With over 400 school leaders in attendance, the 25th Annual M.A.S.S. Executive Institute on Cape Cod was an event to remember! The attendees were moved to tears as members of the Mashpee elementary school sang “A Million Dreams.” The M.A.S.S. President Brad Jackson officially kicked off the event with the re-naming to the Paul J. Andrews Summer Executive Institute, a tribute to Paul and his commitment to professional development for public educators.
We were fortunate to have Commissioner Jeffrey Riley join us to share for vision for the future of public education which focused on deeper learning for all, holistic support and enrichment, innovation and evidence based practices, and the state as a partner. “Somewhere along the way, in our desire to gather test scores, we have lost our craft. Children need to be engaged” stated Commissioner Riley.
The first keynote followed and was delivered by Dr. Tyrone Howard, professor at UCLA and Associate Dean of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Dr. Howard spoke about excellence through educational equity. “The most difficult conversations should be grounded in data, allowing us to be faced with undeniable numbers when facilitating change.”
The second keynote on Tuesday was Brent Frey, Director of Educational Development and Professional Learning at Apple. The world is changing rapidly with technology. “Too often in education we focus on the bricks rather than the cathedral” shared Brent Frey,
Both days were filled with numerous breakout sessions and meetings to cover engaging topics to bring back to districts. The full agenda and all breakout sessions are available at www.massupt.org/eiagenda2019. As always, Tuesday and Wednesday ended with amazing socials to engage with colleagues and unwind from an educational stimulating day!
Day two welcomed keynote speaker Dr. Adolph Brown. Dr. Brown’s powerful presentation left attendees ready to unpack their backpack, get their wheelbarrow and look in the mirror. “Without a doubt-the most inspirational, thought-provoking and entertaining speaker I have ever seen” gushed one attendee. Many attendees were grateful that Dr. Brown shared his story!
Chelsea Superintendent Mary Bourque received the prestigious Daoulas Award to the applause of all and a heartfelt introduction by former M.A.S.S. President Eric Conti.
Thursday, the final day of the conference, was keynoted by Lisa Freed, Vice President at iRobot and STEM program manager. She spoke about the work of making STEM more accessible and friendly for all students by creating maker spacers, allowing choice and failure in learning and introducing robotics in the classroom!
Thursday also welcomed Project351 ambassadors to share their stories and voices. M.A.S.S. is incredibly thankful for our partnership with Project351 and we always look forward to hearing from these inspirational students.
The conference concluded with a panel of students, superintendents Brad Jackson and Kathleen Smith, M.A.S.S. Executive Director Tom Scott and Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to discuss the question, “Where do we go from here? Issues facing educational leaders in today’s schools.”
The conference received great plaudits for the excellence of the keynotes and the broad number of Breakout Sessions around the theme of this year’s Institute: Foundation to Transformation – Building on 25 Years of Success.
As always this conference wouldn’t be possible without our 100+ sponsors on behalf of the entire organization, we thank you for joining us and hope to see you again next year!