A major part of education is staying current in this profession as it constantly evolves. Old challenges are met with new ones with each passing year. There are workshops, webinars, books, and more that teachers can engage with to further develop professionally. And one organization has committed themselves to the cause of creating top-quality professional learning experiences.
That organization is ASCD. ASCD has been around over 75 years, supporting educators in their quest to become even better than they already are. Whether it is through books (they publish over 50 per year) or the monthly Educational Leadership magazine, or any of their other publications, workshops, or conferences, there is something available for everyone.
Joining us on Anchored in Education this week is interim CEO and Executive Director Ronn Nozoe. Aside from a quite extensive career that has been anchored in education, Ronn is clearly passionate for everything ASCD is about. This fun conversation gives educators at all levels an idea of what ASCD can do for them.
Ronn Nozoe is a lifelong educator with 20 years of experience successfully leading transformational change at the classroom, school, district, state, and national levels. He is a child-focused and people-oriented leader who is passionate about bringing people together to work toward common goals. Prior to joining ASCD, Nozoe was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Programs in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. In this role, he provided leadership for six program areas: school support and rural education, impact aid, Indian education, migrant education, academic improvement, and safe and healthy students. Before joining the Department of Education, he spent five years as deputy superintendent for the Hawaii State Department of Education, where he oversaw 15 district superintendents, 255 schools, and 170,000 students. He led the design and implementation of many of the state’s strategic initiatives, including the alignment of state, district, and school plans; performance management routines; a new system of state and school accountability and improvement; and the expansion of principal and teacher engagement venues. During his tenure, Hawaii saw measurable improvements in student achievement, behavior, absenteeism, graduation rates, and college-going rates, including unprecedented gains on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Nozoe also served as the Hawaii Department of Education’s executive liaison with the military’s U.S. Pacific Command and branches of service.