The third statewide meeting under the "Statewide Learning Network" title (and the 6th meeting overall since the inaugaration of the program) found GYO in a new venue, National-Louis University on Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, since the event had outgrown its previous long-time home. (National-Louis University is a partner in the GYO project in Rockford, and Dr. Mark Larson of NLU, who works closely with the Rockford project, helped us secure the space.)
The event featured the most eagerly awaited keynote speaker in the history of GYO events - Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, one of the most highly regarded educational researchers of our time, an advisor to the Obama campaign, and a specialist on the preparation of teachers. Here is Dr. Hammond (L) with Anne Hallet, Director of Grow Your Own Illinois:
Dr. Darling-Hammond's presentation was both analytical and inspirational - a wide-ranging look at the elements of the preparation and practice of effective teachers. A limited number of copies of the video of this presentation are available on request.
With the number of GYO graduates about to double over the coming year, and the commitment of Dr. Darling-Hammond to make her presentation, the planners of the conference (drawn from projects across the state) decided to focus the program on the theme of Effective Teaching from a GYO Perspective, and designed a series of strong sessions listed in this agenda. The agenda was grounded in a bibliography (PDF) to which many members of the GYO community contributed.
For the second year, Leslie Ramyk of Ramyk Consulting was the primary documenter of the meeting. Her report (PDF) is an excellent summary of the entire meeting, including Dr. Darling-Hammond's presentation.
