The Ohio School Boards Association’s (OSBA) Capital Conference and Trade Show was held November 13-15 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center and Battelle for Kids was once again proud to be a part of it. The event is professional development that prepares school district management teams for an ever-changing array of important education issues. It's also the second-largest education convention in the nation! Members of our team joined district leaders to present two professional learning sessions during the conference. Here are a couple of our reflections from attending OSBA Capital Conference 2022:
1. Now is the time to invest in your people and your human capital systems.
In Sunday’s session, “Re-Imagining Human Capital Systems for Today’s Realities,” Chief Learning Officer Tony Bagshaw joined Milford Superintendent John Speiser and Assistant Superintendent Jennie Berkley to share ways to focus on their staff’s engagement and well-being. With a nationwide teacher shortage and high levels of burnout felt by educators, the district felt that it was a crucial time to ensure staff felt supported and appreciated. By taking a comprehensive approach to its human capital system, Milford has created initiatives that support work to find, grow, and keep their talented staff members. They inspired the audience to think about human capital for education systems differently. Some of their initiatives include:
- Creating separate orientation and onboarding days for new staff members.
- Utilizing the Gallup Q12 survey to measure engagement.
- Conducting stay and exit interviews.
2. Hope matters – and we can build it in ourselves and others!
Vice President and Chief of Staff Jamie Meade shared in Monday’s session, “Pathways to a Hopeful Future,” that hope isn’t a trait – it’s a skill that can be grown, developed, and shared. And leading with hope is a difference-maker in districts. When education leaders prioritize hope, they can cultivate it in staff, students, and the broader community. Modeling hope builds positive momentum for the future and inspires everyone connected to the school community. Dan Leffingwell and Marcia Murphy from the East Central Ohio Education Service Center know this well– they’ve seen the intentional cultivation of hope change school cultures and give students a glimpse of what their futures could be, whether college, career, or military service.
In several sessions and throughout the event, we heard inspirational ideas and stories about the power of a hopeful vision to impact students, educators, and entire communities.
Battelle for Kids helps districts take a systems approach to promote enduring transformation and equitable, deeper learning outcomes for every student, including in our work in pioneering the Portrait of a Graduate (also known as Portrait of a Learner, Profile of a Learner, and other similar names). According to President and CEO Karen Garza, it all must start with a compelling vision.