PETERBOROUGH, N.H., June 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — The new Common Core State Standards pose a formidable challenge for the majority of K-12 educators who will need to teach to them in the very near future. True to form, Staff Development for Educators (SDE) is helping educators at every level meet the challenge head-on with state-of-the-art professional development. Case in point, this summer SDE is hosting the first-of-its-kind PreK-1 Educators Common Core State Standards Academy, taking place July 20-22 in Chicago.
Some of the country's most respected educational leaders, seasoned classroom teachers, renowned speakers, and award-winning authors will fully prepare pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade educators to teach to the new standards for an entire year.
"You can't find a team of educational presenters who are better qualified to transform a group of new demands into clearly understandable instructional strategies," says Melissa Sheldon, a program planner at SDE. "And every one of them is passionate about preparing children to be successful in school—and in life."
For example, presenter Kim Adsit dedicated 28 years of her life to teaching kindergartners. Today she draws on that amazing classroom experience in her work as an early childhood education consultant. Kim believes kindergarten should be fun and she urges educators to tap into the curiosity of their young learners every day to plant the seeds for lifelong learning. She is the co-author of five books, including Bookmaking Bonanza and Read with Ease.
Kathy Griffin is a National Board Certified early childhood education specialist who has spent over 15 years guiding elementary students as a classroom teacher. She is highly skilled at differentiating instruction for early primary students. She was her district's Teacher of the Year in 2008 and has twice been nominated for Disney Teacher of the Year. She is also the author of Growing Dendrites with Kathy Griffin.
Named Teacher of the Year in 2003 and 2006, Deanna Jump has taught children in kindergarten and first grade classrooms for 15 years. She is an expert in Common Core curriculum development who creates and shares grade-level-appropriate CCSS units and activities as the number-one seller on TeachersPayTeachers.com.
An early childhood educator for over 17 years, Vanessa Levin is an expert in preparing pre-kindergartners for the rigors of the Common Core State Standards in kindergarten. At school, she shares her passion for teaching by mentoring new teachers. Other specialties include working with ESL and Title I populations, and adopting new technologies for the classroom.
Throughout the Academy, every participant—with expert coaching—will work within SDE's CCSS Action Planner to walk through five steps for developing and applying instructional design and strategies that are centered on the Common Core State Standards. Attendees will leave the Academy not only fully prepared to tackle the CCSS, but also equipped to apply instructional design strategies to all future challenges.
Although there are currently no Common Core State Standards for pre-kindergarten, PreK educators will learn how to prepare their students for the rigors of the new kindergarten standards.
About SDE
SDE provides professional development for PreK through Grade 12 educators. Through Onsite PD, PD Events, Web-based PD, and PD Resources, the company empowers teachers and administrators across the country with ongoing professional development that is not only research-based, innovative, and rigorous, but also practical, motivating, and fun. All SDE training is presented by the nation's top authors and educational experts, with the goal of creating extraordinary classrooms that prepare students for the evolving demands of the 21st century.
Educators interested in learning more about SDE's national conferences and the many other professional development opportunities offered by SDE can visit the company's website, www.SDE.com, or call 1-800-462-1478.