Annual Conference

2008 Annual Conference

Designing an Equitable Future: Transforming Innovations into Practice
June 24-26, 2008
Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center
Madison, WI
More information here...

Each year in June MSAN holds its annual meeting. The annual meeting/conference is a time when each district sends a team to continue discussion and learning about MSAN focus areas. The local district team is made up at the discretion of the superintendent but the RPC gives guidance to team make-up in keeping with the focus and intent of the conference. Recently the format has been to review current research in the 4 topic areas, review practices deemed promising in MSAN districts and to discuss local practices and through peer review and feedback improve practice. From these discussions districts improve their work. MSAN also uses these meetings to vet promising practices. From these discussions, a validation process is being developed to move selected promising practices to become validated proven practices for reducing the gap. Opportunities are given for job-a-like or local district team meetings to occur. These break-out opportunities give occasion for job-a-like groups or local teams to explore an issue further or to plan follow up activities.

Local school board members have begun to play a larger role at MSAN conferences. Schools board members join local district team members for conference activities and this June as part of the annual conference MSAN will hold a session for school board members attending the conference to hold an academic discussion and review of school district policies and practices that address the gap. In compliance with Open Meetings Act requirements school board members attending will not address specific policies identifiable to any one local district and will not develop policy recommendations or directions.Annual conferences have been held in Evanston, Illinois; Arlington, Virginia; Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Montclair, New Jersey.

The 2003 annual conference was held in Amherst, Massachusetts. Keynote speakers included Theresa Perry, author of the recently-published book, Young, Gifted, and Black: Promoting High Achievement Among African-American Students, and Carlotta Walls LaNier, member of the "Little Rock Nine."

5th Annual Conference Proceedings, June 2003

4th Annual Conference Proceedings, June 2002