“Our Branding and Marketing workshops were excellent. Workshops were focused with great energy and easy to follow. We learned how to take advantage of the great things we do and let more people know about our school. I would recommend that every school take advantage of these workshops.”

Bronx Middle School Teacher

STAFF DEVELOPMENT AND PARENT WORKSHOPS

Our Staff Development Program offers quality Professional Development Workshops for New York City public school staff and teachers, and Not for Profit organizations. All workshops are interactive, engaging, specific to each school’s needs, and adhere to Adult Learning Theory (Speck,1990). Schools and/or Regional offices may choose a session or a series of workshops in the following topics:

Sustainability Programs:
How to Obtain and Sustain Funding for Your School

Strategic Planning for the Future

Utilizing the business world’s most trusted goal setting tool, a SWOT, this workshop will help schools identify their most important issues, set goals and create strategic plans with action steps built to address each issue.

Telling Your School’s Story: Marketing and Branding

In today’s world, education is big business. This workshop will show schools how to think of their schools as a business, and most importantly how to create marketing and branding campaigns that portray your school as an educational institution that is synonymous with success.

Mobilizing Your Resources: Internal and External

Working with information gathered by brainstorming and investigating, schools will explore the importance of unearthing all resources: real, potential and even seemingly far-fetched.

Grant writing: Writing Success into Each Proposal

This workshop will introduce schools to the grant-writing process from top to bottom; from the request for proposal to the scoring rubric, every component will be examined. (This workshop is best done in two parts.)

Getting the most from your CBOs

Working with outside organizations can sometimes be trying, but this workshop will help schools look at the benefits of working with CBOs as well exploring how to manage them, how to know what services you should be getting under their contracts, and what to do if you are dissatisfied.

Parent Engagement, Outreach and Retention: How Can Your Parents Help Sustain Your Programs?

By brainstorming, examining best practices, and looking intensely at your parent population and their needs, we will explore how to engage and get the most from your parents – hopefully turning this relationship into one that can help sustain your programming.

Other Workshops

Goal Setting

Participants learn the connection between goal-setting and success in the classroom and personal life. They practice writing goals and learning to make them specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic and timely.

Team Building

One of our most popular workshops, this highly engaging session offers school groups opportunities to learn the tenets of teambuilding and practice collaboration. Games and activities get people out of their chairs and into new experiences that challenge. The benefits of this exchange follow them back to the school to improve their working relationships.

Managing Change

This important topic is often relevant in schools experiencing organizational change, restructuring or growth. Participants move beyond the emotional aspects of change to look for opportunities for progress and to thrive.

Developing Leaders

Developing leaders is one the most important things a principal can do to ensure success. This workshop identifies specific methods to help identify and develop leaders in your school or in the classroom.

Managing Conflict

Conflict can be a healthy part of life and an instigator of positive change if it is managed constructively. Using role-play and real-life situations, this interactive workshop gives participants techniques for handling conflict with colleagues, students, or staff.

Creating Shared Vision, Mission and Values

This interactive workshop for school leaders guides the process of creating a dynamic school vision, mission statement and set of shared core values.

Dealing with Difficult People

In this workshop participants work together and role-play types of difficult staff or students. This informative session is both fun and valuable for improving communication techniques.

PARENT WORKSHOPS

We offer engaging parent workshops that can be tailored to meet the needs of your school’s unique community. Topics range from College Preparation, Demystifying Financial Aid (FAFSA), The Parent-Child Relationship, College Application Process, and College Essay Writing to Yoga, Book Club, Dance, Jewelry-Making, and Knitting (just to name a few). Contact us to help you get your parents involved! Check out some sample workshops below!

Early Awareness College Prep for 9th and 10th Grade

Statistics show that in a college graduate will earn over $1 million more in their lifetime over those who have a high school diploma. Come learn about the NYS standards for getting into a competitive college, summer and opportunity programs at colleges for high school students, and create a timeline for college visits, applications and financial aid. This workshop will be jam packed with information to help students and parents gain a better understanding of the college application process.

College Prep: 11th and 12th Graders

This hands-on workshop will guide parents and students down the path of the CUNY (City University of NY), SUNY (State University of NY) application systems, private schools, and out of state school. Parents will get an in-depth look at real applications, requirements for acceptance into programs, past financial aid packages, & explore the options of commuting versus residential campuses with their students. The workshop will also do an overview of the importance of SAT testing and scholarship research.

College Prep: Immigrant and Special Populations

Hands-on session guiding parents and students through the application process as undocumented parents or students. There will also be a list of resources and scholarships available specifically for undocumented families. There will be information on work-related programs and alternatives to college.

Job Readiness for Parents

Learn the difference between a job and a career in this engaging and useful workshop. Parents will learn practical skills such as resume and cover letter writing, interviewing, and where and how to look for jobs. We’ll also cover topics relevant to modern families such as work-life balance, re-entering the workforce, and choosing a career suited to your personality.