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School of Education
School Leadership Institute

2015 SURN Leadership Conference

June 22-23, 2015

Conference General Session speakers included:
  • Diane Sweeney, author of Student-Centered Coaching and a national consultant since 1999.  After teaching and coaching in the Denver Public Schools, Diane served as a program officer at the Public Education & Business Coalition (PEBC) in Denver. Since then she has become a respected voice in the field of coaching and professional development. As the author of Student-Centered Coaching at the Secondary Level (Corwin Press, 2013), Student-Centered Coaching: A Guide for K-8 Coaches and Principals (Corwin Press, 2010), and Learning Along The Way: Professional Development by and for Teachers (Stenhouse, 2003), Diane holds a longstanding interest in how adult learning translates to learning in the classroom. Diane holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver and a Master’s in Bilingual and Multicultural Education from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
  • Deb Masters, Director of Visible Learning Plus - With a background in primary and secondary teaching, Deb Masters has most recently worked in assessment with John Hattie at the University of Auckland. She has an extensive background in assessment and worked in a senior assessment role with the New Zealand Ministry of Education in Wellington. In that role she managed assessment policy, the development of assessment tools and assessment professional development. Ms Masters also has an in-depth knowledge of e-asTTle, a student profiling tool used extensively in the New Zealand schooling sector, and has been closely involved in its development since 2002. She is the Director of Visible Learning plus and manages products and services internationally for the company. She also project leads the Leadership and Assessment contract for the Te Toi Tupu Leading Learning Consortium, contracted directly to the New Zealand Government. 
  • Peter Dewitt, Principal, Blogger, and the author of Flipping Leadership Doesn't Mean Reinventing the Wheel, runs workshops and provides keynotes focusing on leadership, fostering inclusive school climates, connected learning. Peter is a Visible Learning Trainer for John Hattie, Instructional Coach for Jim Knight, and Student Voice Advocate for Russ Quaglia working nationally and internationally. He has written for Principal Magazine, Education Week, Educational Leadership, The Huffington Post, PBS, ASCD Whole Child, Connected Principals, Smartblogs and ASCD Express.  Peter has presented at forums, conferences, and panel discussions at state and national conferences. Some of the highlights has been to present for the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), ICLE's Model Schools, and NBC's Education Nation. 
Conference Concurrent Session speakers included: