You're invited! Join other Alliance District teams in using lessons learned in 2012 to prepare for the 2013 application process.      Engage in a facilitated workshop to explore opportunities for integrating major reform efforts and focusing improvement strategies for maximum impact in closing gaps in student learning. Opening Remarks: Rae Ann Knopf Rae Ann Knopf is the Executive Director for the Connecticut Council for Education Reform. She works to lead state and national efforts to transform public education in ways that facilitate the learning and growth of every child, regardless of personal circumstance or diversity of learning need. Rae Ann was most recently Acting Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner of Education in Vermont. She uses this and her years of experience as a school start up and turnaround administrator and private sector CEO, to catalyze the most effective reforms by capturing them in public law and local policy. A life-long advocate for creating learning communities where all children can grow and thrive, Rae Ann led several successful initiatives for creating highly personalized environments that realize high expectations for all young people, especially those facing the greatest disadvantage socially and academically. Rae Ann is a graduate of University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. She lives in Branford, Connecticut with her husband.      Keynote Speaker: Dr. George Sugai, Ph.D. Dr. Sugai is Professor and Carole J. Neag Endowed Chair in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. He is a national leader in the advancement of evidence-based strategies for district – and school – wide improvement. His professional interestsinclude effective classroom and behavior management practices, school-wide discipline, social skills instruction, and positive behavior supports. He has been a classroom teacher, program director, and camp counselor. Currently, he is co-director of the OSEP Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (www.pbis.org) and director of the UConn Center on Behavioral Education and Research (www.cber.org). Visit our website to learn more! Hosted by the Connecticut Council for Education Reform in collaboration with the New England Secondary School Consortium and the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents with special thanks to the  Nellie Mae Education Foundation  Standard Price Conference Ticket 25.00