Dr. Caressa Guerrero Gives TEDx talk

PDK member, Dr. Caressa Guerrero, took the TEDxBuffalo stage on Friday, October 2, at the Nichols Flickinger Performing Arts Center!

Dr. Guerrero, an educator, researcher, and leader whose work is rooted in the belief that every person deserves to feel seen, heard, and valued. Drawing from more than two decades of experience and her research on grief in school communities, she explored the power of compassion, connection, and acknowledging the stories we often carry in silence. In her TEDxBuffalo talk, Dr. Guerrero invited us to rethink how we support one another through life’s most difficult moments.

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Brian Graham Publishes “The Future of Artificial Intelligence: Emerging Technologies and Trends in Education”

Dr. Brian Graham, Superintendent of the Grand Island Central School District and President of the Erie-Niagara School Superintendents Association, serves as a co-editor, publisher, and contributor for The Future of Artificial Intelligence: Emerging Technologies and Trends in Education.

The recently published book brings together a diverse group of visionary educators and leaders, including: Hillary Kretz-Harvey, John Fitzpatrick, Kirk Koennecke, Michael Lubelfeld, Heather Lyon, Mark Beehler, Erich Reiter, Jared Bloom, Matthew Gaven, Kusum Sinha, and Scott Martin. These amazing contributors help explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in education, focusing on innovative applications, ethical considerations, and strategies for successful implementation in schools.

Dr. Caitlin Riegel Recommended for Placement on the Fulbright Specialist Roster

Congratulations to the Buffalo/Niagara PDK Vice President for Communication and Media Relations, Dr. Caitlin Riegel, has been recommended by the Peer Review Panel for placement on the Fulbright Specialist Roster for The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program!

 

Dr. Riegel states, “this opportunity represents a meaningful step toward global collaboration and knowledge exchange, and I’m honored to be considered for future international projects.”

Dr. John McKenna to Receive the Dr. Ron Black Distinguished Retiree Award

Congratulations to the Buffalo/Niagara PDK President, Dr. John McKenna, who will be recognized with the Dr. Ron Black Distinguished Retiree Award from from The School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) Region 12 (Western New York).

The award will be received at the SAANYS Region 12 Awards Dinner on May 5 from 4:30 pm – 7:30 pm at the Creekside Banquet Facility (2669 Union Road, Cheektowaga, NY).

Heather Lyon

Dr. Heather Lyon to Receive the Friend(s) of ECASB Award

Heather LyonCongratulations to one of the Buffalo/Niagara PDK Officers, Dr. Heather Lyon, who will be recognized with the Friend(s) of ECASB Award from the Erie County Association of School Boards (ECASB)!

The Friend(s) of ECASB Award is nominated by Board of Education Members or Superintendents and recognizes individuals that are not ECASB members that have been helpful in advancing ECASB’s Mission and Vision.

For the past 7-9 years, Heather has provided newly elected school board members their governance training related to the board’s role in maximizing student achievement. Heather states she really enjoys meeting the new members each year and helping orient them to what governance means as it relates to:

  • The BOE’s role in educating all students
  • The BOE’s role in motivating the attainment of a higher level of student achievement
  • The BOE’s role in ensuring that students have the opportunity to achieve an education that prepares them to succeed in college and careers

ECASB’s Mission is to unite and develop school boards as a strong voice for public education through learning, leadership and advocacy. Their vision is that every child receives the education they need and deserve to pursue their passions, goals, aspirations and dreams.

The Association serves its member boards through development activities, training, advocacy and resource materials. ECASB also works to advance the mutual objectives of other organizations dedicated to public education.

Dr. John McKenna & Dr. Walt Polka Publish Third Book in “Effectively Leading Through Crisis” Trilogy

Released in August 2024, Dr. John McKenna and Dr. Walt Polka publish the third book in their “Effectively Leading Through Crisis” trilogy, “𝑫𝒆𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑼𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑬𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒆”. Published by Roman & Littlefield! (Now Bloomsbury Publishing), this book provides readers with key research-based and pragmatically tested approaches and processes to deal with the unprecedented mental health issues prevalent in today’s schools, families, and communities. Practicing educators and researchers representing various backgrounds, leadership roles, and learning contexts provide insights about appropriate and effective personal, professional, and organizational programs, projects, and activities that may be implemented to address the social-emotional learning needs of people within school communities.

Dr. McKenna will be presenting this book in Lake Placid with some of the authors at the School Administrators Association of New York State (SAANYS) Annual Conference in October 2024.

You can find the books on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, The Kindle Store, and at Roman & Littlefield.

Dr. Brian Graham Hosts Achieving Joy and Mastery in Public Schools Podcast

Dr. Brian Graham, Vice President of the Erie-Niagara School Superintendents Association, is the host of the Achieving Joy and Mastery in Public Schools podcast.

This podcast is designed to celebrate all that is good in Public Education around Western New York. They feature programs and innovative ideas that inspire and influence our students, faculty, staff and community in new and exciting ways.

Dive into engaging discussions and interviews with educators and experts who share strategies for creating positive learning environments. Whether you’re a teacher, administrator, or education enthusiast, this podcast offers invaluable resources to elevate your approach to education.

Join the community committed to transforming public schools into thriving centers of learning and inspiration. Tune in now and start your journey toward joyful and effective teaching!

Heather Lyon

Dr. Heather Lyon Publishes Third Book and Article

Released in February 2024, Dr. Lyon’s third book, 50 Ways to Engage Students with Google Apps, was co-authored by Alice Keeler.Heather Lyon

It’s very easy for one person to say a lesson is engaging while another person might view that same lesson as disengaging. Tech companies promise to “engage students” and “measure student engagement” when they are really only measuring the number of minutes students spend online. Some or all of those students, however, may have been bored out of their minds. Despite the ubiquitous use of the word engagement, there is little to no agreement on what that word means.

Alice Keeler and Dr. Lyon know a few important things about engagement: The first is that tools do not teach. The second key is that it’s only when people are interested or absorbed that they are really engaged.

So how do you create tasks that students want to do? That’s where the fifty strategies that the engagement and Google tools experts share here come in. This book is full of templates, tips, tricks, and hacks for shifting engagement levels from disengaged to engaged using tools everyone can try. Learn how to use:

  • Google Docs and Slides as collaboration tools
  • Spreadsheets in ways that are fun and creative.
  • Google Classroom to recognize students as individuals
  • Google Forms to quickly see where students are struggling.

In June 2024, Dr. Lyon’s article, “Unclear Roles, Unfulfilled Expectations: Hidden Reasons Behind the K-12 Leadership Shortage,” was published on The Forum of American Journal of Education. In the article, Dr. Lyon shares two surprising reasons for the current K-12 leadership shortage as well as possible solutions.

Dr. Lyon has a Ph.D. in Educational Administration and an Ed.M. in Reading from the University at Buffalo. She is a consultant, speaker, author, blogger, and district administrator. Heather’s books include:  Engagement Is Not a Unicorn (It’s a Narwhal), The BIG Book of Engagement Strategies, and 50 Ways to Engage Students with Google Apps. To contact Heather for speaking or consulting, please visit www.LyonsLetters.com, where you can also subscribe to her weekly blog posts.

Dr. Caitlin Riegel Publishes Book Chapter on AI

Dr. Caitlin Riegel, assistant professor in the College of Education, recently published a book chapter titled “Leveraging Online Formative Assessments Within the Evolving Landscape of Artificial Intelligence in Education” in Assessment Analytics in Education.

“As Artificial Intelligence continues to revolutionize education, the use of AI to complete online assessments poses a considerable challenge to assessment analytics,” Dr. Riegel said. “With a goal to support and improve the assessment process, assessment analytics involves deriving meaningful insights from assessment data related to student knowledge and instructional effectiveness. However, when students utilize machine learning to complete online assessments, the validity of assessment data as an accurate representation of student knowledge diminishes.”

In the chapter, Dr. Riegel explores the strategic use of online formative assessments to both enhance understanding of student knowledge and deter the inappropriate use of AI. Acknowledging that there is always a risk of academic dishonesty, Dr. Riegel suggests that online formative assessments offer a unique avenue for teachers to gather empirical evidence of student engagement, current comprehension, and critical thinking. She notes that by adopting the PICS framework for personalized, informal, constructivist, and short online formative assessments, educators can harness assessment analytics to gain valid and valuable insights into student knowledge, an approach that facilitates proactive engagement with students who may be grappling with content and tempted to seek assistance from artificial intelligence and fosters meaningful conversations that aim to address learning challenges and promote academic integrity in online education.