Annual AISI conference showcases Alberta school successes
Celebrating eight years of improving student learning
Calgary...Made-in-Alberta solutions prove second to none, as educators once again come together to showcase new ideas for improving student learning at the eighth annual Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) Conference, February 9 and 10 in Calgary.
“AISI has improved student learning and achievement by changing the way teachers, parents, students, and administrators work together. Tens of thousands of Alberta students benefit directly from these innovative projects developed by teachers in our schools and working directly with our children,” said Minister of Education Dave Hancock. “AISI helps us continue to improve education to ensure every child can reach his or her potential.”
The conference, AISI: Leading & Learning – Celebrating the Great Journey, provides an opportunity for school authorities to showcase their most innovative projects. It also offers a chance to share and network with others to learn about best practices in school improvement and continuous learning. More than 50 innovative and creative projects will be highlighted in areas such as assessment, high school completion, effective professional development, literacy and numeracy.
AISI funding is provided by the provincial government to school boards, which decide how to improve student learning by developing projects that address local needs and circumstances. AISI provides a unique opportunity for the entire education community (including parents, teachers, administrators, support staff, community organizations and trustees) to work collaboratively to plan and develop local projects. The initiative has attracted interest both nationally and internationally. This year, government and school representatives from Alberta accredited schools in Macau and Hong Kong will be attending the AISI conference to see the outstanding work of Alberta school jurisdictions.
Since 1999, nearly 1,700 AISI projects have received $500 million in funding through annual grants from the Alberta government. This conference marks the end of Cycle 3 (2006-2009). AISI will begin its fourth three-year cycle in the 2009/2010 school year. All Alberta-funded school authorities are eligible to participate in AISI.
About 800 educators and administrators from across the province will attend the conference. For more information, visit www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/special/aisi/.
Backgrounder
Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) Conference
| Event: | AISI Conference – Leading & Learning: Celebrating the Great Journey |
| Location: | Telus Convention Centre, 120-9 Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta |
| Date and Times: | February 9, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. February 10, 8:45 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. |
The conference will showcase more than 50 projects that highlight successful initiatives taking place across the province in Alberta schools. The conference will also feature sessions that will emphasize topics such as technology, literacy, at-risk students and high school completion.
Keynote speakers:
| Monday, February 9, 9:15 a.m. – | Dave Hancock, Minister of Education, will open the conference |
| Monday, February 9, 9:30 a.m. – | Dr. Dennis Shirley will speak on The Fourth Way of Change – the achievements and the obstacles of self-generated improvement |
Biography of Dennis Shirley
Dr. Dennis Shirley is a professor of Education at the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. His work in education spans from assisting beginning teachers to designing and guiding large-scale research and intervention projects for school districts, states, and nonprofit agencies. Dr. Shirley recently collaborated with Andy Hargreaves on a study of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust Raising Achievement Transforming Learning Project, which raised pupil learning results in over 200 schools in England at double the national rate in a 2-year period. The findings of that research will be presented in Hargreaves’ and Shirley’s first collaboratively authored book, The Fourth Way (in press).
What is AISI?
Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) is unique as a provincewide, funded initiative to enhance student learning. The initiative allows local authorities to decide how to improve student learning by supporting projects that address local needs and circumstances. AISI recognizes that one size does not fit all, needs vary across the province and there are many different ways to accomplish the same goal of improving student learning and performance. Partners in AISI include the Ministry of Education, Alberta School Councils’ Association, Alberta School Boards Association, Alberta Teachers’ Association, Association of School Business Officials of Alberta, College of Alberta School Superintendents and Alberta faculties of education.
