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School Climate & Culture Forum Las Vegas Speakers
Gerry Brooks: YouTube Sensation & Real-World Educator & Author of Go See the Principal
Long before Gerry Brooks made YouTube videos, he was a regular, fun-loving, principal at an elementary school in Lexington, Kentucky. His educational experience includes six years in the classroom, two years as an intervention specialist, and 12 years as an administrator. Gerry is a passionate public speaker whose focus is on encouraging and helping teachers improve their instructional abilities via climate and culture strategies and helping administrators successfully lead their staff in a positive and constructive manner. His following of more than 500,000 people on social media has developed through humorous videos that focus on real-world educational experiences.
Dr. Pedro Noguera: Dean of USC Rossier School of Education, Bestselling Author, Expert on the Impact of Society & Culture on Schools
Dr. Pedro Noguera is currently Dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. A sociologist, he is an expert on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as demographic trends. He is the author, co-author or editor of 13 books, including his most recent publications: The Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequence and Solutions and Race, Equity and Education: Sixty Years from Brown. He has published more than 250 research articles, book chapters and editorials in major newspapers. He serves on the boards of numerous national and local organizations, including the Economic Policy Institute, the National Equity Project and The Nation. Dr. Noguera appears as a regular commentator on CNN, MSNBC, NPR and other media outlets, and his editorials on educational issues have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and Los Angeles Times. Prior to being appointed Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, Dr. Noguera served as a Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. He has also served as a tenured professor and holder of endowed chairs at NYU, Harvard and Cal Berkeley. Dr. Noguera was recently appointed to serve as a special advisor to the governor of New Mexico and advises the departments of education in Washington, Oregon and Nevada. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and the Phi Delta Kappa honor society and was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds seven honorary doctorates from American universities.
Dr. Tiffany Anderson: Transformative Kansas Superintendent, Called “The Woman Who Made Schools Work for the Poor” by The Washington Post, USA Today Woman of the Year
Dr. Tiffany Anderson, a long-time Kansas resident, has been a public-school educator for over 26 years, with most of that time as superintendent. Dr. Anderson has been nationally recognized as one of Education Week’s 16 Leaders to Learn From. She has improved achievement and closed achievement gaps for students of poverty in rural, urban and suburban public-school districts. In 2016 she became the first African-American female superintendent of Topeka Public Schools, in Topeka, Kansas. In 2019, the Governor appointed Dr. Anderson to the Postsecondary Technical Authority as part of the Board of Regents and in 2020 Governor Kelly also appointed Dr. Anderson to co-chair the Commission on Racial Equity and Justice. Since Dr. Anderson arrived in Topeka, the district has earned three national Magna Awards, one of which is for their work in equity. Dr. Anderson serves on numerous boards in Topeka which include the Topeka Community Foundation, Rotary and The Greater Topeka Partnership. Prior to Kansas, as superintendent, Dr. Anderson led Montgomery County School District in Virginia and Jennings School District to full accreditation resulting in recognition from the Governor in the respective states. Since leading Topeka, ACT participation has increased, numerous new programs and schools have opened, academic performance has increased and partnerships offering expanded exposure to careers and college courses have increased. Dr. Anderson is a fierce advocate for equity. There are several documentaries and articles that have been produced about Dr. Anderson's leadership, and The Washington Post referred to her as, “The Woman who made schools work for the poor.” Dr. Anderson earned her undergraduate degree, and later her doctorate, from Saint Louis University in 2001. Dr. Anderson received her second doctorate, the Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Eden Theological Seminary, for her service to community and society and her Masters in Divinity will be completed in 2021 at Nazarene Theological Seminary. Dr. Anderson has served as adjunct faculty at various universities in Missouri and she is adjunct faculty for ASCD (Association for Schools and Curriculum Development). Some of the recognitions Dr. Anderson has received include the Lifetime Achievement Award for volunteerism from President Obama; the Salute to Excellence for Women awarded by the Urban League; the Stellar Performance Award by the St. Louis American, the 2020 Kansas Icon in Education by Ingram, and she was honored at the 2017 Oscars for the People with Purpose Award. Most recently, she was named Woman of the Year by USA Today.
School Climate & Culture Forum San Antonio Speakers
San Antonio 2022 Speaker information coming soon.
Dr. Pedro Noguera: Dean of USC Rossier School of Education, Bestselling Author, Expert on the Impact of Society & Culture on Schools
Dr. Pedro Noguera is currently Dean of the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California. A sociologist, he is an expert on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic conditions, as well as demographic trends. He is the author, co-author or editor of 13 books, including his most recent publications: The Crisis of Connection: Roots, Consequence and Solutions and Race, Equity and Education: Sixty Years from Brown. He has published more than 250 research articles, book chapters and editorials in major newspapers. He serves on the boards of numerous national and local organizations, including the Economic Policy Institute, the National Equity Project and The Nation. Dr. Noguera appears as a regular commentator on CNN, MSNBC, NPR and other media outlets, and his editorials on educational issues have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, The Dallas Morning News and Los Angeles Times. Prior to being appointed Dean of the USC Rossier School of Education, Dr. Noguera served as a Distinguished Professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. He has also served as a tenured professor and holder of endowed chairs at NYU, Harvard and Cal Berkeley. Dr. Noguera was recently appointed to serve as a special advisor to the governor of New Mexico and advises the departments of education in Washington, Oregon and Nevada. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and the Phi Delta Kappa honor society and was recently elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He holds seven honorary doctorates from American universities.
Barbara Coloroso: Bestselling author, international speaker
Barbara Coloroso is a New York Times bestselling author and an internationally recognized speaker and consultant on social-emotional learning, teaching, discipline, school climate, bullying, nonviolent conflict resolution, restorative justice and parenting. She has appeared on Oprah, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN and NPR and has been featured in Time, U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and other national and international publications. Her uniquely effective teaching and parenting strategies were developed through her years of training in sociology, special education and philosophy, as well as field-tested through her experiences as a classroom teacher, laboratory school instructor, university instructor, seminar leader and mother of three grown children. She is the author of four international bestsellers: kids are worth it! Giving Your Child the Gift of Inner Discipline; Parenting Through Crisis: Helping Kids in Times of Loss, Grief and Change; The Bully, the Bullied and the Not-So-Innocent Bystander: Breaking The Cycle of Violence and Creating More Deeply Caring Communities; and Just Because It’s Not Wrong Doesn’t Make It Right: From Toddlers to Teens, Teaching Kids to Think and Act Ethically.
Dr. Ronald Gonzalez: Student Engagement Advocate, Award-Winning Administrator in a High-Needs Environment
Dr. Ronald Gonzalez has led transformation efforts at Mount Vernon High School in the New York City metro area for the past 11 years. His leadership has resulted in improvements in student performance, staff stability and community outcomes. He attributes much of his success to building systems, developing teacher talent and using student voice as an agent of change. Dr. Gonzalez' doctoral research focused on the impact of seat time for Black and economically disadvantaged students. At Mount Vernon, he has led the expansion of career programs including culinary arts, barbering and certified nursing assistant. Based upon his belief in equity and access. Dr. Gonzalez successfully implemented the International Baccalaureate program with open enrollment for all students.
Larry Thompson: Supportive Discipline Innovator, Creator of Responsibility-Centered Discipline
A recognized thought leader on supportive and non-exclusionary discipline practices, Larry Thompson, M.Ed., is often called upon to deliver keynote presentations for state and national education conferences because of his knowledge, humor and passion for assisting today’s students. He has helped thousands of educators and schools throughout North America break away from their traditional discipline models to a model that creates a responsible climate and responsible students. Larry has served in a wide variety of roles in education – from special education teacher to alternative and traditional high school principal. As creator of the Responsibility-Centered Discipline program, Larry understands that systems must be created that can be realistically implemented and sustained. He is the author of Give 'em Five (Elementary & Secondary) and Roadmap to Responsibility.
Dr. William Noel: District Director of Student Support, National Speaker & Consultant
"The two most important days of your life are the day you were born, and the day you find out WHY.” This quote from Mark Twain perfectly captures Dr. William Noel’s personal calling and dedication to working with children. That higher calling and dedication is why Dr. Noel remains committed to being an influential role model for all students, but especially for the (sometimes) Hard-to-Reach students. Dr. Noel emphasizes the importance of connecting with those students through establishing genuine relationships, and teaching them to make better decisions. He would be the first person to debate that knowing WHO you teach may be more important than WHAT you teach. Dr. Noel began his journey in education as a substitute teacher, then as an alternative education teacher, social studies teacher, coach, assistant principal, and now district director of student support and disciplinary review. When asked by a colleague if he was going to miss teaching, Dr. Noel replied, “I will always be a teacher; just no longer from a classroom."