NAPSA CONFERENCE IN CHARLESTON,
A GREAT SUCCESS
The 37th Annual Conference was held in beautiful and historic Charleston, South Carolina. The theme of this year's conference "No Child Left Behind Mobilizing Pupil Services to Meet the Challenge" provided conference attendees with important information regarding one of the most important pieces of legislation that has been passed by Congress in many years. The conference offered a talented slate of presenters that gave their unique perspective on a law that will impact all of us involved in Pupil Services.
Slide Show from Conference
{Click on links within the following article to read the article on the subject.)
The
first keynote speaker, Betty Siegel captured
conference participants with her unique observations of education, current
events, and life in general. As the first woman to head an institution
in the University System of Georgia she spoke of her involvement in the
development of invitational education. Her intelligent and often-humorous
presentation was the perfect beginning for the conference.
For the next three days the Conference offered a variety of topics representative of the diverse responsibilities student service administrators are responsible for. We have been very fortunate to have LeRoy Rooker present at several of our conferences. As the director of the U.S. Department of Education's Family Compliance Office, Mr. Rooker spoke on the impact that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) will have on the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Mr. Rooker's presentations are always informative and well attended. Continuing on the theme of NCLB we were fortunate to have Miriam Freedman as a keynote speak on the implications that NCLB may have on IDEA and Section 504. Ms. Freedman, an attorney from Boston, MA. speaks nationally on legal issues related to special education.
Other speakers for our break out session presented on topics such as: Responsible Discipline, Working with Children with Autism, NAPSA Public Policy/Legislative Agenda, Providing Leadership, ESOL for Administrators, Brain Research, and Educational Issues with Legal Implications.
One of the aspects of NAPSA conferences that attendees enjoy is the
opportunity to
socialize with professionals from different areas of the country. The
size of the conference lends itself to the importance of sharing camaraderie
(or commiserating) with people who perform similar job functions. This
year's conference was no exception. On Monday night conference attendees
were treated to a dinner cruise around Charleston Harbor. Along with a
wonderful dinner and dancing we were able to sail by the historic homes
of Charleston.
The conference ended as it started with a presenter whose topic "Laughter: Why We Can't Succeed Without It" provided us with humor along with his extensive experience working with intensive special needs students to show us how humor can be an effective tool in dealing with stress and difficult times.
The initial feed back and evaluations reflected positively on the quality of the presenters and the topics they spoke on. We will continue to use this information in our planning for future conferences. Our conference site for 2003 will be in beautiful San Diego. We look forward to seeing you there next October.