Willard R. Daggett, Ed.D., President of the International Center for Leadership in Education, is recognized worldwide for his proven ability to move education systems towards more rigorous and relevant skills and knowledge for all students. He has assisted a number of states and hundreds of school districts with their school improvement initiatives, many in response to “No Child Left Behind” and its demanding adequate yearly progress (AYP) provisions. Dr. Daggett has also collaborated with education ministries in several countries and with the Council of Chief State School Officers, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Governors Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and many other national organizations.

Before founding the International Center for Leadership in Education in 1991, Dr. Daggett was a teacher and administrator at the secondary and postsecondary levels and a director with the New York State Education Department, where he spearheaded restructuring initiatives to focus the state’s education system on the skills and knowledge students need in a technological, information-based society.

Dr. Daggett is the creator of the Application Model and Rigor/Relevance Framework, a practical planning and instructional tool for determining the relevance of curriculum and assessment to real-world situations. Dr. Daggett’s Rigor/Relevance Framework has become a cornerstone of many school reform efforts throughout the United States.

Dr. Daggett is the author of six books about learning and education, 12 textbooks, and numerous research studies, reports, and journal articles. He also serves on a number of advisory boards, including the USA Today Education Advisory Panel.

Dr. Daggett has spoken to hundreds of thousands of educators and education stakeholders in all 50 states. His enlightening, entertaining, and motivating messages have helped his listeners to look at education differently by challenging their assumptions about the purposes, benefits, and effectiveness of American schools. Dr. Daggett inspires his audiences both to embrace what is best about our education system and to make the changes necessary to meet the needs of all students in the 21st century.

MOST REQUESTED TOPICS:

Preparing Students for Their Future Schools must prepare students for their future – not our past. The future is being shaped by four mega trends – globalization, demographics, technology, and changing values/attitudes. Dr. Daggett will describe these trends and their impact on what students need to know and be able to do. He will conclude by discussing the impact on students, schools, and society if we do not prepare students adequately for this changing world.

Successful Schools – From Research to Action Plans Based upon meta-analysis of the research on school improvement, Dr. Daggett will describe 10 components found in the nation’s most successful schools. He will then lay out seven suggested actions schools should take to move all students to achieve a rigorous and relevant curriculum.

The Quiet Crisis in Math and Science Education Technology has made the world smaller and increased the intensity of global competition. In math and science, U.S. 4th graders are among the top students in the world. By 8th grade, they are in the middle of the pack, and by 12th grade, they score near the bottom of all industrialized nations. The long-term challenges we face as a result are profound. This session will provide compelling evidence showing the scope of the problem and make the case for a comprehensive overhaul of math and science programs in every grade.

Technology, Work and Our Growing Skills Gap We have a skills gap in America. Schools continue to work hard to raise student performance as measured by state tests. Unfortunately, this effort is not necessarily leading to a better prepared work force, because many states have focused on 20th century skills and knowledge in creating their standards and tests. Dr. Daggett will present an in-depth look at our changing economy and workplace. Following that, he will lay out specific actions that education must take on behalf of students to ensure their success in the 21st century work world.

Literacy – A Time to Retreat or Evolve Improving literacy has been the centerpiece of the school reform movement for two decades. From the standards movement to the explosion in state tests, an ever-increasing emphasis has been placed on reading. Dr. Daggett will use three recent studies to provide a scorecard on how schools are doing. He will then challenge conventional wisdom by showing that both the definition of literacy and the level of competency needed to be considered literate change over time. Unfortunately, as literacy requirements are evolving due to technology, state standards and testing programs are causing schools to retreat to an earlier definition of literacy, with potentially disastrous consequences for students and the U.S.

Success in Reaching NCLB’s Adequate Yearly Progress Provision For many schools – suburban, rural, and urban – the adequate yearly progress (AYP) provision of No Child Left Behind is posing major challenges. Other schools, through the effective use of data, focused instruction, and a different approach to support services, are having success meeting AYP for all nine subgroups of students. Using a detailed study of these schools, Dr. Daggett will share the lessons learned by both groups of schools. Specific data and strategies will be shared that schools can use to achieve the continuous improvement needed for all student subgroups to meet the adequate yearly progress provision.

Preparing Students for State Tests and the World Beyond School No Child Left Behind requires all students to achieve at higher levels. Equally as important, the world in which today’s students will live and work demands strong academic proficiency. What are the skills and knowledge that students need – both for the testing requirements of NCLB and for our technological society? How can we help all students to reach high standards? Dr. Daggett will answer these questions and share information on ways to use data to make decisions about what to teach.

Ten Years of School Reform: Lessons Learned The International Center for Leadership in Education has worked with more than 300 school districts over the past decade to assist them with their school improvement efforts. The International Center has also reviewed all of the major research on successful school reform. Those activities have yielded important information about what works and what doesn’t. Dr. Daggett will share the lessons learned from both the research and his in-depth work with districts and make recommendations for schools that want to move to a more rigorous and relevant curriculum for all students.

The Role of Schools in Promoting Good Character Too many students do not possess the character traits that our country has long deemed desirable for good citizenship, productive work, and family responsibilities. How did we get to this point? Where are we heading from here? What role should schools play in addressing this subject? Dr. Daggett will answer each of these questions using current research and his experience in working with school districts across the country. He will offer concrete suggestions on what schools can do and, equally as important, what they should not do with respect to this critical but sometimes sensitive issue.

Rigor and Relevance Highly successful schools have academically rigorous curricula that also incorporate real-world relevance. These schools understand that rigor, while essential, is not adequate to lead all students to high levels of achievement. This presentation will provide an in-depth look at the Rigor/Relevance Framework, created by the International Center for Leadership in Education, which has become a cornerstone of curriculum and instruction for schools throughout the country and abroad. Two additional R’s, which are also critical to maximizing student success, will be described: the importance of the relationships between student and teacher, student and student, and teacher and teacher and the need to provide opportunities for reflective thought on what is being taught and learned.