State Leaders Summit for Systems Change in Educating Children and Youth who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Quality Control in Educational Systems
April 30, May 1 & 2, 2008
Holiday Inn - Great Falls 400 10th Ave. South Great Falls, MT 59405 (800) 257-1998
2008 PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT AND INFORMATION
Conference Mission and Purpose:
The Mission of the National Summit on Deaf Education is to promote and advance knowledge and leadership through professional and parent stakeholder partnerships that result in collaborative state education systems and improved outcomes for children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.
The National Summit on Deaf Education joins leaders in education and administration with parents of children who are deaf or hard of hearing for the purpose of designing educational systems and services that will successfully launch every DHH student from birth to young adulthood to his/her highest academic and social potential.
State leadership teams will learn strategies about systems change as they are applied to accountability in deaf education. State leadership teams will develop action plans to apply the information gained in their respective states.
Expected Outcomes of the Summit:
Participants will connect with others across the country and will leave with ideas and information that they’ve learned from the facilitated discussions and interactions for improving their own state system.
Participants will have a clearer understanding of issues, research, and improvement strategies concerning areas critical to improving outcomes for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
States will have formed or strengthened their stakeholder teams that include parents, and state department of education, state school, and regional program leaders, individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, higher education representatives, and other critical players.
States will leave with new or refined plans for systematic efforts to improve services to children who are deaf or hard of hearing based on the issues, needs, and priorities identified for their state.
Issues and needs specific to rural and small school systems will be highlighted; participants will generate ideas they can explore and use in their states for addressing these issues and needs.
Teams will assess their state’s progress in meeting the goals of the National Agenda.
Who Should Attend? The Summit is dedicated to creating an environment where vested parties work together. This unique conference provides the opportunity for planning within states, as well as shared-problem solving across states. To effectively plan, it is essential that key stakeholders are at the table including at a minimum representation from:
Parents (those with a non-parental professional role cannot be considered as the parent representative)
State Department of Education
State, or other, Special Schools and Programs for the Deaf
Additional team members to consider include representatives from higher education, early childhood deaf education, local programs, or others who have a vested interest and potential influence in improving educational outcomes for children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.
To address the Summit goals, states will be required to register as a team with at least these three entities represented. Exceptions may be made in cases where a state has attended fewer than three Summits and is still in the process of building internal commitment to change aligned with the National Agenda. A second exception is for individuals representing relevant national organizations or agencies who are not part of a state team. All exceptions must be verified by contacting Cheryl Johnson at
before registering.
Registration:(CLOSED 4.15.08- the Summit has reached the maximum number of participants) For teams that register prior to March 31, the registration cost is $225 per person, except for parent leaders who as team members will have their registration fee waived. For teams that register after April 15, the registration fee is $250 per person. Your team may also qualify for an additional $500.00 stipend to support parent travel.
The parent participation stipendincentive is intended to provide parent travel support from the Summit for up to $500 to promote and encourage parent participation. Start now to identify your parent leader, or if you are a parent interested in this opportunity—make yourself known to the state department of education and/or superintendent of the school for the deaf in your state. In every state there is a dependable parent who is committed to systemic improvement and is capable of representing the collective issues faced by parents and students from a parent’s point of view (please note that parent leaders should be there in the role of parent and not a professional in another capacity who also happens to be a parent of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing). The Parent Participation Stipend is available on a first-come, first-served basis to states that have exhausted all other means to cover the cost of bringing a parent leader to the Summit. To apply for a Parent Participation Stipend, go to www.ndepnow.org. Stipends are limited, so early registration is encouraged to obtain the full savings benefit that is available.
Payment: There is a registration fee which is to be paid either by check or purchase order (sorry, no credit cards) to the Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center. If you or your team registers before April 15, your registration fee is $225 per person (except for the parent leader registration fee which is waived). If you or your team registers after April 15, your registration fee is $250 per person. Please mail payment to the following address:
Mountain Plains Regional Resource Center Attn: Tina McComber 1780 North Research Parkway, Suite 112 North Logan, UT 84341
Confirmation: All team members registered will receive e-mail confirmation upon registration. A second e-mail confirmation will be sent in March to every registered participant.
Cancellation: All cancellations made prior to April 23, 2008 will receive a full refund. No refunds will be provided for cancellations made after April 23.
Hotel Accommodations: A block of rooms is being held at the Holiday Inn Great Falls, at the rate of $79/night. To receive this special rate you must make your reservation by calling (800) 257-1998. Specify your participation with the State Leader's Summit to get the negotiated rate. If you have any problems while making reservations , contact Tina McComber at
or 435-752-0238, ext. 10.
Airport Ground Transportation: Holiday Inn Great Falls is located 4 miles (20 minutes) from the Great Falls International (GTF) Airport. The hotel provides complimentary airport shuttle. The cost of taxi (one way) is $10.00.
Air Travel through NW Airlines: If you are traveling on Northwest Airlines for the CEASD Conference and/or the State Leaders Summityou maybe eligible for a promotional discount. Discounts generally run between 5% and 7% of published fares. Passengers must originate from two (2) or more cities. If Minneapolis, Memphis or Detroit are origins, then at least one (1) additional city is required. The promotion runs from April 27 through May 8, 2008.Follow these directions for booking tickets using the CEASD promotional discount using the WorldFile number NYVFE:
Individuals and Meeting Planners should go to www.nwa.com
Under the “Airfare Deals and News” column and the “Flights” tab, click on "NWA Discount Travel E-Cert Redemption" which is located at the bottom.
On the “Flight Search” screen, click Login. Enter your WorldPerks number or Continue to login as Guest.
Complete the “Flight Search” section and navigate to the bottom where you will see “Do you have an E-Cert Fare, electronic voucher or meeting agreement?”
Select “Meeting agreement (WorldFile number)” and then enter the WorldFile number in the “Meeting WorldFile Number” box and complete your transaction. The WorldFile number for this promotion is NYVFE.
