Summer Institute for Teachers

Session 1- Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Ph.D.

Rigor, Relevance, Relationships: The Fundamentals of Culturally Responsive Pedagogy 

Nearly four decades of research in multicultural education (including culturally responsive pedagogy) confirm that a challenging, relevant curriculum and meaningful relationships with teachers positively impact student academic outcomes, and foster well-being and a sense of care in the classroom. In this address, Dr. Sealey-Ruiz will share about the concepts of academic rigor, relevance, and relationships as integral elements of culturally responsive pedagogy that can be practically applied to classrooms in higher education.

Session 2- Online/Zoom ONLY

Dr. Kenneth Card, Interim Superintendent Elmont Union Free School District.

Ms. Regina Armstrong, Superintendent of Hempstead Schools

Dr. Roxanne Garcia-France, Superintendent of Valley Stream 30

Mr. Marlon Small, Superintendent of Greenport UFSD

Superintendents’ Panel Discussion: Promoting Culturally Responsive Practices and Care in Education In this dynamic panel discussion, we will delve into the critical intersection of culturally responsive practices and holistic care within educational settings. Our esteemed panelists, all superintendents of schools, will share their insights, strategies, and experiences in promoting equity, empathy, and well-being for both students and teachers.

Key Questions we will explore:

1. Culturally Responsive Practices: How do superintendents and their staff infuse cultural awareness, inclusivity, and respect into curriculum design, classroom interactions, and school policies?

2. System of Care: What comprehensive approaches do they employ to support students’ emotional, social, and academic needs? How do they foster a nurturing environment for educators as well?

Working Lunch & Reflection/Networking

Organization Spotlight: Mauer Foundation

The Maurer Foundation’s mission is to save lives through breast health education that focuses on breast cancer prevention, healthy lifestyle choices, early detection and risk reduction. To spread this message, certified Breast Health Educators conduct workshops in high schools, colleges, businesses and community groups throughout Long Island.

Session 3- André Benito Mountain, Ed.S.

The Hip Hop & Jazz Literacy Laboratory

Dr. Mountain will present a unique set of tools to support school leaders in increasing teacher effectiveness through research-based strategies that empower a cultural transformation and improve student outcomes.

Session 4- Dr. Maureen Gillette

Creating & Sustaining Equitable Classrooms, Schools, and Districts

This presentation will provide a comprehensive examination of factors that impact the creation and sustainability of equitable classrooms, schools and districts. Participants will be provided with a template and resources for developing an action plan to address equity in their own educational environment.

Session 5- Mason Mason, Apple Education

Shape Tomorrow’s Skills, Today

As new technologies catalyze changes in the workplace, learning environments are impacted as well. Students must build and develop new skills to succeed in the classroom and beyond. And it’s more important than ever to empower educators to teach those skills. Join Apple to discuss how to invest in your educators so they have the technology and tools needed to engage, instruct, and assess students so they thrive today and into the future.

Session 1- Dr. C. Edward Watson

AI’s Implications for Higher Education: Preparing Students for Life Beyond College

As early as January 2023, approximately 9 out of 10 college students reported having tried ChatGPT, and that number, as well as student competency with AI, has only grown since then. AI is present in our college classrooms, and there is growing demand for graduates who possess AI competencies and literacies. Drawing from the presenter’s new book, Teaching with AI: A Practical Guide to a New Era of Human Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press), this keynote will begin with a hands-on exploration of the evolving AI landscape and detail the companion challenges and opportunities that are emerging for higher education.

Key topics include academic integrity, AI detection, and ethical concerns. Assignment design will be a hallmark of this keynote, and attendees can anticipate a discussion of if, when, and how we might embrace AI to achieve the learning goals of our courses. Examples will be provided throughout. The core focus of this keynote will be on concrete approaches and strategies higher education can adopt, both within the classroom and across larger curricular structures, to best prepare students for the life that awaits them after graduation.

Session 2- Online/Zoom ONLY Dr. Bryant Marks

The Hidden Biases of Good People: Implications for Individuals and Organizations Broadly speaking, group-based bias involves varying degrees of stereotyping (exaggerated beliefs about others), prejudice (dis/liking others), and/or discrimination (unequal treatment of others) that occur above or below conscious awareness. Scholars have labeled the subconscious form of group-based bias implicit bias. In this provocative and highly interactive presentation, Dr. Marks will describe the science behind the causes and consequences of implicit bias and its impact on individuals and educational outcomes. Dr. Marks will also offer practical strategies for identifying, managing, and potentially mitigating implicit bias.

Working Lunch & Reflection/Networking

Organization Spotlight: Mauer Foundation

The Maurer Foundation’s mission is to save lives through breast health education that focuses on breast cancer prevention, healthy lifestyle choices, early detection and risk reduction. To spread this message, certified Breast Health Educators conduct workshops in high schools, colleges, businesses and community groups throughout Long Island.

Session 3- Georgina Berbari, M.A., E-RYT

Movement, Breathing & Awareness

This session will include therapeutic yogic modalities for mind-body awareness. Diaphragmatic breathing, movement, self-acupressure techniques, and meditation will be implemented to instill a sense of inner well-being.

Session 4- Dr. Anthony Murray

Neuroscience of Mathematics Learning

This workshop will explore the cognitive processes and brain mechanisms involved in problem-solving and mathematical thinking.

Session 5- Dr. Shalinie Sarju & Dr. Julio Gonzalez

Meeting the Needs of Individuals with Exceptionalities from Birth through College 

This workshop will focus on examining strategies to effectively meet the needs of individuals with exceptionalities from birth through the College level. Additionally, we will discuss parent’s, provider’s, and faculty responsibilities as they relate to individuals with exceptionalities and relevant laws.

Session 6- Dr. Fernando Nieto & Dr. Duncan Quarless

Fostering the Development of Affective and Durable Skills to Improve Persistence in STEM Fields.

Although there has been a significant increase in the percentage of students pursuing STEM bachelor's degrees, rising from 12% in 1992 to 34% in 2017, the percentage of those persisting and obtaining degrees has, if anything, declined—from 32.5% in 1992 to 25.9% in 2017 (Asai, 2020). Over the last twenty plus years we have developed a programmatic model, Thematic, Inquiry-based, with Mentorship and Enhancements (TIME), that emphasizes contextual learning through thematic applications, inquiry as a primary instructional mode, strong mentorship and enhancements for learning. We first conceived it as the operational model for the Science Technology Entry Program (STEP) at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Old Westbury (OW), funded by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). STEP seeks to foster the social, cognitive, and affective skills development of middle and high school students (7-12) from minoritized populations and those who are economically disadvantaged.

In our model we emphasize the development of affective and durable skills consistent with the “way of being in science”. As part of our assessment, we have developed rubrics that measure the development of these behaviors both at the individual and collaborative level. Our data indicates that the development of these durable skills must precede and/or co-occur with the development of core content knowledge and competencies. During this workshop we will present our assessment outcomes and participants will have the opportunity to discuss the rubrics and develop an action plan for implementation in their courses.