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Please help send us to SXSW EDU in 2022

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Join the conversation as we partner with communities to design and implement school-based change.

In This Week’s Issue

• Help send us to SXSW EDU next year! Vote for our 2 session ideas on PanelPicker
• Meet our newest team members: Stephanie Garcia & Danielle Lavoie
• Join Maeve Murray & Vera De Jesus as we partner with NEB Chats on August 18
• Free session hosted by RIDE & Highlander Institute for HR leaders from RI LEAs to tackle the substitute teacher shortage

Please Help Send Highlander Institute to SXSW EDU 2022! Vote for Our 2 Sessions

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From L-R: Stephanie Garcia & Danielle Lavoie

Welcome to Our Newest Team Members: Stephanie Garcia & Danielle Lavoie

The entire Highlander Institute team is thrilled to officially welcome our 2 newest hires: Stephanie Garcia and Danielle Lavoie! These incredible educators will be supporting our coaching and change management work with schools across New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Stephanie knows that all students can succeed with the right tools in their toolboxes. She believes deeply in the power of different perspectives and is a strong advocate of co-creating a curious, trusting academic community as a catalyst for increasing rigor and relevance in the classroom and beyond. Prior to working at the Institute, Stephanie taught General Education and Special Education in Upper Elementary and High School in New York City. She holds a Masters in General Education and Special Education from Lehman College and is currently pursuing a Masters in Educational Technology. Before finding her purpose in education, she worked in the field of real estate in the big apple. Born in Manhattan and raised in Brooklyn, Stephanie enjoys the city life and vast cultures found in NYC. You can catch Stephanie spending time with her husband watching Netflix or reading in her spare time.

Danielle has been serving students in the New England and Midwest regions of the United States since 2012 upon graduating from the University of Rhode Island. She had over 8 years of experience teaching English before switching to the nonprofit world in 2019. Her teaching philosophy focuses primarily on relationship-based pedagogy, creating lasting partnerships with students and families, and empowering learners by highlighting their natural competencies. In her current role at Highlander Institute she is looking forward to working with educators by collaboratively learning about their students on an individualized level to disrupt and critique complex systemic inequities through thoughtful reflection of school-wide and classroom practices.

Calling All Educators! Be Part of the Conversation

Our NEB Chats session is quickly approaching! Join us next Wednesday, August 18 from 1-2PM ET for a free conversation centered around Culturally Responsive & Sustaining Pedagogy. Maeve Murray and Vera De Jesus from the Highlander Institute team will join our colleagues at New England Basecamp to discuss starting points for shifting your practice in the school year ahead. Be sure to check out the pre-reading and guiding questions before hopping on the Zoom.

All educators who attend will receive certificates as documentation for professional learning hours with their schools/districts.

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Tackling the RI Substitute Teacher Shortage: Learning & Design Session for HR Leaders

Join RIDE and Highlander Institute for an interactive session discussing substitute teacher recruitment, training, and retention. As we reflect on the work to secure subs during the pandemic, we know there are opportunities for reflection, improvement, and redesign that will greatly improve our processes and plans for the school year ahead. During this session, we’ll highlight key learnings from Year 1 of the RI Substitute Teacher Training program, including a deeper dive into the online course. As Highlander Institute considers offering this open and free course for next school year, we want your input around some of the most common challenges in the hiring, onboarding, and training processes.

This session is open to HR staff from RI LEAs, who are encouraged to bring +1s from their leadership teams. The session will be held virtually on Wednesday, August 18, 2021 from 10AM-12PM Please use this link to register. Pre-registration is required to receive the Zoom link. Email Michael O’Connor at michael.oconnor@ride.ri.gov with any questions.

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