Pemberton, Daggett to speak at NYSSBA Annual Convention

On Board Online • June 10, 2013

By Eric D. Randall
Editor-in-chief

While poet Emily Dickinson described hope as “the thing with feathers” – a self-propelled emanation of the soul – Steven Pemberton doesn’t see it quite the same way. As the kickoff speaker for NYSSBA’s Annual Convention in October, Pemberton will share his view that hope, at least in children, is more like a seed that needs to be nurtured in order to bloom.

A biracial orphan who identifies with youth who struggle against circumstances, Pemberton is the chief diversity officer for Walgreens and the author of a memoir called A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home.

“People come to our Annual Convention expecting to be inspired and re-energized,” said Barry Entwistle, NYSSBA’s director of leadership development. “Steven Pemberton offers a perspective on the spirit of ambition that people are going to remember.”

Also receiving top billing at the Convention will be Bill Daggett, a school reform expert who is featured on the U.S. Department of Education’s “Doing What Works” website in a video about preparing students for 21st century careers. A former administrator with the New York State Department of Education, he has worked on aspects of school improvement with the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Governors Association and foreign governments.

Daggett will deliver a general session keynote speech. “Bill Daggett makes a compelling argument about the critical role that school boards play in student success,” Entwistle said. “He will also give us insight on the current educational landscape and where we are with school reform.”

NYSSBA’s 94th Annual Convention will take place Oct. 24-26 in Rochester. In addition to Pemberton and Daggett, a half-dozen featured speakers will deliver practical advice in sessions entitled:

• Keeping Your District’s Core as You Implement the Common Core.
• Closing the Gaps Between What Sounds Good and What Gets Done.
• Buyers Beware: Using Standardized Test Scores to Evaluate Teachers, Schools and Districts.

In addition, NYSSBA will offer more than 100 educational sessions, many of which are led by NYSSBA staff and peer presenters from school districts throughout the state. Topics include dealing with conflict on school boards, bring-your-own-device policies, dealing with disproportionate numbers of black and Latino students in special education and student discipline, and “Grants 101: Finding New Funding for Your School District.”

The “NYSSBA Players” will reappear to act out the behavior of a dysfunctional school board, and audience members will help analyze how such a board can improve.

The second annual NYSSBA “Be the Change for Kids Innovation Awards” will recognize districts that have exemplary programs. Winners are selected by the College of Nanoscale Science & Engineering at the University at Albany, which sponsors the awards.

The fifth annual Pre-Convention Communications Workshop will discuss “Building Community Support for Change in Public Education,” while the 17th annual Pre-Convention School Law Seminar will consider a variety of topics including “Internal Investigations into Sexual Misconduct – Lessons from Penn State.”

Commissioner of Education John B. King Jr. will discuss current issues with board members in a perennial popular forum, and more than 160 vendors will interact with members at NYSSBA’s annual tradeshow, a two-day event called the Education Expo, which will also be the site of a catered breakfast, a lunch, a coffee break and a dessert reception.

Registration is now open at www.nyssba.org/convention.

“NYSSBA has consistently produced thought-provoking and inspiring conventions that give board members and administrators the information and tools they need to be effective leaders in very challenging times,” said NYSSBA President Thomas Nespeca, a school board member from Webster. “I always leave with a fresh perspective and a renewed sense of optimism, and I’m sure every board member who attends will feel exactly the same way.”