Educators Gather at the College Board Southern Regional Forum in Atlanta, March 7–8

NEW YORK — On March 7 and 8, the College Board Southern Regional Office will host a conference of approximately 300 secondary school and college educators, administrators and counselors from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. The event will take place at the Westin Atlanta Airport in Georgia.

The theme of the conference, “Collaborate! A Blueprint for Common Core Success,” sets the tone for thought-provoking sessions specifically geared toward the Southern Region and its distinct issues. Participants will come together to discuss, among other topics, rigorous instruction and strategies to make assessment data transparent, accessible and actionable.

Earlean Smiley, superintendent of schools for the McCormick County School District in South Carolina, will begin the conference with a keynote address. Smiley has served as McCormick superintendent for the past two and a half years. During her tenure, she has led the board and community in restructuring key parts of the teaching and learning infrastructure: leadership, professional development, assessments, and curriculum and instruction. In her keynote, she will talk about how collaboration is the blueprint for Common Core success, and how we have the ability to strengthen the fidelity of implementation by connecting each of our respective “dots.” Smiley will give her address on Thursday, March 7, at 1 p.m.

Scott Anderson, director of outreach for the Common Application, will speak on Friday morning as part of the awards breakfast (7:30 a.m.). As the Common Application approaches its fifth decade of serving students, counselors and member colleges, the not-for-profit association is preparing for a significant expansion in staffing and services. Anderson will discuss these developments and also offer a preview of CA4, the fourth-generation Common Application launching Aug. 1, 2013. In addition, exceptional teachers, institutions and initiatives will be honored with several national and regional awards during this session. Awards to be presented during the breakfast include:

• Bob Costas Grant for the Teaching of Writing  
• 2013 CollegeKeys Compact™ Innovation Awards
• Outstanding AP® Professional of the Year Award

Dozens of additional sessions will examine the most timely and relevant topics in education, including:

• “Insights on Academic Rigor from Across the States” (Thursday, March 7, 3 p.m.)

• “College Planning in the Digital Age: Using Online Resources to Engage and Guide Students to College” (Friday, March 8, 9:15 a.m.)
• Inspiration Luncheon: Calvin Mackie, Ph.D., President and CEO, Channel ZerO Group, LLC (Friday, March 8, noon)
• “Higher Ed Institutions and New State Standards — Is Your Campus Ready?” (Friday, March 8, 3:30 p.m.)

All sessions are open to the media. To arrange for a press pass or interviews, please contact the College Board Communications office at 212-713-8052 or [email protected].