The Conference Room

In this episode of The Conference Room podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Kelley Stein, an accomplished educational leader and the current Director of Academics for the West Baton Rouge Parish School System. Kelley brings a wealth of experience in building a strong, positive school culture and fostering productive relationships with students, staff, parents, and the broader community. During her tenure as principal, she has led her school to significant academic achievements, including substantial LEAP 2025 score growth and recognition as a Capturing Kid’s Hearts National Showcase School.In our conversation, we dive deep into key topics relevant to school leaders and educators, including how to cultivate a resilient school culture, the challenges and strategies for managing leadership transitions, and innovative ways to engage the community. With her extensive background in administration and her focus on creating collaborative environments, Kelley offers invaluable insights that can inspire school leaders at every level. Tune in for an engaging discussion that sheds light on leadership, communication, and school transformation.

Welcome to the June edition of The Conference Room podcast, centered around "Early Literacy Matters: A Leader's Guide to Systematic Change." As the school year ends and summer begins, it’s crucial to implement strategies to keep children engaged in literacy activities. This episode focuses on:Preparing for a Literacy-Rich Summer:Encouraging participation in local library summer reading programs.Organizing book swap events.Helping students set personal reading goals.Providing Resources for Families:Sending home summer reading kits.Providing lists of online resources, apps, and educational websites.Hosting workshops or webinars for parents.Setting Up for the Upcoming School Year:Reflecting on the past year’s successes and challenges.Planning literacy goals and initiatives.Identifying professional development opportunities.Preparing classrooms to support a literacy-rich environment.Join us as we celebrate the progress made during the school year and prepare for a summer full of literacy activities. 

Join hosts Herman and Jessica Brister in The Conference Room Podcast's latest episode! In this edition, the BASIC Solutions Team navigates the crucial task of reviewing and reflecting on the 1st semester. Explore with us as district, school, and teacher leaders dissect achievements, address challenges, and strategize for an empowered 2nd semester. Tune in for insightful discussions, practical tips, and the inspiration needed to propel educational excellence! 🌐📚 #Reflections #EveryLeaderNeedsACoach #TheresAlwaysASolution

The Conference Room welcomes eight time champion Jeffery Jones to the podcast. He currently serves as an Assistant Principal, Athletic Director, and Head Coach at Madison Prep Academy, located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Many educators ponder the question of balancing academics and athletics (extra curricular activities). In this episode we tackle, the process of building a championship program, recruitment, and sustaining academic success while building an award winning program.

Chief Academic Officer, LaMont Cole enters The Conference Room to share his candid thoughts on the state of education during pandemic. Many educators have been forced to reimagine teaching and learning. In these episodes he talks about suspensions, emotional support, educators being part of the decision making process, student failures, among other topics and issues. Teachers, schools, and districts have faced unprecedented challenges as a result of the pandemic. One of the central challenges for educators has been the need to figure out how to meet the individual needs of students. Students have had dramatically different experiences during the pandemic making the need for academic and nonacademic interventions/support even greater this spring.

The Conference Room welcomes Chief Academic Officer, LaMont Cole. Mr. Cole wanted to share his candid thoughts on the state of education during the pandemic. Many educators have been forced to reimagine teaching and learning. In these episodes he talks about suspensions, emotional support, educators as decision makers, student failures, among other topics and issues.Teachers, schools, and districts have faced unprecedented challenges as a result of the pandemic. One of the central challenges for educators has been the need to meet the individual needs of students. Students have had dramatically different experiences during the pandemic, making the need for academic and nonacademic interventions/support even greater this spring.

The Conference Room welcomes Mrs. Renita Sherrard to the show. Document Based Questions (DBQ’s) are essay questions where students are asked to analyze specific issues or trends with the assistance of provided sources to use as evidence. These sources aka “documents” are provided to students to use as resources to cite and provide a foundation for their responses. DBQ’s allow students to create a strong thesis using the support from provided documents; thus, allowing students to make connections while consolidating information into one concise composition. Mrs. Sherrard draws on her twenty five years of experience and expertise as an educator to embed rigorous activities into the classrooms that she oversees.

The Conference Room welcomes Lindsey Wells. She is a science teacher at Southern University Laboratory School where she teaches Chemistry, Physics, and AP Environmental Science. As educators endure the global pandemic, we are reminded that having meaningful discussions are paramount to student success. In this episode Ms. Wells recounts her LACUE presentation, “Meaningful Discussions in a Virtual Environment.” There are many tools and resources made available to educators to ensure students can be engaged in quality dialogue. Her presentation can be viewed here.

The Conference Room welcomes Nathalie Roy. She teaches Roman technology, classical mythology, and Latin at Glasgow Middle School in East Baton Rouge Parish. Her classes feature interactive lessons about the ancient Romans and Greeks infused with STEM, a unique curricular idea that has afforded her many grant opportunities. Roy is a graduate of public school in Avoyelles Parish where both her parents wereteachers. Roy studied classical archaeology at the American Academy in Rome(as a Fulbright Scholar) and at the American School of Classical Studies atAthens. A National Board Certified Teacher, Roy has published articles on Romantechnology with Cambridge University Press and the American Classical League,with whom she has partnered during the pandemic to offer free, live-stream,hands-on lessons on Roman technology.

Many educators and stakeholders do not know what takes place behind the scenes as school leaders set the vision, consistently plan, and work to construct new facilities for 21st century learners. Walt Lemoine has successfully executed all of these phases. He is a great example of what schools need in a leader to ensure both students and teachers flourish. His even killed personality has proven to be an asset as he facilitates the overall experience for his students.

The Conference Room welcomes Ms. Dena Christy of Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge. This non-profit organization delivers services to assist families – both directly and in coordination with 100+ private, non-profit, public and governmental agencies. Their “one-stop” network is designed to build stronger and healthier families with hands-on programs that address the health, social, and economic problems within our community.

In this episode, we speak with Mrs. Nadia Seals, Fuel Education 2019 Transformation award winning Southern University Laboratory Virtual School Director. Mrs. Seals discusses the new normal for learning, virtual education. Many school districts have opted for "hybrid" and/or 100% virtual education. In doing so, all educators are seeking best practices to support teaching and learning in an environment with many uncertainties and new challenges. Mrs. Seals provides us with practical tips to thrive as we return to learn.

Led by Darrell Jackson and Tommy Manning, Ment-2-Fit Mentorship Program is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established to address and provide support to youth as they encounter challenges such as emotional self-acceptance to mental and physical awareness. Their goal is to protect and correct the lives of the youth, while encouraging family relationships and restoring positive behavior among the youth. They can be found on Instagram: ment2fitmentoring and Facebook: Ment-2-Fit Mentoring Program.

The Conference Room welcomes Ms. Shalika Scott. She is an award winning Principal at Scotlandville Pre-Engineering Magnet School known as SPEMA. Since taking the reins at SPEMA, her school has seen steady growth. Under her leadership the school has created prosthetic parts, engineered cars, and developed partnerships with local businesses. During our conversation, she communicated her love and devotion to her students and parents. Ms. Scott and her staff cultivate the culture of building strong relationships. Currently, she is a semi finalist for state principal of the year.

What’s next after COVID-19? Sue Catchings is a prominent leader in Health Centers in Schools. In 2015, John Schlitt awarded her the School-Based Health Alliance’s Lifetime Advocate Award. In this episode, she provides common sense thoughts on keeping our students healthy throughout the school year. Her organization serves 42,000 students on 97 campuses and strategically partners with schools, community physicians, and hospitals. She has built a comprehensive, integrated, and first-class school health care program across the entire East Baton Rouge Parish school system and influenced the growth of the model across all of Louisiana.

Sean Joffrion serves as Director of Fine Arts for the East Baton Rouge Parish School System. He is responsible for visual and performing arts budgetary and curriculum needs for over 70 schools and a staff of over 350 Teachers. It is his mission to grow the arts beyond their typical confines, and to think outside of the box in this ever-evolving education system. By the end of his first year as Fine Arts Director, professional development opportunities, arts partnerships and collaborative district-wide performances became a priority for the parish’s school system. Sean highlights the importance of the Arts in schools and how to navigate the competitive options for students.

Christopher Turner is an emerging visionary in the Esports arena. In 2019, he founded the Esports club at Southern University Laboratory School; thus, providing an opportunity to give students the training and experience that would allow them to excel in the emerging and highly lucrative field of professional competitive gaming. In this episode he discusses the emerging Esports phenomenon that is rapidly growing in K-12 education.

COVID-19 is sweeping the nation as schools across America are closed until further notice. Many educators are asking the question, "What's Next?" In this podcast we discuss this question and much more related to this pandemic. Our guest is Dr. Herman Brister, Superintendent of Baker City Schools. He has led districts comprising 40,000 students covering over 80 schools. Many educators and parents are searching for answers, and our guest shares his expertise on leading schools and supporting students during these trying times.

In this episode, we discuss state testing and how students are assessed. Our guest is Suguna Mayweather, Testing Coordinator within the East Baton Rouge Parish School System(EBRPSS). Students in grades 3 through 8 take assessments (LEAP 2025) in English Language Arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. These assessments are aligned to the Louisiana State Standards which were developed with significant input from Louisiana educators. High school students take assessments to determine if they are ready for college and/or careers, as well as to secure postsecondary credit and access. The state of Louisiana requires high school students to take assessments called LEAP 2025. These assessments provide a consistent measure of student performance and growth from grades three through eleven.

Being in love with teaching her whole life, Mrs. Katrice Hall received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Alternative Teaching Certification, and Masters of Educational Leadership at Southern University. Her career began in 2005 in Baker teaching 5th-grade students technology integration and mathematics. After two years, she transferred to East Baton Rouge Parish School System where she taught 3rd and 5th-grade students math and science. In 2013, Mrs. Hall was promoted to Teacher of Instructional Support in Mathematics responsible for math intervention programs and curriculum implementation. She also was an Instructional Specialist from 2016-2017, and 2017-2018. At her current school, Westdale Heights Academic Magnet, Mrs. Hall serves as the technology integration teacher instructing students on how to use technology to enrich their learning. Mrs. Hall is known for motivating all students to strive for their dreams and never give up. She truly believes that students do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Common formative assessments (CFA's) can be the instructional engine in student achievement. In this episode, Lamont Cole (Chief Academic Officer of CSAL Inc.) talks about how CSAL middle school used CFA's to make real time instructional decisions to impact teaching and learning.

Happy New Year!!! Schools are entering the second semester and it is time to revisit expectations for the entire learning community. In this episode we discuss how to start the second semester as a principal, teacher, and parent. New episodes will be available for download on Sundays.