• Hans Meeder, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education
• Jack O'Connell, California Superintendent of Public Instruction
• Dr. Rudy M. Casterita, San Diego County Superintendent of Schools

• Shara Anderson, Eastlake High School
• Carlos Espinosa, Mar Vista High
• Andrew Nho, High Tech High
• Khristine Vinluan, Montgomery High School

• Ilene Berman, Deputy Director, Education Division, National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices
• Naomi Housman, Coordinator, National High School Alliance

• Facilitators meet with teams in team rooms
• Team leaders will work with members to ensure coverage of all sessions

Moderator: Lois Adams-Rodgers, Special Assistant to the Executive Director, Council of Chief State School Officers

• STATE POLICIES FOR COLLEGE READINESS AND SMOOTH TRANSITIONS
Ilene Berman, Deputy Director, Education Division, National Governors Association, Center for Best Practices
• Ready or Not, Preparing High School Graduates for Work and College.
Sheila Byrd, Executive Director, The American Diploma Project
• Lessons Learned about Core Curriculum and the State Scholars Initiative
Jennifer Vranek, Executive Director, Partnership for Learning

Moderator: Ruth Martinez, Senior Policy Analyst, DTI Associates, Inc.

• Just Tell Me What Works! Examining the Knowledge Base on High School Improvement
James Kemple, Senior Fellow, MDRC
• Helping Striving Readers Read at a High School Level
Peggy McCardle, Associate Chief, Child Development & Behavior Branch, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
• How Can Youth with Disabilities Achieve at High Levels in High School?
Troy Justesen, Acting Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Educational and Rehabilitative Services
• Improving Instruction for ELL Students Through Standards and Assessments
Kathleen Leos, Associate Deputy Undersecretary and Senior Policy Advisor to the Office of English Language Acquisition, U.S. Department of Education

Forum 3. High School Reform Models That Support Student Achievement: Topaz (2nd floor) In this session discussants will present an overview of the characteristics and potential of a variety of high school improvement models. Representatives from three of these models will then review the successes and challenges that have been associated with the implementation of these models in districts around the country.

Moderator: Gregg Betheil, Vice President, Academy Programs, National Academy Foundation

• Reviewing High School Improvement Models, Characteristics and Potential
Angela Hernandez-Marshall, Partnership Development Associate, National High School Alliance
• High Schools That Work
Scott Warren, Director of Contracted Services, High Schools That Work/Making Middle Grades Work
• First Things First
William Moore, Senior Consultant, Institute for Research and Reform in Education
• America’s Choice:
Kathy Lesley, Senior Associate, America’s Choice School Design

Forum 4. Assessment, Accountability and Data with Meaning for Students, Teachers, and Leaders: Crystal 2 (2nd floor) In this session presenters will highlight the essential elements in a data collection system and discuss the benefits of collecting longitudinal data for individual students. Discussants will also review strategies that states and districts have implemented to effectively collect and use data to inform decision making on the classroom, school, district, and state levels.

Moderator: Maureen Bozell, Program Manager, Center for Education and Careers, DTI Associates, Inc.

• How States Can Use Data for Identifying School Progress
Steven Klein, Senior Research Associate, MPR Associates, Inc
• Essential Elements of Statewide Data-Collection Systems
Sarah Collins, Director, School Effectiveness Analysis, National Center for Educational Accountability
• How Districts Can Successfully Use Assessment, Accountability and Data to Improve District-wide Performance
Christopher J. Steinhauser, Superintendent of Long Beach Unified School District
• American Society for Quality
Susanne Keely, Education Market Manager

Forum 5. Nurturing a System of Choice, Innovation and Excellence: Ivory (3rd floor) In this session presenters will review policies and programs that are designed to support a variety of educational options within the district or region. Discussants will highlight the critical role of the principal in high school reform. Further details will be presented about the successes and challenges that the Gates Foundation has encountered in their efforts to reform the American high school. Finally, presenters will review how updated career and technical education programs can support the goals of high school improvement.

Moderator: Hans Meeder, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education

• What’s Needed for High School Principals to ‘Break Ranks?’
Janice Ollarvia, Distinguished Principal for Secondary School Reform, National Association of Secondary School Principals
• Lessons Learned about Schools that are Rigorous, Relevant and Relational
Carol Rava Treat, Senior Policy Officer, Education, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• How Career Technical Education Relates to High School Improvement
Hans Meeder, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Educatio
• Local Respondent
Jeff Tschudi, Coordinator, Early College High School Initiative, Foundation for California Community Colleges

Forum 6. Flexibility and Innovation with NCLB: Coral (3rd floor) This session will focus on critical issues that are connected with the implementation of No Child Left Behind. Discussants will review the requirements in the legislation related to accountability and to highly qualified teachers. Presenters will also highlight the challenges that NCLB presents for rural and isolated school districts.

Moderator: Amy Bennett, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education

• Accountability Under No Child Left Behind
Kerri Briggs, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education
• Thinking Through Highly Qualified Teaching
Sharon Yates, Teacher Assistance Corps, U.S. Department of Education
• CHARTING THE COURSE FOR NCLB AND RURAL AREAS
Tom Luna, Executive Director of the Secretary’s Rural Education Task Force, U.S. Department of Education

• Reflections on discussion forums
• Scanning and Forecasting: Where is our state now? Where do we want to be?
• Request content experts