With the day-to-day stressors of managing Covid receding, new (and not-so-new) pressures on K-12 education are swirling. The Colorado Department of Education is excited to bring back the wildly popular Distinguished Speakers Series to help you be highly effective and inspired in the work you do each day. Join us this Fall & Spring for an amazing virtual line up of some of the country’s leading voices on what students and educators need NOW to help our schools succeed.
Back by Popular Demand!
Distinguished Speakers Series
Fresh Ideas
Proven Strategies
Real Conversations
Registration is free, but space is limited. Sign up now to attend one, or all of the sessions!
You only need to register once, and you’ll receive the links for every session
Certificates of Completion provided for each session
Attend from your home, your classroom, or wherever you want!
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*We know how busy you are, and will send you a text reminder before the event start time!
Hard to believe it’s been nearly four and a half years since the pandemic began. There isn’t a single human on the planet who hasn’t been affected, and nowhere is this more visible than in our schools. Despite staffing shortages, mental health challenges (for students and adults), and significant opportunity gaps throughout our profession, educators throughout Colorado continue to show up and do the work each day, and there are stories of success around every corner.
The Colorado Department of Education is proud to sponsor the 4th Annual Distinguished Speakers Series – and bring you some of the nation’s leading education voices who will address the state’s most critical and important issues around the Landscape of Wellbeing and Belonging – all in the comfort of your own classroom, office, or living room. This series is brought to you through funding from the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFR) which is managed in the Health Education Services Office.
For more information contact Michelle Malvey at malvey_m@cde.state.co.us.
And if you can’t make it on a certain date – we’ll send the recording right to you!
We look forward to seeing you!
Meet the Team of Highly Engaging
Distinguished Speakers!
Alex Kajitani – Host
Alex Kajitani is the 2009 California Teacher of the Year, and a Top-4 Finalist for National Teacher of the Year. A highly sought-after keynote speaker, he is the author of several books, including Owning It, which was named “Recommended Reading” by the U.S. Department of Education. His “Rappin’ Mathematician” videos have received hundreds of thousands of views, and he has been honored at The White House, and featured on The CBS Evening News, where Katie Couric declared, “I LOVE that guy!”
Kim Strobel
Kim Strobel is a renowned motivational speaker with a global reach, inspiring schools, businesses, and organizations to prioritize happiness and strive for greater fulfillment in life. The renowned author of Teach Happy: Small Steps to Big Joy, she shows individuals how to reclaim happiness, ignite their passion, and lead with purpose. Drawing on her extensive 25-year education career as a former teacher and curriculum director, Kim has collaborated with educators at all levels that have resulted in increased academic achievement and the creation of positive school-wide environments.
Brian Butler
Brian Butler is an award-winning principal, author and former professional basketball player who has worked with thousands of schools throughout the United States, Australia and Canada. Under his leadership as principal, his school received the first annual DuFour Award for demonstrating exceptional levels of student achievement. His most recent book, Every Student Deserves A Gifted Education, is considered a must-have for educators looking to provide their students with a powerful, equitable and engaging education.
Jennifer Abrams
Jennifer Abrams is an international educational and communications consultant for public and independent schools, universities and non-profits. A powerful, no-nonsense speaker, Jennifer trains and coaches educators at all levels on how to support their students and colleagues, having hard conversations, collaboration skills and being your best adult self at work. She is the author many books, including the highly acclaimed and widely used, Having Hard Conversations and Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) At Work.
Mitch Weathers
Mitch Weathers is a passionate educator who helps teachers create predictable learning environments that lead to students developing highly effective executive functioning skills. He is the author of the #1 best-selling book, Executive Functions for Every Classroom – Create Safe and Predictable Learning Environments, and the founder of Organized Binder. Mitch speaks both nationally and internationally to help educators develop their own executive functions and set their students up for success in school and beyond!
Dr. Monica Burns
Dr. Monica Burns helps educators leverage the power of technology in the classroom and beyond. She is a leading authority on using artificial intelligence in schools, and the author of EdTech Essentials: 12 Strategies for Every Classroom in the Age of AI. She is the host of the wildly popular Easy EdTEch Podcast, her Class Tech Tips Blog is read by educators across the country, and she is a widely respected education personality across social media.
Jose Luis Navarro
Jose Luis Navarro is a California Teacher of the Year who has dedicated over 25 years to the Los Angeles education system, serving as teacher, principal, support coordinator, and administrative director. His most notable achievement was as founder and principal of the Social Justice Humanitas Academy, which earned the 2015 National Community School Award. Mr. Navarro's unwavering commitment to social justice stems from his belief that every student deserves the care and support we would provide our own children.
Read comments from last Fall’s Distinguished Speaker Series:
FALL DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 (3:30-4:30 pm, MST)
Kim Strobel, Renowned Global Speaker & Author
The Science of Happiness: The Secret to Better Work & Life
In this thought-provoking and compelling session, Kim shares how we can reprogram our brains to become more positive and step into our power. When our happiness and well-being are at the forefront, employees are ten times more engaged, 31% more productive, and three times more creative. With emotions at the heart of what many employees do and why they do it, educators come to teaching with dreams of changing the odds for disadvantaged children and inspiring a love for learning. Unfortunately, research shows that about 52% of employees are unhappy at work, with disengagement and dissatisfaction levels reaching unprecedented levels.
- Learn how to support and strengthen your social and emotional skills to manage the stress that comes with the work you do each day, and over the long term.
- Unpack the positive psychology science and research that helps people pivot toward optimism and improve performance in the workplace and life.
- Reset your brain to become more engaged, creative, motivate, energetic, resilient and productive!
Tuesday, October 15, 2024 (3:30-4:30 pm, MST)
Brian Butler, Award-Winning Principal & Author
Nurturing Each Student’s Unique Strengths, Passions, and Talents: 5 Powerful Strategies
In this highly engaging session, Brian will guide educators of all levels and job titles through the five essential shifts outlined in his award-winning book Every Student Deserves a Gifted Education. Using the FLOOR acronym as a framework, this session delves into the foundational principles and actionable strategies that empower educators to create an inclusive, dynamic, and supportive learning environment, including: The fallacy of fixed intelligence (F); getting rid of labels (L); the obligation of team (O); identifying our own superpowers (O); and addressing both resistance and inspiration (R). By thoroughly engaging with these five critical shifts, educators will be equipped to nurture each student’s unique strengths, passions, and talents, ensuring a limitless future for every learner.
- Gain an introduction to the five shifts, and a comprehensive understanding of the FLOOR framework.
- Assess your current reality within each aspect of the shifts.
- Outline actionable steps that you and your team can implement immediately to achieve your desired goals.
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 (3:30-4:30 pm, MST)
Mitch Weathers, Dynamic Educator & #1 Best-Selling Author
Executive Functions for Every Classroom – Creating Safe and Predictable Learning Environments
Now more than ever, schools are faced with addressing fallout from interrupted learning during the pandemic. While there are a multitude of issues to address, it has especially highlighted the need for educators to teach and foster highly effective executive functioning skills in students. Throughout this intriguing (and well-organized!) session, Mitch will guide us through a deep understanding of how executive functions are best learned when they are implemented as a true Tier 1 intervention, which allow students to see these skills modeled and get daily practice employing them in their learning environment.
- Gain a thorough understanding of what executive functioning skills are, and why they are the foundation for academic success.
- Understand how executive functioning skills are best taught in schools, and how they enable students to plan, focus attention, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks successfully.
- Create a predictable learning routine that gives students daily practice with executive functions while engaging families in the process.
SPRING DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES
Tuesday, February 18, 2025 (3:30-4:30 pm, MST)
Jennifer Abrams, International Communications Expert & Author
Having Hard Conversations
As educators, we often come up against situations where difficult topics must be addressed. What do we know about the best strategies for those moments? What questions should we be asking ourselves before we speak, and what environments are best for when we do speak? Based on Jennifer’s highly acclaimed book, Having Hard Conversations along with her global work with conflict and interpersonal communication, this session will provide participants with action plans and scripting tools for having those necessary hard conversations.
- Identify why we often hesitate in having hard conversations, and questions we can ask ourselves before we choose to speak up.
- Articulate in professional language the challenges we face, and determine the goals of the conversation.
- Script the conversation (including the “where” and “when”) in a way that avoids putting others on the defensive.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025 (3:30-4:30 pm, MST)
Dr. Monica Burns, Education AI Expert & Author
Navigating the AI Revolution as Educators
The potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education is undeniable. But how do educators separate hype from reality? In this cutting-edge and need-to-know session, Monica Burns, Ed.D., author of EdTech Essentials, shares strategies for leveraging AI as an assistant, collaborator, and tool to personalize learning so educators in all roles can better prepare students for the “age of AI.” Gain essential knowledge and strategies needed to harness the power of AI in ways that truly enhance the student learning experience, while acknowledging the concerns and addressing the impact on creativity in the classroom.
- Understand the potential and the pitfalls of AI.
- Identify use cases to make the most of generative AI.
- Explore a variety of tools and resources to support teaching and learning.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 (3:30-4:30 pm, MST)
Jose Luis Navarro, Founding Principal, Social Justice Humanitas Academy
Restorative Practices that Empower, Engage & Build Belonging
Restorative practices employ a strengths-based approach to form stronger relationships and realize greater equity in education. Join Jose Luis Navarro – an award-winning principal – for a highly engaging session on how he used restorative practices to lead his entire school to unprecedented success. Learn how to develop a culture in your classroom and at your school where everyone’s voice is heard and valued, and students engage in collaborative problem-solving and collective responsibility.
- Gain specific proactive strategies on how to create and facilitate community-building circles, and how to handle situations when things break down.
- Learn conflict resolution skills and peer-led practices that build a true sense of belonging.
- Leave with an expansive list of prompts you can use any (and every) day – so you know exactly what to say, when!
* The Colorado Department of Education does not explicity or implictly endorse any particular program, resource, product, service, institution or opinion expressed in the resources or presentations, nor does CDE necessarily endorse views expressed or facts presented by the speakers. CDE and its employees do not make any warranty, express or implied, nor assume any liability for the services provided by any entity, program, speaker or resource identified on this site or assiciated presentations.
Have questions?
Contact Alex Kajitani at
AlexKajitani@gmail.com or (858) 336-8678.
or Michelle Malvey, CDC Healthy Schools Coordinator Health Education Services Colorado Department of Education at
malvey_m@cde.state.co.us.
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