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Unit 4 hosting Minority Recruitment and Retention Retreat on Friday, June 16

Champaign’s Unit 4 School District will be hosting an all-staff retreat for all of their employees on June 16th, from 8 am to 3 pm. The retreat will be focused on minority recruitment and retention and will feature a keynote speech from Dr. Pedro Noguera.

For more info, check out the press release and poster below:

This year’s retreat will feature keynote speaker, Dr. Pedro Noguera, author and distinguished professor of Education at the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA. A dynamic speaker, Dr. Noguera is one of America’s most important voices for healthy public education, focusing on the ways in which schools are influenced by social and economic
conditions.

The day will be filled with inspiring and informational sessions that address important issues that impact our work and our community. Below you will find the agenda for the day and a list of breakout sessions and speakers.

MTRRC All Staff Retreat
June 16

Registration: Begins at 7:30 a.m.
Light Breakfast: 7:45-8:15 a.m.
Student Performance: 8:15-8:30 a.m.
Welcome: 8:30-8:40 a.m.
Keynote Address – 8:40 to 9:40 a.m.
Equity and Deeper Learning
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Pedro Noguera

Session 1 – 9:50 to 10:50 a.m. (choose one below)
Education for a Changing Society
Facilitator: Dr. Pedro Noguera
Helping Students Find Their Voice Through the Arts
Facilitators: Dr. Ollie Watts-Davis & Ashley Davis
Parent Engagement: It Takes a Village
Facilitator: Dr. Mia Lavizzio
Strategies and Interventions for Confronting Racist Behaviors
Facilitators: Mike Lehr & Jaime Roundtree

Session 2 – 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (choose one below)
Leadership: The Benefits, Drawbacks, and Keys to Effectively Leading as a Person of Color
Facilitator: Dr. Joe Cross
Save the Drama, Girls! How Schools Can Push In
Facilitators: Mykah Newman & Renayee Westfield
Parent Universities: Helping Students Achieve Excellence
Facilitators: Patricia Avery, Tony Maltbia, & Katina Wilcher
Connecting with Immigrants in Our Community
Facilitators: Maria Alanis & Jen White

Lunch: 12:00-12:50

Session 3 – 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Building Your Résumé For Leadership
Facilitators: Dan Casillas & Ken Kleber
Examining the Supports of AVID: Seeing Students as Scholars
Facilitators: Dr. Asia Fuller-Hamilton & Jessie Knight
The Power of a Trauma-Informed Community
Facilitator: Karen Crawford Simms
Developing Literacy: The EL Experience
Facilitator: Stacey Boyd

Session 4 – 2:10 p.m. to 3:10 p.m.
Women & The Road to Leadership
Facilitator: Dr. Mila Thomas-Fuller
The Journey of the Young Black Male: From Stereotype to Scholar
Facilitators: Pancho Moore & Javae Wright
Raising a More Literate Black & Brown Community
Facilitator: Alexandra Guilmo
The Arts & The Legacy
Facilitator: Sam Smith

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