By Carol P. Bartold

Oct. 14, 2015:  Eight representatives from The Bronxville School attended the EdLeader21 Conference in Dallas, Texas, in late September. According to Dr. Mara Koetke, director of curriculum and instruction, their participation in various workshops, activities, and conversations throughout the conference confirmed that the school is headed in "a very positive direction."

Along with Koetke, curriculum leaders Mary Schenck from the middle school, Denise Flood from the high school, and Louise Lebrini from the elementary school attended the conference, as did middle school principal Dr. Thomas Wilson, high school assistant principal Marcellus Lessane III, elementary school assistant principal Adrienne Laitman, and Jennifer Forsberg, director of technology. Teachers Bruce Meyers, Sarah Zonenshine, and Rosana Colliniates participated in the conference via Skype.

"With the adoption of The Bronxville Promise," Koetke said, "we were looking at some of the materials EdLeader21 has available and we saw a lot of overlap between the work they're doing and the work we're embarking on now."

With a goal toward preparing students to function in the ever-changing 21st-century world, The Bronxville Promise seeks to develop in every student the dispositions of critical thinking, leadership, engaged citizenship, and innovation. Koetke added that it was important that Bronxville receive outside validation for the processes put in place within the last year to develop a curriculum that will fulfill the promise.

Adrienne Laitman and Louise Lebrini led a presentation at the conference about lesson study, a tool The Bronxville School has been using, as a 21st-century model for both professional and student development. At its core, lesson study involves collaboration among teachers in developing a lesson based on a particular focus within the essential skills students need to develop, such as critical thinking or developing an innovative skill.

Koetke reported that the presentation was well received and other conference attendees were very interested in the material presented.

Koetke also noted that with the realities of assessment and standardized testing, several addresses and workshops held at the conference dealt with creating performance assessments that will give students feedback that is meaningful and purposeful for their lives in the world.

One valuable aspect of the conference, Koetke said, was the perspective that several speakers brought to the topic of depth of knowledge and how standardized testing fits into curriculum planning.

Keynote speaker Tony Wagner emphasized to the conference attendees that knowledge is a commodity and that the 21st-century will be about what people can do with what they know.

"Like all good conferences," Koetke said, "EdLeader21 was inspiring and helped us reaffirm what path we want to be on in Bronxville. It gave us some ideas from how other schools are doing it."

Pictured here:  Teachers Adrienne Laitman and Louise Lebrini leading a presentation at the Dallas conference about lesson study.

Photo courtesy Dr. Mara Koetke