All pre-conference events will be held on the morning and afternoon of October 15, 2015. The official 2015 Values and Leadership Conference opening will be held at 6:00 p.m. on October 15.
Ethical and Virtuous Education for Children: A Global Perspective
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m
This session will report on recent research projects at the University of Verona, Italy, and the Rock Ethics Institute at the Pennsylvania State University investigating the experiences of teachers and children involved in ethics and virtues education programs. The Verona University project, titled “Melarete,” developed programs of ethics education for primary schools, focusing on virtues. The aim of the initial research was to investigate the ethical perspective of the children involved the project. The project was originated by Professor Luigina Mortari and Dr. Valentina Mazzoni of Verona University and has been operating in Italy for more than 6 years. Melarete has been the source of several articles, texts, and presentations. Professor Charles Burford of the Australian Catholic University has collaborated with the Verona University researches to study the experiences of teachers involved in the program and explore the implication of these experiences for educational leadership of ethics education. The Rock Ethics Institute project conducted by Dr. Michael D. Burroughs is titled “Philosophical Ethics in Early Childhood.” This study began in September 2015 and is being conducted to (1) better understand young children’s ability to recognize and distinguish ethical concepts, ideas, and questions, and (2) to explore the effectiveness of children’s literature and artwork activities for fostering ethical discussions with and ethical development in young children. Dr. Burroughs and his research team will facilitate philosophical and ethical discussions with young children throughout the fall 2015 semester and ultimately aim to develop a philosophical ethics education curriculum for early childhood classrooms.
This session is composed of three presentations. The first presentation will be delivered by Dr. Burroughs and Tugce Tuncdemir of the Rock Ethics Institute who will discuss the Philosophical Ethics in Early Childhood project and some of the aims of philosophical pedagogy in early childhood classrooms more generally. The second presentation will be delivered by Dr. Valentina Mazzoni, the chief researcher and developer of the Verona Project. The third presentation will be delivered by Professor Charles Burford of the Australian Catholic University, a foundation CSLEE member who will consider the possible implications of these projects for leadership of ethics education in schools.
Facilitator/Chair: Luigina Mortari, Dean of the Department of Philosophy, Education and Psychology and Professor of Philosophy of Education, University of Verona
Presentation 1: Michael Burroughs, Assistant Director of the Rock Ethics Institute, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, and Affiliate Faculty Member in the College of Education, Penn State University
Tugce Tuncdemir, Research Assistant, Penn State University
Presentation 2: Valentina Mazzoni, Assistant Professor of General and Social Education, Chief Researcher and Developer of the Verona Project, University of Verona
Presentation 3: Charles Burford, Professor of Educational Leadership, The Australian Catholic University
Supporting Urban School Leaders through Federal and State Grants: An Interactive Pre-conference Session
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
This interactive session will begin with three short presentations. Two presenters will provide a general overview of successful grant-supported education programs. The third presenter will provide an overview of a successful grant writing process from the perspective of the US Department of Education. Following the three presentations, the remaining time will focus on interactive discussion with intent to connect and engage participant leaders and learners. During this portion of the session time will be allocated for small group interaction among audience participants who will share their own relevant experiences in their small groups. Following this, we will return to the larger group whereby the speaker will address questions from each group. A new network of leaders and learners will be established coupled with a tool-kit of resources (e.g., handout with tips for successful grant writing; handout of winning grant-supported programs, etc.) for each audience member to take away.
Facilitator/Chair: Anthony H. Normore, Professor and Department Chair, Graduate Education and Educational Leadership, CSU Dominguez Hills
Presentation 1: Developing Principal Leadership Teams
Antonia Issa Lahera, Professor and Director of School Leadership Grant Programs, CSU Dominguez Hills
Presentation 2: Developing Teachers and Teacher Leaders
Kamal Hamdan, Executive Director, California STEM Institute for Improvement and Innovation-CSI³), CSU Dominguez Hills
Presentation 3: Support for Innovation Starts at the Top from Washington
Beatriz Ceja, School Leadership Grant Programs Manager, US Dept. of Education
Graduate Student Panel
3:00 – 5:00 p.m.
This 2-hour session will consist of up to six 10-minute informal graduate student presentations, each followed by a 10-minute discussion with peers and established scholars in the field. A primary motivation for this pre-conference event is to provide new scholars with the opportunity to present an emerging idea or area of research and to receive feedback in a supportive environment.
Is This a Good Strategy?: A Look at the Ethics of Private Philanthropic Giving to Public Education Reform – ‘Case Study of the Common Core’
Nikolaus Barkauskas, Penn State University
Ethics in Educational Institutions: Building a Moral Museum
Teresa Branch-Smith, University of Waterloo
Value-Added Data and Equity
Kyler Cowgill, Ohio State University
Let the Children Play: Supporting Play Culture in Early Learning Environments
Amy Dickerson, Nipissing University
“They’re Not Getting You”: Ethical Implications of Translation of Experiences in Non-formal Education in Dadaab, Kenya
Allyson Krupar, Penn State University
Resolving Ethical Conundrums in Democratic Education Development: A Case Study in Peru
Joseph Levitan, Penn State University
Graduate Student Meet & Greet
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
A longstanding tradition of the Values and Leadership Conference, this reception will provide an opportunity for graduate students to meet with peers and faculty over lite food and beverages prior to the start of the conference. We hope that these early conversations will set the tone for partnership and collaboration throughout the conference.