDS IN EDUCATIO N Women Superintendents There will be 28 women in the superintendent role this fall, the most in at least the last 60 years, and an increase of three over last year. That number equates to 11.8% of the state’s school superintendents. Nationally, according to a 2007 study of the school superintendency conducted by AASA, 20% of the nation’s 13,000 plus school superintendents were women. Six of the female superintendents are in year one, five of whom are in the top job for the first time. The fall 2011 group is as follows: Jamie Isom, Valentine and Lana Sides, Banner County (8 yrs.); Holly Herzberg, Hampton, Margaret Sandoz, Niobrara, Amy Shane, O’Neill, and Paula Sissel, Garden County (6 yrs.); Cindy Huff, Wood River and Marlene Uhing, Norfolk (5 yrs.); Trudy Clark, Bruning-Davenport, Candace Conradt, Central City, Jacque Estee, Omaha Westside, Beth Johnsen, Friend, Melissa Wheelock, Minden, and Dana Wiseman, Sutton (4 yrs.); Jane Hornung, Arthur CO., Lynn Johnson, Arlington, and Jane Stavem, Blair (3 yrs.); Joan Carraher, Cedar Rapids, Amy Malander, Greeley-Wolbach, Cherrie Malcolm, Homer, Virginia Moon, Broken Bow, and Caroline Winchester, Chadron (2 yrs.); Tami Eshleman, North Platte, Kim Lingenfelter, Neligh-Oakdale, Ginger Meyer, Scribner-Snyder, Julie Otero, Centura, Joan Reznicek, Ponca (moved from 8 year stint at Red Cloud), and Stephanie Wlaschin, Spalding (1 yr.). Looking Ahead Two trends affecting Nebraska school superintendents remain in force. The number of female school leaders continues to increase, and the number of school districts in the state continues to dwindle.

And, it is blatantly obvious that the superintendent’s job is not getting any easier. Regardless the size of the school district, Nebraska superintendents continue to be challenged by reduced financial resources, increased student and community diversity, recruiting and retaining quality teachers, maintaining modern technology for staff and students, and keeping up with the data demands from federal and state agencies. This circumstance is not limited to Nebraska. The May 2011 edition of the Phi Delta Kappan included a research study by Rick Ginsberg and Karen Multon of the University of Kansas. They surveyed 93 principals in an upper-Midwest metropolitan area and 100 superintendents in four different states across the country. Respondents indicated that budget cuts had negatively affected the level of satisfaction with their personal time. Moreover, those surveyed noted that their personal health had deteriorated as a consequence of coping with budget cuts. However, Ginsberg and Multon found that the administrators still enjoyed their jobs as evidenced by an average of a 6-plus satisfaction rating on a 1-7 point scale, with 7 being very high. School administrators are indeed a resilient group of professionals. Sincere thank-yous are tendered to Dan Ernst, Associate Director of NCSA, and Marge Beatty, Director of ESU 16 in Ogallala, for their help in compiling the data in this annual article. I “Just because you got the monkey off your back doesn’t mean the circus has left town.” - - George Carlin

Administrators’ Days 2011 (continued from page 3) ing that the organization can keep growing. Pre-service principal Tamisha Rose-Osgood, who is currently at Hastings, said that attending the conference was “a real eyeopener. I have lots to learn, but I’m glad to know that this is here to help.” When asked what drew her from being a physical education teacher into starting training to become a principal, she said “I know I’m a leader. I love teaching P.E., but I felt like I had more to offer.” Sarah Williams, Principal at Ainsworth Elementary and the outgoing NCSA Executive Board Chair, commended conference organizers on bringing together an outstanding group of presenters. “It’s a combination of what principals and other school leaders need and want to hear,” she said, and highlighted the addition of roundtable discussions as a positive way to meet

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new people. “The networking that you do here is really invaluable,” she added, especially for people from rural districts. “If I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t have any connections,” but now, Williams says she knows who to call when she has questions, because she knows administrators in other districts who are doing similar things. “I have relished every moment of my time as chair,” she added, and wished all administrators a great start to the new year. I

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NASES Distinguished Special Education Administrator of the Year technology devices for students with disabilities and for teacher usage. Through her efforts, students are fully equipped with the devices that assure a quality life and staff members are skilled in the use of technology to promote learning, efficiency and communication.” Ellen Stokebrand, Director of Special Education at ESU #4, wrote, ” I have come to consider Kris as one of my ‘go to’ people when I need advice. Kris’ attention to details provides me with new perspective when dealing with complex issues in providing special education services. She equally and consistently considers the perspective of students, parents, teachers and districts in working through issues and often offers a new solution to assist with achieving consensus.” Kris Elmshauser has been very active in NASES having served as president and currently as secretary. It is with great respect that NASES would like to honor Kris for all of her accomplishments and contributions. I From left: Stewart Clark, President, NASES; Kris Elmshaeuser, ESU #16; Peggy Romshek, Past President, NASES

ASES was very pleased to award the Distinguished Special Education Administrator of the year to Kris Elmshaeuser, Director of Special Services at ESU 16. Kris was announced as the recipient at Administrators’ Days in Kearney, and she received her official award and recognition at the NASES meeting in South Sioux City on September 8th. For the past eleven years, Kris has been the Director of Special Education at Educational Service Unit #16 in Ogallala. Marge Beatty administrator at ESU #16 wrote that, “She is a person who believes, hopes and creates on behalf of students with disabilities. Her outstanding work in the areas of leadership, staff development, and technology, and make her an ideal candidate for this award.” Marge went on to write, “Without a doubt, Kris displays strong leadership qualities serving at the local, state and national level. Her faith in the unseen, and ability to provide a better future for kids is the hallmark of her leadership. One of Kris’s most outstanding accomplishments has been the development, implementation and evaluation of

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NASES Outstanding New Special Education Supervisor of the Year

From left: Larianne Polk, ESU #7, and Stuart Clark, President, NASES

staff, facilitating special education programs for a sevencounty area, and fiscally managing State and Federal grants. Prior to this position, Larianne was employed at Educational Service Unit #2 as a Special Education Consultant. Her duties at ESU#2 included coordination of the Collaboration grant, Improving Learning for Children with Disabilities (ILCD) grant, facilitating programs for special education programs for children ages three to five and was Master Coach for Nebraska’s evidenced-based service delivery model (birth to age five children). Her professional membership activities include: NCSA, NASES, CEC, ASHA and numerous statewide taskforces and adhoc committees. Larianne’s colleagues and co-workers supported her nomination for this award stating that she “consistently exhibits and demonstrates outstanding leadership and knowledge in the field of special education.” A characterization that is evidenced by her key leadership and problem-solving skills used during the joint building project between ESU#7 and Columbus Public Schools. ESU#7 Board member, John Wurdeman states: “Larianne has kept our board updated on the progress, always presenting the updates with clarity, detail and professionalism. As we near completion of this project, it has been very evident this could not have happened as smoothly as it has without Larianne’s vision, hard works and willingness to walk the extra mile.” Larianne Polk is clearly deserving of this prestigious award and her peers are in agreement that her knowledge and leadership skills are outstanding. I

arianne Polk, Special Education Director at Educational Service Unit #7 in Columbus, was awarded the New Special Education Supervisor of the Year for 2010-2011 by the Nebraska Association of Special Education Supervisors (NASES), at their fall conference in South Sioux City on Thursday, September 8, 2011. Stuart Clark, Director of Special Education for Educational Service Unit #1 presented the award. Larianne’s husband, Jason, and daughter, Elizabeth, were in attendance for the award presentation. To be eligible for this award, nominees must be in the first five years of administration and have demonstrated outstanding leadership in their school, their region, and at the state level. Additionally, the nomination must include letters of support from students, parents, teachers, and peers illustrating the nominee’s enthusiasm and impact on the lives of those affected by Special Education. The nominee must be a member of the state (NASES), (NCSA), and national (CASE) organizaMcPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C. tions. 7905 L St., Suite 310 Larianne has been the Director of Special EdOmaha, Nebraska 68127 ucation at Educational Service Unit #7 since (888) 375-4814 2008. Larianne is responsible for providing Email: mail@macnjake.com leadership and support to coordinators and Web site: www.macnjake.com

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Since 1991, McPherson & Jacobson, L.L.C. has conducted over 120 superintendent and principal searches in Nebraska

PROF ES SIO NAL DEVEL O PMENT

Professional Development Within Your Building BY JAMES WIDDIFIELD, PRINCIPAL, GOTHENBURG PUBLIC SCHOOLS ighly qualified substitute teachers are difficult to hire. The time and cost of sending staff to workshops is hard to budget. Benefits of going to workshops and conferences is to help teachers and administrators become more effective in what they do dayto-day and is a great way to collaborate with your peers outside your district. The downside can be expense, time consuming, loss of instruction time, and not all staff can attend, even though we know it is an important part of Widdifield professional development. Gothenburg Public Schools recognizes the value of teachers attending conferences and workshops. The challenge was how to use the expertise that teachers were gaining from time away from the classroom to support all teachers. The concept of teachers sharing with other teachers is what prompted Gothenburg Public School to begin the “Swede Teacher Academy.” The “Swede Teacher Academy” is in its third year. The mission of Teacher Academy is to help staff incorporate research-based strategies and implement interventions that will develop strong teacher qualities and enhance student performance. Gothenburg Public School staff has great ideas and strategies that all teachers should know about and this is our way of getting that information out. This is a program developed by our administrative team to initially help teachers new to the district be better prepared for our expectations. In year one and two of Teacher Academy we would have any teacher that was in their first three years of teaching at Gothenburg attend. We had a large Benefits of going to enough group where they workshops and could collaborate, share thoughts and concerns, and conferences is to help have a chance to interact teachers and with staff from other areas. This year, because of small administrators become numbers in the nontenure group, we have opened all more effective in what sessions to all teachers. they do day-to-day... Teachers are required to attend at least three sessions

throughout the school year and will be compensated for one contract day. Teachers new to the district will be required to attend all sessions. Each academy has a mix of high school and elementary teachers, so the topics had to be valid for both groups. Technology is always a hot topic and we typically have two sessions. At the beginning of the year we would have topics like classroom management, instructional strategies, parent-teacher conferences, and safe schools. Toward the end of the year we would have counselors talk about at-risk students, stress management, and technology. The collaboration we have had between staff, administrators, and presenters has been very valuable. The participants and presenters both get ideas from each other. As administrators, we can discuss and look for areas that we can improve on and help teachers become better. Sessions run for two-and-a-half hours during a Wednesday night ten times throughout the school year. We feed the presenters and participants and pay each person new to the district a stipend for attending each session. The presenters were paid a stipend for the making of the presentation and presenting, now they can count a presentation as a session or be paid for the session they present. Each summer our administrative group picks topics of interest to the staff; we pick teachers we feel have the best ideas and suggestions in that area. The main goal of each session is to give each teacher something they can take back and apply to their classroom or give them more knowledge about the school. I

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IN THE SPOTL IG HT

A Case for Preventative Law BY ELISABETH REINKORDT, Staff Correspondent

Widdifield

ne of the most popular, room-filling presenters at Administrators’ Days was Karen Haase, a specialist in school law at the law firm of Harding and Shultz in Lincoln. Her presentations on social media, First Amendment issues related to religion, and compliance with Section 504 and special education topics provided valuable perspective to both new and veteran administrators. Haase is a dynamic presenter, and her ability to translate legal issues confronting administrators into easily understandable language —even if the issues themselves are not easy to confront—makes her sessions a mustsee. NCSA Today spoke with her about the topics she covered and her experience working with administrators. “The great thing about Administrators’ Days is that I get to “The great thing about work with lots of differAdministrators’ Days is ent levels of administrators at the same time,” that I get to work with Haase said, noting that lots of different levels of while she is often working in education law, it administrators at the is nice to be able to introduce or explain First same time.” Amendment issues to the

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principals, assistant principals, and more that are working on the front lines. She praised the “great administrative core we have in Nebraska,” adding that it is crucial to “build relationships and trust [between] administrators and school lawyers.” This has allowed her to practice what she calls “Preventative Law,” because she is able to go out to school districts to work with them before issues arise that lead to court cases. One of the First Amendment issues that has been at the forefront recently relates to religious expression in schools. “We’ve had a lot of discussion with the Nebraska chapter of the ACLU,” about religious expression, she said, and anticipates that this will continue to be a prevalent topic. In fact, after a special forum sponsored by NCSA last November, Haase said she realized there was a need for her to help administrators brush up their knowledge on the topic, and she plans to do more presentations this year. Another prescient topic is social media, and Haase referred to her own 11- and 15-year-old children as reminders of why she loves education technology. “It’s how (continued on page 14)

AF FIL IATE LEA DERSHIP

Applying the Principles of RtI in Special Education BY STUART CLARK, NASES President

Clark

hen IDEA was reauthorized in 2004, districts were no longer confined to the inherently flawed practice of using a discrepancy model for special education eligibility when considering whether a student has a Specific Learning Disability. Many districts across the state and nation have since taken steps to implement a Response to Intervention (RtI) approach to guide instructional decision-making in regular education and to use the process to help determine eligibility. RtI is a framework to deliver better services to all students, but is not consistently being used by IEP teams when developing individualized education plans for students with disabilities. Dr. Clayton Cook, researcher from the University of Washington, shared how the principles of RtI can be applied to special education services during his presentation to Nebraska administrators in South Sioux City on September 8th. Dr. Cook opened his talk by covering the basics of RtI principles and practice. He established the underlying beliefs that impact our decisions in education and how those beliefs are not always grounded in facts. For example, he challenged assumptions held by many educators relating to our ability to affect change in the areas of social, emotional, and behavioral functioning regardless of a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s age. He presented research showing that instructional intervention in this area can be effective even when the student is a teenager and even when there is limited parental support. As you can imagine, these beliefs play a foundational role when teams are designing individualized education plans for students with disabilities. The research and data Dr. Cook provided to support his statements helped participants to shift their thinking from inaccurate assumptions to objective facts. After getting past the limitations of our assumptions and biases, the audience was challenged when developing an IEP to utilize the same framework regular educators use when making school-wide and individual instructional decisions. By using a multi-tiered approach, a district can systemically respond to the needs of all students. Further, the district can be more confident that the supports included in IEPs are provided in an efficient manner, which is therefore more cost effective. The result

is that IEPs written and implemented using the principles of RtI better target student needs and improve student achievement. Dr. Cook shared seven big ideas of RtI and suggested how they can be implemented within the provision of special education. The first of these ideas was the concept of multiple tiers of support. This is based on the public health model of prevention and is often represented by the now ubiquitous pyramid. In special education we can create differentiated levels of support for students with disabilities to help comply with the Least Restrictive Environment requirement of IDEA. The second big idea was the use of evidencedbased/scientifically validated interventions. Desired outcomes are more likely to be realized when IEP teams are prepared to implement interventions that meet this standard. Third, the use of universal, proactive screening measures to identify students at-risk for academic and behavioral difficulties should be conducted at least three times per year. These measures help schools intervene before students reach the point of failure. Further, they provide data to evaluate Tier I instruction. There are many commercially available screening tools available to school districts in the area of academics. For example, DIBELS and AIMSweb are commonly used by districts to identify areas of academic concerns. Likewise, Review360 (Student internalizing behavior screener & Student externalizing behavior screener) and the Systematic Screener for Behavioral Disorders (SSBD) are two examples of many tools that can be used to screen for deficits in behavioral areas. Special educators can and should use the data collected during screenings when discussing the results of recent assessments and when determining present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. Subsequently, the fourth big idea of monitoring student progress, using easy and quick tools, provides schools with the objective data needed to determine whether interventions and supports are meeting student needs. This data is useful in communicating with parents regarding their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response to the intervention (continued on page 12) FALL 2011

NCSA TODAY 11

AF FIL IATE LEA DERSHIP Applying the Principlesâ&#x20AC;Ś(continued from page 11) provided and whether it should be continued. Evaluating data on progress toward goals should be the focus of IEP meetings. Parental support can be gained more easily by sharing the progress monitoring data to show objective information that specifies exactly where a student is regarding skill acquisition, either academic or behavioral. Dr. Cookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fifth big idea involved the fidelity of implementation of curriculum, interventions, and assessments. Simply stated, this means ensuring that curriculum, interventions, and tests are implemented as intended in order to make valid and legally defensible decisions. Interventions that are improperly implemented compromise the effectiveness of any instructional tool. Failure to collect data related to fidelity leads to invalid decision-making. Data based decision-making, the sixth big idea, refers to the problem solving process. Data is utilized in making determinations related to the length, duration, and intensity of treatment interventions for students. Too often, special education becomes a life sentence that students cannot readily escape. Focusing on data to determine the best instructional decisions can help teams stay centered on the goal of returning to a less restric-

tive setting. Lastly, problem-solving is the seventh big idea presented by Dr. Cook. Problem-solving refers to the dynamic and systematic process that guides the team in (a) identifying the problem, (b) analyzing the problem, (c) developing a plan of action, (d) implementing the plan, and (e) evaluating the outcomes of the plan. Again, the essential purpose of the IEP team is to problem-solve and create effective plans for students with disabilities to make educational progress. Many IEP team meetings are conducted using these principles, however improvements in the process have become more important with the introduction of state-wide tests that are used to rank schools and districts. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) demands that all students perform better on NeSA tests. Students with disabilities are a subgroup that can have a major impact on a schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s scores. Reviewing these big ideas with your special education teams can help enhance the quality and effectiveness of your IEPs and by extension, your studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; test scores. Further, it can help break down the silos of special and regular education when both groups are using the same language and processes. I

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NCSA REPORT

Modern Communication BY DR. MIKE DULANEY, Executive Director; and DR. DAN ERNST, Associate Executive Director

Dulaney

Ernst

t seems as the though the technology explosion with regard to communication devices and information systems will never end. As a society, we seem to be “hooked” on receiving constant streams of concise, useful bits of news and information, both in our personal and professional lives. And, while in our personal lives we may have the luxury to decide whether to tune in or tune out, our professional lives seem, more and more, to almost necessitate participation in order to stay up to speed. NCSA has a long history of utilizing available communication technology to advise and alert our membership of current events and activity related to school administration and public education. Our email updates to members cover a range of topics and are designed to provide brief, yet complete information on specific issues in order to allow our members to act or react as necessary. The email updates are an automatic benefit of membership, but we now have other communication systems available for those of our members who wish to participate, including Twitter and cell phone text alerts. During Administrators’ Days this past August, whether you knew it or not there was a steady flow of 140 character tweets being circulated on mobile devices, passing along interesting information provided by speakers at our event. Many of these tweets were “retweeted” by others to generate a chain of communication. During the past legislative session, NCSA utilized a text alert system, provided to us by Blackboard. The text alerts were used to notify those our members who signed up for the service of immediate legislative activity. However, in addition to professional news, our members are anxious to know about the well-being of their colleagues from around the state. For this purpose, NCSA is proud to announce the launching of our new page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ncsa.home). We plan to use the social media page to alert our members of upcoming events and provide up-to-date information about our members, as provided by our members. If you or a colleague has some news to announce or congratulatory message to post, we encourage you to reach out to the whole membership through the NCSA Facebook page. Today we have so many other tools of communication available to us and our professional association is keep-

ing pace. We certainly encourage our members to use the technology within their smart phones, tablet computers, and portable media players to receive information, disseminate information, and, simply, become aware of whatever is current at the moment. I NCSA on Twitter: @ncsamike (Mike Dulaney) @ncsadan (Dan Ernst)

NCSA Text Alerts: sign up at http://bit.ly/ncsa-alerts

NCSA on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ncsa.home

Improving Student Performance

Develop strategies for building leadership capacity, enhancing school culture, and improving student performance. www.nasspconference.org

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NCSA TODAY

TECHNO LO GY

Telling a New Story BY DAVID WARLICK, 2011

Warlick

ultural anthropologist Dr. Jennifer James of Seattle, Washington, writes and speaks about leadership. She often describes three kinds of leaders. The master leader earns following by achievement. This leader is so accomplished at a particular endeavor that people can't help but follow the lead. She mentions Michael Jordan as an example. The second type is the creative leader. This person has invented such compelling new ways of accomplishing goals or of thinking about an issue that people want to be a part of it. Albert Einstein and Steven Spielberg are examples that Dr. James mentions, and I would add Steven Jobs as another. The third type, and the one that James suggest might be most effective in the education arena, is the leader who can tell a compelling new story. James talks about Nelson Mandela and Slobodan Milosevic, national leaders who, through their stories, dramatically changed their countries' courses. Milosevic told a story of herded and Mandela, a story of reconciliation. James goes on to suggest that for a new story to be

compelling and earn following, it must have three components. The story should: 1. Fit the market place 2. Resonate with deeply held values, and 3. There must be a model that people can connect to.* The story of education in America is pervasive. It resides on years of personal experience and it is shared culturally. Any new story that describes a new vision for teaching, learning and where it happens must be so exciting and compelling, that it makes the existing stories old, shattering their appeal. Might a story of 21st century learning ride on James' three components. Might there be a three-bullet list of overwhelming reasons why schools must change? Might there be three sentences that can be shared during any elevator ride that can change minds and inspire investment? I * James, Jennifer. "The Adaptive Executive." BCSSA Fall Conference. BCSSA. Vancouver. 2005. In Person.

A Case for Preventative Law (continued from page 10) we communicate,” she said. “I am Facebook friends with my 15-year-old, and she could only get on Facebook if I could have her password,” adding with a laugh that “she has to have my permission before she can friend anybody.” Elaborating on the use of social media, she stressed the need for balance between the benefits of the tools and the risks involved. “We need to make sure we’re modeling good online behavior,” for our children and our students. Dee Condon, Migrant Education Coordinator at ESU 7, was impressed with Haase’s session on social media. “It’s a very timely topic,” she said, adding that while it can be controversial, “educators need to keep on top of it.” Pre-service principal Tamisha Rose-Osgood, who attended the session on First Amendment issues related to religious expression, said the session was “a real eye-opener.” As a teacher, she said, these aren’t topics she has really had to deal with, noting that it would be the type of thing she would refer to her administrator. Now that she is stepping into that role, she added, Haase’s session

NCSA TODAY

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was very interesting, giving her added confidence as she looks toward her future in dealing with people and parents in her school. Indeed, in a future where a preventative approach to school law will be increasingly important, Haase commended young administrators, saying that they are “better consumers of legal services,” and that she is happy to see her practice moving away from trying a few big cases a year to “lots of phone calls and emails, heading stuff off,” before it gets to be a problem. And that, she added, is a definite move in a positive direction. I

TECHNO LOGY

NCSA/ESU Partnership Launches Successful Administrator Technology Bootcamps! BY LYNNE HERR, ESU #6

tart with shared vision and planning from the Nebraska ESU Technology Integration Specialists and NCSA, toss in some ideas from Scott McLeod’s CASTLE group and you’ve got a recipe for Administrator Technology Bootcamp success! Originally offered as four one-day sessions held across the state, all available slots filled within 30 minutes of posting the registration links on the NCSA web site. To accommodate the extensive waiting list, five additional sessions were added through the spring and summer. In all, approximately 260 NCSA members participated in the Bootcamp 2011 sessions. Co-chaired by Jackie Ediger, ESU 9 and Lynne Herr, ESU 6, with outstanding support from ESU technology professional development specialists from across the state, sessions were designed with an eye toward collaborative, social technology tools to improve networking and efficiency for administrators, Bootcamp 2011 focused on three primary tools: Google Documents and Forms, Twitter and Tweetdeck and Diigo. Administrators explored the collaborative features of Google Docs to more efficiently plan staff meetings and agendas, compile and share meeting minutes, and collaborate on curriculum files. Google forms were created to streamline data collection and management. Participants also worked with Google calendars and iGoogle as a one-stop personal efficiency tool. Social networking tools Twitter and Tweetdeck were utilized as tools to connect rural and urban educators with colleagues across the state, country, and world. Through the use of Twitter hashtags (keywords), administrators learned to sift through the Twitter stream for grade level or content specific resources to share with teachers. They also began to grow their own Professional

Learning Network (PLN) of administrators across North America. Many participants identified Diigo as the favorite tool of the day. Diigo is a social bookmarking tool that allows people to save their favorite website bookmarks in the “cloud” so they can be utilized from any device with web access. It also allows users to highlight potions of a web site, add searchable keywords called tags and add sticky notes to draw attention to portions of the site or article. Each bootcamp session wrapped up with the opportunity for folks to learn more about their ipads, android devices, iphones and social networking tools via breakout sessions. Small group discussions focused on examination of filtering/blocking policies, technology professional development offerings for teachers, and how Facebook is being utilized by schools and teachers. Thanks to everyone who attended Bootcamp 2011! Plans for Bootcamp 2012 are well underway! We hope to see you there! Bootcamp 2 dates are being set for March and May. I

NCSA IS NOW ON FACEBOOK http://www.facebook.com/ncsa.home Like us on facebook and receive information on: • Upcoming Events • Nice-to-know information on fellow members • Download conference handouts FALL 2011

NCSA TODAY

CALENDA R OF EVENTS

October 12 12 12-13 13 14 17 18 19 19 19 19-20 21 26-27

Tri-State Golf Tournament NASA Region IV LCI Workshop NSASSP Executive Board NCSA Executive Board Paraeducators Conference NAESP Region II NASA Region I NASA Region V NSASSP Region II LCI Workshop EOP Workshop LCI Workshop

12:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m, 8:00 a.m. 4:30 p.m. 9:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 4:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 8:00 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 8:00 a.m.

ESU #10 Lifelong Learning Ctr Lazlo’s South NCSA Holiday Inn UNO Evening w/ Friends Community Center Bel Aire Banquet all ESU #10 Holiday Inn DC Center

Kearney Norfolk Lincoln Lincoln Lincoln Omaha Milligan Bridgeport Omaha Kearney Kearey Omaha

5:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. TBD 10:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. 8:45 a.m. 9:00 a.m. 9:30 a.m.

Embassy/Old Market NCSA TBD Embassy Suites Embassy Suites Embassy Suites Lifelong Learning Ctr Lifelong Learning Ctr Embassy Suites UNK NCSA TJ’s

Omaha Lincoln Beatrice LaVista LaVista LaVista Norfolk Norfolk LaVista Kearney Lincoln Norfolk

10:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m 1:00 p.m. 2:00 p.m. 8:30 a.m.

Younes Conference Ctr Younes Conference Ctr Younes Conference Ctr Platteview High School Cornhusker Hotel

Kearney Kearney Kearney Springfield Lincoln

5:00 p.m. 10:00 a.m. 8:15 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 9:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 5:00 p.m. 9:00 a.m. 8:30 a.m. 9:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m.

Ameritas ESU #10 Community Center Indian Creek Country Club ESU #6 NCSA Bel Aire Banquet Hall NCSA NCSA TJ’s Valentino’s

Lincoln Kearney Bridgeport Elkhorn Milford Lincoln Omaha Lincoln Licnoln Norfolk Ogallala

November 2 4 9 16-8 16 16 16 16 18 18 30 30

NASES Executive Board NAESP Executive Board NSASSP Region I NASB/NASA State Convention NARSA Executive Board NASA Executive Board NAESP Region III NSASSP Region III NASA General Membership Mtg NAESP Region IV Emerging Superintendents NASES Region III

December 1 1 1-2 8 14

NAESP Executive Board NSASSP Executive Board Principals Conference NSASSP Region II Legislative Preview

January 11 11 12 14 18 21 25 26 28 31 31

NASA Region I NASA Region IV NASES Region V NAESP Region II NASES Region I Emerging Administrators NSASSP Region II NCSA Executive Board Emerging Administrators NASES Region III NSASSP Region V

NATIONAL CONVENTION DATES AASA – February 16-18, 2012 – Houston, TX NASSP – March 8-11, 2012 – Tampa, FL NAESP – March 22-24, 2012 – Seattle, WA

NCSA TODAY

FALL 2011

Gold Sponsorships Ameritas

DLR Group

Al Eveland & Jay Spearman 5900 O St., 1st Floor Lincoln, NE 68510 402-467-6968 aeveland@ameritas.com www.ameritas.com

Pat Phelan, Whitney Wombacher 400 Essex Ct., Omaha, NE 68114 402-393-4100 pphelan@dlrgroup.com www.dlrgroup.com

John Baylor Test Prep

Engaging Technologies

John Baylor P.O. Box 30792 Lincoln, NE 68503 402-475-7737 john@johnbaylortestprep.com www.johnbaylortestprep.com

Dustin Frank 6157 S. 178th Street Omaha, NE 68135 402-677-6366 dustin@engagingtechnologies.com www.engaging-echnologies.com

Blackboard Jeff Enoch 4000 Westchase Blvd. Suite 190 Raleigh, NC 27607 919-841-0175 jenoch@alertnow.com www.alertnow.com

CDI Paul Copeland 130 South Town Centre Blvd. Markham, Ontario L6G 1B8 pcopeland@cdicomputers.com www.cdicomputers.com

Horace Mann Cindy Dornbush 10612 Monroe Street, #4 Omaha, NE 68127 402-680-9382 cindy.dornbush@horacemann.com www.horacemann.com

Learning Together Alexandra Lemke 5509 B W. Friendly Ave. Ste 201 Greensboro, NC 27409 866-921-0000 alexandra@learningtogether.com www.learningtogether.com

Silver Sponsorships Awards Unlimited Larry King 1935 O St., Lincoln, NE 68510 402-474-0815 larryking@awardsunlimited.com www.awardsunlimited.com D.A. Davidson & Co. Dan Smith 1111 N. 102nd Ct., Ste 300 Omaha, NE 68114 402-392-7986 dsmith@dadco.com www.davidsoncompanies.com/ficm

Humanex Ventures Katie Shanahan 2900 S. 70th Street Park On, Suite 100 Lincoln, NE 58506 402-486-1102 katie.shanahan@ humanexventures.com www.humanexventures.com

Jostens Don Bartholomew 309 S. 8th St. Broken Bow, NE 68822 308-872-5055 don.bartholomew@jostens.com

National Institute for Direct Instruction Christina Cox PO Box 11248 Eugene, OR 97440 877-485-1973 ccox@nifdi.org www.nifdi.org

National Insurance Mike Boden 9202 W. Dodge Rd., Ste 302 Omaha, NE 68114 800-597-2341 mboden@nis-sif.com www.nis-sif.com

TRANE Danny Szegda & Dave Raymond 5720 S. 77th St. Ralston, NE 68127 402-935-9040 dave.raymond@trane.com www.trane.com/omaha

Wells Fargo Jenni Christiansen 1248 O Street Lincoln, NE 68508 402-434-6188 jenni.l.christiansen@ wellsfargo.com www.wellsfargo.com

NLAF Barry Ballou 455 S. 11th St. Lincoln, NE 68508 402-705-0350 balloub@pfm.com nlafpool.org www.nlafpool.org

SchoolFusion Brett Sievert 999 18th St., Ste 2150 South Tower Denver, CO 80202 800-906-0911 bsievert@edline.com www.schoolfusion.com

Bronze Sponsorships Benchmark 4 Excellence Rick Imig 1411 Rodeo Bend Dickinson, TX 77539 281-910-0113 rick@benchmark4excellence.com www.benchmark4excellence.org Educatorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Virtual Mentor Woody Ziegler 2206 Rd. 20 Waco, NE 68460 402-362-8663 woody@L4TF.com www.educatorsvirtualmentor.com

Nebraska Public Agency Investment Trust Becky Ferguson PO Box 82529 Lincoln, NE 68501 402-323-1334 becky.ferguson@ubt.com www.npait.com

Nebraska Council of School Administrators 455 So. 11th Street, Suite A • Lincoln, NE 68508-2105 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

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