JUNE 11-14, 2023
well-being + engagement + feedback
Register Today
Attend the 2023 Just Schools Academy Four-Day Conference
Well-being, Engagement, and Feedback have become more crucial than ever with your staff, students and parents. Focused initiatives in these areas can make the difference between schools that thrive and those that don’t. Have you made plans to address these key success indicators?
The 2023 Just Schools Academy has assembled top experts to help you identify your school’s unique challenges in these areas. In addition, facilitated breakout sessions will train your team to apply a research-based approach for sustainable improvement to help your school thrive. You will finish the conference with:
- An agreed on singular goal
- Action steps for the upcoming school year
- A network of supportive schools
- Five improvement tools to promote ongoing growth
So, take four days, June 11 – 14, and prepare your team along with other like-minded educators to make 2023-2024 an exceptional year.
How The Adaptive Challenge Framework Works
Identify and agree on crucial challenges
Define quantifiable 1-year goals
Launch the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle
Establish 90-day targets
Record and evaluate your results
Details for this 4-day Conference
Hosted at Legacy Christian Academy, Frisco, Texas
3-10 Team Members
from your School
$3,000 per School
or $600 per Person
June 11-14, 2023
Register Today
Jon Eckert, EdD
jon_eckert@baylor.edu
Jon began his career as a teacher and coach of intermediate and middle school students outside of Chicago and Nashville for 12 years. He has served as a Teaching Ambassador Fellow at the U.S. Department of Education, where he worked in both the Bush and Obama administrations on teaching quality issues. Previous to his role at Baylor, he prepared teachers at Wheaton College. He currently holds the Lynda and Robert Copple Chair for Christians in School Leadership at Baylor University.
Jon is the author of several books, including his newly released Just Teaching(Corwin, 2023), the #1 in Education Assessment on Amazon this year. His other publishings include The Novice Advantage: Fearless Practice for Every Teacher (Corwin, 2016) and Leading Together: Teachers and Principals Improving Student Outcomes (Corwin, 2018), book chapters, numerous peer-reviewed articles in journals such as Educational Administration Quarterly, Professional Development in Education, and Education Policy Analysis Archives, and practitioner publications such as Education Week and Phi Delta Kappan.
Dr. Anika T. Prather
Founder, The Living Water School
dr.atprather@gmail.com
Dr. Anika T. Prather earned her B.A. from Howard University in elementary education. She also has earned several graduate degrees in education from New York University and Howard University. She has a Masters in liberal arts from St. John’s College (Annapolis) and a PhD in English, Theatre and Literacy Education from the University of Maryland (College Park).
Dr. Prather’s research focus is on building literacy with African American students through engagement in the books of the Canon. She is the author of Living in the Constellation of the Canon: The Lived Experiences of African American Students Reading Great Books Literature and co-author of The Black Intellectual Tradition with Dr. Angel Parham.
She has served as a teacher, supervisor for student teachers, director of education and Head of School. Currently she is a sought after speaker on the topic of the relevancy of classical studies to the Black community. She teaches in the English dept at Howard University, serves as Director High Quality Curriculum and Instruction at Johns Hopkins University, and is the founder of The Living Water School. Dr. Prather co-founded The Living Water Center in 2022 which houses The Blacks in Classics Museum that displays original artwork featuring Blacks who have been inspired by classics and the works of the Canon.
Cierra Nickerson
cbnickerson@aldineisd.org
Cierra Nickerson is the principal of Hall Success Academy in Houston and is an advocate for educational equity. With over a decade of educational experience, she is a Teach for America alumna and has served in various capacities in teaching and leading in campus, district, and county central offices.
Mrs. Nickerson began her teaching career in Aldine ISD at Shotwell Academy teaching English-Language Arts and Reading. In her previous role in the Wraparound Services Department at Houston ISD, Mrs. Nickerson contributed to the development and implementation of over 150 community schools. She also served as the School Climate and Culture Specialist for the Harris County Department of Education in providing professional development and support for districts to reduce exclusionary practices and establish safe and secure schools.
Mrs. Nickerson received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Michigan, a Master of Education in Administration and Supervision from the University of Houston, and presently is a doctoral student at Baylor University studying K-12 Educational Leadership.
Erik W. Carter
erik_carter@baylor.edu
Dr. Erik Carter is the Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities at Baylor University and Executive Director of the Baylor Center on Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Carter’s research and writing focus on principle-driven and research-based strategies for promoting full participation, belonging, and valued roles for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). He is particularly interested in the intersection of faith and disability, where his work focuses on calling, equipping, and supporting churches to be places of deep embrace and contribution for individuals with IDD and their families.
Dr. Carter has co-authored more than 200 articles/chapters and six books, one of which is Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities: A Guide for Service Providers, Families, and Congregations. He has received numerous awards for his research and work with the intellectually and developmentally disabled.
What Educators Are Saying About The Just Schools Academy
“The Academy gives you access to peers who are doing similar work. Each person you meet will be a future resource for you as you do our important, life-giving work. An added bonus, each presenter, offered their best advice from often hard-learned lessons that can help your school dodge pitfalls and advance God’s mission through Christian schooling.”
“I feel the Academy gives the opportunity to hear research-based, Christ-focused educational leaders share valuable information that guides best practice in a spiritual context for student success.”
“The Academy is intended to directly benefit leaders of K-12 Christian schools without the pressures, prejudices, preconceptions, etc., that often arise from a conference that is provided by an accrediting group. It was good to see a wide variety of schools in attendance. Good speakers in breakout sessions. There just aren’t many opportunities like this.”
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