The Invest in Schools Summit will gather those engaged in building bring back K-12 schools in the United States in Washington DC, August 3rd and 4th
The Altru Institutes Invest in Schools Summit will gather those deeply engaged in bringing our schools back from the pandemic and committed to rebuilding K12 better for American education for generations to come. SEE FULLL AGENDA
$130 billion in committed capital is the single largest investment in US history in K-12 education. School districts across America are now challenged to get schools back and functioning and situated so they never need to close again. It is a daunting challenge.
The Summit will help schools meet this challenge by providing insight into the various programs while exploring new advances, technologies, and best practices. The format is designed to foster collaborative relationships and to help people connect.
A silver lining in the COVID crisis may be the opportunity to rethink how we approach education. Never has the sharing of information and ideas toward collaboration been more critical.
Curriculum
The unique conference format sessions of best practices and what has been learned to make schools function build back better. Focusing on three core components:
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Safe Schools
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Healthy Schools
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Accelerated Learning
Each session will gather what was learned from in testing, mitigation, and will focus on the advances and innovations that came from the experience. How to make sure it doesn’t happen again how we can apply this knowledge such that when the next pandemic hits we are ready.
Federal Funding
Our goal is to provide an understanding of how the $130 billion will be distributed, utilized, and measured. Analysis of all programs and functions and how schools can efficiently access these funds and put them to best use. Legislation. An understanding of the purpose the legislation and a description of the five approved areas of expenditure and their specific applications: 1. Professional Development, 2. Public Health, 3. Technology, 4. Infrastructure and 5. Socio – Economic. Accessing Funds. A look at how schools can efficiently access these funds and put them to best use.
Safe Schools
The mission is to put in place systems to ensure schools never close again for reason of a pandemic. How do we ensure that a future pandemic doesn’t shut schools and society again? Inevitably there will be another pandemic. Just a matter of when. This sessions will address what needs to happen to ensure that schools (and society) never shutdown again. Two core themes. 1. Testing: How to implement COVID testing to ensure the safety of teachers, staff and students. 2. Air Quality. The role of ventilation can thwart the spread of airborne pathogens (including influenza) and create a healthy physical environment for students.
Healthy Schools
For children to learn to their full potential, they must be physically safe and emotionally healthy. The pandemic and closing of schools exposed the critical role of schools in children’s physical and emotional health. The impact was particularly hard on families with limited economic means that bore the brunt of the damage. School now face significant health challenges as kids return the classroom. This discussion will be on the broader role of schools in the overall healthcare system. Immune Health and Resilience. The role of nutrition and opportunities for avoiding diabetes and obesity. Mental Health How psychological and emotional resources for children such as mentoring can play a key role in keeping kids from dropping out.
Accelerated Learning
Falling behind in school takes a terrible toll on kids and their development. Finding new ways to help kids learn and catch up is critical. Mentoring, tutoring and individualized learning strategies. Educational Technology sessions will explore how technologies can accelerate learning and the role that computer assisted learning, AI, software and tutoring can play to advance learning. Learning protocols and new ways to accelerate learning will be the focus with on ensuring a playing field and overcoming the “digital divide” and to ensure that every student is connected and with equal access to educational opportunity.
Hybrid Format
Both virtual and in-person in person attendance is limited. The August 4th sessions will be webcast. We have invited the leadership of the leading organizations focused on K12 education. The objective is to develop a community that is keenly interested in this topic with the intent to foster relationships and connect peers in similar situations and with similar challenges to share ideas on an ongoing basis.
Germ Security
The summit will introduce and demonstrate a newly developed mobile COVID PCR testing system. Developed by a joint venture of 4 separate technology companies led by LumiraDX, this mobile lab based testing systems can bring fast PCR testing to the point of care. The company believes that this technology can make testing far more accessible and play an important role in keeping schools open.
White Papers
A key objective of the summit is to gather insight for the development of White Papers that anchor a series of Education Modules that are in development. These tools will provide needed guidance to school districts.
Transcript of presentations during the conference will be captured to provide a snap shot of the best knowledge that exists on the topic at a moment in time. White Papers produced are intended to be practical. Based on the real experiences they will offer case studies how various entities approached these challenge, the lessons learned.