Edmentum, a global education leader and pioneer in online teaching and learning solutions, is hosting the Missouri Women Leaders in Education Conference on Wednesday, October 2, 2019, at the University of Missouri-Columbia. The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for women leaders and aspiring leaders in education to gain ideas and insights to further their careers and leadership acumen and also to connect and network with other female educators from across the state. This event is free to attend and open to all women educators in Missouri; however, preregistration is required, and space is limited.

Attendees can look forward to a keynote address by Missouri Commissioner of Education Dr. Margie Vandeven. Dr. Vandeven has spent more than 27 years in education, beginning her career as a teacher and advancing to leadership positions at the school, state, and national level.

“Effective leadership in schools has a positive impact on student performance,” said Dr. Vandeven. “As teaching remains a heavily female-dominated profession, I look forward to engaging with women educators from across our state to discuss the challenges and opportunities that accompany this call to effective leadership.”  

As Dr. Vandeven serves in Missouri’s top education leadership role, she works to improve opportunities for the more than 918,000 students in the state and to ensure that each child can graduate prepared for success.

Attendees will also hear from Edmentum Senior Vice President of Research and Design Dr. Karen Barton about the path she has taken over the past 25 years, beginning as a special education teacher and  turning her passion for equitable education and accountability for all learners into a career in psychometrics with a focus on accessibility and validity in assessment.

“We each traverse journeys in our careers that, looking forward, we might never have imagined, where, in hindsight, the paths are threaded together signaling the heart of our passions,” explained Dr. Barton.

The conference will be moderated by Director of Policy for the PRiME (Policy Research in Missouri Education) Center at Saint Louis University and former Deputy Commissioner of the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Dr. Stacey Preis. Additionally, a panel of female district leaders will discuss their paths to leadership, lessons learned, and the accomplishments that bring them the most pride. The panel includes Superintendent of Hazelwood School District and the National Association of School Superintendents 2019 Superintendent of the Year Dr. Nettie Collins-Hart, Superintendent of Boonville R-1 School District Dr. Sarah Marriott, Superintendent of Slater School District Debbie Gonzalez, Superintendent of The School District of University City Dr. Sharonica Hardin-Bartley, and Deputy Superintendent of Blue Springs R-IV School District Dr. Annette Seago.

This event is being spearheaded by Edmentum Regional Vice President of Rural Partnerships Ronda Talamantez.

“In June, I sat in a conference room in Atlanta and had the opportunity to hear women from across the nation speak about their journeys to leadership,” reported Ms. Talamantez. “In hearing their stories, I learned lessons that are already helping me on my own career path, and I want to provide a similar opportunity to the women educators of Missouri.”

Women educators in Missouri wishing to attend this free event must register at https://info.edmentum.com/2019-MO-Women-in-Educational-Leadership-Rise-Up.html to reserve their spot.

About Edmentum

Edmentum, Inc., is committed to making it easier for educators to individualize learning for every student through simple technology, high-quality content, and actionable data. Founded in innovation, Edmentum’s powerful learning programs blend technology with individual teaching approaches. Edmentum is committed to being educators' most trusted partner in creating successful student outcomes everywhere learning occurs. Edmentum solutions currently support educators and students in more than 40,000 schools nationwide. For more information, visit edmentum.com.

Edmentum is a trademark of Edmentum, Inc.

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