2024 IEA Summer Institute

Participants will dive into the Framework used by the majority of districts in Idaho for certified staff evaluation. The 4 Domains and 22 Components will be explored and participants will compare the levels of performance noting the teacher behaviors that impact proficient and distinguished practice. 

Solid student relationships can alleviate many classroom discipline issues, but how do we create those?

This session will explore building relationships with students - even those who are especially challenging. We will look at what the teacher brings to the table, and how to use strengths and weaknesses to connect with students.

Participants will leave with some solid strategies for self-reflection and for connecting with students.

Targeted to K-12.

Participants will analyze aspects of good classroom management and will develop a working plan for implementing personalized strategies of three key pillars of classroom management for their own subject and grade level.

Targeted to K-12.

Elections have consequences. This is especially true in Idaho where we have seen the political landscape change drastically in recent years due to the influx of those moving into the state under the moniker of "political refugee." The anti-public education sentiment, and attacks on educators, have been growing in Idaho and enemies of public education are entering local and state politics at an unprecedented rate.

This year, we have seen bills presented that could have extreme consequences in our classrooms and schools: arming teachers (without extensive training), vouchers (or ESAs, or tax credits, or...A voucher by any other name would smell as stinky.), library bills, facilities funding, union-busting, and more. Our standard of living, health care, personal rights, the free common schools promised to us in the Idaho Constitution and our very freedom is dependent on our action. It is vital to all aspects of public education that educators be involved in politics.

So where do we start?

Targeted to K-12 Association Leaders.

Some in the legislature are eager to find ways to institute merit pay. One such way was the the Master Educator Premium, which sunsetted in 2020 and was replaced with the Advanced Professional Endorsement. Regardless of the method or title, some in the legislature want to hold us accountable to either justify our low pay or our pay increases. While we know we are amazing teachers, we must convince them.

So how do we do that? Through data and evidence. Our administrators are not always aware of the awesome things we do in our classrooms day-to-day, so we have to keep track of documents, photos, videos, lists, etc. These are then compiled into our professional portfolios to demonstrate the work we're doing.

But what evidence will work? Which domain would an artifact fall under? How can I provide an overwhelming amount of evidence to negotiate a higher rating on my evaluation? Come to this session and find out.

Targeted to K-12.

Whether formal or informal, most educators beyond their third year have been asked to mentor a colleague, but they feel ill-equipped for this role. If you're one of these people, this class is for you.

Mentoring can happen informally with a new teaching partner or a new teacher assigned to the room next to yours. It can also be part of a formal program in a building or district.

This session will prepare participants with the qualities of an effective mentor, the tools to organize mentoring meetings, and steps to prepare for a mentor role throughout the school year.

This session provides you with the tools necessary to make the most of your evaluation.

This will empower you to be pro-active in documenting your practices. You will leave this training with a toolkit in hand that provides you with a self-contained way to organize your documents and professional evidence. This handy toolkit cross-references the evidence it contains to assist educators in adopting best teaching practices in order to be rated higher on the Danielson Framework.