Opening General Session

NASP is fortunate to have two distinguished keynote speakers in Chicago: Alexa Posny, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Department of Education, Washington, DC; and Salome Thomas-EL, National Education Expert and Former Teacher and Principal, Philadelphia School District, PA.

Alexa Posny

Salome Thomas-EL

About Alexa Posny

Including Your School Psychologist: A Better, Bolder Approach to Education
Alexa E. Posny, Assistant Secretary for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education.

For the first time under IDEA, schools have the ability to use special education funds to provide Early Intervening Services (EIS) for students not yet identified as needing special education services. Keynote speaker and Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education Alexa Posny will discuss how schools now have the opportunity to change the face of education across the entire country by intervening and providing resources long before a child fails. This systematic approach begins with a team of individuals—educators, administrators, school psychologists, parents—starting a dialogue, asking themselves what their students need, taking a look at what they are already doing well and using that knowledge to implement a system of supports and interventions that ensures every child gets what he or she needs to learn. This new approach to education, through EIS and Response to Intervention, has provided a venue for school psychologists to contribute in a way that greatly enhances their roles and the services provided to students. In addition to performing in the traditional assessment role, school psychologists are now also providing consultation and participating in program planning and evaluation. They are no longer just assessment experts, they are instructional and mental health experts, helping schools to understand the critical role that human relationships play in ensuring that every child succeeds.

Alexa E. Posny, the newly appointed Assistant Secretary for U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), will be presenting the second keynote address at the 2010 convention.

Previously, Dr. Posny served as Commissioner for Education for the State of Kansas and Director of the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) for the U.S. Department of Education. As OSEP Director, she assisted state and local efforts to effectively educate all children and youth with disabilities, served as the primary communication link between OSEP and constituencies regarding the Administration’s priorities and initiatives, responded to constituency concerns and needs, and provided leadership for development of national consensus on the issues facing special education.

Other positions that Dr. Posny has held included the Deputy Commissioner of education with KSDE, Assistant Commissioner for Learning Services, State Director of Special Education, Director of Special Education for the Shawnee Mission School District, Director of the Curriculum and Instruction Specialty Option as part of the Title 1 Technical Assistance Center (TAC) network of TACs across the United States, and a Senior Research Associate at Research and Training Associates in Overland Park, KS.

Throughout her career, Dr. Posny has been heavily involved in program, policy and compliance issues at the district, state and federal levels. Most importantly, she has been a teacher at the elementary, middle and high school levels and remains a teacher today, serving as adjunct faculty with the University of Kansas. She is widely recognized as visionary who sees the potential of Response to Intervention to inform school improvement efforts across special and general education. She is an effective advocate on behalf of implementing the principals of early intervening, ensuring effective teachers and student supports, providing visionary leaders, and designing schools that meet the needs of all students to be successful in a 21st world. She also has been a long-time supporter of school psychologists’ role in serving children and promises to be an outstanding addition to our convention program.

About Salome Thomas-EL

The Immortality of Influence: Believing Every Child Can Achieve Their Dreams
Salome Thomas-EL, National Education Expert and Former Teacher and Principal, Philadelphia School District, PA

“Every child needs someone to be crazy about them.” These are the words of Salome Thomas-EL, former teacher and principal and a nationally recognized educator. They shape his life-long commitment to answering the question, “How do we ensure that every child achieves their greatest potential?” This question lies at the heart of the national dialogue on education policy, the day in and day out work of school personnel, and the hopes of every parent. Central to this challenge is how we succeed with children facing the most serious barriers to success: poverty, violence, neglect, and low expectations.

For over 20 years, Thomas-EL has taken on this challenge with the absolute belief that every child can and will learn as long as adults in their world care enough to not give up. Starting as a teacher and chess coach at Vaux Middle School and through his years as principal at Russell Byers Charter School, Thomas-EL has transformed the attitudes and strategies of school staff, parents, and members of the community to help hundreds of troubled children not only graduate from high school but go on to earn higher degrees from major colleges and universities. He brings to the process a powerful combination of passion, caring, and leadership to craft a refreshing, common-sense roadmap to help kids achieve their dreams, no matter the odds.

Salome Thomas-EL is a national education expert, media consultant, and former teacher and principal with the Philadelphia School District from 1987-2009. He received national acclaim as a teacher and chess coach at Vaux Middle School, where his students have gone on to win world recognition as Eight-Time National Chess Champions. He is the author of the best-selling books, I Choose to Stay, about his Vaux Middle School experience, and The Immortality of Influence. The Walt Disney Company has purchased the movie rights to I Choose to Stay. Thomas-EL speaks to groups across the country and frequently appears on C-SPAN, CNN, and NPR Radio. He is a graduate of East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania and currently a doctoral candidate. He has received the Marcus A. Foster Award as the outstanding School District Administrator in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania’s distinguished Martin Luther King Award. Recently Thomas-EL was invited by Dr. Mehmet Oz to serve as a member of "Core Team Oz" on his television show, "The Dr. Oz Show", an hour-long, multi-topic talk show broadcast in every major city in the country. Learn more at www.ichoosetostay.com.

NASP thanks Pearson, Clinical Assessment group for their sponsorship of the Keynote Addresses.